Diet Coke addicts- come in!

mkanderson85

Diet coke addicts:  Are you giving it up all together or are you just cutting back to one serving a day?  I've been trying to give it up for a while now, but I've had sooo much trouble.  I get headaches, but more importantly, I just WANT one, damnit!  My doctor says that it is fine to keep with one serving a day, but I'd like to quit if I could find a good way to.  I either drink water or Diet Coke; I don't really care for a lot of other beverages.  I tried to intake NO artificial sweetner during my last pregnancy and that was so hard! 

If you quit (not necessarily because of your pregnancy, but because of anything) how'd you do it? 

jolibebe

I quit cold turkey my last pregnancy for all caffeinated drinks.  It sucked.  This year I switched to caffeine free coke.  Tastes like a real coke to me but it does have the calories that diet coke obviously doesn't have.

brookemarie1025

I certainly did not give it up for DS or this one! My doc says recent research indicates you can have 2 cups of coffee a day and up to 6 cups of caffeinated sodas :0) I don't drink 6 cups in a day even when I', not pregnant but it might make you feel better to know you have a little lee way :0)

Kie310

I drink 2-3 cans of Diet Dr Pepper a day.

AMossy

I just cut down.  I would have one or two diet cokes and then I started substituting caffeine free diet coke.  I never gave up on it but just made sure I was drinking a lot of water daily.

shesthetoast

I quit Diet Coke. It isn't so much the caffeine that concerns me as it is the artificial sweeteners. (Which is probably illogical considering how much I drank on a daily basis before becoming PG, but oh well.)

I did half-caf coffee and regular coke for awhile to wean off the caffeine, and I've been drinking an occasional coke (which just doesn't taste as good!) or flavored sparkling water instead.

mkanderson85

shesthetoast:

I quit Diet Coke. It isn't so much the caffeine that concerns me as it is the artificial sweeteners. (Which is probably illogical considering how much I drank on a daily basis before becoming PG, but oh well.)

I did half-caf coffee and regular coke for awhile to wean off the caffeine, and I've been drinking an occasional coke (which just doesn't taste as good!) or flavored sparkling water instead.

That's my deal, too- not so much the caffiene, but the artificial sweetener. 

DachsieMama123

I drink a 20-oz Cherry Coke Zero every morning.  It has about 60mg of caffeine (far less than the daily recommended limit of 200mg/day).  I tried at first to go without it, but I was completely unable to function without any caffeine.  After that one in the morning, I drink water for the rest of the day.

jnthurston

I have been drinking diet coke - with no caffeine. I dont notice a difference...

Rynleigh

There is zero, literally zero, evidence for any hazard or harm coming from artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas unless you have phenylketonuria (in which case, you also cannot eat things like meat, eggs, and nuts). The risks from drinking a diet soda during pregnancy are 1) Caffeine overload if you drink too much, 2) Tricking your body into not drinking enough water, or 3) Throwing off your pH balance and eroding your tooth enamel. Drinking 1-2 cans of diet coke a day (assuming you don't drink coffee) is not a risk to pregnancy or a growing fetus.

happy_un-bride

I quit cold turkey... trying to eliminate caffeine and artificial sweeteners from my diet completely.  Its been over a month and I'vew been successful.  That's actually what keeps me going... don't want to throw the month out the window!

northshore25

I quit all pop and coffee when I was pregnant with DS. It was brutal. I also tried to avoid while breastfeeding. Well, DS decided not to sleep for 15 months so I started to add coffee back in to my diet. WIth this pregnancy I am having 1 cup of coffee a day and I am loving it. I am so much happier with it!

ally2011

They sell a soda at Whole Foods called Zevia that is pretty good and zero calories.  There are a lot of flavors to try, including plain cola.  You might could try that and see if it gives you your fix.  They are sweetened with stevia I think.

SparkleK

I'm trying to limit myself to 1-2/week.  This was before I was pregnant too.  I was not drinking enough water when I had diet coke everyday, so now I'm trying to focus on drinking more water.

