I am a SEVERE diet coke addict

[CThompson]

I am the type of person that is not comfortable with only 1 12 pack of diet coke in the fredge at a time. Now that I am starting atkins I really want to try to overcome this additction. The diet coke has never noticibly hendered my weightloss before but I just dont want to keep drinking it(what in this stuff anyways?) I have cut down to drinking ONLY caffine fee but i still feel bad so I was thinking about having 1 12oz can a day as a treat of some sort. What do you guys think?

[spirittalker]

The best thing to do is cut it out completely. I was really bad too. I was drinking at least 6 a day. I no longer drink it at all. Water is my beverage. You can quit too. Good luck.

[Laurenfra]

Join our littlr group. We are all giving up something.

[John_Morse]

Diet Rite

Just switch to Diet Rite and drink all of them you wish.
Works for me, I don't have any problems loosing weight drinking 10 Diet Rites a day. I don't drink that many usually, but they have no calories, no carbs, no sodium, no caffeine.

[Laurenfra]

If you are following Atkins you are allowed 3 sweetners a day. Even drinking Diet Rite can stall many. Also if you are drinking all that soda you probably have trouble getting in enough water.

[John_Morse]

your probably right

If you are following Atkins you are allowed 3 sweetners a day. Even drinking Diet Rite can stall many. Also if you are drinking all that soda you probably have trouble getting in enough water.

Thats probably true. I've been drinking water for the last few days, and I've quit drinking coffee today to see if it speeds up my weight loss. I know I'll be better off without Caffeine, anything that gives you a headache when you quit using it, can't be good for you!

[Laurenfra]

Good for you :sympathy

[LOWCARBINCLEVELANDOH]

I was a 6-9 Diet Coke a day girl 3 weeks ago. I drank so much water that i never got a headache.
How I'm an 18 glasses of water a day girl.

I am happy. and it's cheaper. And you don't have to scan the Sunday paper to see where it is on sale every week.

Good luck!!!!

[allierw26]

I just wanted to offer some encouragement to all those diet coke addicts! I used to drink 2 2-liter bottles of diet mtn. dew a day! :yikes Yes--that means ZERO water. I was severely addicted to caffeine. I went from mtn. dew to diet coke to finally sprite, and now I am happy drinking water only. I find that the first few days of quitting are really rough--and then after awhile, when you go back to it, it tastes bad. Artificial sweeteners tend to make me feel MORE thirsty now, while water quenches my thirst.

My diet coke addiction was so bad at one point that I drank regular cokes to try and satisfy my craving (i.e. I told myself 1 real Coke a day instead of X amount of diet cokes). I still missed the diet coke taste!

[Laurenfra]

allierw26, You did a great job giving it up. I love to hear all this drinking af water :capital

[cajunthunder]

I don't know about anyone else, but I tried just a sip of the Diet 7up with Splenda and it tasted WAAAAYYYYYY too sweet for me. Maybe your taste buds change, especially after drinking all of this water. I have the occasional iced tea sweetened with sweet n low (just to have a change up from Splenda), but other than that, I'll stick to my water. :capital

That sweet stuff just doesn't do it for me anymore. :nono

[2big4mysize]

die hard DC recovering addict here 24 cans a day. You can give it up and you will not really even want it after a month or two. Splenda soda is way too sweet for me.

[bizzlekitty]

I was a 6-12 cans a day (counting cans, and fast food and restaurants) Diet Coke drinker pre-Atkins. I had cans or liters in the fridge always. I had friends stop and bring me Diet Coke on the way over. I had piles of Diet Coke cans stacking up. I did both caffeine-free and regular. This had been for years and years, as far back as high school where I was able to get it in the locker room vending machine.

Because I drank Diet Coke, I didn't drink much water at all.

Since I started Atkins, I decided to go cold-turkey. I had already been drinking mostly caffeine-free, so I didn't have the caffeine withdrawal too bad. It was hard, regardless. I did have 1-2 cans of Diet Rite grape during Induction, but I still (after 1+ year) have that case of soda since I haven't had more than 1-2 cans of it.

I can't believe the difference it has made. I still have a diet coke on occasion, but it's pretty rare. Now, I drink all water, do not keep anything else to drink in the fridge but cold water. Eating out, I have unsweet tea with/without Splenda, but often with a glass of water.

I drink lots more water and actually crave/like water, where I hadn't before. I feel better (not just Atkins). And the unsweet tea is a nice alternative for a change of pace.

Quit the addiction if you can. I think it hinders your water consumption and who knows what those chemicals are doing to you.

[Kelani]

Re: your probably right

Thats probably true. I've been drinking water for the last few days, and I've quit drinking coffee today to see if it speeds up my weight loss. I know I'll be better off without Caffeine, anything that gives you a headache when you quit using it, can't be good for you!

Oh but sooooo untrue. There is always an exception. I see where you were going with the last statement made. However, when you decided to give up those nasty carbs, didn't you have a headache during induction flu ? Gotcha!

[jade]

Re: I am a SEVERE diet coke addict

Hey CThompson,
Here is a question for you: Why do you drink it? I really had to come to grips with that question when I gave up pop/soda altogether this past year ( At the end of this month I will be celebrating 7 months of being 'pop free'. Last December 31st (2004) I drank my last Dr. Pepper. I couldn't start my day without Dr. Pepper/Mr. Pibb. These drinks are only second to Mt. Dew with regards to the highest level of caffeine. I went cold turkey. I have tried it the other way where you ween yourself off a little at a time but it never worked.)
The main thing I had to contend with was this: Why do I believe I need this? Because as strange as it sounds (my counselor and I talked through this issue) I BELIEVE that this pop is benefiting me in some way. The first week was hard but not impossible. The longer I went without it the easier it got. One thing that helped me was when that little voice would say, 'Wouldn't a nice cold Dr. Pepper over crushed ice taste good right about now?' I would reply, 'That's not an option for me.' I dealt with that decision as soon as I got up in the morning. Most of this issue for me was psychological. Once I had decided that I would not drink it then the battle became easier.
Will I ever drink it again? At this point the thought of drinking pop just makes me want to wretch!
Anyway, just wanted to share my two cents worth. It's a huge decision but I think you will feel so much better if you don't drink it at all.

Hang in there!
jade