Diet Coke - a word of warning!

[LadyHelen]

Until this week I was drinking vast, vast amounts of Diet Coke - as much as 2 litres a day sometimes. Having given up drinking, smoking and chocolate, it's about the only vice I have left!

Anyway - I've had to stop drinking it suddenly, having found myself extremely broke - out of money, in fact, until next week. "No problem", thought I, "I have coffee and sugar free squash, I'll be fine."

Oh. Holy. Sh!t. It's worse than giving up smoking. The irritability and headaches are beyond anything you'd believe, I can barely concentrate on what I'm supposed to be doing.

For the love of any god(s) you believe in, people, don't do what I've just done. If you drink a lot and decide to give it up, do it slowly! I had no idea it was possible to actually get physically dependent on the stuff, but I know now.

I shall be giving serious consideration to whether or not I'll be drinking it again in the future after this.

 

[Gettingthinnerbytheday]

OMG I drink 2litres + a day!!!

 

[Circes]

I imagine it will be the caffeine content!

 

[pesty]

OMG!! That's crazy!! I drink about 20 of the small glass bottles with Vodka on a saturday night!! I never thought that not having it would make you that bad! They should write a warning on them!!

Congrats on everything else you've given up by the way!!

xx

 

[determinator]

yeah it will be the caffeine .. and diet coke has far more in as it makes up for the taste of no sugar ....... caffeine can affect your heart quite a lot, and can cause palpatations and rapid pulse ... and you get serious withdrawl if you cut it out
I started drinking coke zero when I was on cambridge diet and have this now as it has no caffeine ( I think ??)

 

[CAPRICORN]

Hi LadyHelen
I guzzled litres of diet coke for years -when we moved out here I found that their Diet coke is still sweeter than ours and slightly less fizzy and I didn't like it -so I very rarely have it now -and I find I can't even finish a 500ml bottle . I also found that it just makes me thirstier -so now I pretty much live on fizzy water at least 3-4.5lts a day and I Love it....
I feel much better since I gave it up -
Hope the side effects wear off soon

 

[louisedan]

I had to cut out caffeine cos of my thyroid-had all the symptoms you describe -only lasted a week so you will be ok soon x

 

[Mummy_Helen]

Yes caffeine withdrawal is the worst!! You could go for a cheaper version of diet coke, like a store brand. I was a coke junkie 8855: NOT that kind of coke) and went to pepsi max and had the same reaction. I've had to make a lot of changes to what I drink lately due to different effects things have on my body.

 

[MadameLaMinx]

I too am a DC addict. Yesterday I was doing so well, didnt have any all day, just water until teatime. Then I had the DC and BAM, headache central. Thats just not fair.

 

[louisedan]

I have the caffiene free one now-its just as nice

 

[elizabeth]

It's surprising what diet fizzy drinks do to your body. There's been some research indicating that they may actually lead to weight gain, apparently they make your body expect sugar and when it doesn't get it, you get cravings to eat more of whatever you're having that day. My mother who has type 2 diabetes and a weight problem was specifically told by her nurse to avoid diet drinks for that reason.

I used to drink absolutely gallons of the stuff for years, but gradually cut it out. I don't miss it to be honest.

 

[zombiecakes]

Diet coke addict here too. I don't think it's the caffeine i'm addicted to though because i Diet Coke withdrawl headaches and no amount of coffee or tea will shift it (i get caffeine withdrawl headaches too), only Diet Coke gets rid of it, so i think they put something in it that is addictive as well as the caffeine! The bf and I joke that there's liquid crack in it as we're both horrifically addicted to it!

 

[LadyHelen]

Zombiecakes, I was about to say this actually, I don't think it's the caffeine either - I've been guzzling coffee to try and make myself feel better this afternoon and it's not helping I'm wondering if it's the aspartame sweetener (which is known to be vile stuff anyway) or something else in it?

 

[zombiecakes]

Zombiecakes, I was about to say this actually, I don't think it's the caffeine either - I've been guzzling coffee to try and make myself feel better this afternoon and it's not helping I'm wondering if it's the aspartame sweetener (which is known to be vile stuff anyway) or something else in it?

I'm not even sure it's the sweetener as i tried other things (in same quantity as i drank Diet Coke) that contained aspartame and it made no difference Much /hugs for you! Diet Coke is something i couldn't live without.

 

[LadyHelen]

Oh dear, god knows what they put in it then!

 

[LadyHelen]

Congrats on everything else you've given up by the way!!

Thanks Giving up the booze wasn't voluntary (I developed epilepsy when I was 25 and the medication doesn't play well with alcohol) but the other stuff was. And I do feel better for it!

 

[LadyHelen]

I started drinking coke zero when I was on cambridge diet and have this now as it has no caffeine ( I think ??)

No, unfortunately Zero has the caffeine too. The only one that doesn't is the labelled caffeine-free stuff.

 

[LadyHelen]

I feel much better since I gave it up -
Hope the side effects wear off soon

Here's hoping I do too! And I've found that too with Diet Coke on the continent -pretty much everywhere I've been, France, Spain, Canary Islands, there's been a weird taste to it.

 

[LadyHelen]

I had to cut out caffeine cos of my thyroid-had all the symptoms you describe -only lasted a week so you will be ok soon x

Thanks hon

 

[LadyHelen]

Yes caffeine withdrawal is the worst!! You could go for a cheaper version of diet coke, like a store brand. I was a coke junkie 8855: NOT that kind of coke) and went to pepsi max and had the same reaction. I've had to make a lot of changes to what I drink lately due to different effects things have on my body.

I really don't like the cheaper ones to be honest, I think I'm better off not drinking it at all if I can avoid it, other than special occasions, when I go out for lunch with the girls etc.