Oh my god, I love me some soda. Honestly though tea is a far bigger vice for me. I always drank it sweet.. extra sweet. So, I gave that up. I drank my first cup of sugarless tea and just bleh. Crystal Light may be an option for me. My grandmother has this sugarless stuff that is actually pretty tasty. So, I am stepping down little by little. First no tea - been about 2 weeks. Soda is next on the chopping block. I know it bloats me. I feel all ballooned up. So.. wish me luck compatriots... I'm gonna need it for the new healthier me. :D

Soda, diet or not, has never been a problem food for me. I like it, sure, but it doesn't trigger cravings or lead to more bad food, I don't long for soda, and artificial sweeteners in diet soda don't affect me as far as I can tell.

I've gone through periods in my weight loss/weight maintenance where I'd keep a 12-pack of some diet soda in the fridge. Again, not because I crave it, I just see it in the store and think "why not." I'd drink one a week to two a day. I *DO* notice that it bloats me up a bit, and after a few days of drinking no diet soda, the bloat goes away. For now, I'm avoiding the diet soda because I was getting in the habit of drinking two a day. When I get that itch to go to the fridge and grab something between meals, diet soda feels pretty guilt-free. But I didn't like that behavior, so I'm just avoiding it. We still have a whole 12-pack, but I'm not at all tempted to have one.

In moderation, I think it's absolutely fine. Everyone's definition of moderation is different. For me, I'll have a diet coke on the rare occasion that we go out to eat for dinner or go to a movie or something of that sort. I don't feel guilty about it, I don't even get that excited about it.

I wish I had the same "take it or leave it" feelings that I have towards soda to ALL food, haha.

agree with most here.. is a yay & a nay for me.. Soda, diet or not; is not good for anyone but there are times when you need a little of it and why not have a 0 calorie one instead of the real thing..

Yea.

I just deleted several paragraphs which I would have probably regretted posting. Instead, I'll take a break from 3fc for long enough that I won't be tempted to post defenses to attacks on my lifestyle.

The only sodas I let myself drink have to be aspartame-free, since it upsets my bladder and gives me awful migrianes (it was a god-send when I finally realized what was causing those problems). So I occasionally have Diet Rite/Diet RC, Diet Hansen's, or Zevia (although it's pretty expensive).

But for the most part I drink unsweetened tea or plain old water. :)

30 FAT - What did you decide????

I used to drink 5 a day. I cut it out for 3 months. But when my dad was in the hospital I drank ALOT again- mainly b/c I needed the caffiene perk up after sleeping in his hospital room night after night. Also, I would go to the McDonalds b/c the Monopoly Game was on and I was having fun getting the game pieces... a nice distraction during a hard time.

Now- I have one a day or so... just as a special treat.

Like everything else, I drink it in moderation. Very rarely, if I'm having a meal out and don't want a beer or wine, I will have diet soda. I don't have it at home in the fridge though. It doesn't seem to affect my weight loss, but in that amount I wouldn't expect it to.