Can someone explain this?

[1bassoon]

What's UP with me???

 

OK, so - back story.

 

Drinking WAAAAY too much Diet Coke/Pepsi. Like, 3-4 a day (I know, I know. . . . .just hear me out) and feeling TERRIBLE. Quit it for about 4-5 weeks in the summer, and felt a whole bunch better. Then - pressure of school hit - I figure, might as well have one to keep me awake. . . .

 

Bam. Back doing the same thing again. Feeling terrible - irritable, tired, foggy, etc etc etc.

 

Fast forward to this week. Dh is unemployed, one of his super part-time jobs hasn't paid him in a month so there is just NO $$$, and I mean I'm scrounging change just to buy apples so my kids can have fruit. Obviously, I'm not going to drop any money on drinks, b/c there's NO MONEY, kwim??

 

I. Feel. Terrific. Really good. Should be freaking out, but I feel pretty optimistic and hopeful.

 

Now, today. Some very kind friends gave us grocery $$. What do I do??

 

Wait for it. . . . . .

 

Buy a $&?#**% Diet Coke!!! WHAT was I thinking??????

 

I don't feel terrible - it was just one - but I did notice a difference. SO - why oh WHY do I do this? Any good mental tricks to keep me away?

 

I think I just need a new mantra: "I cannot drink diet colas. I'm allergic."

 

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

 

Thanks for listening. . . .

[bairnmama]

:bigear:

I do the exact.same.thing! I know I need to stop drinking Cokes. I "want" to stop drinking them. I'll even go a week or two w/o them and then just suddenly buy another pack of 6 from the store.

 

I know some of it is when my sinus drainage starts up again (allergies) and the acid really helps to cut the gunk in the back of my throat so I can talk and swallow properly w/o gagging. But, really.... I need to just stop.

[gaillardia]

My computer disconnects at the most inopportune times. GR.

Heather, I sort of understand. You felt like you were giving yourself a reward or something probably, maybe Idontknow.

You need to find replacements for what you're desiring. It is a bad habit, may be addictive, does have caffeine and aspartame, discolors the teeth, and is very bad for the kidneys.

Try replacements like non-caffeine root beer, good for you drinks, favorite juice slushies, fruit.

Consider finding a sponsor, someone who will walk you through it when you feel like you can't get through it.

What does your dh do? Does he drink it too and want to stop?

Just do the next thing. Get yourself scheduled so that you aren't looking off in the distance to the big can or big bottle. I know you're not an alcoholic, maybe you are, not the point!:D

Reward yourself in ways that are really good for you. Reward yourself for not drinking a diet soda.;):grouphug:

[Lovedtodeath]

I don't feel terrible - it was just one - but I did notice a difference. SO - why oh WHY do I do this? Any good mental tricks to keep me away?

http://www.tapping.com

 

I would do a "Even though I crave diet coke" Even though I am allergic to diet coke" and I would also tap while holding diet coke.

 

I was able to overcome anemia and allergy (to the iron pills) with tapping.

 

Part of it is based on the same principles as accupressure. Be sure to do the entire process. It works better for me in the shower or laying down. Assess your feelings and then repeat with "Even though I still crave diet coke some, or a little bit, or a little less, whatever. You can get more info by searching Emotional Freedom Technique.

[Lovedtodeath]

:bigear:

I do the exact.same.thing! I know I need to stop drinking Cokes. I "want" to stop drinking them. I'll even go a week or two w/o them and then just suddenly buy another pack of 6 from the store.

 

I know some of it is when my sinus drainage starts up again (allergies) and the acid really helps to cut the gunk in the back of my throat so I can talk and swallow properly w/o gagging. But, really.... I need to just stop.

Try hot or warm water with or without lemon and or honey. :)

[nd293]

:bigear:

I do the exact.same.thing! I know I need to stop drinking Cokes. I "want" to stop drinking them. I'll even go a week or two w/o them and then just suddenly buy another pack of 6 from the store.

 

 

I am exactly the same! Coke Zero here, though.

 

Nikki

[Nyteshade]

Oh I'm so happy to hear I'm not the only one!! But not happy that I can't shake it. I too go through periods where I don't drink the dreaded pepsi and then eventually decide to "treat" myself and ALWAYS feel guilty about it afterward. I know that I have really cut back and have longer periods of abstaining, but really want to kick it once and for all.

