It's been 7 days without a soda
 

I love Diet Coke. Gave it up about 5 yrs or so ago - went about 1 1/2 years without one - then I had one and let the demon out of the bag :eek:

I usually drink a can a day - some days 2. I had been thinking about giving up Diet Coke for the last few mths - but just a thought, no plan. Then last week, I drank the last one - and was too lazy to go to the store :rolleyes: to buy a case.

Anyone else not drink soda or thinking about giving it up?

I thought I would have some withdrawals. Not one bit. I do drink a lot of tea (no sugar please) - so I still get some caffeine. But I have been concerned about everything in diet soda. And the possibility that drinking diet soda makes you eat more.

So last weekend, I was too lazy/busy online to go to the store, and the beginning of week was really stressful (normally when I would have craved a diet coke) - but what happened was over the weekend, I had no urge to snack - hardly ate at all, then at the beginning of the week I finally put 2 & 2 together -- and I do think for the most part my appetite has decreased due to not drinking the DC.

Then I found this online tonight Can Diet Soda Make You Gain Weight? - iVillage - Beehive -- there are some really interesting links at the bottom of that story

Good for you!!!:) I gave up diet pop almost 3 years ago when I was diagnosed with M.S. I blame my M.S. 100% on the aspartame in the diet pop. I was an AVID diet Pepsi drinker and probably drank 4 to 5 cans per day for the last 30 years. As for gaining weight, I cant say that I have ever lost weight drinking diet drinks. I think it actually makes you crave more sweet stuff. It was very hard to quit at first, but now I dont even miss it. Best of luck getting off that unhealthful stuff!!!

Wow - you have some story! I have a big print article about the dangers in diet soda - but I have misplaced or packed it away somewhere a couple yrs ago. I did just kick myself when I got hooked on it again.

And I worry about my dd - she has been drinking it almost her entire life. And now at college I think she is buying the 20 oz bottles, or filling up the hge glasses they have at all their dining spots & there they have free refills :eek:

The other plus for me will be no more trips to the stinky can return machines - in Iowa we are charged 5-cents on every can - I do have a ton to take back to the store - and then I hope that will be it!

You should google aspartame!! Talk about eye opening!! That and MSG are two of the few things that can pass through the blood/brain barrier. I am not saying that diet drinks will effect everyone the same. But I think that they just arent good for anybody. For now its iced tea and steveia as an all natural sweetner. I feel very blessed to say that I am not in a wheel chair (yet) and I have had only one problem so far with M.S. But I do have to give myself a shot everyday.
Good luck getting off that stuff! You CAN do it!!:)

Oh, Patti! I love the smileys - and you have a way with admin. ;)

Well, just NOT buying it has worked wonders - I don't buy cookies, and a lot of other things, because I know that I would just eat them - so I think the same trick will work for diet coke. Although, I'm worried what will happen when my dd returns from college - maybe I'll get her convinced she can go without. ;)

I'm also looking forwards to saving some money!!

Yes, aspartame has been the scary thing I have read about before.

You know I have several friends who have MS & it does seem to be one of the most baffling onset diseases

I never drank diet soda , I was a "full of sugar and caffeine if you please " kinda girl :rolleyes:

I stopped cold turkey and I was such a grouch and had a headache that seem to last 3 days , and I never get headaches , so I knew it was from caffeine withdraw.

Now I rarely will drink a soda , and if I do its only caffeine free...I never want those headaches again !!:eek:

You are my hero!! I just cannot give up my coke. I need to cut back, but I never have found anything I like to drink except coke. I will try to limit my intake.

I used to be absolutely addicted to Diet Coke. After reading up on it, i realized how horrible it is for you. I stopped drinking it probably about a year ago and the difference is amazing!!
Your skin color looks much better when you stop drinking soda,
It is SO much easier to look weight without soda.
If you need caffeine, I would advise low fat coffee. It has been my savior ever since!!
Seriously, soda is bad for you. I wouldnt advise anyone to drink it.

I have MS too - used to drink diet Pepsi but not anymore! Aspartame is SO bad for you! Since I've stopped consuming aspartame and started taking high doses of vitamin D my MS has not progressed. It's been over 5 years, and no progression at all. I've actually gotten a bit better!

I don't know if this is what is in that article but aspartame can actually make you GAIN weight because your body gets confused - it expects the calories when you drink but doesn't get the calories so it stores the calories from the next thing you eat or drink instead, just in case you try to trick it again. Not good. :(

I know it's hard but it's really not much different than smoking. It's an addiction, it's bad for you, it's hard to kick, but if you want to live a long healthy life you really need to give it up. To everyone trying to kick the aspartame habit - I wish you all the success in the world, you can do it!

My name is Ashley and I am a caffeine addict.

I've tried giving it up, I just can't. I have severe withdrawl symptoms (get a huge migraine and start throwing up). I'm not even going to say how much I drink a day... it's ridiculous.

I know I need to give it up. I'm going to try again soon...

I had lapband surgery last March & cannot drink any fizzy drink. I was a diet coke addict & that kind of concerned me but now I don't miss it at all. The only things I drink are water, a mug of tea in the morning, G2 & wine.
The bubbles can expand your stomach, therefore you can eat more.

FAT TAX!! NY proposes!
 

