|
|
 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
  
| I'm addicted to Diet Coke. It's not so much the caffeine or the taste as it is the bubbles. The bubbles are my friend. And whatever else they put in it to make you only want to drink it.
Has anyone kicked soda pop to the curve? What was your approach to talking your brain into not wanting it more than life?
I'm trying to vamp up my mindset to kick the Diet Coke. Cold turkey for 5 days last time made me a victim of migraines, nausea, and generally hating everyone and everything.
Just wondering if there was something I could do to help make it a little easier on myself. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1028
| Well, I know it won't work for every one, but I went from several Diet Cokes a day, to one a day, to none in about a weeks time. And like you, it wasn't the caffeine or taste, just the carbonation. All I did was go buy a case of La Croix sparkling water (I think strawberry or something) and kept a few under my desk at work and took the rest home, and every time that I'd usually grab a soda, I'd grab one of those instead. It took a bit to get used to the taste, but all in all, not too bad! Killed two birds with one stone: kicked the Diet Coke habit and started drinking more water. Win win!
Now I'm so addicted to them, that I bought a SodaStream machine for my house, so I could just make my own. I don't even miss soda at all! |
|
| |
|
Regular
Posts: 81
Location: the middle of anywhere | I kicked the diet coke addiction a year ago. I was drinking at least one bottle a day. I quit cold turkey because I wanted to be healthier. Now I drink water, tea, coffee or the la croix water. If you can make it thru the first week you'll make it!!!!
In a year I've only really craved it twice once the first week. One was a a barrel racing clinic when I was past tired from all the riding. The other time was after a friends funeral - the emotional exhaustion was getting to me and it sounded good, but I made it!! |
|
| |
|
 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
 
Location: Kansas | ooo I wish I could.....I love coke and monster energy drinks |
|
| |
|
 Party Girl
Posts: 12293
Location: Buffalo, Wyoming | I kicked it cold turkey when I was in High School, so I have been clean of all pop for about 12-13 years. I drank so much regular Coke it was crazy. I do not know how or why stopped by the last thing I drank before I gave it up was a Sprite and I NEVER drank Sprite.
Now that I haven't been drinking it for so long the smell of anything like that makes me sick. I accidently took a swig of my sisters Mt. Dew not to long ago and it made me gag.
I really have no advice other than it can be done. Now if I could give up my sweets addication I will be good.... |
|
| |
|
Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | It's a crutch!!!! For me the best thing is getting on the scale after I've quit (but always seem to go back... so take my advice with a grain of salt! LOL).... but I do find myself reaching for one if it's been a really stressful day and then the pattern will creep back up on me. I love sparkling water, but I don't know that I love it more than DC.
Maybe you could reach for a cup of coffee if it's the caffeine that's causing you all the grief? I know that I can get in a rush in the morning and forget to have coffee (but that RARELY happens) and at about 2pm I realize why I am so miserable and have a cup. |
|
| |
|
 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Diet anything is SO bad for you, as you probably already know. I've switched to water all day, every day. I haven't had a Coke in ages. HOWEVER - McDonald's sweet tea is my total guilty pleasure. I've been drinking water for so long that one sip of the sweet tea and I feel so dizzy from all the sugar.
Try weaning yourself off of them. Your body will thank you! |
|
| |
|
Blessed 
Location: Here | Drink TEA
And if you can find it GT Kombucha it has fizz but healthy fizz....
Don't quit both DC and caffinee at the same time One at at one I have been pop free for over 10 years and I am thrilled that it tastes nasty now to me |
|
| |
|
 Ima Fickle Fan
Posts: 3547
Location: Texas | The headaches are a result of your body going through withdrawals.
I kicked the soda habit about 10 years ago. I switched to diet, but then found that the aspartame was giving me migraines. Since you have a pretty good habit, slowly cut back instead of cold turkey.
I found that I crave the carbonation, so I drink sparkling mineral water. I did drink La Crouix, but it is manmade. I drank enough of it that the acid they use to produce carbonation starting burning my throat. When I want something a little different, I'll drink unsweet tea or add lemon to my water.