 

The thing that has been helping for me recently is just substitution. I dedcided to treat myself to some fancy loose leaf tea (I know I know I still put a bit of splenda so it's not perfect but it's a start) and I am actually enjoying the ritual of the tea. I also started to splurge on special health shakes and use that as a treat instead. I also do a lot of self talk. "You have to drink 2 cups of water before the tea" "No pepsi right now, I don't want teeth problems, this gut, etc".

 

It's not a perfect plan (tries to hide the pepsi that's in the fridge :lol:), but I have drastically cut back and don't desire it to the same degree anymore, plus don't have the icky health things going on anymore.

 

And feel free to use me as a sponsor!! Couldn't hurt to have a buddy talk me down from the pepsi ledge! :w00t:

[DarcyB]

I was the same way - but sometimes the equivalent to a 6-pack per day (and my weight shows it). I *AM* allergic to diet sodas, so I was drinking the hardcore stuff :P So I completely understand where you're coming from!!!

 

It's been a habit I've had for 30 years, and even my husband will say it was an addiction. I would get jittery and nervous if I hadn't had a coke that day. It was weird.

 

I gave it up for Lent this year, and have had only 1 root beer in that time at a restaurant that specialized in homemade root beers. I did switch to semi-sweetened tea to help the taste.

 

It was a total carbonation addiction - dark, bubbly soda. Sprite never worked in a pinch.

 

But you CAN kick it. I have no tricks...just prayer, a committment that this time it has to stop, and a loving husband who was VERY patient through the first months of my own kind of 'sobriety'.

[angela in ohio]

I grew up on regular old Coca-Cola. I had them for breakfast asa child (with a Pop-Tart! :glare:) I was drinking 5-6 a day, until I started having panic attacks and heart palpitations from the caffeine. I quit cold turkey a few years ago, thought I was going to die for a few weeks from the withdrawal, and have since been able to get to a point where I can have a root beer every once in a while okay (no caffeine.) Until I got to the point where I could control it, though, I had to have no soda. One helpful thing was to tell everyone about it. Then if I was going to slip, I would feel pressure not to. :D

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I tend to like diet pepsi or diet coke too much:blushing:

 

I have found lots of tea cold or hot plus flavored seltzer water or sparkling waters to be helpful in staving off cravings:D

[Mom0012]

I used to drink at least 12 cans a day. I always noticed that I was still extremely thirsty even after drinking all that. I assume it's becaue soda depletes your body of certain minerals/vitamins.

 

After my daughter was born, I was no longer able to tolerate caffeine. I would be a sweaty, anxious wreck if I did, so I switched to caffeine free. I finally got to a point where I really wanted to quit for financial reasons, so I started making myself drink caffeine-free tea at meals and then I would make up and keep a jug of Crystal Light in the fridge. A gallon jug will last me a week. Crystal Light has nutrasweet like diet coke, which isn't good for you, but it isn't addictive to me in the same way soda is. I drink maybe one or 2 glasses a day and often don't even finish those.

 

I will still occasionally buy a soda at 7-11 or somewhere but it's a rare treat now and I do feel a lot better. For whatever reason, I just can't/won't drink water.

 

Lisa

[Trish]

That aspartame stuff in diet drinks is no good for you. I'm amazed when parents let their little kids drink diet sodas.

[1bassoon]

Wow. . . . ok, so I no longer feel like a freak. Misery loves company, eh?

 

I'm going to look into the tapping thing - sounds like where I'm at.

 

I love my sweet tea - made in my iced tea maker with stevia - and you would think that would be a substitute, but something about the dark carbonation. . . . .

 

And, truthfully? I wonder how much of my weight gain is related to consuming HUGE amounts of this stuff for the past 7 years. :tongue_smilie: Just a random thought.

 

Thanks, everyone!

[emubird]

For me, it was chocolate. The stuff makes me feel just awful (can't sleep, heart racing, stomach upset, hair falling out, nails splintering off, hives all over, neck so stiff I couldn't drive very well...), but I couldn't stop eating it. Even though it tasted terrible to me.

 

At some point, I just finally REALLY realized what I was doing to myself and quit (for the most part). But it took a couple years to convince myself. I had to say enough times: this stuff is awful for me. So maybe you're still at the stage of convincing yourself and the light is just around the corner.

 

It's actually very freeing. I can now go to parties where chocolate is being served and not feel like I HAVE to have it.

 

Coke makes me feel awful too, but for some reason I was never all that addicted to it.

[Parrothead]

Okay I can tell you the problems you described sounds like aspartame poisoning. Google it. If you feel you suffer from this. Get rid of everything in your house that contains aspartame. Look in your gum and your cold medicine too.

