Calling former Diet Coke Addicts

Steel6981
Steel6981 Posts: 154 Member
edited October 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I am trying to cut back on Diet Coke in particular and artificial sweetners in general. Is there anyone out there who did this and saw more success in their weight loss because of it? Anyone who did it and saw no changes? I've read about effects of sweetners but am looking for real life stories.

Sue
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Replies

  • akgary
    akgary Posts: 52
    i love diet coke its my absolute favorite, and splenda is the best i find as long as its in moderation its not unhealthy for me...but i did want to cut it out and have a little less of it all i have now is crystal light maybe once a day and other than that just water. you can do it just see if it works for you. maybe cut out 1 or half of what your having to start and see if that helps
  • melanie3103
    melanie3103 Posts: 246 Member
    I am a diet coke fiend too.. but actually find it's not that bad for me. I've cut back, swapped for water (as I don't drink enough water for sure), but still drink 1-2 cans per day.

    I find as it's gassy it fills me up, so I can't eat as much. Remember when a kid, your mum would say "don't fill up on fizzy drinks, eat your dinner"... well it works. :)

    I can't eat as much if I have a diet coke with dinner. Yippee....

    x
  • ponygirl518
    ponygirl518 Posts: 9
    I too am addicted to diet soda, my fav being Diet Mountain Dew. All of the studies that I have read seem to point in the direction of artificial sweeteners actually making you hungrier in the long run. I am also a yo-yo dieter, I lose and then I gain. I am trying to break that cycle! Several months ago when I was losing, I came to what is often referred to as a "plateau", wherein I hadn't lost any weight in a couple of weeks. I cut out all diet soda and artificial sweetener at that time, and I was able to drop five more pounds within a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I did not stay off the "diet dew", and have since gained back most of the weight I had lost...but then I also stopped exercising and eating right for a time. Just recently I am back on the road to fitness, have once again cut out the diet soda, so I will have to keep you posted. Good luck to you!!
  • LittleFootHafner
    LittleFootHafner Posts: 302
    I used to drink about 1 diet pop a day, and more than that on special occasions or weekends. For the past few months, I have tried to cut back as much as possible. Now I have 2-3 per week probably (usually Friday and Saturday nights still). I did it mostly because I know that artificial sweeteners are not particularly good for you. I was also in a free nutrition seminar at my gym and they told us about a study - long story short, our bodies don't know what to do with aspartame, and it therefore just stays in your body - NOTHING comes out when you sweat, go to the bathroom etc...

    To be honest, I don't think that I have found much difference in by body since cutting way back, but I don't know what I should have been watching for either!??

    Good Luck on your journey, and either way, I'm SURE that water is healthier! :)
  • Nikki_is_Knotty
    Nikki_is_Knotty Posts: 248 Member
    I used to drink about 1 diet pop a day, and more than that on special occasions or weekends. For the past few months, I have tried to cut back as much as possible. Now I have 2-3 per week probably (usually Friday and Saturday nights still). I did it mostly because I know that artificial sweeteners are not particularly good for you. I was also in a free nutrition seminar at my gym and they told us about a study - long story short, our bodies don't know what to do with aspartame, and it therefore just stays in your body - NOTHING comes out when you sweat, go to the bathroom etc...

    To be honest, I don't think that I have found much difference in by body since cutting way back, but I don't know what I should have been watching for either!??

    Good Luck on your journey, and either way, I'm SURE that water is healthier! :)


    ooh, good information!
  • DoingTheNeedful
    DoingTheNeedful Posts: 23 Member
    Former diet soda addict reporting in. I stopped drinking Diet Coke, Diet Mt Dew, and Coke Zero pretty much cold turkey in January 2009. It was around that time that I first started reading articles that suggested artificial sweeteners still triggered an insulin response, which may make you want to eat more anyway. Right about that same time, I had a co-worker, a health-conscious fellow whom I respected a great deal, said "Did you ever notice that the only people who drink diet soda are fat?" Now, that isn't strictly true and it's not very tactful, but between the articles and this guy's blunt remarks, I decided to quit drinking the stuff.