Once you kick the habit, you will feel SO much better. And given long enough without drinking it, if you try soda, it will taste like chemicals and not the sweet nectar of heaven you previously thought.
|
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1028
| OH yes, Kombucha is great too, if you can get to a store that has it. Like CPC, I think it was the bubbles that made me so crazy for Diet Coke. It really could've been any soda, but that was what my mom drank and we always had it in the house so... But, it IS possible to quit. I lost a bit of weight after quitting (which is always good motivation!) and I started thinking about all of the horrible stuff I was putting in my body (ALL of that aspartame), which really helped keep me on the right track when I was having a craving.
ETA after reading the post above: I checked my La Croix water can just now to be sure, and they don't use any acid, just CO2 to carbonate the water plus whatever flavor the water is. Maybe they used to use it, but I dont know for sure; I do know that they don't use anything artificial now. No artificial ingredients, made in the USA and ten times better for you than Diet Coke!
Edited by bowersk 2015-02-05 9:38 AM
|
|
| |
|
Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Oh my God I'm a) Not alone; and b) Finding out others have kicked it! Yes!
Thanks so much for the ideas. Is there a flavoring you can put in sparkling water that isn't just as horrible for you as DC?
And I'm researching caffeine withdrawal now, sounds like the last time I tried to quit and was lying in my bed wishing an asteroid would get me. Looking like I need a substitute for the caffeine so I can wean myself away. Thanks everyone!! |
|
| |
|
 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | It's TOUGH!!! I love diet coke and the caffeine headaches will make you suffer.
It helps me to drink black breakfast tea, and I drink tons of water as well. Not as much fun as a diet coke... a route 44 from sonic with vanilla is my weakness! I know it's better to quiet tho. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1028
| classicpotatochip - 2015-02-05 9:37 AM Oh my God I'm a) Not alone; and b) Finding out others have kicked it! Yes! Thanks so much for the ideas. Is there a flavoring you can put in sparkling water that isn't just as horrible for you as DC? And I'm researching caffeine withdrawal now, sounds like the last time I tried to quit and was lying in my bed wishing an asteroid would get me. Looking like I need a substitute for the caffeine so I can wean myself away. Thanks everyone!!
I was drinking so much DC, that I was just able to cut down how much I was drinking, a can at a time, until I was down to one a day, then stopped altogether. If I started to get a bad headache, I'd drink a little green tea for the caffeine, but then eventually, I got over it. The sparkling waters come in pretty much every flavor imaginable. My newest favorite is the apple flavored one that Dasani makes. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 879
Location: Western Kansas...close to NE & CO but nothing else | I quit the diet cold turkey over a year ago. Even reading articles about the aspartame causing cancer didn't scare me enough, but the article that I read in December scared me. It linked diet drinks and aspartame to Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and Metabolic Syndrome-the precursor to Type 2 Diabetes.
That was enough for me, I had Metabolic Syndrome, was taking medication for it and had been for five years. I also have had several head concussions from riding which also ups your chances for Alzheimer's.
That article slapped me in the face, I was making myself worse by drinking it!!!!!!!
So I quit cold turkey that day.
But I replaced I with regular telling myself the sugar wasn't bad, but it to is bad. Pounds were creeping on and I was always craving sugar. A side effect of the liquid sugar.
I quit drinking regular pop cold turkey as well. It's only been three weeks, but it's three weeks and I haven't caved. Even with it around our house and at work. Pounds are already dropping!
And finally, the most exciting thing about QUITTING DIET POP, at my last doctors appointment they did my six month blood draw, and I am no longer considered Metabolic Syndrome!!!!!
I drink water, milk, and unsweetened ice tea now, and plan to stay this way! |
|
| |
|
 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | my boyfriend used to drink 8-16 ounces of D.Coke a day for years. One day he woke up and said, "I'm not going to drink this anymore..."
He quit cold turkey. He stopped buying it and refused to put it in his body anymore! I'm so proud of him. I quit drinking soda a long time ago. I only drink soda when I have Jack and Cokes and even then I really don't like soda.
