Quiting Diet Coke!

MonkeySocks24

I am going to stop drinking diet coke from today! I drink around two 500ml bottles a day or six small cans, sometimes less or sometimes more but i never go without at least one small bottle! I know it is bad for my health so I am gonna stop it! if anyway has been addicted to DIET COKE and stopped drinking it let me know.. wonder what side effects will be.. Day one here goes!

Oh_Noes

Wow, six cans of coke a day? That's pretty serious business, I would think that's even more unhealthy than smoking twenty cigarettes a day.

Best of luck!

rebel girl 15

Best of luck with it! Might be an option to be drinking water instead of coke, if it is a habit thing that you are always taking a drink from a bottle!

MonkeySocks24

Oh_Noes wrote: »

Wow, six cans of coke a day? That's pretty serious business, I would think that's even more unhealthy than smoking twenty cigarettes a day.

Best of luck!

Probably! its bad!! need to stop for my health. Been looking up on what aspartame does to the body. scary stuff. hope i dont get bad withdrawals.

newsizedbooty

Oh good for you! I used to guzzle a fair bit of it as well. When i gave up i started drinking sparkling water cos i found i needed the crackly feeling in my mouth which was what i enjoyed. You will get there, if its too hard to go cold turkey then reduce it to 1 mini can or something a day?

jimmycrackcorm

I found that sparkling water was a good substitute.

seamus

It's not that bad for your health, though you should avoid drinking a lot of it.

The primary addictive part is the caffeine. With the quantities you're consuming, typical withdrawal symptoms are headaches for a day or two, coupled with some lethargy. Cravings are likely to persist for a week or more and you should also notice an increase in appetite since caffeine is an appetite suppressant.

Sparkling water is a great idea as it will satisfy the habit of drinking something and properly hydrate you at the same time.

columok

seamus wrote:

It's not that bad for your health, though you should avoid drinking a lot of it.

The primary addictive part is the caffeine. With the quantities you're consuming, typical withdrawal symptoms are headaches for a day or two, coupled with some lethargy. Cravings are likely to persist for a week or more and you should also notice an increase in appetite since caffeine is an appetite suppressant.

Sparkling water is a great idea as it will satisfy the habit of drinking something and properly hydrate you at the same time.

Actually the combo of the insulin spike from the sweeteners married with the huge acid load of the phosphoric acid tend to be where the major health issue comes from.

+1 on the sparkling water though!!!

Monkey61

Ooo I don't envy you. I find it one of the most difficult things I have ever had to quit. Worse than quitting smoking!

I felt absolutely rubbish without the caffeine for about two weeks I think. Honestly felt like I was dying. But, once you know that is why you are feeling rubbish, and that it will have a determinate end, then you can just power through.

I switched to Diet 7up for a while, just so I could still have the nice fizziness and feel of a can in my hand to comfort me through the caffeine horrors. Then as soon as the caffeine hell was over, I stopped that as well.

Distracting yourself is probably the best bet. Go for walks, cook nice foods, have a shower and drink loads of water. You will honestly feel so much better after you have it all out of your system. I didn't even notice how rubbish it was making me feel on a daily basis until a month later when I felt so much better and realised that my bodies natural state of being was much better.

Also...make sure you don't have any really important work things to do or anything that involves masses of concentration over the next week or so, because that may be impossible.

rubadub

MonkeySocks24 wrote: »

Been looking up on what aspartame does to the body. scary stuff.

Tesco premium brand diet cola uses sucralose, so does M&S, the tesco stuff is quite nice. Phosphoric acid is the nasty stuff too, I am not sure if any brand uses an alternative acid.

Monkey61 wrote: »

I felt absolutely rubbish without the caffeine for about two weeks I think. Honestly felt like I was dying.

You could take tablets or drink coffee to wean yourself off the caffeine, same idea as nicotine patches, the nicotine is not particularly bad for you -the smoke is. So it might be easier if you still get the caffeine hit and then eventually kick that habit if you want to aswell.

MonkeySocks24

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

Best of luck with it! Might be an option to be drinking water instead of coke, if it is a habit thing that you are always taking a drink from a bottle!

I'll try it, tho not a fan of water!

newsizedbooty wrote: »

Oh good for you! I used to guzzle a fair bit of it as well. When i gave up i started drinking sparkling water cos i found i needed the crackly feeling in my mouth which was what i enjoyed. You will get there, if its too hard to go cold turkey then reduce it to 1 mini can or something a day?

I actually like sparkling water, will give it a go! anything that helps

seamus wrote: »

It's not that bad for your health, though you should avoid drinking a lot of it.

The primary addictive part is the caffeine. With the quantities you're consuming, typical withdrawal symptoms are headaches for a day or two, coupled with some lethargy. Cravings are likely to persist for a week or more and you should also notice an increase in appetite since caffeine is an appetite suppressant.

