Diet coke habit!

[VulpesZerda]

I've never been a coffee drinker, and I do not drink alcohol. Through undergrad I just drank water and the occasional tea or soda (diet because I was counting calories). Now three years into grad school, though, I'm realizing how bad my Diet Coke habit has gotten (particularly in the last year) and I now drink a lot of it every day. I know everyone has their vices, but this one has gotten out of control for me lately. I don't even think I drink it for the caffeine because there isn't a whole lot and I don't have it in the morning (yet). Since I want to change this for a number of reasons, does anyone have tips for cutting back, or does anyone relate? I think I'm going to try getting back into tea. I post this on gradcafe because I firmly believe that grad school has everything to do with this - I make terrible health choices under stress! 

[Hope.for.the.best]

How many cans of diet coke do you drink each day? I think you could try cutting down the numbers gradually. For example, you drink 3 cans a day. Try to cut down to 2 in the coming week. Once you can achieve this goal, cut it down to 1 in the week after and so on. At the same time, you should find healthy alternatives to release stress. For example, when you feel like drinking diet coke under stress, go for a 10-min walk instead. 

[iwearflowers]

The last time I quit Diet Coke, I used flavored carbonated water as an intermediate step. That way I was still getting the fizz and flavor but in a slightly healthier form. I switched to flavored water cold turkey and then cut those back gradually and replaced it with regular water. Good luck!

[itsjoya]

I used to love drinking carbonated drink, but I have stopped consuming it as I want to be in shape and stay healthy. I am happy with water and freshly blended fruits. 

[TheWalkingGrad]

I used to drink a lot of coke zero, and I also wanted to stop. This is gonna sound super hipster-y, but what helped me was brewing kombucha and adding flavor using fruits. It's healthier than soda, it's cool to make (it's really easy and so customizable), it's cheap, and I drink it in situations I'd usually drink soda. If you're interested I can give you some tips, just PM me.

Good luck!

[Beaudreau]

I had a long-term Diet Coke habit and quit successfully last year.  Don't pretend that you don't also have a caffeine addiction.  Quitting caffeine cold turkey was not an option for me.  When I tried before, I got terrible headaches, nausea, and fatigue.  I recommend getting some time-release caffeine pills.  I started out with a 100 mg in the morning and another in the early afternoon.  After two weeks, I cut back to one in the morning and then eliminated that altogether in another two weeks.  I always liked the fizz, so I got a Soda Stream to make carbonated water.  Mine comes with three one-liter bottles, which I carbonate in the morning.  That normally lasts all day for my wife and me.  It's great not to be going to the store all the time to buy soda.  You can add flavors if you want, but I suggest staying away from the artificial sweeteners.

[VulpesZerda]

Thanks everyone! Tea should be a good alternative for the amount of caffeine I'm losing by quitting DC - I'm definitely not going to take caffeine pills -  I have always been fine going to work through the morning on just water and I will gladly continue that. Flavored water is another great idea, especially making it myself sounds nice. I basically want to avoid consuming high amounts of artificial sweeteners which I have been really in the habit of using (even in tea). Also, I'm not exactly sure how much DC I was drinking because we were buying it in 2-liter bottles instead of cans to save money, but I was going through maybe 2 of those a week myself, to answer that question. Glad I'm not the only one, thanks all!

[sophiewilson0191]

Try drinking tea.

It has its benefits.

[Dario8018]

I have never been in that situation before, but as others have already suggested I recommend trying to switch to tea. However, for a better lifestyle in the long term, I think you should look for other ways of coping with stress that are unrelated to eating or drinking. Good luck !

[SuzyH]

I love tea but sometimes I want the bubbles of a carbonated drink. I have taken to drinking Nestle Pure Life Carbonated Water with fruit essence. They have zero calories yet give me the satisfaction of a sugary soda. I can't really explain why but they are delicious.