1bassoon Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I quit drinking Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi, and it's largely thanks to someone (don't remember who!) posting about the book, "Sweet Deception". A real eye-opener. I cannot believe how much better I feel! Gone are the fogs, the brain muddle, the exhaustion. Gone is the incessant craving for one more Diet drink. This is so major - it's been a 5+ year addiction, bad habit, whatever. I never thought this would ever, ever happen. I'd like to say I've lost weight as a result - I haven't - but darn it I FEEL so much better! Celebrating on the boards!:party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I've been thinking of trying this. Did you wean gradually or cold turkey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanga Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 :hurray: I quit diet coke on November 9th. And I felt so great after a month that my dh gave it up too! I thought that diet coke was giving me energy, but really it was sucking it out of me! I quit cold turkey. I read somewhere that the best way to quit smoking was when you had a cold, so when I came down with a cold I decided to give up diet coke.:confused: It worked, by the time the cold was gone so were my cravings. My energy levels started to improve while I was still sick. That was big for me - to be sick and realize that I had more energy than when I was healthy drinking diet coke! I have lost 10 lbs. without dieting. My cravings for sugary items have greatly diminished since I eliminated all fake foods from my diet. So thanks Hive Mind for convincing me to give up not only aspartame, but also HFCS, trans fats, etc. -Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Congratulations to both of you! Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 That's really cool. Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I, too, have just stopped drinking Diet Coke! I had no clue about a book, though, so I'll go and search that out. I stopped because I was trying to figure out what was triggering my migraines, and that was the last thing I tried. I had NO IDEA that Aspartame was associated (albeit through anecdotal evidence) with so many side effects until I began my trial. Within three days, my brain fog was gone, and I didn't even realize I had it! I thought my "fog" was age, homeschooling pressures, and the ever-hovering headaches. Much to my surprise, I am feeling so much better than I thought I would. I was just hoping to find my migraine trigger. And, I think I did. I've 'been off' Diet Coke for 10 days now, and can't believe the difference in how I feel. Also, oddly, my ankles aren't as puffy as they had been....I had chalked that up to heredity. I guess it was the Aspartame causing that, too. Oddly, I only had a drink with lunch & dinner, and never finished the can, so it's not like I was really overdoing it. I read many posts where the person drank six or more cans a day. I tried going "cold turkey" last spring (to save the $$$), and I was craving it like a junkie looking for a fix. ALL I thought about from the moment I woke up was "I can't have my Diet Coke today". What I did differently this time was to allow myself one drink at dinner of the "full sugar" version. Since I don't like regular Coke, I drank Sprite, and I've had a few Cherry Cokes. That seemed to really help. When I tried the cold turkey method last spring, I worried about caffeine withdrawal, but had increased my coffee intake, so that wasn't my problem. In hindsight, I believe it was an Aspertame addiction. Heather, I'm so happy for you! It IS an addiction, so don't be fooled. Sadly, I haven't lost weight like some internet posters said they had, but I'll take my headache-free, fog-free days over taking a few pounds off any day! Congrats to you, and I'll be hoping for your continued success! :party: Now, I'm off to search out that book..... (the other) Heather in Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria from IN Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 That's wonderful! I have wondered how to quit my diet pepsi addiction without the headaches and grumpiness that accompanies withdrawal. I have decided to switch to cold-brew coffee to help the caffeine thing...I have noticed that my reflux is worse if I've had a lot of soda, and I'm not sleeping as well. Strangely enough, I also have a cold, so maybe this is the best time to do it, huh? :001_smile: I'm allergic to corn, so getting off diet drinks means getting off soda altogether. I'm trying to learn to appreciate simpler, un-messed-with foods (i.e., eliminating butter and salt from everything) so the pepsi will have to go too. Perhaps it will also kick that needing-something-salty/needing-something-sweet/needing-something-salty thing that takes up my evenings. I'm so glad it's working for you all. This encourages me to try again! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 I've been thinking of trying this. Did you wean gradually or cold turkey? To tell you the truth - Just plain old cold turkey. BUT - I will say, that the last two days I had DP, I drank about 4-5 a day, and my stomach was just a MESS. It had never done that before, so that was a big, big incentive. I have NOT given up caffeine ;) I have a cup of Earl Grey tea in the morning, and another in the afternoon if I'm desperate. Try it for 2 weeks - like the Heathers! - and see what you think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Congratulations. I have never been able to drink diet soda because of the aspartame giving me migraines. I used to be a big drinker of regular coke though. I have found though that any carbonated beverages just make me feel sluggish and just blah!. When I was pregnant, I could not drink any carbonated beverages because they made my nausea worse (nausea for me was constant throughout the entire duration of both pregnancies). After I had been off of it for a while and then went back to drinking it, I could really see the effects. BTW - I did manage to quit smoking when I was really sick once. By the time I felt better, it had been 4 days since I had a cigarette and haven't had one since. That was 10.5 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
at the beach Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I quit drinking Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi, and it's largely thanks to someone (don't remember who!) posting about the book, "Sweet Deception". A real eye-opener. I cannot believe how much better I feel! Gone are the fogs, the brain muddle, the exhaustion. Gone is the incessant craving for one more Diet drink. This is so major - it's been a 5+ year addiction, bad habit, whatever. I never thought this would ever, ever happen. I'd like to say I've lost weight as a result - I haven't - but darn it I FEEL so much better! Celebrating on the boards!:party: Good for you. I know what you mean about how major this is. I am trying to give it up myself. I know it is a serious addiction. It's TERRIBLE and I HATE how it seems to be able to control me. I feel like I HAVE to have the stuff. It is, for me, way worse than giving up the cigarettes I gave up in my mid-20's. I have heard it likened to a crack addiction. That doesn't really surprise me considering how I feel about having my Diet Coke. That seems hard to believe but honest to God it is very powerful. I have cut back quite a bit lately and I was thinking of buying a case of regular Coke and permitting myself 1 or even 2 a day to get over this initial hump. The other thing that I buy carbonated water and that helps, too. Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missplacedalaskan Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I had a Pepsi habit a few years ago. I got sick and as I was starting to feel better Dh brought me a Pepsi. It was such a sweet gesture. I opened the can and took a drink...UGH! It tasted so bad. I tried another can thinking it was just an "off taste" in that can...nope. I quit Pepsi that day. Now we occasionally have soda, but I am no longer addicted to it. I can't remember if I felt better with out it. Now we generally just drink water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in IN Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Congratulations! You're inspiring me! I have cut back - used to drink a can of diet coke every day, now it's just 3-4 a week. It's hard to completely give up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 So proud of all of you quitters! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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