Quitting Soda
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I still drink 2 -3 cans of diet soda (Coke Zero or 7-up free) a day
And around 2 litres sparkling water
I fail to see the issue TBH0 -
I gave up soda during a 3 week post-holidays added sugar/artificial sweetener detox (I was feeling like I couldn't go back to healthy eating after enjoying all of the high-sugar holiday foods). That was 4 years ago. I don't miss it. I drink black coffee in the morning, and water the rest of the day. I will occasionally have a beer or a glass of wine when out to dinner. I don't do artificial sweeteners of any kind, so diet sodas are out for me. The only time I drink anything like that now is when I am sick to my stomach - I will get a single serving of ginger ale, and drink a little bit to help settle it. That's it. I don't miss the calorie expenditure, nor the extra sugar grams. It wasn't easy at first, but the longer I went, the better. And it is important to replace the muscle memory with a new one. When you find yourself in the midst of reaching for a Coke, make a point to grab something else instead. Try plain water, but if a flavored water or unsweetened iced tea works better for you, then go for that. You need to keep reinforcing the new habit though - unfortunately the old habit will never leave our brains completely.
I recommend "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. The book goes into the science behind how habits are formed and maintained, and the best way to adjust them when needed.0 -
I quit cold turkey and got a nasty headache. I now only drink a soda when I have a theater night with my youngest and it takes like syrup. Drinking Diet carbonated beverages doesn't help. The carbonation is the killer here, and helps keep weight in the thighs... There is research to back this up. Now I drink coffee and water, and my reward is a latte about once a month. I'll drink tea also. But all that artificial sweetener does is give me a migraine. Doing your best is what counts. I used to limit myself to a Pepsi a day. I quit last January and have had about 4 Pepsi's in a year. Best of luck.0
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I can totally identify with you. I have quit cold turkey diet pepsi that I was totally addicted to (I drank 2-3 litres of it daily for 25 years) and now only drink water, and 1 coffee a day. I have relapsed many times in the past. This time I have learned that for myself that just 1 will lead to future cravings and I really don't want to go there anymore. I have never felt better and I personally feel that diet pepsi used to stimulate my appetite.0
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I switched from Coke to Coke Zero. Not quite as good as Coke but not as horrible as Diet Coke. Zero calories or carbs so I can get them from something else and still have soda. Works for me.0
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I gave up Pepsi on December 31st. I still drink Diet Coke in moderation, but I had to go cold turkey on the Pepsi. It's a trigger for me - I have one, then it becomes one every day, and then soon I am drinking it like water. For some reason, I don't have the same issue with any other drink. I don't like the idea of the artificial sweeteners in Diet Coke, so I may eventually cut it out entirely.0
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I quit cold turkey and got a nasty headache. I now only drink a soda when I have a theater night with my youngest and it takes like syrup. Drinking Diet carbonated beverages doesn't help. The carbonation is the killer here, and helps keep weight in the thighs... There is research to back this up. Now I drink coffee and water, and my reward is a latte about once a month. I'll drink tea also. But all that artificial sweetener does is give me a migraine. Doing your best is what counts. I used to limit myself to a Pepsi a day. I quit last January and have had about 4 Pepsi's in a year. Best of luck.
Regarding what I bolded:
"Keeps the weight in things" ... that is kind of ambiguous. I think you're trying to say it keeps people from losing weight? If not, please clarify what you do mean.
And please, point us to the research that backs this up. (Links would be really nice)0 -
pottsoconnor881 wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »moonchildisme wrote: »Is diet really any better?
Absolutely.
Zero calories. Still fizzy, still sweet, still satisfying.
In moderation, like all things, of course.
Diet soda has been linked to cancer.
Do tell. A link to a scientific study would be nice. Something other than the one on lab rats who were fed their body weight in sweetener per day.0 -
pottsoconnor881 wrote: »Diet soda has been linked to cancer.
So has being alive. Sometimes people who are alive get cancer.
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I used to be addicted to diet coke. At one point, I would have up to 4 or 5 a day.
I started off by switching to 1 Diet Coke a day, and drinking crystal light whenever I felt a craving come on. Gradually, I've been able to wean myself off of all soda and sweet beverages. It took me almost a year, but now the only things I drink are water, hot/iced tea (unsweetened), and LaCroix sparkling water. I also have an occasional glass of wine or beer.0 -
ac3UVspad3s wrote: »I wanted to see others who have had or are still having struggles with this issue. I also wanted to see tips and advice from people who have gone longer and feel they've officially weened themselves off soda.
If you want to quit doing something, then quit doing it. If you want to stop drinking soda, then stop drinking soda. It's what I did. Was it pleasant? No, it was decidedly unpleasant at first. Once the withdrawals went away it wasn't unpleasant anymore. Without the caffeine dependency I'm in general more alert. Without the empty calories of zero nutritional value, I also weigh less. This is an on going benefit.
