I could have probably titled this post A Million Reasons why no one should ever drink diet soda, but that might have been a bit overkill.
I do, however, want to spread the word about how bad, bad, bad this stuff is.
I know. There’s no sugar. It must be fine, right?
That’s what I thought for years upon years as I guzzled it like it was the clean, crystal waters of the heavenly fount.
Let me get hyper-real here for a second and bare it all. You’re probably going to lose your eyeballs to the floor when I tell you how much Diet Soda I used to drink.
Are you holding onto them?
Before I quit cold turkey over a year and a half ago, I would drink 2 Liters of Diet Soda a day.
WHAT THE WHAT?
Golly geeze. I would never have admitted that if my sole purpose wasn’t to grab your diet-soda-loving attention.
I felt horrible. I was always thirsty. I couldn’t lose any weight. I was tired All. The. Time.
I’d wake up and run to the kitchen to start my motor running with a glass of toxic waste. If I didn’t have any in the house, I’d drive to Sonic and get a Large drink… or two.
I was addicted.
What changed?
I did.
I didn’t want to be tired, thirsty, fat and miserable any more and giving up Diet Soda just seemed to be the first step.
Yes, I had some headaches. Yes, I had cravings. Yes, I stayed in bed for 2 days while my body went through withdrawals.
But I came out on the other side and haven’t looked back.
Let me tell you how I feel now.
I wake up energetic. I drink water all day and my thirst is quenched by it. I don’t crave caffeine ever.
I’m free.
And if you aren’t convinced by my personal story, I’ve compiled a few articles for you to peruse and make your own decision about your diet soda habit.
And those 100 reasons why no one should ever drink diet soda? Here they are….
Reasons 1-101: It’s not good for you.
The End.
But don’t take my word, read on:
7 side effects of drinking diet soda from MSN Healthy Living
Why is Diet Soda Bad For You? The Truth About Diet Drinks from Authority Nutrition
30 HEALTH REASONS NOT TO DRINK SODA OR DIET SODA from HCCUA
9 Disturbing Side Effects of Soda from Rodale News
7 Side Effects of Drinking Diet Soda from Prevention
6 Reasons To Never Drink Another Diet Soda from Prevention
10 Reasons To Stop Drinking Diet Soda from Daily Health Post
6 Reasons To NEVER Drink Another Diet Soda from Fab over Fifty {and no I’m not over 50…yet.}
Are you a diet soda drinker?
Are you still a diet soda drinker?
Instead of diet soda, try these 11 deliciously refreshing Sparkling Waters. They are so much better tasting and so much better for you!
I gave up regular Cokes about 2 weeks ago, and I went from drinking 2-3 a day to just 1 to none! And I am thankful that I haven’t had any more headache issues since then–not even withdrawal. You are right–so much more energy.
ha ha here I am reading this with my morning D.C.!!! I’ve been meaning to quit, now I will.
let me give you a really compelling reason…when I kicked my Diet DP habit of very long duration…I lost 19 lbs in 2 weeks. No kidding. All that sodium was just making me retain more water…and we all want to retain more water right? Plain ice tea and plain water caused my body to dump the bloat and I never looked back either. Now even a sip of a diet anything tastes so cloyingly sweet that I almost get sick. I did not have any caffeine withdrawal or headache and I did feel better. hats off to Coke and Pepsi and Dr Pepper for some really good marketing…but I sure felt better off that stuff and just think of all the money you will save. Even free it is too expensive!
Wowzers, Catherine! That is CRAZY! I lost weight, too, but not like that.
Toxic… that’s what it is. I’m so glad you kicked the habit and are doing so well! Yay!
My God son used to drink 2 a day.. he was having nosebleeds daily.. he went to many different docs trying to find out why.. he found a doc close to the canadian border that asked him if he drank diet sodas.. of course Rions reply was yes, 2 a day.. doc told him to stop immediately that s whats causing it.. and proceeded to tell him how that fake sugar was illegal in canada becuz of how dangerous it was and that the US wont outaw it cuz they make so much money using it.. mt godson stopped and within 2 days his nose bleeds stopped. I proceeded to read articles online about all the horrid problems people with having because of it.. Now i spread the word, but so many think well the US is selling it, it cant be dangerous.. WRONG , beware and research
Thx Gwen–just found your blog and love it. I was looking for motivating articles on quitting diet soda and yours is by far the best! I’ve been drinking almost 2 liters a day also (thanks for admitting it!) for almost thirty years and am in the process of quitting–I had given it up completely a few weeks ago, but then have had such terrible insomnia that I’ve slipped back into one a day, just to deal with having no sleep. But now I’m determined to quit it totally, for good. I’m wondering if my insomnia is just my body adjusting to no caffeine and figuring out how to sleep normally–this is a big change for me. And beneath the withdrawals and insomnia, I can actually feel more energy building up. Just need to get over the final hump. Thanks SO much for sharing your story–are you still “clean?” Do you think you could post an update? Really helps recovering addicts like myself! 🙂
I know how you feel, Jennifer!!! I used to drink the same amount. I’ve been clean for 2 years now. Yay! You can do it!
xoxo
Gwen