Is quitting Diet coke really important?

I used to be an avid diet coke drinker, but I stopped drinking it entirely because of the sodium content. Be sure to log all diet drinks consumed so you can keep track of sodium, and be sure to get some regular water, too.

You'll be much better off in the long run if you quit.

Personally, I won't give it up. It's like a drug to me... I have to have it.

Diet coke, as all diet sodas and regular sodas for that matter, have a lot of sodium. Sodium makes you retain water! Read Jillian Michaels, "Master Your Metabolism", she's got some great insight on sodas. It says in there that for every can of coke that your drinking that you should drink twice that in water just to counter act the affects! That's a lot of water! I use crystal light in my water to change it up a little bit. One a day isn't going to kill ya, but you should definitely drink more water!

stop drinking diet coke lol......i know how you feel, i was there......totally addicted to diet coke. i still drink some, but maybe one or two in a week. i got myself off it by drinking a glass of water before i drank a diet coke. it helped me get full quicker and after time, i found myself drinking only maybe a half a can because i just wasn't thirsty anymore.
if you don't like water plain, try adding some crystal lite packets to it. i'm serious tho.....soda is a killer negative for weight loss!

I personally was a heavy pop drinker (reg non diet)until 3 1/2 weeks ago and since my life style changes i drink diet coke everyday 1 or 2 cans and no more i work out 6 days a week and i have lost 16 lbs to date so i say drink it just less of it and lots of water i dont know if i could ever give pop up completely!Hope this helps.....And good luck on your journey! :~)

AAAAAaaaaCCCCCccccKKKKKkkkk Diet drinks are POISON- that said I do love a good ice cold Diet Dr. Pepper. till I really found out what is in them and how really harmful they are for you. I gave them up long before MFP so I dont know how it will affecdt your weight loss- but from my experience my health, mental clarity and general body aches all improved from the stoppage of this nectare of the gods. LOL it is hard the headache was a real killer for several days, but worth it in the end.

My mother was a avid DC drinker all of her life (before Diet Coke was around it was Tab!) and she drank very little water. She now has kidney stones, which her doc says is a direct result. May don't quit so much as look at it as a treat, and only have a couple a day while still get your 64 ozs of water a day. As Buddha says: "Everything in moderation, including moderation."

I would definitely cut back and swap some water for some of the diet coke, but you probably don't need to give it up altogether. In addition to the sodium that people have mentioned, you're consuming a lot of caffeine which can overstimulate your adrenals, increase cortisol production, and other things that can mess with your metabolism. That said, though, this is probably not what is keeping you from losing weight, and you need to take a real close look at what you are eating - losing nothing over that period of time suggests calories in are equal to calories out.

If you have to have Coke you are much better off indulging in a regular classic coke than the diet ones. The diet cokes have SOOOO many chemicals and nasty things in them that they end up being worse for you than a regular coke. Just sayin. If it were me I would definitely quit. I drink all water all the time and every once in a while I will indulge in a regular Coke.

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.

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.

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).

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