Diet Soda!!!!!

CristinaMunoz
CristinaMunoz Posts: 26
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Who is a soda junkie(mine is pepsi) but trying or have weened themselves from this drink? I have been only having a diet soda about 3-4 times a week but i don't know how healthy that really is. I am trying to just not drink soda at all but in the afternoon when i need that caffeine it is hard not to drink one especially when it is diet and no cals. Any advice?:grumble:
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Replies

  • rtmama
    rtmama Posts: 403 Member
    If you need caffeine, why not try green tea, or even black tea.
  • shavasana
    shavasana Posts: 17 Member
    I avoid soda altogether. Regular soda has too much sugar and diet soda just spikes my appetite. I drink water, tea and coffee.

    I am a firm believer that weening is an individualized process. The first step is to know yourself. For instance, if you know that you need that pepsi early in the morning. Plan to continue having it for a while and try replacing it with diet pepsi throughout the day.

    The important thing is to make a plan and stick to it. Decide what your goal is and plan how you are going to get there. If the plan doesn't work, make some changes, but don't ever give up. Just because you fail at something is not a license to throw in the towel. Convince yourself you can do it!
  • CristinaMunoz
    CristinaMunoz Posts: 26
    Thanks for the advice! The funny thing is i drink green tea and a lot of water and occasionally coffee. I think my habit more than my want is the devil here. Just need to get a grip on my determination and all will be well. At least I kicked the hard stuff( regular pepsi) lol! Any start is better than non, right?
  • chrissyh
    chrissyh Posts: 8,235 Member
    Have a challenge with your family - everyone at home - no soda for a month - we did this in May and I've still not had one! Good luck!
  • barbarella
    barbarella Posts: 609 Member
    I've never been much of a soda drinker.........
    Regular sodas are waaay too sweet & diet ones make me hungry.

    I drink mostly water & tea, coffee on occasion.
    Wine on other occasions. That's about it!
    I'd much rather eat my calories! :laugh: :bigsmile:

    Sleepy afternoons can be tough....... :yawn: :yawn:
    Yerba mate is my favorite tea. The caffeine in it doesn't make me 'wiggy' like coffee.
    Green tea is good - get up & stretch - take a little walk if you can.
  • Wecandothis
    Wecandothis Posts: 1,083 Member
    As I sit here with my Coke Zero I find it hard to criticize. :wink:

    I used to drink 4 or five of these a day. Now I only have one or two a week. It's a vast improvement. So I'm happy with that.

    There may come a day when I never let acidic, sodium laden soda pass my lips, but that day is not yet here. I've cut back. I'm proud of that.

    Small steps for me are best. :smile:
  • CristinaMunoz
    CristinaMunoz Posts: 26
    yes small steps=progress!!! like anything else.
  • beckythebunny122
    beckythebunny122 Posts: 55 Member
    I used to drink about a two liter a day. I tried weaning myself to straight water, but I missed the bubbles! So now I drink seltzer water when I really want a soda (sometimes I add juice to make it flavored).
  • laura_lulu_143
    laura_lulu_143 Posts: 13
    I love the idea of having a challange. I used to drink 5 cans of Mountain Dew a day, my husband didn't belive I could quit so we made a bet. No soda for a month and I could clean out his closet and donate all his old clothes. That was 2 1/2 years ago and I have never had a caffenated soda since! It was a very hard first month but I made it. Good Luck.
  • Sarah_LM
    Sarah_LM Posts: 96
    I used to drink at least 2 or 3 diet drinks everyday (and before that a non diet which was really bad lol!) but I just weaned myself off them gradually. I started drinking no added sugar squash with water instead and had one only when I really really craved one, maybe once every few days. After that I just refused to buy them in and because I didn't have any I couldn't drink one. It's been a month now since my new healthier lifestyle and I haven't had one in weeks and don't even crave them anymore!

    Just make changes gradually is best I think, and well done for not drinking the full sugar ones, a diet drink is better than full sugar!
  • jlefton1212
    jlefton1212 Posts: 171 Member
    I enjoy iced tea whenever I can get it as a substitute for soda. There's a bit of caffeine in it. I've been trying to cut soda out entirely, but when I do need one, I just do a small portion of regular soda. I haven't had diet soda in over a month and I feel great. I figure that I can work off extra calories, but there isn't anything I can do to undo the damage from the chemicals in diet soda!
  • soupandsandwich
    soupandsandwich Posts: 59 Member
    I love my diet pepsi. I prefer it over regular, because it is a little less sweet to me.
    I just don't want to accept that it is something I should give up. I am trying to cut back. 1 or 2 a day... I know this seems like a lot. I would drink it with everything though, if I could.
    But I know it can't be good for me. I think having one once in awhile is ok, but it should not be your main beverage. I'm going to cut back to one a day, this week,. I don't think I'll ever cut it out completely, but if I can't stop drinking it every day, I think will be beneficial.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    I've tried weaning myself a few times but the only thing that worked for me was going cold turkey. Not sure why as weaning works for other things for me.
  • Celestia
    Celestia Posts: 106 Member
    Yerba mate is my favorite tea. The caffeine in it doesn't make me 'wiggy' like coffee.
    Green tea is good - get up & stretch - take a little walk if you can.

    I love Yerba Mate and it's a great pick me up!