Sparkling water is a great idea as it will satisfy the habit of drinking something and properly hydrate you at the same time.

columok wrote: »

Actually the combo of the insulin spike from the sweeteners married with the huge acid load of the phosphoric acid tend to be where the major health issue comes from.

+1 on the sparkling water though!!!

Monkey61 wrote: »

Ooo I don't envy you. I find it one of the most difficult things I have ever had to quit. Worse than quitting smoking!

I felt absolutely rubbish without the caffeine for about two weeks I think. Honestly felt like I was dying. But, once you know that is why you are feeling rubbish, and that it will have a determinate end, then you can just power through.

I switched to Diet 7up for a while, just so I could still have the nice fizziness and feel of a can in my hand to comfort me through the caffeine horrors. Then as soon as the caffeine hell was over, I stopped that as well.

Distracting yourself is probably the best bet. Go for walks, cook nice foods, have a shower and drink loads of water. You will honestly feel so much better after you have it all out of your system. I didn't even notice how rubbish it was making me feel on a daily basis until a month later when I felt so much better and realised that my bodies natural state of being was much better.

Also...make sure you don't have any really important work things to do or anything that involves masses of concentration over the next week or so, because that may be impossible.

Thanks everyone for the input. I have already got a bad headache! I really hope quiting doesn't make me more hungry.

Sasquatch76

Have been off the regular Coca-Cola for a month now. Used to drink (I'm ashamed to say), 2-3 litres of it a day. Replaced it completely with still water, in pretty much the same quantities, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I think the weight I lost as a result of the switch made it easier to ignore any side effects from any potential withdrawal.

Ciaran500

MonkeySocks24 wrote: »

I'll try it, tho not a fan of water!

What are you replacing the coke with?

MonkeySocks24

Sasquatch76 wrote: »

Have been off the regular Coca-Cola for a month now. Used to drink (I'm ashamed to say), 2-3 litres of it a day. Replaced it completely with still water, in pretty much the same quantities, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I think the weight I lost as a result of the switch made it easier to ignore any side effects from any potential withdrawal.

I was on full fat until i went on a diet, but still don't feel great drinkin diet coke, well done on quiting and congrats on weight loss talk about a good bonus

Ciaran500 wrote: »

What are you replacing the coke with?

I am drinking water, tea and have a headache now so might have a coffee

MonkeySocks24

Lasted this far without diet coke.. it's going to hit me tonight. I already have a headache. Think I might have a coffee. Do you think drinking a bit extra coffee this week would be bad? two cups instead of one?

columok

I would say one thing at a time. Worry about diet coke for now. Later you can worry about your caffeine intake.

MonkeySocks24

columok wrote: »

I would say one thing at a time. Worry about diet coke for now. Later you can worry about your caffeine intake.

Yeah this is true. I'll be delighted if I can last the week. Fingers crossed

I didn't know there was THAT much caffeine in diet coke, I might drink a few cans a week but I stay away from it unless I'm out for dinner usually.
Does that mean drinking 2-3 coffees a day is bad?

Anyway good luck with the quitting

littlebitdull

Best of luck with quitting. I love to have a cold can of diet coke in the evening time when the kids are gone to bed. Would feel quite deprived without it - but I only have the one can a night so I am not ready to quit yet!

My sister was a real coke adict!! Thankfully just the stuff in cans not the powder - but after easter she went cold turkey and quit it. She used to drink five or six cans a day - and just doesnt drink it at all now. She never drank tea or coffee so it was her cafine fix... but ya know if she can quit I recon anyone can!

Transform

go cold turkey and just put up with a day or two of not feeling right then you are on the pigs back

Ruu_Old

Maybe try some flavoured water, good luck with it.

metamorphosis

I had to give up my coffee about 2 months or so ago - i always had a nice strong mug everyday but then after my thesis i found myself hooked having 5-6 mugs a day. i was too dependent so i went cold turkey and honestly ... i felt like **** for a week. But then i felt great. I was tired all the time, had a headache, wanted to bite my familys heads off and kept getting woozy everytime i stood up. But it went and then i felt great.