Look what I just found today:

New and Outrageous Taxes - WalletPop

"Sin" Taxes
So-called "sin" taxes are on the hit list for many state and local governments, raising taxes on everything from cigarettes to alcohol. New York is even toying with an 18% tax on non-diet soda, dubbed an "obesity tax," capable of raising $400 million a year. If the governor of Wisconsin has his way, cigarette taxes will go up 75 cents a pack! The increase will generate $300 million for the state over two years. In Massachusetts, the governor is considering a new 5 percent sales tax on beer. This and other "wellness" taxes could cost taxpayers as much as $150 million each year!


So if they call it an "obesity tax" - they are only going to tax non-diet soda, sounds like the hardest thing to regulate. Especially at places that let their customers fill their own cups. People will order a large soda & go chose which ever they want.

Sodas especially Coke are bad for our health and teeth and most of us know that but its hard to quit. I had one can a day for 2 years and I quit because I started to have a lot of teeth problems and bone pain that I have not went to check it out yet. And I like the taste of Coke and drinking it makes me feel better for a while because of the sugar content. When I stopped, I had bad headaches and I wasn't feeling well for a couple of days. Some told me its due to sugar withdrawal. Its good that you are quitting. The ones with aspartame are especially bad for your body.

Everything is ok in moderation, but a coke a day isn't moderation. I don't drink coffee and rarely drink coke, and that would be sometimes from a fountain when I eat out. The thing here is to remember if you stress so much over what your drinking (or even eating for that matter) you will certainly have some stress related health issues. Relax, eat and drink what you want, but only in moderation. Diet's DO NOT work, and if you go on any type of diet and lose weight, you will most certainly gain it back, plus more. Just eat more fresh veggies and fruits daily and try to stay away from fried foods, sugars and startches....or at least cut way back. :D Excercise is extremely important. Make sure you break a sweat once a day or swim a few laps each day. Wish I had a pool, but I do get on the tread mill and on my bike.

That is a great way to think about it. But most cola addicts want it everyday -- it just tastes good.

What I'm most excited about is that I haven't even been craving them - not even after creating this thread & talking about it :rolleyes:

The one plus I have had is that years ago, I started only drinking diet coke at home - I never order a soda out because every restaurant overcharges - and it is a huge waste of money. Plus fountain pop does not taste as good as the stuff in the can or bottle

:cheer::cheer::cheer:You can do it:exclaim::cheer::cheer::D

Thats really good! I am giving up sodas...ever since i was sick sodas didnt taste right to me so i havent been drinking them now! Its good as far as me trying to loose weight....LOL :D

Wow what an eye opener for me, I drink alot of diet coke
I had no clue is was so bad for us :eek: I will be slowing way down, Im affraid of the headaches if i go cold turkey
I tryed that once :( Yikes ! Thanks for the links, i will be doing some reading ;)

Good job! Congrats! I've so far been like 1 month without soda, i've been drinking only water mainly to lose weight and cause i have acne and soda makes me break out. So far i havent reall craved it, what helps to keep drinking water is to ALWAY have my huge water bottle with me, filled up so if i ever am thirsty im not tempted to go buy juice or soda. It works perfectly. The only thing is my bf drinks soda and yesterday there was a big bottle he brought and i took a sip, just one sip, ok not even a sip like half a sip and i said No sarah you can't and i put it down and drank my water. Soda is the enemy for me lol It makes my stomach bloat up. We need to motivate each other. :thumbup::)

I went to dinner with a friend tonight and I was telling her how I gave up the diet coke and she began telling me the story about all the odd things she had began happening to her a number of yrs ago after she was drinking a lot of diet pop & tea with artificial sweeteners - bad headaches, numbness, a rash - she gave up the artificial sweetners & things turned around quickly.

I just found this site packed with information. Aspartame & Aspartame Poisoning Information Site

Thanks for posting that!!! Scary isnt it!!! Great info on there that I hadnt seen before. Maybe there is hope!!

OK, it's Day 9 now, and I feel so POWERFUL!! :p


Now, I just need to leash this power & confidence to see if I can change some of my other bad habits! :rolleyes:

I also have been taking vitamin D. I am also reading the Gold Coast Diet. It is also supposed to put MS in remission. So far it looks fairly easy to follow. I am glad you are getting better!!!! It will be 3 years for me this week.

I gave up my diet coke habit years ago...the doctor I worked for told me it was a big cause of bladder cancer. Enough said!!!

Also too, people who drink diet compared to regular soda is 13 times more likely to go into renal failure at some point.

my daughter just went to Florida to stay with my mom for a while, day 1 my mother told her NO more Diet Coke or Soda at all, she used to drink at least a 2 liter a day, she was seriously addicted to it , she would get out of bed in the morning and drink a huge glass!! She said the first two days she had a head ache, its been 1 week and she is still holding out, she has to because my mother hates soda and wont buy it LOL, occasionly she will buy orange soda. Im so glad she got her to stop because she was so addicted she would drive to the store at 2 am if we ran out....

You're daughter sounds like me. It's sad. lol

Very interesting
 

I had gastric bypas in 2004. I have gained 100 lbs back. I really think the fake sugar makes me hungrier. I need to do more research about this. Nevr used fake sugar before the surgery. I am hungry alot more and actually crave carbs more...:confused: