I'm totally addicted to Pepsi...I have cut myself way back I use to drink atleast 4 a day now I'm down to 1 and sometimes I cheat and have 2...I love them. I can't help it :rolleyes: theres no saving me ;) My dentist did say that he can til that I have cut way back cause my cavities are few and far between now. :D

Drinking soda constantly is similar to doing an acid wash on your teeth constantly. If you going to drink soda, it's best done at mealtime, and brush afterward (or chew sugarless gum), where you have your soda, then be done with it for a while, giving your teeth a break. It's a progressive thing too, as enamel is very hard, but the constant onslaught of acidic soda eventually breaks it down...

Also heard on the news a while back to eat cheese after a meal and before bed:

didn't know this! I take calcium supplements since I lactose intolerant. Don't need any extra help in losing any calcium!

I have a problem with enamel wearing down as it is. :( Just can't really drink otu of a bottle with a straw in class or eat while drhinking it. If I can't stop, the dentist wants me to drink it during meal times only - and that is just not going to work. :(

It is horrible and artificial sweeteners can slow the uptake of serotonin, so it can cause depression. Isn't that nice?

That's funny, bc I have been a bit down as of late, and my soda consumption has temporarily increased (as I've been trying to limit and thought more would make me happy).... duh!

Just an idea.... carry a bottle of water too, to rinse the soda off your teeth after each drink. Or those little Baby bell cheese snacks may work for you. You really have to make a decision: How important is having your teeth to you and how much time and money do you want to be spending at the dentist's office?

I know drinking water can be horrible for some, but it really is one of the best things you can do for your body. Your body doesn't have to process it (like soda) so it can reap it's benefits without having to work for it.

Also, dehydration can make one feel like total crap. Many times DH comes home from work and says, I don't know, I just don't feel well, Not sick, but weak and listless. As soon as he drinks some water he begins to feel better. I tend to drink more water when I start feeling unwell, or not 100%.

And I wouldn't try stopping soda cold turkey, too shocking to the body and the mind. But I just started at home, I'd make a glass of icewater, and when I got thirsty, I would take a drink of the water first. If I felt like I really needed the soda, I would then drink that too. Then work up to just having your soda at meal times. It was easier for me if it wasn't an 'either/or' situation...

And as you know soda is bad for you, every time you drink it you think, this is not good for me. When you drink water, you get to think, Yuk, but I am doing something good for my body and health. So it turns into a warm, fuzzy feel good moment!

( My apologies for my last post.... I didn't intend to sound 'mean'... just giving a friend a 'wake-up call'...)

I feel the same way! I can't touch regular sodas. They make me sick, I get a stomach ache within minutes. I also used to dispise diet drinks, but once I made the switch I never looked back!

Strange isn't it? I cannot stand cotton candy because it is way too sweet to me and I really do compare that taste to a regular soda now. Even though I know that the diet ones aren't any healthier....they just taste good to me now.

I'm back on my diet today. :) Chewing gum with my soda this am. I dont' like chewing gum all day though. My hygienist said that I should be using fluoride nightly if I want to keep up this habit. I have mixed feelings about it. Ran across some info on it a few years back and have hesitated to use it except for what is in toothpaste. It is a toxin and I'm not sure I want to use that much daily. Besides, she said go to sleep without eating or drinking after which is really going to irritate me. So still thinking about that.

On the good side of things, I don't really drink coffee, so I don't have caffeine from that too.

That's interesting about the cheese. Makes me think of the French custom of having a cheese course at the end of a meal.

Years ago, I kept gaining weight as did hubby. We switched cold turkey to diet drinks. We lost weight and can not stand the taste of regular cokes. To me diet Mtn Dew and diet Dr Pepper taste like the original did. I am mostly faithful to my diet coke though. Our dtr drinks reg coke. It gets ugly if a waiter gets the drinks mixed up. I'm like: this doesn't taste right, dh you try it, so then there may be 2 of us saying yuck. Sometimes it is just the carbonation being off. I often order water with lemon when we eat out.

I used to drink alot of Diet Coke but now I drink water with a slice of lemon or sometimes a slice of orange. When it's hot out, water and lemon is a very nice way to cool off.

When I was working I would always keep water at my desk. I would have a diet coke at lunch and that was it for the day. Now I am home all the time I never drink water and go with a diet coke or diet 7up in my hand. I have gotten where water almost makes me sick, espically to take pills. I am also addicted to ice. Someone was telling me that her doctor told her if you craved ice your body has a need for iron. Never heard that before.....but love ice. (bad on teeth I bet) Maybe I should start taking some iron and see if it helps.

I have tried Aquafina...but ugh, I just can't deal with plain water (lol!). I don't know why, but it feels so 'heavy' to me...which makes no sense whatsoever :p.

Yep, it's just like that. It's like sugar-free Crystal Light or sugar-free Kool-Aid...but I get the Kroger brand bc I love their Kiwi-Strawberry flavor. Also, I add stevia to it for even MORE sweetness :eek:. Stevia is a really safe one, it's a sweetener made from a plant/leaf.

I love gum so much...but can't chew much of it bc the sorbitol makes my tummy just crazy. Otherwise, I could chew it all day long.

Just seeing this thread. Diet A&W is awesome! :) The only issue is no caffeine, so I drink it after I have had a caffeine Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi. :D