He said that the first week really sucked, but he said he doesn't crave it anymore and he tried to drink it once and said it was really disgusting. Be tough girl! you can do it! |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 823
Location: East Texas | I think I am there as well..... Time to cut them out. I am at 5-6 a day. I guess I can do coffee in the morning and tea at lunch. Good luck to you in kicking the habit
|
|
| |
|
 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 356
| classicpotatochip - 2015-02-05 9:37 AM
Oh my God I'm a) Not alone; and b) Finding out others have kicked it! Yes!
Thanks so much for the ideas. Is there a flavoring you can put in sparkling water that isn't just as horrible for you as DC?
And I'm researching caffeine withdrawal now, sounds like the last time I tried to quit and was lying in my bed wishing an asteroid would get me. Looking like I need a substitute for the caffeine so I can wean myself away. Thanks everyone!!
I've been trying to kick the Diet Coke habit too! I have been a LOT better the last couple weeks about drinking water. I take a big refillable water bottle with me everywhere.
Flavoring wise, I've been filling my water bottle about halfway with frozen fruit in the morning and then filling it with water! The fruit keeps the first bottle of water cold, and then the rest of the day just adds some good flavor. I've also used the liquid flavored stevia that you can find at health food stores. There's TONS of flavors, and I'm sure you could order it online if you can't find it near you.
For caffeine, I've been drinking black coffee, tea, or else the Starbucks packets you can buy at grocery stores. There's ones for different flavors of iced coffee and then fruity Refreshers ones. I'm not sure what the sweeteners in those are, but might be worth checking out! The Spark drink mix from AdvoCare is great too, and pretty affordable! I don't do the whole AdvoCare system and don't drink it super consistently, but I do try to keep some around!
Also for caffeine/energy, I have a couple friends doing the Thrive thing and loving it. I haven't tried it, and it's not in my budget to right now, but I've heard good things! |
|
| |
|
 Stinky Cat Owner
Posts: 4097
Location: Oregon | I know EXACTLY what you mean!! lol I would drink 3+ diet Cokes a day! One for lunch, one after work, one after horse work. I had to stop buying it all together so that I wouldn't have it in the house - period. My sister has been harping at me to stop for YEARS and telling me all about the nasty stuff and fake sweeteners and that finally helped too. I would buy the fizzy waters just to get the carbonation 'fix' and now I rarely drink pop at all, but if I do it's not usually diet and I don't drink the entire can. Oh, and I got headaches too after stopping but I just sucked down more aspirin. Hmmm.. which is the lesser of two evils? lol Good luck!!
Now I drink just plain water - tons of it - all day long and really like that more than anything now. Well, except margaritas, I really love those 
Edited by Katie's 2015-02-05 10:25 AM
|
|
| |
|
 Veteran
Posts: 251
Location: Oregon | I kicked the Diet Coke habit about a year ago! Then quit Coffee 8 months ago. Coffee isn't bad but when I dress it up with everything that I like to put in it like flavors and cream, it becomes really bad.
I had tried to quit Diet soda several times cold turkey and I would slip up and have one glass out to dinner or something and then I was back at a 44oz a day again.
So how I did it was switching to 7-up or Rootbeer for the every once in awhile soda. I don't really like them that much so I wasn't temped to start drinking a ton of them. Then I switched to unsweetened iced tea. And now I just drink water or "fizzy water" its water that has the bubbles that I'm wanting and it comes in flavors like Black Cherry, Lime, Lemon and Orange. No sugar, No calories. The bubbles also help keep me full during the day so I'm not snacking as much.
The brand I drink is Arrowhead Sparkling Spring water. I drink a liter a day, then regular water too.
Stay strong, you can do it!
Edited by ~rodeojunkie~ 2015-02-05 10:39 AM
|
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | hoofs_in_motion - 2015-02-05 7:21 AM
ooo I wish I could.....I love coke and monster energy drinks
Never been a fan of sodas, but Monsters....I'm guilty. Granted a big can will last me about a week, but Oh how I love them!! |
|
| |
Folks on-line