Is quitting Diet coke really important?

Options
2»

Replies

  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Options
    Is Diet Coke really that high in sodium? I don't drink soda, but I just looked at my co-workers can. The entire can has 40mg of sodium. I thought the RDA limit for sodium was 2400 mg. If so, a diet soda would be less than 2% of your daily sodium. Is that considered to be high in sodium?
  • nursegessica
    nursegessica Posts: 36
    Options
    You can only make so many changes. Stick with your healthy diet plan and routine exercise at first. Those are the most important changes. Once that becomes natural to you, then wean off the diet drinks. I drink the energy crystal light (has a little caffeine in it). I have been exercising regularly since around Feb 4th this year. I've lost 10 lbs total. Progress is slow, but I'm sticking with it. I didn't gain overnight so i know i won't lose overnight. Now that exercising and calorie counting has become easier for me I am feeling up to eliminating the diet soda habit myself. I am going to start by not allowing myself to have any diet soda until I have had that amount of water (if i get a 20 oz bottle of diet soda... i cannot open it until i have had at LEAST 20 oz of water).
    Good luck with it all. Hope this helps.
  • Juliebean_1027
    Juliebean_1027 Posts: 713 Member
    Options
    This is a personal choice. Do what works for you. I still drink my Diet Coke. Yes, I'm aware that it's awful for you. I am addicted to Diet Coke and consume far more than I should. I have a fear that my body is slowly dying, from the inside out, because of the aspartame. I know that it turns to formaldehyde and is probably preserving my insides, but I still love it. That being said...I drink about 8-10 glasses of water on a bad day, and 15-20 on a good one. I drink 1 diet coke in the morning as my cold caffeine and I drink one at lunch. I've cut back considerably and haven't noticed a change in my diet or how I feel. Again, do what's right for you.
  • MooseWizard
    MooseWizard Posts: 295 Member
    Options
    Cut back, but don't necessarily cut it out unless you want to. This is a lifestyle change, but only if it is reasonable and manageable to you. If you deprive yourself completely of things you want, it will only be a matter of time before you cave and have some. It will feel like 'cheating' since it was 'off-limits' to begin with and that will lead to disappointment and stress--nothing you need while trying to lose weight and adjust to new living.

    Moderation, rather than abstinence, is the key in my opinion.
  • Woodman725
    Woodman725 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    You can only make so many changes. Stick with your healthy diet plan and routine exercise at first. Those are the most important changes. Once that becomes natural to you, then wean off the diet drinks. I drink the energy crystal light (has a little caffeine in it). I have been exercising regularly since around Feb 4th this year. I've lost 10 lbs total. Progress is slow, but I'm sticking with it. I didn't gain overnight so i know i won't lose overnight. Now that exercising and calorie counting has become easier for me I am feeling up to eliminating the diet soda habit myself. I am going to start by not allowing myself to have any diet soda until I have had that amount of water (if i get a 20 oz bottle of diet soda... i cannot open it until i have had at LEAST 20 oz of water).
    Good luck with it all. Hope this helps.
    Great advice here. When I started MFP, I already had fairly healthy eating habits, I just snacked too much. But the first thing I did was just pay attention to my calories. Then as I started to lose, I payed more attention to sodium and carbs. I still don't really pay that much attention to fat, I actually probably eat too little if anything. Point being take one thing at a time and it will be much easier.
    On a side note, but still in line with your question, I have a $0.25 pop machine at work and I would drink 2-3 Dr. Peppers a day, sometimes just one, but rarely none. When I started MFP, I gave it up completely, even the diet. Personally, if I have the diet, I will want to have a regular one. But I still haven't had one since January, almost 100 days now and I don't miss it. I snack on fruit and veggies and drink lots of water. I'm sure you're getting the point about water by now, nuff said.
    Good luck with your goals and if you need to, take it really slow with the changes you make.
  • adriaarnett
    adriaarnett Posts: 11
    Options
    Thanks for all the info, and really quickly too! It is nice to know there are so many of you out there for support! I think I am going ot try to cut back and maybe eventualy quit. it is hard because I do love it so much. Thanks again!
  • esme86
    esme86 Posts: 11
    Options
    :smile: Hello.......if you haven't lost weight, it could be that since you have been strength training you might be making more muscle. But I know you said your clothes are still tight....You know I have a co worker that gave up diet coke about 2 months ago. She always had to have her diet coke every day. So far she has lost about 8 pounds and says she feels less bloated. She does't do much exercising, so she was surprised how much of a difference that made. You might want to try it. Try to maybe drink some tea or something instead of coke...........Good Luck
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
    Options
    I gave up diet coke once when my weight loss stalled. After two weeks, and still in the plateau, I started drinking it again.

    You don't have to give up diet coke. You should try to get 64 ounces of fluid a day, but it doesn't have to be only water. All liquids work. With that being said, yes the caffeine has a diuretic effect, so you should drink extra water if you're drinking caffeineted beverages.

