my worst enemy? diet coke...

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89brilewis
89brilewis Posts: 27 Member
in Food and Nutrition
It is safe to say that I'm addicted to diet coke...

I was talking to my mom about how it is really bad for me because I substitute diet coke for every other drink unless I'm at my boyfriends house, which the only choice there is water and milk. Well let me know what you think of the idea my mom and I had to help me with this. Whenever I want a diet coke I have to drink a glass of ice water (i can't stand water unless ice is included lol) and then when I get thirsty again i can have the diet coke.

So what do ya'll think? Think this may help?

Replies

  • JJHudgens
    JJHudgens Posts: 96 Member
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    It should help. You've read all the articles about how bad the stuff is for ya, right? I will drink a club soda, or sparkling water from time to time to give me the fizzy I want/crave. And that usually does the trick. Sometimes though, just gotta have the diet coke. ;) I rarely tough it though. The artificial sweetner does a number on me. :o/
  • miranda90504
    miranda90504 Posts: 4
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    I was a total Mountain Dew junkie before I started this. I don't know how I did it but I quit cold turkey. I somply stopped buying it. I look back at the past few weeks and I am stunned that I have kicked the soda habit. I used to not even eat breakfast. I had a dew and 4 excedrin to get me going every morning now for nearly 16 years, (started that after I had my son). The best advice I can give you is to just quit buying it. I find myself reaching for watermelon when I get the sugary Dew craving now. Good Luck!
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
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    Well, Diet is better than regular, but you still need to watch how much you drink of it. The reason is because it has caffeine, which is a diuretic. Basically, it makes you pee out nearly all of the water content in the coke, which means that your body is probably operating in a state of dehydration all the time, which makes weight loss and muscle growth very hard.
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
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    EDIT -- Removed double post. Epic fail.
  • crazyears
    crazyears Posts: 50
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    Water is definitely better for you than diet coke, but from my own experience, when I want a diet coke there is no substitute. This is my weakness too, so let me know how this works out.
  • emsibun
    emsibun Posts: 208
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    Be prepared for the caffeine withdrawal headaches you might get if you cut your caffeine consumption dramatically. The headaches usually come a couple of days into the changed regime.

    If you drink enough of it that you think you are addicted then consider cutting it out slowly. One drink at a time.

    So, substitute one or at most two caffeinated drinks for iced water. Do this for three or four days.

    Then cut out another one or two caffeinated drinks for three or four days, then one or two more... until you have reached the point you are happy with.

    Good luck! I'm so 'doomsday' about this because the caffeine headaches I experienced when I cut down my coffee consumption (and I did it slowly) were EPIC! Epic enough that I'll never ever go back to that habit again - two a day for me now!
  • michelle_mareshfuehrer
    michelle_mareshfuehrer Posts: 312 Member
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    Have you thought about trying italian soda instead? I make a great one that's only 35 calories and it gets rid of my desire for Coke type sodas--that's how I kicked my habit.
  • laurad1406
    laurad1406 Posts: 341
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    I was totally addicted to diet coke, I would drink it first thing in the morning because it tasted SO much better than water! But I read a bunch of articles saying not so great things about it, and realized even if it isnt necessarily TERRIBLE, it isnt providing any nutritional value either. I stopped drinking it cold turkey one day....I drank LOTS of water, and when I needed a caffeine kick I drank a cup of hot tea with lemon...I tried having a couple of sips of diet coke after 5 days without and it tasted horrible! Now my last memory of diet coke makes me nauseous! I've since had 1 sprite, but for the most part of been soda free for a few weeks now, and I feel GREAT! (plus, water will start to taste better, I promise. But i'm the same way, it has to be ice cold!)
  • blm625
    blm625 Posts: 33
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    I think that is a really good Idea!! I have heard that drinking Soda makes you dehydrated and than you crave more thinking its going to quench that thirst but it doesn't so you drink more and more...ect! SO drinking water before you have a diet coke is smart cause you may find that your thirst gets quenched and than you don't really need to soda! Good Luck!
  • Morglem
    Morglem Posts: 377 Member
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    Hi! I lived on diet pepsi for the last five year... weeks went by and I had no water. My whole life I had soda, kool aid, fruit juices etc... NO WATER... So the last 3 weeks when I decided to start my weight loss jorney, I said no to soda. Other than the 4 or 5 times that we went out to eat (then I had a diet soda) I start building up my water consumption. I now I'm drinking 6-8 cups a day with no problem. I think it is bad for you to drink so much soda. Your body needs water. Fresh pure water. Maybe you can start having a cup of water everytime you want a soda and have the soda later and then build up to have mostly water? Believe me I know what you r talking about. I tried to give up before and failed it is hard :( But this time so far so good! :) Add me as a friend if you like :)
  • SoCalSwimmerDude
    SoCalSwimmerDude Posts: 480 Member
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    I have a diet coke every day.... much to the dissapointment of my wife who tells me about cancer and brain rot non-stop. Regardless, I don't drink Diet Coke when I'm thirsty, I drink it for my sweet tooth or a small caffiene pick me up.

    HOWEVER, I easily drink 12 8oz glasses of water a day and eat tons of potassium (which is the sodium equalizer). In the end, I'm much more addicted to water than I am to Diet Coke, but I still have it all the time. Shoot me...
  • osucristina
    osucristina Posts: 197
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    try sparkling water with lemon. Refreshing, but still fizzy! It helped me kick my habit!
  • sophjakesmom
    sophjakesmom Posts: 904 Member
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    I don't let myself have DC unless I have finished my water goal for the day. Any reduction is a good thing though, so do what works for you!
  • kater8er
    kater8er Posts: 364 Member
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    I would wean yourself off of it. Start with 1 a day limit--and definitely drink all your water. Then, the next week, go to 1 day you can't have diet coke. The next week, you can only have it 5 days a week...And so on and so on until you get to the week where you can only have 1! Then it becomes a treat and not a staple in your diet!

    OR, you could buy a two liter and pour yourself 4-6 oz aliquots of Diet Coke....So you're still getting a taste! That's what I have to do for things like cake and fries and chips...Just one/one bite!

    You can do it though!
  • TeriMayfield
    TeriMayfield Posts: 1
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    Speaking from experience, I use to drink probably around a 6 pack of diet coke a day. IT really isnt good for you or your kidneys. trust me. I have learned to enjoy drinking decaffienated tea and you could naturally flavor your tea if you need alittle sweetness. with some fruit juice or even alittle sweetner.. but dark soda's are not good for your body at all. good luck
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member
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    I have started drink homemade lemon aide. It has been a great sub for Diet Coke. I still have a diet coke here and there, but the homemade lemonaide is what I am starting to prefer most.

    2 cups of real lemon juice
    2 cups of splenda
    Gallon of water
  • becksini
    becksini Posts: 17 Member
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    haha! if only my parents could drop the soda habit! My dad drinks 64 oz and more of mtn dew a day!
  • sunyg
    sunyg Posts: 229
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    I'm addicted to Diet Coke too. What I've started doing is I have to drink 2 bottles of water before I can have 1 can. My exception is in the morning when I have a diet coke first. I haven't stopped drinking it completely but I've cut way back. I also add a Crystal Light Green Tea to one bottle. It helps. Next week it will be 3 bottles before I get one Diet Coke and so forth.
  • sminor333
    sminor333 Posts: 1
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    Good job on the weight loss so far by the way!
    I have the same addiction and I think it is a good idea. You might start to feel full after you start to drink more and more water. Iknow that happens to me as well.

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