You're ultimately responsible for the choices you make. If you want to stop doing something, then just stop doing it. If it is something you're dedicated to then it shouldn't be a problem. You can try to step down your usage but really you're just negotiating with yourself for more of it. Rationalizing. The worst part of removing it from your life is the caffeine headaches. In the past I've mitigated this with green tea and stepped down my intake levels of caffeine until I reached zero. This time around I just stopped.
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TheBeachgod wrote: »I switched from Coke to Coke Zero. Not quite as good as Coke but not as horrible as Diet Coke. Zero calories or carbs so I can get them from something else and still have soda. Works for me.
What is the difference (ingredients) in Coke Zero and Diet Coke?
This has been a huge issue for me. I decided to give up Diet Coke and all artificial sweeteners, so I would grab an occasional Coke. Then it turned into a much too regular thing. Recently switched back to Diet Coke, but now I'm getting headaches. Wondering if Coke Zero would be a better option.0 -
I'm addicted to diet soda. Trying to switch to tea, but it's hard. I keep going back. Lately I've mostly been drinking Diet Pepsi, since it doesn't contain aspertame. But I'm sure it's still not the healthiest thing.0
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ac3UVspad3s wrote: »I wanted to see others who have had or are still having struggles with this issue. I also wanted to see tips and advice from people who have gone longer and feel they've officially weened themselves off soda.
If you want to quit doing something, then quit doing it. If you want to stop drinking soda, then stop drinking soda. It's what I did. Was it pleasant? No, it was decidedly unpleasant at first. Once the withdrawals went away it wasn't unpleasant anymore. Without the caffeine dependency I'm in general more alert. Without the empty calories of zero nutritional value, I also weigh less. This is an on going benefit.
You're ultimately responsible for the choices you make. If you want to stop doing something, then just stop doing it. If it is something you're dedicated to then it shouldn't be a problem. You can try to step down your usage but really you're just negotiating with yourself for more of it. Rationalizing. The worst part of removing it from your life is the caffeine headaches. In the past I've mitigated this with green tea and stepped down my intake levels of caffeine until I reached zero. This time around I just stopped.
What's wrong with wanting to keep doing something that you enjoy?0 -
ashliefisch wrote: »pottsoconnor881 wrote: »Diet soda has been linked to cancer.
So has being alive. Sometimes people who are alive get cancer.
Drops mic, walks off!
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pottsoconnor881 wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »moonchildisme wrote: »Is diet really any better?
Absolutely.
Zero calories. Still fizzy, still sweet, still satisfying.
In moderation, like all things, of course.
Diet soda has been linked to cancer.
Breathing in LA has been linked to cancer0 -
I switched from soda to diet soda years ago and don't even like non diet anymore. Don't see anything wrong with diet soda in moderation, but I quit it for a time just to see if I noticed a difference (I did not). It wasn't particularly difficult to quit, but the truth is I love coffee much more and just let myself drink coffee instead, which isn't really something I'd recommend (I drink coffee black but was drinking way too much caffeine).
I quit coffee for a while last year, and that was hard. I'm going to cut back again soon -- you really just have to do it if you want to do it, but having something else to drink helps if you are someone like me who always seems to be sipping on something. Luckily I enjoy cold water and that's available.0 -
emsmomtina wrote: »TheBeachgod wrote: »I switched from Coke to Coke Zero. Not quite as good as Coke but not as horrible as Diet Coke. Zero calories or carbs so I can get them from something else and still have soda. Works for me.
What is the difference (ingredients) in Coke Zero and Diet Coke?
This has been a huge issue for me. I decided to give up Diet Coke and all artificial sweeteners, so I would grab an occasional Coke. Then it turned into a much too regular thing. Recently switched back to Diet Coke, but now I'm getting headaches. Wondering if Coke Zero would be a better option.
All I know is I've tried Diet Coke and didn't like the taste at all. I gave Zero a shot and think it is OK. I haven't had Diet Coke in a long time so to be honest, it and Zero may be the exact same thing and I just think I like Zero better due to selective memory.0 -
TheBeachgod wrote: »emsmomtina wrote: »TheBeachgod wrote: »I switched from Coke to Coke Zero. Not quite as good as Coke but not as horrible as Diet Coke. Zero calories or carbs so I can get them from something else and still have soda. Works for me.
What is the difference (ingredients) in Coke Zero and Diet Coke?
This has been a huge issue for me. I decided to give up Diet Coke and all artificial sweeteners, so I would grab an occasional Coke. Then it turned into a much too regular thing. Recently switched back to Diet Coke, but now I'm getting headaches. Wondering if Coke Zero would be a better option.