    Since I quit, I've found that I've had tremendous success since then re: losing weight and keeping it off. I was 230-ish in January of '09, and I'm around 184 now. I can't credit quitting diet soda entirely, of course - I changed a lot of habits in the last two-and-some years.

    I'd encourage anyone who suspects diet soda is holding them back to try giving it up for a short period of time. Say, 30 days. It takes about that long to start a new habit, right? So use those 30 days to start getting a taste for something else. Plain, clear water, ideally. Maybe unsweetened iced or hot tea if you need the caffeine hit. See how you feel after 30 days. If you haven't died and you think you can push it out to 45 days, give that a try! Eventually you'll just fall out of the habit of drinking diet sodas.

    Best wishes to all of you!
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    I've just done it. I'm still drinking 1.2L a day (I WAS drinking 3-4L a day. From tomorrow I'm cutting down from 2 600mL bottles a day to two 375mL cans a day)

    It's been five weeks and I've lost 8.3kg since doing so. I drink 2-3L a day (and I want to drink more) and I feel AMAZING.

    I am very, very big though so for me any change was going to help.
  • futurefitgirl88
    futurefitgirl88 Posts: 284
    I lost a lot of weight drinking diet coke everyday.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    i loved diet coke, but recently switched to flavored seltzer as a healthier alternative. it's not to say i don't grab a diet coke once in a while. i used to drink the 20oz bottle, but now i'll have the can, just to limit myself a bit.
  • clairelane1982
    clairelane1982 Posts: 185
    I cant say that i have notice any difference entirely down to the fact that i have cut out diet coke....... I do love it, but apart from a few cups of tea during the day, all i drink is water... I dont buy fizzy drinks for the house, so i only ever used to buy cans of fizzy when i was out and about....i now take a bottle of water every where to solve that little prob... I must admit that i do treat myself occasionally, mainly at weekend, after weigh day.... Stick with it people.x
  • Livingdeadgirl44
    Livingdeadgirl44 Posts: 264 Member
    I started drinking diet coke around 3 years ago and lost a lot of weight (while doing a calorie counting diet) but now I'm trying to loose my belly which is a real trouble spot so I've stopped the fizzy drinks as of Monday and have already noticed my belly is less bloated.
  • sixxx
    sixxx Posts: 39 Member
    I drank regular Coke growing up*, then switched to Coke Zero. My family refused to ever let me bring diet anything into the house because of aspartame (my dad won't even chew gum because aspartame is in it).

    I just decided that I needed to cut colas out for good, and switched to water, juices, and teas. I don't have any tips or tricks, I sort of just did it. Ever since I have, I feel less sluggish, lazy, and tired.

    *by drank regular Coke I meant I was a Coke fiend. I drank it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Coke was my comfort thing growing up as a kid! I used to get in trouble for drinking it so much that my family just stopped buying it.
  • Milziemooxx
    Milziemooxx Posts: 104 Member
    I am another diet coke addict. I don't think it really affects weight loss if you drink it in moderation. I have a can every other day, sometimes 2 cans on the same day and it hasn't had any impact on my weight.

    There was an article about diet drinks making you fat... but I think it depends on the person as everyone is different.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20075358-10391704.html

    I sure wont stop drinking the diet coke. I drink water all day, so a diet coke every other day is LUSH x
  • lcnelson
    lcnelson Posts: 279 Member
    I used to be an addict too. I drink iced tea instead now (only in the am hours....after that I am strictly water) I made this change about 3 months ago. I really thought I missed it, until I got a diet coke with lunch last week and could not even drink it. It was SO sweet and sugary and tasted SO strong to me.
    I think I have had my last diet coke for awhile!
  • cdstadt
    cdstadt Posts: 311 Member
    I've cut soda in the past and found no difference in weight loss/gain. I've lessened my diet soda intake recently for the sake of my teeth and it seems to cut down on headaches.

