Serious Diet Soda Addiction

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tenathequeena
tenathequeena Posts: 49
in Food and Nutrition
I quit all soda a few months ago. Then I quit smoking. I started having one can of diet soda in the afternoons, which turned into one in the afternoon and one at night with dinner. I am 100 lbs overweight and am well aware of the relationship between obesity and diet soda. I am up to 2 liters or more a day. How do I quit? I crave the stuff. I dream about drinking it. I kid you not, this is a full blown addiction. Help??
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  • lilac_fields
    lilac_fields Posts: 3 Member
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    I too am addicted to soda. May I ask how you quit before? I have tried and tried but get serious migraine headaches when I don't drink one from the caffeine withdrawl. I hear to cut back little each day but it is so incredibly hard for me. If you have the willpower and don't suffer from the horrible headaches that I do I suggest going cold turkey.
  • LexiMelo
    LexiMelo Posts: 203 Member
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    Congratulations on quitting smoking - it is the best thing you could ever do - it's really difficult and you should pat yourself on the back. :flowerforyou:

    Quitting diet soda was almost as hard for me as quitting smoking was. But you already know that you have the willpower! I had two weeks of withdrawal symptoms, not alleviated by drinking other caffeinated beverages. But once those two weeks are over you are done. I would suggest that you drink seltzer water instead, and make sure to have a few caffeinated beverages a day. Another thing you can do is put a dollar in a jar every time you would have had a soda. At the end of the week, buy yourself something to wear, like a cheaper bracelet, to remind yourself how strong you are. I'm sure you can do it no problem.
  • tenathequeena
    tenathequeena Posts: 49
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    I quit by drinking tons of water. The first four or five days I had headaches, tremors and an upset stomach, but once that passed, I started to feel SO good.
  • LexiMelo
    LexiMelo Posts: 203 Member
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    I too am addicted to soda. May I ask how you quit before? I have tried and tried but get serious migraine headaches when I don't drink one from the caffeine withdrawl. I hear to cut back little each day but it is so incredibly hard for me. If you have the willpower and don't suffer from the horrible headaches that I do I suggest going cold turkey.

    I agree - cold turkey is the way to go (just like smoking). Just put a gold star on the two week date and remember that the withdrawal symptoms won't last forever!
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
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    The relationship is that overweight people seem to drink diet sodas in greater numbers than those who are not overweight. This does not mean that diet soda causes someone to gain weight. Correlation does not equal causation, and many people have been able to lose weight while drinking diet sodas.

    Just sayin'.
  • tenathequeena
    tenathequeena Posts: 49
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    Thanks
  • daybehavior
    daybehavior Posts: 1,319 Member
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    how does adding a can of zero calorie soda contribute to obesity?
  • cathylaine712
    cathylaine712 Posts: 22
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    I have read the same crap about diet soda contributing to obesity. Diet soda didn't get you 100 lbs overweight just like it didn't make me 40 lbs overweight. I agree that it can't be "good" for us, but it's overblown. Like someone else commented, when I am drinking a ton of water, I desire far less soda and there is only so much a person can drink. Good luck.
  • dumparump
    dumparump Posts: 50 Member
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    This is an interesting question. Considering the science behind a particular ingredient found in diet soda, it may help you to understand why it is you're craving it. Aspartame (an artificial sweetner) as I have read is an addictive ingredient that has caused things ranging from bone deterioration, memory loss, and cancer (what doesn't, right?). For people with addictive personalities it's particularly easy to fall into its addictive properties. If you have quit smoking, then you can definitely quit drinking diet soda. It will take will power first and foremost, and the knowledge of its addictive qualities to break the habit. Follow the steps you've taken to quit smoking and you'll break it eventually, but it does take time and patience.

    If it were me, I'd just stop buying it altogether. Just flat out, stop buying it. Do your research on the ingredient, and try to pay attention to other foods you're eating too. Aspartame is known by other names such as Sucralose! Be aware, and do your best to avoid the ingredient altogether.

