Powerful diet pop addiction

Twenty days ago I quit a daily fast food cycle, quit all sugar and artificially sweetened beverages, have stayed successfully at 1350 calories for inactive days and 1500 for active days, have quit the daily candy down to once a week and have been much more discriminating in my food choices. It's been going well. Sleeping better, down 4 pounds, feeling good. The only thing bugging me is my mouth CONSTANTLY wants diet pop in it. Water no matter how much just does not satisfy. It's the weirdest thing. The first week I quit the headaches and severe knee pains were brutal. Those are gone now 20 days in but this faux thirst thing persists. Anyone have any idea how long this lasts.
Ps please don't respond telling me to corrupt my plan and just drink it. I wont. I believe with absolute certainty it's terrible for MY body. I'm just looking for people that have experienced similar.
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Replies

  • Vonny198334
    Vonny198334 Posts: 178 Member
    I hear you, I used to be partial to diet coke but it gave me terrible bloating. I'd stop long enough to forget how it made me feel, decide to have some & then regret it an hour later when my tummy was super sore!

    I drink still water & a couple of coffees a day but every so often I will really want a wee bit fizz. My solution was the odd sparkling water & apple and elderflower fizzy juice as a treat. For some odd reason, these don't make me feel bloated. Finding substitutes that work for me has been invaluable during this weight loss malarky...they make me feel as if I'm not deprived of anything.

    Can't remember how long it lasted before I adjusted & barely ever missed it, but at 20 days you've got some good time under your belt! Hopefully someone in the know will respond with better answers for you.

    Best luck :)
  • Unknown
    edited November 2017
    This content has been removed.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,972 Member
    It's not an "addiction" thing, it's a habitual behavior that's still prevailing in your mind. It may NEVER go away especially if you correlate good feelings when you were drinking it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Why do you believe diet soda is terrible for your body?

    Because it is.

    Do you have a source for that?
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,320 Member
    If you don't want to drink diet pop, all power to you, however, don't justify it with groundless statements that it is unhealthy. At the very least give a rational reason.

    As for stopping it, you may need to find something else to flavor your water with, a squeeze of lemon or orange. If it is the bubbles, get a soda stream and carbonate up the water by adding CO2.
  • Bughunter99
    Bughunter99 Posts: 13 Member
    If you don't want to drink diet pop, all power to you, however, don't justify it with groundless statements that it is unhealthy. At the very least give a rational reason.

    As for stopping it, you may need to find something else to flavor your water with, a squeeze of lemon or orange. If it is the bubbles, get a soda stream and carbonate up the water by adding CO2.

    http://clark.com/health-health-care/diet-soda-risks-diet-coke/
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Club soda, Perrier, LaCroix, San Pellegrino
  • Bughunter99
    Bughunter99 Posts: 13 Member
    This weekend I finally found a water that is satisfying, it's called Core.
    I'm also playing with adding a bit of mint leaf to regular water which seems to help.
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  • Bughunter99
    Bughunter99 Posts: 13 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Why do you believe diet soda is terrible for your body?

    Because it is.

    Do you have a source for that?

    http://clark.com/health-health-care/diet-soda-risks-diet-coke/
  • This content has been removed.
  • Bughunter99
    Bughunter99 Posts: 13 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Why do you believe diet soda is terrible for your body?

    Because it is.

    Do you have a source for that?

    http://clark.com/health-health-care/diet-soda-risks-diet-coke/

    Sorry but this is an opinion blog... how about a non bias study?

    The blog lists the studies. Try Google if interested.
  • This content has been removed.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Why do you believe diet soda is terrible for your body?

    Because it is.

    Do you have a source for that?

    http://clark.com/health-health-care/diet-soda-risks-diet-coke/

    There's a lot of cherry picking and correlation not causation going on in that blog.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    The only thing bugging me is my mouth CONSTANTLY wants diet pop in it. Water no matter how much just does not satisfy. It's the weirdest thing.

    I don't think diet soda in moderation is harmful, but if you don't want to drink it, whatever.

    The question is what's going on here? Maybe you just want more variety than water, or maybe you are used to consuming tasty things all day long, quit everything else you were snacking on, and are missing those when between meals.

