Going to try giving up Diet Coke for lent - any tips?!

[random7]

I’d say I drink on average 2 cans of Diet Coke / Coke Zero a day!

Going to attempt to give it up for lent…. Any tips on how to successfully do this?

I know I’ll get caffeine withdrawal….

@JellybabyGina87

It's only Diet Coke. If you like it drink it. I don't see the point in going without small harmless pleasures. There's worse things you can do in life than drink Diet Coke.

Agreed. Cigarettes, alcohol, etc. All significantly worse daily habits! Sometimes it's the little vices that make life manageable. My mum always says "there won't be a medal waiting at the end (of life) , you might aswell enjoy it."

Diet Coke seems to be such a tough habit to kick. I'm sure it happens with other soft drinks too, but DC in particular seems to have a hold on people.

You can do it though!

www.theguardian.com/food/2021/feb/02/the-real-thing-my-battle-to-beat-a-27-year-diet-coke-addiction

I used to drink 3 cans a day. Don’t drink any now. I have coffee in the morning and drink gallons of fizzy water (out of a 500 ml bottle; what I drink it out of makes a difference for some reason). I have a soda stream. Don’t miss it at all and REALLY glad I stopped. Good luck.

I gave it up in January 2021, as part of cutting out processed things in my diet. I simply went cold turkey and stopped buying it. Initially, I drank very diluted orange juice (i.e. pure orange juice but diluted in the proportion you'd dilute squash) to get a 'sweet' taste without too much sugar or chemicals but I found it easy to move onto drinking plain water after that.

Now, I have it very rarely - occasionally in a picnic situation or if I find myself in a pub when I don't want to drink alcohol.

I think you'll find it easy once you start, OP, and you probably won't want to go back to drinking it regularly once Lent is over, though now and again will do no harm.

I went cold turkey last year during lent and haven’t re-started. It’s a lifelong giving up for me now and I feel much better without.

I did have a bad headache for 2-3 days and painkillers didn’t help at all, but after that it was fine. I don’t miss it at all now.

Good luck!

I’ve done it. Stopped drinking it for 2 years. Now I have the occasional one when out for dinner. My tip is to drink water all the time, from first waking up, even when you don’t feel thirsty.

Lots of people seem to be recommending fizzy water, but I can't drink it, it makes me feel sick, and normal water (ridiculously, I know) just doesn't feel like it quenches my thirst like other fizzy drinks.

@Sweetandsaltycaroline

Lots of people seem to be recommending fizzy water, but I can't drink it, it makes me feel sick, and normal water (ridiculously, I know) just doesn't feel like it quenches my thirst like other fizzy drinks.

Try heavily diluted fruit juice, either in plain or sparkling water. No more than 2cm of juice in a tall glass.

@Sweetandsaltycaroline

Lots of people seem to be recommending fizzy water, but I can't drink it, it makes me feel sick, and normal water (ridiculously, I know) just doesn't feel like it quenches my thirst like other fizzy drinks.

I found that the thirsty feeling passed, just keep drinking water all day. It's because it's an addiction.

I did it.

Switched 2 sparkling flavoured water first.

Now have reduce it and added some still water but I usually put mint or cucumber or something else in it.

Keep hydrated is half of it.

I gave up as it was giving me headaches every day.

Prior to that I was totally addicted - but I couldn't sleep at night either!

I just went cold turkey and every now and then have something like rubicon just to get that fizzy hit!