Hello I am 38 Years old and on a pump. My diabetes management skills are Ok, could be better, My A1C is around 7 ish , My trouble is I am addicted to diet soda, I drink at least 12 cans of diet soda a day. My joints have been hurting and I could lose 10 lbs I think if I cut it out it would help me alot. So in short anyone cut soda out and how do you do it , I know I should just drink water I am going to try that but how do make the switch easier and less chance of failure. Thank you so much, and Thank you for a site for diabetics
I have a friend who went cold turkey when she felt she was addicted to soda. (She does not drink coffee either) She always has a water bottle at hand.
Limiting your soda to one or two cans a day would be ideal, but you may not be able to do that.
Here's a discussion with many replies on the subject
https://forum.tudiabetes.org/topics/583967:Topic:187518
Maybe switch to tea for a while, or herbal teas, iced. just think of all the money you'll save too.
I like "Ice," it's got fizz and no carbs. Smartwater is great too.
Soda tastes really refreshing when it's diluted. I nearly always fill 2/3 to 3/4 of the cup with water.
Another favorite is to put a peppermint herbal tea bag in a cup of ice water. It creates a subtle flavor that's not as strong as iced tea.
You can also try a glass of seltzer with a little diet cranberry juice for flavoring (no more than 1 part juice to 3 parts seltzer for best results).
Personally, I like Seltzer. You could try that if you think you'll miss the fizz. For caffeine, there's always coffee.
Seems to me there are 2 possible addictions to address....the artificial sweetened soda, and caffeine. You could try switching to strong unsweetened iced tea, and see if you can keep that under control. Also, you might try caffeine free soda for a while, and then after a month, go cold turkey on the caffeine free stuff.
I love my diet dew. This is one thing that I can enjoy without impacting my BG. No plans to stop here.
*looks at bottle of Diet Coke sitting beside her*
I'm not as addicted as I used to be. I used to drink 2-3 591 mL bottles a day (not sure what that is in U.S. units or if they use mL too, lol). Then I decided that it was ridiculous and quit cold turkey for about six months. But that was about two years ago, and I keep coming back to it ... I've never gotten back to that level, but it's not uncommon for me to have 1-2 bottles a day lately. I've got to quit again sometime soon.
The biggest problem for me is that it's sooooo available. I really think I am addicted the same way someone can be addicted to smoking. I've never smoked, but I get cravings for Diet Coke that I swear are the same from descriptions I've heard from ex-smokers. Other pops just are not the same.
The one thing I have noticed is that I seem to be a LOT less tolerant to aspartame than I used to be. When I was a teenager I drank a done of diet Pepsi and had ate a ton of "diet" foods with no ill effects. These days, when I have two bottles of diet coke in a day my stomach gets seriously upset. Which helps to limit me, so I don't think it's a bad thing.
I used to drink 12 to 24 cans of Diet Coke a day. No water. Until I had a GERD attack two years ago. Doctor said I must get off the soda, because the carbonation keeps the top sphincter to the esophagus open for long periods of time and allows the gastric acid to go up into the throat, which causes acid reflux. So here's what I did. For every can or bottle I drank, I put a water bottle in between each serving of soda. I had to come off caffeine and coffee at the same time (which was horrible too). In a couple of days, for every one I had, I drank two bottles. Two days later, every one I had, I drank three bottles between sodas. It took me about two weeks, but I got off of it altogether. Then I found that I didn't need it anymore. For the coffee, I bought Teeccino. Check them out. They are a great coffee substitute. After my first year with GERD, I added back in a cup of coffee every once in a while. I recently tried soda again and gagged at the taste of Diet Coke. I couldn't drink it or any other diet drink again. I like Aztec Diet Decaffinated Green Tea with Splenda in it. I have some of that when I feel the need for a little something sweet. I had fear driving me when I started the plan to get off the soda, but when it was all said and done, I don't miss it now. :) hope this helps
Thank you Dave