    There have been some studies that show that the sweeteners in diet coke (and other diet drinks) are bad for you. However, those studies were based on lab rats getting more sweetener in a day than a normal person gets in a week. There are also studies showing that there is no harmful effect. Take them for what they are and who conducted them and make your own choices.

    I am a diabetic, so I don't have the option of drinking regular coke. I probably wouldn't anyway, I don't like to have calories in my drinks. I do drink the occassional diet coke. I drink much less now than I used to, but diet coke tastes like a treat for me. It's like I am not dieting...

    At the beginning of a diet, I wouldn't try to quit diet coke (or anything else really) cold turkey. But I would try to replace some of that diet coke with water or tea (unsweetened).
  • blwood41
    blwood41 Posts: 1
    Options
    I lost 15 lbs just because I stopped drinking diet coke. This was within a couple of months.
  • antijen
    antijen Posts: 112 Member
    Options
    Caffeine was my reason for drinking diet sodas. When I gave them up I replaced it with Water Joe mixed with those little individual sized packets of Crystal Light. They don't carry Water Joe where I live anymore, but Crystal Light now has caffeinated products.

    Water Joe: http://www.waterjoe.com/ (caffeinated water)

    Crystal Light "Energy": http://www.energyfiend.com/caffeine-content/crystal-light-energy
  • Mad_Dog_Muscle
    Mad_Dog_Muscle Posts: 1,251 Member
    Options
    bump..... ya its bad for us, like so many other things out there that are sold as a healthy alternative. BUT, like anything, moderation is key. I drink a LOT of water, but with a meal I like to have something different and usually that is a Coke Zero. I know I should not drink it at all, but how many of us that have commented here today eat or drink something we know is not good for us....???
  • LyndseyMcKnight7
    LyndseyMcKnight7 Posts: 88
    Options
    I was a self-proclaimed diet coke addict before I started dieting. My doctor also diagnosed me with GERD, and said that the best medicine would be to cut caffeine out of my diet. I cut it out and had horrible headaches and nausea for a couple of weeks, but after all that, I feel better than ever. I don't know that it would have necessarily affected my weight loss, but I definitely feel better overall without it. I stick to water now, and haven't had a diet coke in over a year, except for a sip of one and it was horrible!
  • Deedee0075
    Deedee0075 Posts: 78 Member
    Options
    I used to drink an average of 5 diet cokes a day. Never diet pepsi - only diet coke. I'd have problems remembering things and I'd get frequent headaches. Two Februarys ago, I was writing a note on facebook called "top 25 things about me." I know, I know... Anyway, I wrote "I am addicted to Diet Coke." After posting that note and reading it, I immediately quit drinking it. It was really hard for me. I'd have dreams about diet coke. I went to my best friends kid's 1st birthday party and she had two liter sodas next to a large tub of ice. I visualized myself dumping the two liters of diet coke into that tub of ice and drinking it all up with a straw. It was really tough - until I discovered seltzer water. I cannot believe how much seltzer & sparkling water, has changed my life. I no longer have any cravings for diet coke. As a matter of fact, one time while dining at a restaurant, I asked the waitress for seltzer or soda water and she mistakingly gave me sprite. I was disgusted by the taste. It has been over 2 years since I took a sip of diet coke and I feel great. Headaches are gone but I still forget things sometimes :(
  • sarahc001
    sarahc001 Posts: 477 Member
    Options
    We used to keep the fridge stocked with 12 packs of DC, and when they would go on sale we'd buy 4 at a time! I stopped drinking it when I started mfp, and with the warmer weather today I was craving a soda. Solution: SODASTREAM. I love my sodastream seltzer maker- it turns ordinary water into sparkling, with no added sodium, etc. If I want a sweet addition, I use the sugar-free italian soda syrups- mixing raspberry and peach with the sparkling water is really refreshing! Just a thought, if you are looking for an alternative.
  • R_is_for_Rachel
    R_is_for_Rachel Posts: 381 Member
    Options
    not diet related but really important problems with cola/diet cola:

    a- it's knackers your teeth. Carbonated drinks are high in carbonic acid and it strips your enamel off (i'm a dental hygienist and i see the effects of this daily at work)

    b- for women particularly, it affects the density of your bones ,increasing the risk of osteoporosis.

    I personally think cola should come with a health warning
  • pixietoes
    pixietoes Posts: 1,591 Member
    Options
    Not only is the sweetener used in diet drinks a toxic substance, but I found that when I stopped drinking diet cokes, I stopped wanting to eat crappy snacks, too. And when I eat healthy snacks, I don't crave soda.

    So, while knowing the sweeteners weren't good for me didn't make me want to quit (if I cared about myself that much I wouldn't have gotten fat in the first place) now that I am committed to eating healthy and found the soda a gateway to NOT eating healthy, it was easy to give it up.

Categories