I finally kicked my soda habit this year!   I was drinking several a day...but now water is my friend!   The other day I had a diet soda...just because I wanted to, and I took one sip and it felt like gasoline going down my throat.  It was disgusting.  I couldn't believe that I had been putting that into my body for so long.  

Now...it's time to kick the coffee!

The seltzer works.  I was a at least 4 a day Diet Coke drinker since about 1985.  In January I bought a Soda Stream and started drinking the carbonated water with a slice of lime and lemon as my replacement.  I have not had a diet soda since then.  I have had about 4 of the small cans of Sierra Mist since then as my only soda. I considered those a treat when the craving for soda really hit.  I now can drink straight water and the Bubble water is my treat.  The first week or so is torture with the caffeine withdrawal, but it is soooo worth it.    

I kicked the soda habit several years ago.  Now I have only about six sodas in a year, but I do enjoy each one of them.  When I get tired of plain ice cold water, I drop an herbal tea bag in my glass or water bottle with a squirt of agave syrup for a change of pace.  Try different flavors, they are great.

Does anyone else find this to be questionable?  I drink diet soda and don't feel that it has any negative affect on my weight loss.  I am sure that anything with artificial ingredients in it may cause problems with your kidneys and liver but I simply don't by the other affects they claim.  As far as green tea it would be basically the same as a soda. 

I gave up soda years ago and replaced it with water.  However, I add flavor to it  by using the Hawiian Punch singles that are only 5 calories.  What I need to know is the potential negative effect of the artificial sweeteners in this product.

If any one has any information I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

but it tastes so good...

This is day 3 without diet soda for me; I still need caffine though because I seem to be getting headaches; they are a lot less mild then when i was drinking diet soda all the time.

@Melindag16 Believe me, cutting out the soda is HARD (I did soda and caffeine at the same time) but just put up with the headaches for a week or two longer. In the long run, its not really a huge period of time. Your body is probably going through caffeine withdrawl- you'll be amazed at how you don't feel tired in the middle of the day and need your "fix" after a while! And how much of a boost you'll get when you do have the ODD cup of coffee or soft drink. To think we've been drinking that every day!

@lissisluu I am aiming for one at a time right now because I already have migranes and don't want to make them any worse. I hope it won't be to hard, I've gone through some life changes within the past year and hoping this one will not be any different. I went from being 235 to 164 right now and just trying to stay and be healthy; this seemed like another way to accomplish that :)

flavored spring water like Poland spring or flavored seltzer water with a lot of ice and a squrit of flavor enhancer like MIO is delicious and refreshing O cal O sodium

Couldn't it be that the people who consume diet soda are also more likely to be involved in other unhealthy lifestyle choices that lead to these negative effects (stroke, diabetes, reduced kidney function)...?

The same handful of studies are cited in every article that links weight gain with diet soda, and the test groups were really small and the results, as far as I know, have not been replicated. It's true that the rats had a certain psychologically reaction to the sweeter sweetness of diet soda, but there's no proof that the same thing happens to humans. And the thing about the large waist lines of people who drink tons of diet soda only has to do with the fact that lots of folks who have terrible eating habits also drink diet soda. People who buy a double big-gulp of diet pepsi to go along with their seven hotdogs. In the last six months since I've been trying to lose wieght I still drink 2-3 cans of diet soda a day, and I've lost twenty pounds.  

Original Post by: swirligirl

but it tastes so good...

I suspect that your Hawaiian Punch contains aspartame since there are few soft diet drinks that don't. Aspartame is a neurotoxin which I avoid at all costs. Please Google the "evils of aspartame" and you will find additional info on this deadly chemical sweetener. There are a few diet drinks such as 4-C powdered drinks, Arizona Iced Tea, and the new Pepsi product "Pepsi One" which are made with sucralose (Splenda is a brand name of sucralose.) However, sucralose has also been found to cause numerous ailments including rashes and dizziness.

The only sweetener I use on rare occasions is Stevia which is relatively benign (unless future research proves otherwise). I add a packet of Stevia to a glass of flavored seltzer or homemade iced green tea and I enjoy these beverages occasionally when I want a little break from all the water I drink.

Original Post by: beluomo

Original Post by: swirligirl

but it tastes so good...

I suspect that your Hawaiian Punch contains aspartame since there are few soft diet drinks that don't. Aspartame is a neurotoxin which I avoid at all costs. Please Google the "evils of aspartame" and you will find additional info on this deadly chemical sweetener. There are a few diet drinks such as 4-C powdered drinks, Arizona Iced Tea, and the new Pepsi product "Pepsi One" which are made with sucralose (Splenda is a brand name of sucralose.) However, sucralose has also been found to cause numerous ailments including rashes and dizziness.

The only sweetener I use on rare occasions is Stevia which is relatively benign (unless future research proves otherwise). I add a packet of Stevia to a glass of flavored seltzer or homemade iced green tea and I enjoy these beverages occasionally when I want a little break from all the water I drink.

Sorry, my response was meant for marciaaustin

Original Post by: marciaaustin

I gave up soda years ago and replaced it with water.  However, I add flavor to it  by using the Hawiian Punch singles that are only 5 calories.  What I need to know is the potential negative effect of the artificial sweeteners in this product.

If any one has any information I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Please read my response to you which I mistakenly posted to "swirligirl".

@beluomo Thanks so much for the information.  Hawiian Punch indeed has Aspartame.  I will do research on this to find out the side effects.  Stevia sounds like a better alternative.  My daughter has also recommended it along with Agave syrup.  I am open to all things that will help me lose the weight and stay healthy.

Original Post by: srice74

Hello all! I am in the process of trying to kick my soda habit wanted to know what everyone's thoughts are on diet green tea? Would like to limit my liquid intake to the diet green tea and water. I know the diet tea probably has the same sweeteners as diet coke...

If your going to drink the diet green tea for a long time expect bowel issues.  Regular green tea is fine but there's something in the diet that makes you 'go' and pretty soon you'll 'go' without being anywhere near a toilet.

Okay, here is my analysis of this article. If you had an ant in an ant eater habitat drinking diet soda and the morality rate of the ants was higher than the normal ant life expectancy would you say that diet soda causes ants to die prematurely? What? that made no sense! Who drinks diet soda? Overweight people right... Who has a higher risk of all them symptoms..... over weight people.... So just because they happen to be drinking diet soda(to try to lose weight) doesn't mean that they are having these problems because of the diet soda.

I think it's silly to base research on , well i find in common all these fat people are drinking diet soda that must mean something..... maybe it just means fat people drink diet soda cause they think it's healthy and no other similiarty.