    I see 2 options: really force yourself to adopt the habit of only consuming tasty things at meal times or planned snack times and drink water. It might be unpleasant at first, but you will adapt. Or, instead, find other non diet soda beverages that are not water that you can drink throughout the day. Some options, depending on what you miss about diet soda: LaCroix, fruit infused water, bubbly (carbonated) water, homemade iced tea, black coffee, iced coffee (also black).

    Changing habits can be difficult. Giving up things you used to have can be difficult. That's totally normal.

    For me it was easier to make changes more gradually, so I consciously decided not to cut down on coffee (my beverage I love and drink all the time, and which I enjoy black) when I first cut back on calories, but if you want to do it all at once and think diet soda is not for you, I think the advice above are your only options.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    If you don't want to consume something you don't need to justify it to anyone here. There's nothing wrong with your decision.

    Just keep in mind that this is a health/fitness/weight loss community and there are lots of strong opinions about people using the idea of addiction or healthy vs unhealthy when discussing particular foods. That's why this post is getting so heated.

    Keep in mind that the stories we tell ourselves to explain or justify something we want to do or stop doing can have a strong influence on our ultimate success. You've decided that you're "addicted" to diet soda which strongly implies that you can't help yourself because it's out of your control to regulate your consumption of it.

    The idea that it's an addiction also makes it that much more desirable to you psychologically. Kinda like a forbidden fruit. Once something we like is off limits, we can become obsessed by it making us feel like we want it that much more.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Noel_57 wrote: »
    I don't have an idea of what ingredient in diet soda could generate physical withdrawal symptoms, but congratulations on being faithful to your program and best wishes on continued success.

    Caffeine.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,972 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Why do you believe diet soda is terrible for your body?

    Because it is.

    Do you have a source for that?

    http://clark.com/health-health-care/diet-soda-risks-diet-coke/

    Sorry but this is an opinion blog... how about a non bias study?

    The blog lists the studies. Try Google if interested.
    Like all studies done on diet soda, "linked" and "associtated" with are key words. They never imply "CAUSE".
    My personal case is that I've drank it (at least 2 cans a day) for over 25+ years with no issues.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,972 Member
    Its listing studies geared towards its opinion... i said non baised ones. The only one i saw that was pubmed i clicked it and it was just the review, it didn't list any of the information on how the study was conducted.

    5 minutes of Google gives plenty for a person to at review and ask some questions about. But we see what we want to see don't we? And do course it doesn't help that millions are spent by soda manufacturers with online tactics to make sure we feel comfortable and keep buying it.

    I chose to combine personal evidence of how my body has reacted with the thousands of reports of others on line and the dozens of ingredient studies to come to the conclusion that this stuff is really bad for me. You and the others coming into my support thread to insist that it's not are of course free to continue to drink up and blame the belly bloat and destroyed enamel on something else.
    Well if it's bad enamel, that's an oral hygiene issue. Many people don't take great care of their teeth after eating. As for bloat, I will say that it's different from individual to individual.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • senseandsensibility
    senseandsensibility Posts: 9 Member
    edited November 2017
    I bet you're missing the bubbles.

    I have switched to a full refrigerator of LaCroix, Dasani Sparkling Waters (lime flavored) and some other carbonated waters. I like the plain or lemon/lime best. I still am trying to drink lots of water, but sometimes I just want something "more" and the carbonated waters does it for me.

    I also drink plenty of unsweet decaf refrigerator tea, but I live in the South in America, so that's a must here. :D

    Worth a shot, anyway.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    I agree to try carbonated water. I don't like all the waste of buying it bottled or in cans so I bought a soda stream and just make my own. I don't add anything to it usually, sometimes lime/lemon, but I prefer it just plain.
  • I agree to try carbonated water. I don't like all the waste of buying it bottled or in cans so I bought a soda stream and just make my own. I don't add anything to it usually, sometimes lime/lemon, but I prefer it just plain.

    Oh, I didn't think about a soda stream! I bet that's worth the price as much as I'm drinking. Add a splash of some lemon juice or whatever and I'd be in business.
  • scottma3
    scottma3 Posts: 13 Member
    I never drank diet soda, but was pretty addicted to regular for a looonnngggg time! I typically only drank it morning and early afternoon but I would crash hard in the evenings. My body was craving the sugar for energy. I guess I had the willpower cause I stopped cold turkey about 4 months ago. I will say the first week was pretty hard fighting the gas station Big Gulp urges, but now I really dont crave it and my energy level is great all day long.