How are you finding it now - i think the heat and sun prob wouldnt help. it didn't for me anyway

terlywerly

I used to be mad on coffee as well, drank it every day, but since I started eating better and exercising I find I don't crave it as much, usually only have one or two cups a week now, if even that. I never was massively addicted to Diet Coke, but I know a few people who are/were. One switched from regular Coke to diet and now can't stop drinking diet. The odd time I do drink it, I drink the Caffeine Free Diet Coke (brown can), I get it in Tesco. I wouldn't drink it very often either but I find when I fancy it (e.g. on a hot day) it does the job. Tastes a bit different to regular style Diet Coke but its grand.
One friend weaned herself off Diet Coke gradually from 2l a day to nothing by diluting it. Every time she had a glass of it, she added sparkling water. Eventually ended up making it 50% sparkling water 50% Diet Coke, and she found once it got to this point it didn't taste nice at all, and gradually from here she stopped drinking it. She hasn't had any relapses either!
Sparkling water is a good substitute if you like the fizzy sensation when you're having a drink. I have that sometimes with a drop of NFC juice mixed in.
Good luck kicking the habit!!

alpha2010

ohh god i drink maybe more than a litre a day and sometimes if its really warm, i could drink 2 litres of it


wud it be ok if i was to drink 7up free because thats the only alternative for me

El_Dangeroso

ULstudent wrote: »

I had to give up my coffee about 2 months or so ago - i always had a nice strong mug everyday but then after my thesis i found myself hooked having 5-6 mugs a day. i was too dependent so i went cold turkey and honestly ... i felt like **** for a week.

Oh god, breaking my caffeine addiction was one of the worst withdrawals I have ever gone through. Headaches, nausea and irritability for a week solid. I was only drinking one strong cup a day too! Now I have the odd coffee but don't 'need' it like I used to (I can quit any time I like I swear! )

rantyface

A bottle of Coke has about half the caffeine of a cup of coffee and the same as a cup of tea. Even pregnant women are allowed to drink tea!

Are you worried about the effects on your teeth or what? Is there something else that is actually bad for you in Coke?

columok

rantyface wrote: »

Are you worried about the effects on your teeth or what? Is there something else that is actually bad for you in Coke?

Lots of things. Read back through the thread.

rantyface

columok wrote: »

Lots of things. Read back through the thread.

Well caffeine at those doses is not harmful.

And aspartame? I remember when the internet was new to me I got a chain email saying it could cause cancer etc, but when I looked it up in college I couldn't find anything on it. Everything on the internet is either sensationalists who don't like anything with a chemical name, and people trying to sell the stuff. What journals are all these findings published in?

Anyone can publish a book or make a web page. I'd be wary if it's not a peer reviewed journal! I know you can live without Diet Coke, and it's probably crap to be addicted to something that doesn't even taste nice, but if you enjoy it you could be doing this for no reason.

columok

rantyface wrote:

Well caffeine at those doses is not harmful.

Caffeine is an addictive psychotropic drug, the continued usage of which is harmful psychologically and physically. However most people (including me) like coffee so we tend to play down the harmful effects of it.

rantyface wrote:

And aspartame? I remember when the internet was new to me I got a chain email saying it could cause cancer etc, but when I looked it up in college I couldn't find anything on it. Everything on the internet is either sensationalists who don't like anything with a chemical name, and people trying to sell the stuff. What journals are all these findings published in?

I completely agree with you here. It does however spike insulin (like sugar) and may have other unknown effects.

The big one with diet coke is the phosphoric acid which contributes a HUGE acid load into your system.

rantyface

Thanks!

Khannie

columok wrote: »

Actually the combo of the insulin spike from the sweeteners married with the huge acid load of the phosphoric acid tend to be where the major health issue comes from. !

While there's an insulin response related to tasting sweet things, I don't think it's a spike.

columok wrote: »

Caffeine is an addictive psychotropic drug, the continued usage of which is harmful psychologically and physically. However most people (including me) like coffee so we tend to play down the harmful effects of it.

There are some nice benefits to it too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coffee

columok

Khannie wrote:

There are some nice benefits to it too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coffee

Yeah there's one for tobacco and booze too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tobacco
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_wine

leesmom

i gave up drinking 3 to 4 cans of coke zero a day and a morning coffee, just over a month ago. i feel fine and can honestly say i dont miss them. i was getting constant headaches while i was drinking them and now have only had about 2 since i gave them up. arent fizzy drinks bad for your bones?

rubadub

leesmom wrote: »

fizzy drinks bad for your bones?

Colas are since most have phosphoric acid in them, not sure if any brand has used another, and not sure if any others do use phosphoric but it will be on the ingredients.

Most others use citric acid, and I am not certain about this processed citric acid but I have heard citrus fruits have an alkaline effect on the body (even though they are acids) and that this effect can be good for the bones. The only one I usually drink is diet club orange, which is ~11% orange juice so not calorie free, but tasty!

lillykay

Sweeteners dont spike your insulin .

columok

Sweeteners dont spike your insulin .

Please elaborate!

Khannie

I couldn't find anything to suggest that they spike your insulin either. I mean, I suppose it depends on how you define a spike, but what I found indicated that there was an insulin response to tasting sweet things, but that it wasn't very large.

MonkeySocks24

I think I'm just freaked out about aspartame and my teeth. Anyway I caved and had one can of coke the other day but it is a minor blip, back on the detox

lillykay

Insulin response is when the body detects sugar, not when you taste something sweet.