All I know is I've tried Diet Coke and didn't like the taste at all. I gave Zero a shot and think it is OK. I haven't had Diet Coke in a long time so to be honest, it and Zero may be the exact same thing and I just think I like Zero better due to selective memory.
They are flavored differently, you're not imagining.
The story behind Diet Coke and Coke Zero is actually pretty interesting. I'm at work and don't have time to find a link at the moment, but basically Diet Coke is not supposed to taste like regular Coke. It was marketed as a different product from the start. They reformulated Diet Coke at some point to make it taste more like regular Coke, and customers were not happy about the change. Coca Cola quickly switched the formula back to the original, different-tasting formula and continued to sell Diet Coke as a completely separate product from regular Coke.
Coke Zero is formulated to taste more like regular Coke, and is marketed to regular Coke lovers who want to drink Coke without the calories. In my opinion, Coke Zero does taste more like regular Coke than Diet Coke does. So Diet Coke drinkers stay happy with their different-tasting product, while regular Coke drinkers are happy to have a product that tastes similar to regular Coke.0 -
There's no need to give up soda entirely. I ended up cutting back on my intake drastically simply by not having it in the house. I also started ordering unsweet tea at restaurants, swapping out the soda for something else I like. Now, while I still have one sometimes when I go out, it'll be because I know have the room in my daily calories for it. I also never cut it out of game nights since that was once a week at the time, so I still had some then.0
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I've quit many different times, but always come back to it. I realized, I love the taste and the bubbles. More than any other drink, I truly love the tatse of Coke Zero. I drink water when I am working out, hiking, or riding. Other than that I drink coke zero.
I probably average around 60 ounces a day. I've still lost weight so it's all good. 26 LBs since January first.
I see no need to quit it.0 -
TheBeachgod wrote: »emsmomtina wrote: »TheBeachgod wrote: »I switched from Coke to Coke Zero. Not quite as good as Coke but not as horrible as Diet Coke. Zero calories or carbs so I can get them from something else and still have soda. Works for me.
What is the difference (ingredients) in Coke Zero and Diet Coke?
This has been a huge issue for me. I decided to give up Diet Coke and all artificial sweeteners, so I would grab an occasional Coke. Then it turned into a much too regular thing. Recently switched back to Diet Coke, but now I'm getting headaches. Wondering if Coke Zero would be a better option.
All I know is I've tried Diet Coke and didn't like the taste at all. I gave Zero a shot and think it is OK. I haven't had Diet Coke in a long time so to be honest, it and Zero may be the exact same thing and I just think I like Zero better due to selective memory.
They definitely taste different. I like Diet Coke a lot (can't stand Diet Pepsi), and I didn't care for Coke Zero.0 -
Pepsi is horrible now cause Splenda...blech0
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I lose a lot of weight when i don't drink soda, that and donuts0
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I lost a lot of weight when I don't eat beets or asparagus.0
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pottsoconnor881 wrote: »Used to be seriously addicted to the caffeine in soda (not a coffee drinker but 4-5 cans of soda each day wasn't unusual). Best advice I got was to suffer through withdrawal, as in, when the awful headaches start, don't take any Advil or anything for it. Quit on a Friday. Spend the weekend on the couch dying. You'll never go back
Me too, only I drank about 2litre a day. I only drink the occasional can now, much prefer water.0 -
Like many here, I was addicted to diet coke. I quit cold turkey.... had a TERRIBLE week, where I felt groggy, lightheaded, weak, dizzy and had headaches galore... then after the 4th day, it all disappeared. I suddenly felt clear, energetic, no more afternoon lows... like one of those Claritin commercials.
Anyway, I was lucky that I never craved it again and I love drinking ice cold water and I really don't drink anything else.0 -
Trying to quit but I love my soda. It's usually the first thing I grab when I wake up and I have several throughout the day. So recently I started drinking coffee in the morning with a little artificial sweetener and creamer. Gonna try to lessen the amount of those until I can drink it black. Throughout the day I am drinking water and eating ice, which helps me a lot. Also I started drinking tea along with adding the sweetener that I am gonna try to lessen as I can. Hope it works!0
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Not according to my dentist. Trying to quit soda for my teeth's health.moonchildisme wrote: »Is diet really any better?
Down to two a day which is sad since that is lower than what I used to drink. (4-5 a day. 2 home. 3 out. One from stores.) Six maybe it used to be.
And it's fusterating.
Hopefully by July it's one a day. Dentist is going to have to wait a bit for one a week.
One a day first.
My problem is the only other thing I drink are energy drinks (which I'm also trying to cut back on.) and water.
And flavored water tastes horrible and doesn't help with the sweet craving.
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I'd be so sad if I couldn't eat asparagus. Beets... not so much! 
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