    Now I have a root beer or diet soda every once in a while when I go to a store or a restaurant, but I don't keep so much soda in the house anymore.
  • Howbouto
    Howbouto Posts: 2,121 Member
    I switched from regular pop to diet pop (diet coke, I was addicted) in my early twenties. At first, it was great. By my late twenties, I was drinking about 3 to 6 cans a day and I could not keep my weight under control. I was hungry ALL the time. I craved sugar like a madwomen! About a year and half ago, I started to experiment with eating clean (no artificial sugars, no white sugar, no white flour.) I had withdrawal symptoms from no diet coke. I am still trying to incorporate eating clean. But since I gave up diet coke I no long have problems with gaining weight. I am not hungry all the time and I can eat sweet treats as just that a treat. If I drink (or eat) anything with artificial sugar I am "starving" for the rest of the day. I now choose to drink regular soda (my personal choice is made with cane sugar) for an occasional treat. This is my first serious attempt to lose weight since I quit drinking soda. I have to say it is sooooo much easier than ever before. I truly believe this is something I can do for the rest of my life. Everyone is different, but if you are struggling with your weight I highly recommend you play with you diet and what you eat to find out how you react. Good luck to all.

    PS I don't miss Diet Coke, and think it tastes like crap.
  • Vegan_Chick
    Vegan_Chick Posts: 474 Member
    Aspartame is very bad for you and it is a poison that should never have been FDA approved. It can be easily converted into formaldehyde. Who wants to drink something that is so close to the same chemical breakdown as formaldehyde? Do some research and you will be sickened. I used to drink it and started losing my hair, that freaked me out so I stopped drinking it. I found out I have alopecia and I still randomly lose my hair but not as bad as before. I no longer drink anything except water and coffee, well and a beer once in a while. There are diet drinks made with Stevia which is an all natural zero calorie sweetener and I would recommend trying some. Life Water uses it and some pop uses it, usually found in natural food stores.
  • Fochizzy
    Fochizzy Posts: 505 Member
    My fiance talked to me about how he likes me better when I get my source of cafienne from something other than diet coke. I stopped buying the flats of diet coke, I started drinking a coffee in the morning. I was focusing on 8 glasses of water a day. If I drank the 8 glasses, and had the coffee in the morning and wanted a diet coke I had it. I am down to 1 a week now.
  • kapeluza
    kapeluza Posts: 3,434 Member
    I cut Diet coke from my diet cold turkey. It was a little hard at first but I substituted it for water. I don't regret it, best move ever!
  • Fochizzy
    Fochizzy Posts: 505 Member
    Oh and I don't think diet coke is bad. I know aspetane chemicals, whatever. I haven't noticed a difference in weight loss or how I feel since I stopped. Mainly I noticed I saved a lot of money.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I am trying to cut back on Diet Coke in particular and artificial sweetners in general. Is there anyone out there who did this and saw more success in their weight loss because of it? Anyone who did it and saw no changes? I've read about effects of sweetners but am looking for real life stories.

    Sue

    My office is stocked with free soda, so I used to go through about 6-8 cans a day, mostly for the energy kick. Now that I've cut back tremendously (maybe one can a week), I actually feel like I have more energy AND I'm more likely to drink enough water throughout the day. Direct effects on weight loss? I don't know, but I know that the energy and the water intake make it easier for me to work out harder and longer, which is helping me with losing weight.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    Hubby is a Diet Pepsi lover and as a result it keeps him thin b/c then he doesn't eat wasteful snacking cals so I am all for it!

    You need to have some vice in your life, he eats a ton of veggies, almost never has a beer (max 1x a month at a restaurant), only eats lean meet so he drink's 3 DP’s a day and it's no big deal since they are .25 cents a can on sale and loves his life b/c DP is in it - oh yea, and me! :)
  • _Rainbow_
    _Rainbow_ Posts: 9
    Cokeaholic here. I found that by cutting back, my belly was not bloated so that it was flatter. Can't give it up entirely though. Just love the stuff.
    :drinker:
  • mrdalton
    mrdalton Posts: 95 Member
    I used to drink 7-12 diet cokes a day. No ****. My friends would make fun of how fast I would down them and the poor waitresses that couldnt keep up on my refills. I always figured no harm because there really isnt anything in it and no calories. I have since cut it back down to one a day. Now it is like a special treat. I still freakin love the taste.

