I think it's stupid that people expect you to automatically transition from drinking soda to drinking water. Sometimes you need a bridge. Drink the diet stuff and slowly transition to water and better beverages! Ignore them and/or just say: "I know it's bad!" while smiling and continuing to drink your beverage (and thus confusing them)

Diet soda is one habit I can't quite shake. I admit I'm not trying all that hard though. I DID buy some Zevia though, so maybe I'll start transitioning to that.

I drink diet Dr. Pepper all the time, so I can relate :)

I drank Diet Coke up until March of this year. Weight loss and a healthy diet is a very long journey and for many of us it's best to take things in small steps. It's also a very individual journey. You may decide to never give up diet soda or you may decide several years down the road that's what you want.

I still read books when I eat even though it's standard dieting advice that one should pay attention to your food. I have no intention at the moment to give up that "bad" habit. But I never say "never" because there are other habits that I thought I would never give up and there came a day when it just felt right.

totally agree! also, i live in st louis as well. ;)

I started changing my eating habits in July of this year and the one thing I didn't change is drinking Diet Coke. I know I should drink more water, and I do drink more than I did, but without the Diet Coke I get headaches like crazy. I know I will eventually give it up completely, but not for now. So, don't think that your diet has gone down the drain. I've gone from 251 to 217 since July and I still drink 2 maybe 3 Diet Coke's a day.

On diet drinks, you do what works for you. If you can still lose weight and drink them, you do that until and unless you don't want to anymore. People try to give me diet advice all the time - if I'm in a bad mood, I tell them I'll take their advice after THEY'VE lost 160 lbs, til then, MYOB. :)

As far as the chemicals seeping through our skin, oh totally. In fact I've given up my beloved Oil of Olay Regenerist for Grapeseed Oil and honestly, the Grapeseed Oil works better and is about 10,000 times cheaper.

People just love to hand out unsolicited advice. Do what works for you and tell them to take a flying leap. lol

I love diet soda. I lost 100 pounds before drinking Diet Dr Pepper every day. I can't drink it anymore because it causes me horrible stomach pain, but I would love to. I don't know if it's the carbonation or what but it just kills me now. I drink Green Tea with Splenda all day long. Is that as good as water? Nope. Do I care? Nope. lol I can't give up everything, and I don't think you
should either.

Yeah, diet soda is not as good as water but it's a lot better than energy drinks and real soda. Green Tea and water are the only beverages I drink and I think it's good enough.

Well, I am hanging onto my Diet Dr. Pepper but this thread has me thinking that I may need to give up my fabric softener! I am going to have to Google this.

I love diet Pepsi!:D Drink it and coffee every day. Also alternate them with water.

I am one of those like Kaplods, using less other chemicals. I love vinegar, great for all kinds of stuff. Fabric softener lights my skin on fire! I can't even stand the stench of the stuff.
I don't wear much make up due to my job, and most of it does not bother me, with the exception of certain brands of mascara that make my eyelids break out and I can't use any kind of sunblock on my face, may as well pour gas and strike a match.

Anywho, while these folks are giving you what for, what bad habits do they have? Who are you to tell me not to drink diet pop, if you're shoveling french fries in your mouth!:D

Note, I'm really tired and wrenched my back, so I'm a tad grumpy!:D

i drink about 5 diet dr pepper cans/day. no lie.

:hyper:

I think you have done a great job at not drinking your calories. I can't give up diet soda, either, but drink it less when my water intake is up.

Someone who was drinking more than 2 litres a day of regular pop told me diet pop was bad for you and she would never drink it :lol:

I can relate as well. I have finally stopped drinking diet coke but I've stopped before only to start again, so hopefully this time it will stick....but it's very addicting indeed.

When I go out and want some diet soda (I don't keep any in the house), I'll just get some club soda instead. That way, it gives me that fizzy feeling. I know that even club soda isn't ideal because the carbonation eats away at the enamel in the teeth and it's probably still not good for my insides ;) but it's what I can handle now. Maybe some day, I'll be able to cut that out too.

Congrats on all of your progress!

I know so well what you're feeling.

My biggest vice is Diet Coke. I can leave chocolate and Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream untouched, but I cannot leave Diet Coke alone.

I know it's not healthy, and I've tried switching to coffee to avoid caffeine withdrawal from quitting Diet Coke, but it's just not the same. At the moment I'm working on just reducing the amount of Diet Coke down from six a day to two cans a day.

DIRECTLY FROM MY TEXT BOOK
Recall that we began our discussion of classical conditioning by saying that its principles can explain why diet sodas make some people hungry. This can happen because the distinctive flavors of foods can become conditioned stimuli for the digestive processes that typically follow.
For instance, researchers have found that the pancreas quickly adapts to food cues through the process of classical conditioning. Most of the time, the presence of a sweet taste on the tongue is a reliable cue indicating that a rise in blood sugar will soon occur. As a result, the pancreas "learns" to pump out insulin, the hormone that lowers blood sugar levels, whenever you eat or drink something sweet. A likely consequence of this adaptation is that the pancreas will respond to an artificial sweetener in the same way. Without the presence of real sugar to bring up the blood sugar level, however, the insulin will cause the blood sugar level to drop below normal. Whenever the blood sugar level drops below normal, the body signals the brain to motivate you to eat; in other words, you begin to feel hungry.