Giving up the diet soda

ifeelsqueaky
ifeelsqueaky Posts: 193
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm worried about the amount of coke zero I drink - it's at least 500ml a day, some days more. I don't generally eat any other foods with sweeteners in but I'm still worried about the amount of sweeteners I'm consuming given that they have a bad rep. So I want to give it up or at least reduce my intake but I'm finding it pretty difficult. I decided I would only have one can (330ml) a day to start slowing things down but they don't tend to sell single cans in shops around here and even if I do find them they're quite expensive. So I bought a pack of eight but now I'm finding that I can't resist having a second can just because it's there.

Does anyone have any advice on how to do this? The only idea I had was to only put one can in the fridge at a time as lukewarm coke zero is a bit gross :wink: Anyone else got any good tips?
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Replies

  • claire_xox
    claire_xox Posts: 282 Member
    I drink about 750mls of diet coke each day (and have for about 5 years).... As the rest of my diet improves however (more raw foods) the taste of the diet coke is slowly becoming really intensely sweet and salty and strange which is putting me off drinking so much, every second drink I'm not substituting with water or tea and over the past few weeks that's happening even more frequently.

    Not sure if this will help you or not but its how I'm kicking my soft drink addiction!
  • CoolMoonGoddess
    CoolMoonGoddess Posts: 26
    I kicked my diet soda habit by swapping to Monster Engery Zero or Lo Carb... I guarantee it's not at better for me but it doesn't give me a stomach ache like the soda did.

    All in all I'm definately addicted to caffiene... how to break that habit is beyond me at this point!!
  • irwirw
    irwirw Posts: 2
    It's quite a good idea if one can at a time is expensive, because then you might think twice about spending that much money for something you don't really want. Instead, put the cost of the expensive can into a saving jar and treat yourself to a show / movie / new shoes etc. The other way is don't put any coke into the fridge at all - instead put water - so when you go to the fridge that is all that there is to drink.
    Good luck and keep smiling
  • JessiC1984
    JessiC1984 Posts: 97 Member
    I can't drink anything with aspartame in it, for some reason it doesn't really bother me to chew on it every once in a while in sugarfree gum, but in a liquid form it gives me this disgusting metallic chemical taste in my mouth. I've always hated it. I was never a big pop (yeah, Canadian) drinker anyway, but I did have a roomate get me hooked on pepsi for a while, then I just stopped, not sure why, just didn't want it anymore.
    I know my hubby drinks loads of spakling water when he wants pop. He loves the water anyway but also says it would satisfy if he were craving a pop, especially getting it in a can.
  • ifeelsqueaky
    ifeelsqueaky Posts: 193
    It's quite a good idea if one can at a time is expensive, because then you might think twice about spending that much money for something you don't really want. Instead, put the cost of the expensive can into a saving jar and treat yourself to a show / movie / new shoes etc. The other way is don't put any coke into the fridge at all - instead put water - so when you go to the fridge that is all that there is to drink.

    This is a great idea :smile: I hadn't really thought about it like that!
  • clh4444
    clh4444 Posts: 6 Member
    Depending on whether it is the taste or the fizz you like, I switched to seltzer water. I like the Le Croix brand and just add Lemon to it. I feel like I am having soda and 0 calories and no sweetner.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    I was the SAME WAY. For years and years. Just recently I've stopped buying soda, which is beyond CRAZY for me. I love the Target brand sugar-free cherry limeade powder to put in my water. It's beyond yummy. When I do get soda the fizz is kind of a turn off....which again is CRAZY because I have always been a soda addict. Just start slowly cutting down...get some flavor to put in your waters and don't buy the soda. See how it feels if all you can reach for is water or flavored water and see how it feels. I need caffeine too. Got my coffee by my side right now!
  • ifeelsqueaky
    ifeelsqueaky Posts: 193
    Depending on whether it is the taste or the fizz you like, I switched to seltzer water. I like the Le Croix brand and just add Lemon to it. I feel like I am having soda and 0 calories and no sweetner.

    Is seltzer water the same as soda water? I've never seen it in the UK
  • JennsLosing
    JennsLosing Posts: 1,026
    yeah. i cant keep coke zero in the house because i will drink a case of it in like 2 days...lol..i get it about once a week as a "treat" when i go grocery shopping or something, that way i can just get a single bottle of it. I prefer diet sodas, because, well, thats what was bought in our house, so now reg. soda tastes waaay too sweet to me.
  • ifeelsqueaky
    ifeelsqueaky Posts: 193
    yeah. i cant keep coke zero in the house because i will drink a case of it in like 2 days...lol..i get it about once a week as a "treat" when i go grocery shopping or something, that way i can just get a single bottle of it. I prefer diet sodas, because, well, thats what was bought in our house, so now reg. soda tastes waaay too sweet to me.

