Diet Soda?

I was hooked on Coke Zero, I seriously think it is addicting, because I still crave it. Six months ago I got unexplained shortness of breath, and all heart/lung tests were negative. Then I learned that aspartame can cause exactly that. I cut out all artificial sweeteners that day -- except for a dash of no-sugar syrup in my one cup of coffee Google "Aspartame Sickness" -- it certainly put me off drinking any diet soda ever again. Not that it made a difference in my weight -- although I've read some people immediately drop pounds when they quit. But I FEEL so much better!

I drink way too much diet pepsi myself and am also wondering how bad it really is for you.

All Sodas and pops are a huge whopping NO. They are loaded with crap that our bodies don't need and I agree as previously stated they are addictive and harmful. Google it and you'll find loads of info.

I drink diet soda. It is yummy to me. But I don't chug it all day long.

I had the same problem back in 2006 and have cut out soda almost completely since then. I usually get a craving for it every 6 months or so and have 1 can.

Honestly.. I used to like soda. I hadn't had soda in any form for about a month. My hubby bought a diet pepsi and I thought I'd take just a swig... It's actually too sweet for me to drink now.. I honestly just gave it up cold turkey and will now not go back.

I'm sure you can google the effects of the chemicals they put in diet soda if you need a good scare. I mean think about it, if they remove the sugar, they have to replace it with something--almost always chemicals!! I've also heard (could be a total lie) that diet soda makes you crave other sweets.

As a personal story, I used to drink almost two liters of diet pepsi per day. I slowly cut down until last June I was off completely. I feel so much better!!! I won't lie, quitting was awful, I had headaches, I was tired, I would hear someone open a soda can in my office and my mouth would water (I wish I were kidding!!!!). But since quitting, I don't feel bloated, I don't ever get headaches, I have more energy, and I automatically started drinking more water (to replace the soda) so I got all the added benefits of increased water intake. I'm sure everyone has their take on this subject, but my suggestion is to let it go!!

Aspartame, which as we know is in many diet sodas (and some yogurt, and Crystal light, etc. etc.) makes me extremely sick. I used to take sips of my mom's Diet Coke when I was younger, and even a small sip would give me an upset stomach and a headache. I am -extremely- sensitive to it. Honestly, as hard as it is, it's better to just give up soda completely. I'm trying to do so myself. We no longer buy soda, and if we go out to eat, I will either share a non-diet soda with my boyfriend, or just limit myself to the one glass. It's tough, but once I started thinking of it as syrup water, it became a lot easier. Seriously. Just imagine drinking watered down, flavored syrup. Blech!

Don't get me wrong, I still crave it. I just try to drink something else whenever I want soda. What helped me, when I was craving the carbonation, was adding a smidge of Sprite into my raspberry lemonade. That way I still had what I wanted, but to a lesser extent. Now I don't even need that!

I stopped drinking diet soda for a few reasons.

1) a lot of it has too much sodium in it. Sodium is so hard to stay under, and I don't need diet soda to sneak in a few extra 100 mg or so.
2) It's addicting... I've heard some crazy stories.
3) Who knows really whats going on in all those chemicals.... it's scary. If you're trying to be healthy and lose weight, you shouldn't be putting all that artificial stuff in your body. It's just not natural. There have been studies that say the fake sugars case more weight gain over time and cause cancer and blah blah blah bad stuff. The point is, why risk it?
4) It's expensive! You go out to a restaurant and pay $2-4 dollars for a soda, and then you are always buying soda cans, bottles, etc. WATER IS FREE!

That being said, every now and then I indulge in a soda craving. Recently I've been doing natural sodas (cane sugar instead of HFCS). Once maybe every 3-4 weeks. It happens *shrugs* I must be still addicted on some level.

According to some articles I have read here and there (they were awhile back), the aspertame that is in most soda's (and sugar free anything) will supposedly make your brain crave more sugar.... I personally don't drink them because I don't like the taste nor the after-taste... and I find that if I drink a soda like the Pepsi throwback (made with real sugar, not a substitute or HFCS) that I crave less and I only need one... but that's just me.