Giving up diet coke is hard, ive been there too, OP!
I used to drink 2litres a day when i was 18/19.

Cut down just because of expense while traveling in asia, and lately i find im just not that interested in it any more. rarely have it now.

Squash/ sparkling water is the way forward!!
good luck

columok

lillykay wrote: »

Insulin response is when the body detects sugar, not when you taste something sweet.

Temple Grandin post http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=66614972&postcount=7 suggests otherwise as does the opinion of many lowcarbers. The assertion seems to be the suggestion of something sweet or even simply the anticipation of food can stimulate an insulin response. I'd love to see some kind of index to get an idea of the proportional response of the various sweeteners!

El_Dangeroso

columok wrote: »

Temple Grandin post http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=66614972&postcount=7 suggests otherwise as does the opinion of many lowcarbers. The assertion seems to be the suggestion of something sweet or even simply the anticipation of food can stimulate an insulin response. I'd love to see some kind of index to get an idea of the proportional response of the various sweeteners!

Aye, indeed I did, I'd actually forgotten I'd written that LOL and had gone off looking for that study

Even if the insulin rise of non-caloric sweeteners isn't enough to worry about, which it well mightn't be, there is still a lot of data showing that excess (like every day) consumption of non-caloric sweeteners can play havoc with your long-term glucose control, namely this thing called 'reactive hypoglycemia' where your body freaks out at any amount of carbohydrate and produces far too much insulin to deal with it, resulting in really low blood sugar 2-4 hours after a meal.

The odd can probably ain't gonna kill you, but when you're really feeling the absence of diet drinks in your diet to the extent that you get withdrawal symptoms or severe cravings, then something isn't right.

MonkeySocks24

I'm doing blooming terrible! Having one 500ml bottle of diet coke a day!!!!!! I can't stop! what is wrong with me!! Aspartame is evil!!

JimsAlterEgo

MonkeySocks24 wrote: »

I'm doing blooming terrible! Having one 500ml bottle of diet coke a day!!!!!! I can't stop! what is wrong with me!! Aspartame is evil!!

to wean off the diet coke maybe consider an alternative cola without the Aspartame

http://www.organicsupermarket.ie/shop/product/cola-whole-earth-330ml?PHPSESSID=5ddf2ad0ff9a81482741fb4b4ddf8b33

beware this has sugar

MonkeySocks24

i can't quit grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

barbiegirl

I've given up Diet Coke too, I looked at the bottle and the ingredients and other than water, I couldn't find one thing I actually wanted in my body. Hence I drink water. I like my caffeine and have 2-3 cups of coffee a day, but diet coke nope.

S.R.F.C.

MonkeySocks24 wrote: »

i can't quit grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Of course you can, i'm a pretty good quitter so i always get kind of annoyed when people come out with that line, the worst thing is though even saying that is putting you back a few steps, just keep thinking you can do it, you know it's bad for you, believe!

MonkeySocks24

S.R.F.C. wrote: »

Of course you can, i'm a pretty good quitter so i always get kind of annoyed when people come out with that line, the worst thing is though even saying that is putting you back a few steps, just keep thinking you can do it, you know it's bad for you, believe!

Okay! i'm going to keep trying and be strong!!!:D

MonkeySocks24

barbiegirl wrote: »

I've given up Diet Coke too, I looked at the bottle and the ingredients and other than water, I couldn't find one thing I actually wanted in my body. Hence I drink water. I like my caffeine and have 2-3 cups of coffee a day, but diet coke nope.

Yeah the label scares me! Can't be good, so i'm going to keep trying to quit.

rantyface

MonkeySocks24 wrote: »

Aspartame is evil!!

Where are people getting all this stuff about aspartame? I can't find a single article. Is it all in jourmals? Which ones, i don't know many good nutrition ones. All I can find is that it stops people breaking their psychological addiction to sweetness. Doesn't bother me.

nitromaster

Giving up coke...but not 7up or coffee?


Am I the only one who sees this as a bit stupid?

I used to have a huge intake of energy drinks, lucozade, and other fizzy drinks...decided one day, hell i'm going to quit. Gave them all up. Headaches sucked for a few days, but soon went away. And lack of energy for the first while was a major problem.

But then after i have much more energy in general, sleeping habits improve, etc.

(I've had one can of energy drink in the past 6 months since i've started)

ITS ALL BAD FOR YOU! GIVE IT ALL UP! :pac:

WildBoots

rantyface wrote: »

Where are people getting all this stuff about aspartame? I can't find a single article. Is it all in jourmals? Which ones, i don't know many good nutrition ones. All I can find is that it stops people breaking their psychological addiction to sweetness. Doesn't bother me.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6551291488524526735#