 

I've got nothing against 3-4 sodas a day. I was able to quit smoking with no problem back in December. I also quit my Mr. Dew habit. Yeah, guess which one called me from the grocery store. The Mt. Dew. I don't have cigarette cravings.

 

I've got reflux disease which I attribute to the large amounts of soda I've consumed in the last 25 years. In the winter I'm down to 1-2 a day, sometimes only 1. I drink a lot of tea when it is cold.

 

If you must have the soft drink. Try a regular Coke or Pepsi.

[1bassoon]

Okay I can tell you the problems you described sounds like aspartame poisoning. Google it. If you feel you suffer from this. Get rid of everything in your house that contains aspartame. Look in your gum and your cold medicine too.

 

I've got nothing against 3-4 sodas a day. I was able to quit smoking with no problem back in December. I also quit my Mr. Dew habit. Yeah, guess which one called me from the grocery store. The Mt. Dew. I don't have cigarette cravings.

 

I've got reflux disease which I attribute to the large amounts of soda I've consumed in the last 25 years. In the winter I'm down to 1-2 a day, sometimes only 1. I drink a lot of tea when it is cold.

 

If you must have the soft drink. Try a regular Coke or Pepsi.

 

Yeah, Chucki - that's the thing. I think you're right - totally right.

 

But why oh WHY do I go back? :glare: That's the frustrating part for me.

 

(thanks for the reminder, though!)

[Parrothead]

Yeah, Chucki - that's the thing. I think you're right - totally right.

 

But why oh WHY do I go back? :glare: That's the frustrating part for me.

 

(thanks for the reminder, though!)

I don't know. It isn't the aspartame. That isn't addicting. For a long time I thought it was the bubbles and tried a different drink. Nope, that didn't work. It might be the caffeine. Do you drink coffee? Get caffeine another way?

 

I don't like coffee. Of all the things I like to drink - tea, real lemonade, Vitamin Water, root bear, Mt. Dew, and Pepsi - I get the most caffeine from the Dew.

[SailorMom]

Well - caffeine is addictive. Even when you physically get away from it - you want it back - no different than any other addictive drug. We're just used to it being socailly acceptable (as I drink my daily coffee....)

Aspartame is worse for you than the caffeine though. Caffeine at least occurs naturally - Aspartame is a chemical sludge.

Personally I say find another source of caffeine, and drink something sweetened with sugar... or make iced tea and lemonade and sweeten with Stevia.

As another lesser-evil (but still not healthy) option is to try the Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda. Maybe your body will do better with that sweetener.

[musicianmom]

I'm right there with you. I had my last diet coke on Saturday and it has been SO HARD! I'm drinking tea sweetened with stevia which I don't enjoy at all, it just keeps me caffeinated a bit.

[Mejane]

Would it help to remember that anytime you drink a diet anything, aspartame is killing your brain cells? With every sip think, "There goes a million brain cells." Back away from the diet coke! :001_smile:

[Parrothead]

I'm right there with you. I had my last diet coke on Saturday and it has been SO HARD! I'm drinking tea sweetened with stevia which I don't enjoy at all, it just keeps me caffeinated a bit.

I think the enjoyment is the key. If there is not a substitute that is as good as the original it makes it hard to stick to the change.

 

And it has to be easy too. Often times this summer I would have not reached for the Dew if I has lemonade on hand. But reaching for that soda was easier than washing the pitcher, squeezing three lemons, finding the measuring cup, etc.

[Lovedtodeath]

For me, it was chocolate. The stuff makes me feel just awful (can't sleep, heart racing, stomach upset, hair falling out, nails splintering off, hives all over, neck so stiff I couldn't drive very well...), but I couldn't stop eating it. Even though it tasted terrible to me.

 

At some point, I just finally REALLY realized what I was doing to myself and quit (for the most part). But it took a couple years to convince myself. I had to say enough times: this stuff is awful for me. So maybe you're still at the stage of convincing yourself and the light is just around the corner.

 

It's actually very freeing. I can now go to parties where chocolate is being served and not feel like I HAVE to have it.

 

Coke makes me feel awful too, but for some reason I was never all that addicted to it.

I used to eat brownie mix. I also swear that brownie mix or chocolate ice cream helped get rid of head aches. I was tested for allergies due to my autoimmune disease and chocolate was one of them. I cut it out for a while, then had a chocolate chip cookie by accident one day. Yep... instant arthritis. huh. Rheumatoid arthritis caused by an allergy. I don't ever want chocolate now. It is not worth the pain.

