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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask if anyone here has beaten a diet soft drink addiction?

184 replies

whothehellknows · 04/12/2014 20:26

Although I gave up when breastfeeding both of my children, I've somehow landed myself (again) with a full-on Diet Coke habit. I drink at least a liter each day and I'd be seriously distressed if I ran out. I'm sure I'll have at least a week's worth of headaches when I quit.

I know it costs a fortune. I know it's not good for me. But somehow it keeps creeping back in, and I honestly find it harder than I did to give up smoking.

So has anybody else kicked a diet drink habit? How did you do it, and do you actually feel better for it?

OP posts:
EsmeGruntFuttock · 04/12/2014 23:34

I'm going to try tomorrow too. That's three of us ... any more takers?

HaveYouTriedARewardChart · 04/12/2014 23:41

Hello - I've had this problem for a few years. Fridge is always packed with cans of zero..... crack one open for breakfast as I don't like tea and coffee..... then I feel like it's a crutch which helps me get through the day. Not the caffeine I think just the ice cold refreshingness of it. I really really ought to drink less as am bf Blush but it's soooo nice and am soooo tired with baby dc3.
I aiming to cut down by one can a day in short term, two in long term.
Support group?

GingerLemonTea · 04/12/2014 23:42

Who is quitting tomorrow?
Ginger (me)
Esme

Who else?

kittykathat · 04/12/2014 23:43

Change to Lemon juice n fizzy water

kittykathat · 04/12/2014 23:44

My mum Never gave us fizzy drink so i dont care for it, i just have the above.
You can do it!

HaveYouTriedARewardChart · 04/12/2014 23:48

I'm half in ginger. Can't do cold turkey! But if you don't mind a hanger on....Grin

sweetkitty · 04/12/2014 23:51

Quit all fizzy drinks about a year ago, now I only drink water, tea or the occasional squash. Don't miss it at all, if I have half a glass now it hurts my stomach and I get massive burps

GingerLemonTea · 04/12/2014 23:56

Ok....
Ginger
Esme
Reward

Quitting/cutting down tomorrow. This might keep me on track.

HaveYouTriedARewardChart · 05/12/2014 00:02

Great - see you all tomorrow!

Honeydragon · 05/12/2014 00:08

I'll happily cheerlead Grin

CoolCat2014 · 05/12/2014 00:13

I used to have to have at least 4 litres a day. I weaned off it slowly when I got chronic fatigue syndrome and was suspicious of the aspartame. I did get better when I came off it. I still love the taste but even a small bottle makes me feel ill now.

GingerLemonTea · 05/12/2014 00:15

Have read back. Think
Whothehell & mmmmmicecream quitting too. So that's

Ginger
Esme
Reward
Whothehell
Mmmmicecream

We can do it Smile

GingerLemonTea · 05/12/2014 00:16

I also have a theory that I get achey joints when I'm drinking loads of diet fizzy juice. Anyone else?

MistressDeeCee · 05/12/2014 00:19

I used to drink 3-4 cans of diet coke per day. Gave up a few years ago. I did find it hard. It was the fizziness for me..that hit to the back of the throat. Nowadays if Im really thirsty I still need a fizzy drink, but I drink juice mixed with sparkling water on those occasions..although I can have the occasional can of diet coke and I don't crave it now as I used to. Im surprised to see so many people were/are also addicted to it. What causes the addiction..? For me I know it wasn't caffeine because Id drink the caffeine free version as often as possible. Im really curious about this addiction now...

Mmmicecream · 05/12/2014 00:20

Tomorrow it begins! Grin

Confused Shock
Honeydragon · 05/12/2014 00:27

Ginger

That stopped for me when I cut out ALL drinks with sodium benozate in.

Now I don't even need to check the label to know I'm drinking something with it in as I get joint pain and a horrible anxious feeling.

If I get that then check the ingredients SB is alway in it.

Tests have been done that say SB is fine and no evidence to prove it causes joint pain, but anecdotal evidence reveals lots of people with the same symptoms.Confused

beanandspud · 05/12/2014 00:32

I stopped drinking diet coke about 18months ago. I'm not sure what the trigger was but up until that point I was probably drinking 1l a day. Horrible stuff.

Just stopped. I had headaches but other than that it was ok.

wobblyweebles · 05/12/2014 02:05

I stopped drinking diet coke for 6 weeks, just to prove I could

I gave it up for a couple of months recently, out of curiosity to see if I felt any different.

No difference whatsoever.

o0 · 05/12/2014 02:22

I used to drink 2+ litres a day.

I quit cold turkey about 3 months ago - along with quitting snacking.

I've lost 1st 7lb so far and feel so much better. I'm sleeping better too - all those drinks meant I'd get up half a dozen times a night to pee! I've more energy and feel less irritable.

I had baaaaad headaches but only got a few days and it was worth it to finally stop.

Good luck everyone trying to quit!

LittleMissDisorganized · 05/12/2014 02:23

Like raltheraffe and others who've mentioned other addictions, I'm in recovery from alcohol and usually on a low carb diet to both lose weight and recover from sugar addiction. But diet coke was my first addiction and is my enduring one and I really struggle to give up. Since the start of this year I've been drinking at least 2L water a day and my diet coke consumption has fallen as there's only so much liquid you can get in/down. Probably 2l ish a day still though.
Am going away tomorrow so now isn't the time - but I'm reassured by being able to talk about it and if you're all still here I'll come back if that's ok.

thobblywighs · 05/12/2014 06:25

I did it. I used to get through at least 6 cans a day. To start with I only took them to work and had fizzy water with lemon juice in the evening. After a few weeks I started taking small bottles of fizzy water to work. I am now down to fizzy water and lemon in the evenings and plain water in work. I have saved a fortune and don't really miss it, I had a glass of diet coke when I was out last week and it really didn't taste great.

PeoniesforMissAnnersley · 05/12/2014 06:53

I had a full on diet coke addiction in my first two years at uni - went cold turkey, along with crisps as crisps made me want diet coke. Don't even miss the coke now, in fact I think it tastes terrible! I can now eat crisps with wine Grin

306235388 · 05/12/2014 07:00

Yes I have . I cut fizzy drinks entirely. Bit heAdachey for a while but mainly it was about retraining myself. I also made sure I had ice in the fridge and soft drinks I liked so that I didn't feel I was missing out.

watchingwaves · 05/12/2014 07:01

I'm in.

I average 3 cans of coke zero a day and have been trying to cut back over the last week or so without much success. Hopefully this thread will keep me on track. It would be great if cutting this out of my diet reduced my irritability but I suspect I'm just a mardy bum!

BinarySolo · 05/12/2014 07:13

My name's BinarySolo and I'm addicted to Pepsi Max. I've got 2 bottles left in the house but once they're gone I'll be joining you all and giving up pop.

Good time to do it as I'm pregnant and I'm sure I drink too much caffeine some days. The sweeteners bother me too.

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