    Everyone's ideas so far are really good pointers too. Drink water. Lots of it. The withdrawls won't last forever.
  • juliacatherine1
    juliacatherine1 Posts: 71 Member
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    I have always heard that diet soda in particular causes the body to crave sugar more and can mess with how fat is stored and or burned. Not sure if that is truth or myth.
  • tenathequeena
    tenathequeena Posts: 49
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    One can doesn't do much, but many cans seem to cause one to crave more food (especially sweets) http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fit/lose-weight/myth-diet-soda
  • b34219
    b34219 Posts: 1
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    I struggled with this addiction for many, many years. I went cold turkey last October. It is so hard to do, but I needed to do it. I didn't lose any weight, but I am drinking a TON of water! This month I started having one here and there. I don't have the desire to have one everyday, but maybe one day a week.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
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    I LOVE Diet Dr. Thunder, the Wal-Mart house brand made by Dr. Pepper, drank 2 liters a day, twice that in summer. My good friend Mikal lectured me on the evils of aspartame and I finally decided to listen to him and cut way down, forced myself to drink water and coffee, mostly, with one small glass of Dr. Thunder several times a week, but no more. It's worked just fine. I had always been bored with drinking plain water, but you get used to it. I haven't had any trouble restricting myself to one glass several times a week ( usually three), but will not give it ( or anything else I like) up altogether.
  • morehealthymatt
    morehealthymatt Posts: 208 Member
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    I go cold turkey for a while then wind up buying 2 2 litre bottles and drink them within 2-4 days.

    I keep it out of the house. I only drink it with certain foods (pizza, burgers, chips, etc.) so limiting those foods also helps.

    Soda is free where I work and I am able to keep strong a rarely drink it.

    Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi and Zero are my faves!!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,619 Member
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    I quit all soda a few months ago. Then I quit smoking. I started having one can of diet soda in the afternoons, which turned into one in the afternoon and one at night with dinner. I am 100 lbs overweight and am well aware of the relationship between obesity and diet soda. I am up to 2 liters or more a day. How do I quit? I crave the stuff. I dream about drinking it. I kid you not, this is a full blown addiction. Help??
    Sounds like you traded in one addiction for another. Diet soda doesn't make you fat, but too much of it like anything else isn't good for your body.
    Have you tried addressing why you gravitate towards diet soda? Maybe speak to a professional?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • draco706
    draco706 Posts: 174 Member
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    took me 6 months to get off diet coke drank 12 a day. started by swapping 1 soda a day with a carbonated juice. (i liked izzy) than swapped a second for a cup of tea. when I got headaches I would pop 1 aleve (no caffeine). it sucked. Now I have one big latte or tea a day. I feel so much better though. My nutritionist said it was as hard to get off diet soda as it is to quit smoking. good luck.
  • daybehavior
    daybehavior Posts: 1,319 Member
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    ppfft all the aspartame business is overblown and exaggerated to the point of irrelevancy. you'd have to drink an INSANE amount of diet coke daily to reproduce the effects had on the rats. As for "craving more sweets" that sounds like more of a personal willpower issue. As stated before there are tons of folks on MFP who have been successful drinking diet and undiet.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,619 Member
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    This is an interesting question. Considering the science behind a particular ingredient found in diet soda, it may help you to understand why it is you're craving it. Aspartame (an artificial sweetner) as I have read is an addictive ingredient that has caused things ranging from bone deterioration, memory loss, and cancer (what doesn't, right?). For people with addictive personalities it's particularly easy to fall into its addictive properties. If you have quit smoking, then you can definitely quit drinking diet soda. It will take will power first and foremost, and the knowledge of its addictive qualities to break the habit. Follow the steps you've taken to quit smoking and you'll break it eventually, but it does take time and patience.

    If it were me, I'd just stop buying it altogether. Just flat out, stop buying it. Do your research on the ingredient, and try to pay attention to other foods you're eating too. Aspartame is known by other names such as Sucralose! Be aware, and do your best to avoid the ingredient altogether.

    Everyone's ideas so far are really good pointers too. Drink water. Lots of it. The withdrawls won't last forever.
    Aspartame isn't addictive. And lots of the causes claimed have been debunked by actual peer reviewed clinical studies. If one searches on here about aspartame, there are several link studies to show that moderate use of it is fine.
    But I do believe the OP has traded one addictive behavior for another.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • leighann881
    leighann881 Posts: 371
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    I quit Diet Coke and then quit smoking ans started back with the Diet Coke. **** it. I win. No smoking = I win. Drinking 8 gallons a day. There is no amount of Diet Coke that is worse for your health than smoking.
  • juliacatherine1
    juliacatherine1 Posts: 71 Member
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    I personally try to avoid the stuff because it does seem to be so harmful to me personally. I used to drink a can a day for the caffeine then I would miss a day and feel strung out like a crack addict! I still drink it from time to time but not on a regular basis. Water is my drink of choice.

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