[Lisa in Jax]

I'm there with you, but I think I've finally kicked it. This summer, I realized that I could hear my pulse in my ears all. the. time. It was annoying and a bit frightening, especially when I started having occasional blood pressure readings that were higher than normal for me.

 

So, I tried to quit cold turkey. I got headaches from the caffeine withdrawal and panic attacks (racing heart, increased blood pressure, etc.) from the aspartame withdrawal. It was BAD. I never go to the doctor, but I went -- on my BIRTHDAY, no less -- b/c I was *that* worried.

 

The doctor basically said, "Don't go cold turkey. Cut down by 1/2 every few days, then go off the stuff."

 

So, that's what I did. I stopped buying it at the store, and only got DP at the convenience store. Instead of 3 large diet Pepsis every day, I had 2, then 1, then a medium, then a small, then... NONE.

 

The racing heart: gone.

Pulse in ears: gone.

Increased blood presure: gone.

 

And I'm down two pounds in the last couple of weeks, b/c I'm no longer craving carbs due to the side effects of aspartame. :)

 

Lisa

[Pippen]

The racing heart: gone.

Pulse in ears: gone.

Increased blood presure: gone.

 

 

Hi, my name if Pippen and Diet Dr. Pepper is my drug of choice.

 

BTDT in kicking the habbit and improving health symptoms, but I fell off the wagon. I've been clean again for a week now and have discovered that the achyness in my feet joints has disappeared. I think I'm going to have an easier time of it this time. Anything that can make my feet hurt as much as mine did while I was lying down has to be pretty darn bad for the body.

[flyingiguana]

http://www.dorway.com/tldaddic.html

 

This doesn't strike me as peer reviewed science, but if you search the web, you do run into a lot of sites that claim aspartame is addictive. It could be it is, but that the right studies haven't been done yet.

[BabyBre]

What's UP with me???

 

OK, so - back story.

 

Drinking WAAAAY too much Diet Coke/Pepsi. Like, 3-4 a day (I know, I know. . . . .just hear me out) and feeling TERRIBLE. Quit it for about 4-5 weeks in the summer, and felt a whole bunch better. Then - pressure of school hit - I figure, might as well have one to keep me awake. . . .

 

Bam. Back doing the same thing again. Feeling terrible - irritable, tired, foggy, etc etc etc.

 

Fast forward to this week. Dh is unemployed, one of his super part-time jobs hasn't paid him in a month so there is just NO $$$, and I mean I'm scrounging change just to buy apples so my kids can have fruit. Obviously, I'm not going to drop any money on drinks, b/c there's NO MONEY, kwim??

 

I. Feel. Terrific. Really good. Should be freaking out, but I feel pretty optimistic and hopeful.

 

Now, today. Some very kind friends gave us grocery $$. What do I do??

 

Wait for it. . . . . .

 

Buy a $&?#**% Diet Coke!!! WHAT was I thinking??????

 

I don't feel terrible - it was just one - but I did notice a difference. SO - why oh WHY do I do this? Any good mental tricks to keep me away?

 

I think I just need a new mantra: "I cannot drink diet colas. I'm allergic."

 

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

 

Thanks for listening. . . .

 

 

 

That's interesting. Logic would tell you that you'll feel better if you're not drinking all that crap, but that it really makes that much of a noticable difference is really amazing.

 

We noticed this when we quit drinking soda several years ago, too. However, dh has recently developed a fondness for rum and Coke, and he's also been feeling horrible lately! He's complaining of insomnia, lethargy, fatigue, and muscle pain. I don't think I would have put the two together if I hadn't read this thread, but I can totally see cola agrivating all that in him!

 

He's cut it out just recently (because he loves the rum and Coke a little too much!), so I'm really going to watch and see how he does.

[BabyBre]

Hi, my name if Pippen and Diet Dr. Pepper is my drug of choice.

 

BTDT in kicking the habbit and improving health symptoms, but I fell off the wagon. I've been clean again for a week now and have discovered that the achyness in my feet joints has disappeared. I think I'm going to have an easier time of it this time. Anything that can make my feet hurt as much as mine did while I was lying down has to be pretty darn bad for the body.

 

 

OMG! Dh has the same complaint!

[mcconnellboys]

I got hooked on Coke Zero for a while. I've heard that the diet drinks can be very addicting for some folks.

 

I switched to a natural soda that I can get at my food coop. I really like it, and the bonus is that it doesn't even contain caffeine; instead it has vitamins A, C, E and ginseng.

 

I didn't have any idea when I started drinking it that the ginseng would heal me of an almost lifelong problem with fatigue, either, but I'm loving it!