    I'm the same - my housemate drinks regular coke and I really don't like it. And I can get through a case of it in 2 days as well haha! I think I may have to start doing that too, use it as a treat I mean. I like the idea of putting the value of one can of coke into a piggy bank every day I don't have one so that I can spend it on something nice :smile: Will definitely try that one - will have to go piggy bank shopping now :wink:
  • irwirw
    irwirw Posts: 2
    I don't know if any message-boarders have used / heard of a product called 'soda stream'? It is a machine which carbonates / puts bubbles into, ordinary tap water. They were popular 20-30 years ago and I found them coming back on to the market recently at a greatly reduced price. I find it provides a lift to ordinary water, and much a cheaper and I think healthier alternative to bought commercial beverages. You can get flavours to add, but I prefer just the sparkling water taste at a fraction of the cost.
  • lkenn67
    lkenn67 Posts: 215 Member
    I wan quite a diet coke junkie. I could easily drink 3 or more cans a day. I just decided to stop buying them. I keep a big jug of ice tea in the fridge for my caffeine fix. Occasionally I will buy a diet coke when I am out, but over time I am finding that I don't like the taste as much as I use too. but it is that way with many foods. The healthier I eat the more processed and chemically junk food tastes.
  • Mveler
    Mveler Posts: 274 Member
    My husband drinks 2 two liters of Diet Pepsi a day. I know this is something we have to break but right now I am just trying to work on his bad eating habits.

    The soda pop makes him hungry I believe. But of course he doesn't.

    I was able to stop drinking my Pepsi for the most part. I allow myself maybe 1 can a week.
  • theCoke
    theCoke Posts: 27 Member
    Hello, my name is theCoke, and I'm a recovering Diet Coke addict. After 15 years of drinking Diet Coke by the bucket-full I have recently managed to quit. Aspartame/cancer connection didn't scare me and I didn't care if fake sugar made me crave real sugar, but what freaks me out is bone loss! I think of soda as osteoporosis in a can and--oila! I don't want it! I have been drinking iced green tea or black tea instead. I have gone from vat o'chemical soup to hundreds of mgs of antioxidants a day! I feel like Wonder Woman.
  • emereyda
    emereyda Posts: 22
    drinking coke(diet, not diet or whatever) everyday... omg that is just insane. I was drinking coke occasionaly, but since I've started my diet...never and now even thinking about drinking something fizzy or sweet makes me sick :) Just dont buy it all... you will be fine with drinking loads of water, a bit of milk and green tea... another thing eat an egg every morning, it really helps to reduce all those cravings for crappy things
  • utaviator
    utaviator Posts: 55 Member
    Hello, my name is theCoke, and I'm a recovering Diet Coke addict. After 15 years of drinking Diet Coke by the bucket-full I have recently managed to quit. Aspartame/cancer connection didn't scare me and I didn't care if fake sugar made me crave real sugar, but what freaks me out is bone loss! I think of soda as osteoporosis in a can and--oila! I don't want it! I have been drinking iced green tea or black tea instead. I have gone from vat o'chemical soup to hundreds of mgs of antioxidants a day! I feel like Wonder Woman.

    You are correct! Carbonated beverages eat bones! I have full fledged osteoporosis now, after a lifetime of diet colas, and none of the bone-building meds helped me until I stopped drinking sodas. If you have family histories of osteo, Stay Away from Soda!!!
  • mowfaux
    mowfaux Posts: 38
    Soda is horrible, diet or otherwise.

    I was a Pepsi addict and went cold turkey almost 3 years (in August) after I read what just 1 coke does to your body.
    Now I drink water... but if you miss bubbles, Izze (the bottle I'm kissing in my profile pic) is WONDERFUL, it's sparkling water and fruit juice... just drink it every so often, don't make it a daily habit (sugar).
  • sweebeesmom
    sweebeesmom Posts: 148
    I was a horrible diet soda drinker. I don't even know how much i was drinking.. and I got a stomach ulcer and had to cut out ALL caffeine. I haven't had a drink in over a month, and I feel great. I have the occasional sprite, but that's it. It took me getting really sick to give it up.

    P.S. I agree Izze is great! Love that stuff. (I cut it down a little because of the acidity, but I love it.. no added sugar!)
  • honeyX0
    honeyX0 Posts: 26
    I love diet coke too! If you are going to buy it just but a 20 oz. Diet Dr. Pepper was my fave and I haven't had any in a while!!
  • estherpris
    estherpris Posts: 2 Member
    just keep fizzy water in the fridge like arrowhead, perrier, etc. if you absolutely need the coke get it from an am/pm store and just buy one per week.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    What about keeping them out of the fridge? Only put one in the fridge a day. And then you have to wait for it to get cold anyway...