    I have not seen any difference in my weight loss journey by cutting back. I also dont feel any different. Maybe more tierd because of the lack of caffine I am getting. My focus now is more on drinking eight glasses of water a day. Which I can do pretty successfully.

    You know the biggest difference may be the snacks that came with the diet cokes. I would stop at Speedway to get a diet coke in the morning on my way to work and grab 3 donuts with it. Go through McDonalds to get a diet coke and grab a large fry. Now all that has stopped. Havnt had a donut in 6 months.

    Do I miss it? YES. Can I tell any difference in weight or mood? NO. But overall I know it is a healthy decision.

    Do what works for you. :) Best of luck.
  • diane423
    diane423 Posts: 48
    i love diet coke its my absolute favorite, and splenda is the best i find as long as its in moderation its not unhealthy for me...but i did want to cut it out and have a little less of it all i have now is crystal light maybe once a day and other than that just water. you can do it just see if it works for you. maybe cut out 1 or half of what your having to start and see if that helps
    [/quo


    I love splenda and we only drink crystal light at home... I am also a Diet Coke jun kie but since i cut down im not as bloated as before...
  • jendra11339
    jendra11339 Posts: 32
    I used to drink at least a can a day. I would always grab one every time I left the house, so I would have somthing cold to drink in the car. Now, I only have it when I go to movies.
    I have a reusable platic cup with a lid and straw that I fill up with ice water all the time. Drinking more water has really helped with weight lose, not sure about the less soda part. Plus, no guilt about using a plastic bottle.
  • Blueberry09
    Blueberry09 Posts: 821 Member
    I don't drink a lot of it at home anymore but it is my drink of choice when at a restaurant. I was never one of those that had to get their sugar elsewhere or got my caffeine hit from it but I really do enjoy the taste.

    I wonder how much of a difference there is drinking it straight from the can or bottle than fountain pop you'd get at a restaurant, watered down with ice.
  • waylonthornton
    waylonthornton Posts: 40 Member
    I quit totally cold turkey probably 2 months ago and have been drinking only water (fat free milk when I have cereal) and I can totally tell a difference in the way I feel. Cutting back on that added sodium is I think what made the biggest change.

    It hasn't necessarily made it any easier or harder to lose, but I honestly feel like I have more energy!

    Edit: Also cutting the caffeine out of my diet probably has something to do with it. I would get caffeine headaches if I didn't have some sort of soda once a day.
  • IndyDi
    IndyDi Posts: 1
    I ,too, was a Diet Coke addict. I was easily downing 4-6 a day. Switched to Diet Rite to get rid of the aspartame. Now I stopped drinking sodas completely. Water, occasional lemonade, coffee in the am and a glass of sweet tea in the evening. Going off DC was HARD! I had headaches, cravings, ugh! No such problems when I stopped the DR. I believe sodas are bad for you because they are replacing you drinking water that you NEED with a junk food that you WANT. . My husband and son still have soda, but not nearly as often, and now the money to pay for it comes out of the entertainment budget, not the food budget.
    BTW, when my husband went through diabetic classes, they said the three most addictive things in our culture are cigarettes, Pepsi, and Diet Coke. Weird, huh?
  • louise_608
    louise_608 Posts: 27 Member
    I'm trying to cut back on drinking fizzy drinks and every time I feel the urge to drink one at the moment I watch this advert

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F4t8zL6F0c

    it definitely makes me think twice before going to buy a fizzy drink or pouring myself one. I often just end up having a glass of water. I've only been doing it for a few days so not sure if it will help me lose weight or not but time will tell.
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