    I can only suggest that to ween yourself off soda, try reading about the harmful effects it has on your body...that is usually a good motivator....I know it was for me. But I agree with others on this post, that weening is an individualized process. Do what works for you and stick to it :smile:
  • m2kjenn
    m2kjenn Posts: 1,671 Member
    I agree, reading up on the chemicals is a real eye-opener, makes it easier to give it up. Diet Coke used to be my main beverage, I'm sure many days it was the one liquid I drank. 3 years ago I decided i was tired of spending the money on it and I just didn't need it anymore - it was hard the first week or two but after that I stopped craving it, now I can't stand to drink any cola - regular is far too sweet and the diet feels like acid going down my throat. It is a hard habit to break but well worth it. I know my dental health has improved dramatically, my dentist even asked me 6 months in what I was doing different.
  • Wecandothis
    Wecandothis Posts: 1,083 Member
    I started drinking no added sugar squash with water instead and had one only when I really really craved one, maybe once every few days.

    :huh: I love squash. Spaghetti is good but butternut is my favorite. But I never drank one! :happy: I know this is probably a spell checker thing, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is! I love those spell checker kerfuffles.
    Just make changes gradually is best I think, and well done for not drinking the full sugar ones, a diet drink is better than full sugar!

    Me too, good advice!
  • twirlingangel
    twirlingangel Posts: 38
    New attitude 2009: First off I LOVE YOUR USER NAME!!!! That is so appropriate and encompasses everything that I am about at this point in my life!!!! As far as soda goes....I could take it or leave it really. If I do drink it, I prefer Diet Coke or Diet Dr Pepper. I just have never cared too much for the sweet taste of regular soda. However.....I have read that when trying to loose weight, that diet soda can be as bad as regular soda for you! Good luck!!!
  • CristinaMunoz
    CristinaMunoz Posts: 26
    yes i dont know what this squash drink you speak of is....:huh:
    I think cold turkey is the only option. I did it once a few years ago and lasted about 6 mths and then had one soda and it was disgusting but i kept drinking it and now i like it again. Vicious cycle i tell you!:devil:
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
    i don't know if crystal light is better for you in terms of chems, but you can mix it with tonic water if you want something bubbly
  • adopt4
    adopt4 Posts: 970 Member
    3-4 times a week? i see that as a treat more than any nutritional value... it's just a treat with no cals and lots of sodium. If you were drinking 3-4/day then that would be different.
  • soupandsandwich
    soupandsandwich Posts: 59 Member
    I have always wondered too, about Crystal light. It has the same artificial sweeteners, doesn't it? So is it really any better?
    I think it might have less chemicals, and you might feel like you're drinking something healthier, but I also think Crystal light should be used about the same as any soda. As a treat, and once in awhile thing.
    Although I do like the kinds with a bit of caffeine in the mornings. I suppose 1 every morning wouldn't be too bad.
  • JMAN1975
    JMAN1975 Posts: 3
    I usually have 1 - 2 diet drinks a day. Plus crystal lite. Plain water - I just can't handle. Might be in my head - but haven't been able to drink it plain for over 3 years. I've tried not to drink soda but it hasn't worked. Good luck.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    Soda has stuff in it that leaches the calcium from your bones and Crystal Lite doesn't so that's one way Crystal Light is better. Sometimes soda can have more sodium. Depends on the brand, though.

    Also, the colas stain your teeth! (yes, that's important to me. :laugh: )
  • FireMonkey
    FireMonkey Posts: 500 Member
    The mystery of squash solved: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(drink)

    I knew I'd heard that term before in a "Fawlty Towers" episode!

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • April0815
    April0815 Posts: 780 Member
    I love the idea of having a challange. I used to drink 5 cans of Mountain Dew a day, my husband didn't belive I could quit so we made a bet. No soda for a month and I could clean out his closet and donate all his old clothes. That was 2 1/2 years ago and I have never had a caffenated soda since! It was a very hard first month but I made it. Good Luck.

    Good Job!!!! You were drinking one of the worst drinks out there. I watched a program with Diane Sawyer about the Kentucky Coal Mines and the poor people in that area. It showed the people with no teeth or rotten teeth and the dentist that was donating his services to these people said it was because of them drinking Mountain Dew. He said it was the worst drink over all others, it has the most sugar, and is the most addicting.
  • April0815
    April0815 Posts: 780 Member
    There has been studies showing that people that drink diet soda gain more weight than drinking regular. I just quit cold turkey.
  • m2kjenn
    m2kjenn Posts: 1,671 Member
    There has been studies showing that people that drink diet soda gain more weight than drinking regular. I just quit cold turkey.

    I read this a lot too. The sweetness tricks your body into thinking that sweet = no calories, so over time your body doesn't work as hard to burn calories when it registers "sweet" It follows along the ideas of the clean food diet and eliminating chemicals from our diets. Our bodies don't know how to process the chemicals - that's what leads to problems.
  • pinkpoole
    pinkpoole Posts: 38
    I too ditched the diet soda awhile ago, and I was surprised how easy it was! (Actually, I ditched ALL caffiene for two months, but I couldn't live without tea & coffee). I would really love to wean off the Crystal LIght too, because I just don't think the aspartame is good for me. I went on to webmd to research it, and I stumbled accross this & thought you might be interrested. (I hope it's not illegal to post this - sorry, I'm new). It's the best drinks for weight loss:

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/slideshow-skinny-sipping
  • Wecandothis
    Wecandothis Posts: 1,083 Member
    The mystery of squash solved: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(drink)

    I knew I'd heard that term before in a "Fawlty Towers" episode!

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    AHA! Thank you so much! I knew there had to be something/more to it!
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    There has been studies showing that people that drink diet soda gain more weight than drinking regular. I just quit cold turkey.
    Actually the studies only showed the people who drink diet soda are fatter on average than people who drink regular soda. But the studies were only looking at correlation, not causation.

    There are a number of theories as to why this could be, but at this point no one really knows why. One theory is that fat people drink diet soda thinking it will help when it doesn't. So the diet soda isnt't making them fat, it's just not helping them lose.
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