Going off the Diet Coke. Any tips?- Page 2

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 3:33pm

As I've mentioned previously, I'm a Type 2 Diabetic and felt that my addiction to lime flavored Diet Coke was one thing I wouldn't have to give up to deal with my diabetes.

I've modified my diet and walk at least two miles a day, but lately my waistline has been growing. Something had to be wrong. What could it be?

At the same time, a friend's granddaughter is in a school where they collect the tabs from soda cans for some sort of reimbursement, so I've been saving those tabs for my friend.

It was then that I realized I've been drinking 6 to 8 cans of Diet Coke per day and that has to be the culprit. I just switched to iced water. We'll see how things work out.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 6:30pm

I am a HUGE Diet Coke addict... I'm talking three to four 44oz fountain sodas a day for years. Not healthy, but I can't imagine my day without my Diet Cokes... Good luck.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 7:03pm

Good luck! I tried to quit Diet Pepsi a few years ago, but gave up after three or four days. I am down from 7 cans a day to 5. :)

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 9:22pm

figure out how much you spend a wk on soda. Drink water w/a squeege of real fruit. Buy a thermos bottle. Put that money in an envelope every wk, and hide it. Then, after a yr, go on vacation with the money you DIDN t spend! That's what I did

$ 5/day? x 365 days yr = 1,825
2 = 730

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 10:41pm

Cutting soda out was one of my new years resolutions, not that I drink it so often, but I know it's awful for you. My problem is my office and many of the functions I go to have free soda and when that's there I can't pick water over it. I rarely - if ever - buy soda any more, but the free ones are killing me.

[Corine2]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 2:45am

Drink Iced Coffee instead. It is much better for you and tastes better.

[Corine2]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 2:48am

I used to drink a six pack of diet coke each week but gave it up. I only drink 1 diet coke per month now and don't miss it. I drink diet snapple and iced coffee instead and I feel better. Diet coke does not agree with my stomach. I seem to be fine with iced coffee and diet snapple. I try to drink more water than Snapple and Iced Coffee but I generally have three large cups of hot or iced coffee per day.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 6:49am

"My problem is my office and many of the functions I go to have free soda and when that's there I can't pick water over it. I "

You can. Just put your mind to it, and you can. And you'll be better for it.

If they have sparkling water, you could try that as well.

[BWF]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 7:32am

Buy bottles and only pour a couple of fingers when your resistance is low. I don't know what it is with cans but the compulsion to finish and pop another gets me every time ...

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 9:10am

I found this article and it pertains to our discussion
Diet Soda

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 9:35am

Thanks the advice everyone. I am going to try something. Once the case I have in the fridge is gone, i will stop. I think I'll try the lightly flavored seltzer waters in a pinch. Probably cold turkey and increasing water is best.

I know the artificial sweeteners are so bad for my body. My homeopath was blunt about the fact that my body does not know what do with artificial sweeteners and views them as a poison, especially in great quantities. While I have worked to avoid animal product in food and eat less processed, the diet soda addiction rages on.

I got sick with a virus over the winter (flu like thing) and when I tried to have a Diet Coke, it literally tasted like bitter metal. I couldnt drink them. In my weakened immune state, I knew I was tasting the real chemical components of the soda. I hoped it would be a good time to kick it, but the moment I was better I got back on the diet soda.

[blueroses]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 10:15am

I drink the regular (can't stand the aftertaste of the diet)--maybe one a day--and it's SO hard to get off of. I quit for about three years and once I had a taste again I was a goner. I don't keep any at home but I love the fountain soda and often have one at lunch or if I am out to dinner. I know there is zero nutritional value and it's really just crap, but it's the nectar of the gods. Nothing is as refreshing. My goal is to kick it for good by the end of the summer. I mostly drink regular water and Vitamin water, but, man, Coke is it. And it really, really shouldn't be.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 11:26am

I'm with the rest of you.

For years I was a regular Coke drinker. I'm old enough to remember the old Coke that was delicious and much more fizzy. When they changed to HFCS, I still drank it but wasn't that pleased. As my waistline grew, I knew I needed to switch to diet, but that bitter taste was nasty. Then someone suggested I try Diet Dr. Pepper and that's when I spiraled out of control.

So I'm trying to kick the soda habit as well and it is not easy at all. The caffeine I can get from other sources, but nothing can replace the fizzy. I can't stand seltzer and sparkling water so I guess I'll have to give up the fizzy all together.

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 12:56pm

Bettyboy, after you give it up for a while (say six months or so), that chemical-ish taste is what it will taste like all the time for you, so it'll be pretty easy not to relapse. :)

Kind of like when I gave up frozen dinners, because I'm extremely sensitive to salt and they really mess up my blood pressure. Now eating them to me tastes like pouring a can of Morton down my throat.

Goth, TJ's has some sparkling lemonades/limeades that I'm quite fond of!

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 1:01pm

Almost every grocery store has flavored. no calorie, carbonated waters now (not seltzer). Walmart has them in Lime, Tangerine, Black Cherry to name a few. I buy a store brand at my supermarket also. I haven't had a soda in over ten years and my system thanks me.

Updated On: 5/18/12 at 01:01 PM

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 4:12pm

I think there are a lot of great suggestions in this thread.

I keep a gallon pitcher of filtered tap water in the refrigerator. To me it tastes better and more refreshing than it does just regular filtered (I use a Pur filter) out of the tap. (Ice water also helps burn calories because your body works to raise your temp.) I've had about seven glasses today already, and used to, I'd think, 'omg, *8* glasses of water a *day*?!' -- it seemed like sooo much water to drink. lol I have some flavor packets but rarely use them.

I have almost gone cold turkey on soda. Was drinking a good bit of diet cola and diet gingerale (whatever was on sale or cheapest at the store basically), plus treating myself to a Mexican Coke once a week (glass bottle, still made with sugar).

When we went out to dinner on Mother's Day, I had a diet Coke, after not having drunk one in several days. Was sort of weird drinking it. Next time we dined out later this week, I ordered water (which I would do some of the time when dining out anyway).

What I do a lot of the time when I have water with a meal in a restaurant is, I'll ask for lemon slices to go with. (Did that this week.) I stir in a packet of no/lo-cal sweetener (Equal or whatever similar is on the table), squeeze a slice or two of lemon (then drop the slice/s in). It's like drinking a light, zero-to-low calorie lemonade and more frugal than actually ordering a lemonade off the menu.

I drink a cup of coffee (with Truvia - brand of stevia) every morning along with my oatmeal. And I allow myself a square of dark chocolate, which I assume has some caffeine, here and there. So might be why I haven't felt caffeine withdrawals from not drinking diet cola (or course the ginger ale is caffeine free).

It just hit me that I had been having headaches but not so much lately. Would wake up with one just about every morning. Would get them other times. I used to scoff at the notion that the aspartame in sodas causes headaches, but darn, maybe there is something to it after all.

I am actively working on losing weight (after going too long wishing the weight would just fall off miraculously and lamenting that I used to have a good figure and what the hell happened, blah blah blah), which that was my main motivation to eat healthier and drink more water, in addition to exercising.

Bettyboy, if you stick to your plan to not buy any more soda after what you have left is gone, I think you have the battle mostly licked right there since you won't have the temptation right there handy. Good luck!