    Unless you like warm soda...
  • lustyrusty
    lustyrusty Posts: 46
    I used to be really addicted to coke and to wean myself off I got an ice cube tray and make coke cubes - every time I fancied coke I'd suck on one of the cubes and it took the edge off. (I only half filled it though!)

    Good luck trying to quit!
  • ifeelsqueaky
    ifeelsqueaky Posts: 193
    What about keeping them out of the fridge? Only put one in the fridge a day. And then you have to wait for it to get cold anyway...

    Unless you like warm soda...

    This is what I've been doing so far and it's worked! I've been stricter with myself too, using more of that stuff I thought I didn't have - willpower :wink:

    I've been looking around for shops that sell single cans around here but I haven't actually found any! They just sell 500ml bottles so I think what I'll do is buy a multi-pack and put one in the fridge at a time, then hopefully I can slowly cut down.

    I found the best piggy bank by the way - it's shaped like the golden idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark! http://www.neatoshop.com/product/Golden-Fertility-Idol-Coin-Bank

    So I may start a shoe/clothes fund as well and put the price of a can of coke in there every day I don't have one - hopefully that should encourage me to drink less :bigsmile:
  • ifeelsqueaky
    ifeelsqueaky Posts: 193
    Soda is horrible, diet or otherwise.

    I was a Pepsi addict and went cold turkey almost 3 years (in August) after I read what just 1 coke does to your body.
    Now I drink water... but if you miss bubbles, Izze (the bottle I'm kissing in my profile pic) is WONDERFUL, it's sparkling water and fruit juice... just drink it every so often, don't make it a daily habit (sugar).

    Wow Izze sounds wonderful! Sadly I don't think it's available in this country (UK) but I'm sure I could find something similar...
  • ifeelsqueaky
    ifeelsqueaky Posts: 193
    drinking coke(diet, not diet or whatever) everyday... omg that is just insane. I was drinking coke occasionaly, but since I've started my diet...never and now even thinking about drinking something fizzy or sweet makes me sick :) Just dont buy it all... you will be fine with drinking loads of water, a bit of milk and green tea... another thing eat an egg every morning, it really helps to reduce all those cravings for crappy things

    Wow I didn't actually know that - the cancer connection has never really scared me either but the idea that every time I have a coke zero it is eating away at my bones is definitely scary :noway:

    That will definitely help me give up - thank you!
  • WinnieX
    WinnieX Posts: 67
    I used to drink up to 5 cans a day, quit cold turkey and lasted a week until some friends brought a bottle of it round, I'm so bad even first thing in the morning I crave it.
    Hopefully when this bottle is gone I'll revert back to having none at all. Coke zero is better than diet coke though.. Think it's got no citric acid so it's kinder to teeth.
    I think the only way to quit is cold turkey as one always lead to 2 then 3 and so on for me.

    Good luck!
  • nini88
    nini88 Posts: 3 Member
    I Was so addicted to diet coke that everybody commented on it. when uni finished I decided to stop cold turkey because A) it was a waste of money B) i don't actually like the taste although i couldn't stop drinking it. C) i couldn't sleep D) i'd just live off diet coke all day, not realise i was hungry then be starving at night and eat lots E)sometimes i had so much i had jitters. as soon as i stopped i lost 5lbs and gained a much better appitite and have been losing weight since. can't prove weight loss and giving up diet coke where linked but it was a pretty interesting coincidence.
  • glorimarnazario
    glorimarnazario Posts: 1
    What helped the most was reading an article about how colas in general lower your metabolism.
    I'm a physician myself and it made perfectly good sense considering I had struggled w my weight and could not understand why even with diet it was so difficult !!
    Only after I started drinking ONLY water w/o any additives, I started to loose the wt....now 50# and 10 more to go!!
  • ifeelsqueaky
    ifeelsqueaky Posts: 193
    Thanks for all the tips guys! I had my first soda-free day yesterday. Long may it continue! :happy:
  • angelicdisgrace
    angelicdisgrace Posts: 2,071 Member
    I feel your pain. I used to drink 8 cans of diet coke and 2 -20oz bottles a day. What helped was having water handy. Everytime you feel like drinking a diet coke start telling yourself you need water, walk to the fridge or vending machine or store and select water. After a while you will on your own really crave water over diet coke. Worked for me I am down to 1-12oz can a day and I save that for dinner as my dessert. Good luck.
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