I also still have a cup of coffee in the morning.  I can't start my day without it and am not concerned about caffene during pregnancy.

ally2011

I gave up diet coke for the most part awhile back b/c of a lot of research around the caramel color being linked possibly to cancer.  Here is one article.  It is still being debated, but I have read enough negative pub about sodas in general to be mostly turned off...and I used to LOVE it.

https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57391560-10391704/chemical-found-in-cola-causes-cancer-watchdog-warns-what-does-fda-say/ 

ally2011

All of that said, my hypocritical self will be trying a real Coke soon to settle m/s if it does not improve....I am out of ideas and just read that can help.  I will try anything.

Jimsgirl5821

I have Diet Coke everyday. Everything I have read says the artificial sweetener in it is safe for pregnancy. I only have a glass with lunch and maybe with dinner. I don't drink coffee or tea or anything, so I don't worry about overdoing it with caffeine. Just make sure you drink water too

javagrl

When not pregnant, I drink 2-3 cans of Diet Coke a day.  It is probably the thing I miss the most in pregnancy.  I gave it up cold turkey- I am not drinking any caffeine or any artificial sweeteners.  I know that is extreme, but my husband has a huge thing with artificial sweeteners even normally, and so I am basically doing that for him.  As for the caffeine thing, it's just easier for me to go without than do one a day.  When I first found out I was pregnant I did switch to half-caff coffee for a week or so and then quit all together.  It is hard but after the first two weeks or so I have felt fine.  I have found a few things I like- sparkling waters such as Mendota Springs that do not have any artificial ingredients, sparkling cranberry juice (chadwick bay is the brand), lemonade, ginger ale, and of course lots of just plain water too.  I will be very excited to crack open a diet coke once the baby comes.  Good luck!

buggirl72

ally2011:

All of that said, my hypocritical self will be trying a real Coke soon to settle m/s if it does not improve....I am out of ideas and just read that can help.  I will try anything.

I was a big time coke zero drinking before getting pregnant (I would stop and get a 44 oz on my way to school/work every morning). It honestly stopped sounding good which made it easier to quit.  My DH then did some reading about aspartame and possible risks and asked me to stay away from diet drinks because of that - the irony on that is he is a complete diet coke addict and is supposed to be dropping his sodium intake.

As far as real coke and m/s - it worked for me.  I bought a pack of the little 8 oz cans and would drink maybe half of one (as I said, soda stopped tasting good). 

I don't plan on going back to drinking soda after the baby. I'm not craving it or missing it so I do not want to introduce it back into my diet.

mkanderson85

buggirl72:

ally2011:

All of that said, my hypocritical self will be trying a real Coke soon to settle m/s if it does not improve....I am out of ideas and just read that can help.  I will try anything.

I was a big time coke zero drinking before getting pregnant (I would stop and get a 44 oz on my way to school/work every morning). It honestly stopped sounding good which made it easier to quit.  My DH then did some reading about aspartame and possible risks and asked me to stay away from diet drinks because of that - the irony on that is he is a complete diet coke addict and is supposed to be dropping his sodium intake.

As far as real coke and m/s - it worked for me.  I bought a pack of the little 8 oz cans and would drink maybe half of one (as I said, soda stopped tasting good). 

I don't plan on going back to drinking soda after the baby. I'm not craving it or missing it so I do not want to introduce it back into my diet.

I'd love to take the chance to cut it out of my diet for good.  When I was pregnant with DD, I quit, but the second I quit BFing, I started drinking HUGE diet cokes and was just crazy for it.  Ive been drinking more and more since then.  I want to quit completely to the point where we never even have it in the house.  DD calls it "mama's juice."

purplepeanut6

jolibebe:

I quit cold turkey my last pregnancy for all caffeinated drinks.  It sucked.  This year I switched to caffeine free coke.  Tastes like a real coke to me but it does have the calories that diet coke obviously doesn't have.

thats what I did too 

Shayliz

I switch between diet and regular pop but cut back my intake. 

PandasMama0626

I quit cold turkey with my first pregnancy. This time I find I'm actually craving it (I'm a pepsi girl..). I tried to switch to regular pepsi but the taste the sugar left in my mouth was so gross it made me want to gag. I give in with 1 glass that I nurse in the afternoons a couple times a week. The only reason I drink it still is sometimes its the only thing that actually helps my nausea. But one I hit my 2nd tri and my tummy feels better, I will cut back to one glass a week. I'd love to kick it all together, but its my treat at this point.

MrsPandolph

i get headaches as well but I no longer need one a day  I drink one every now and then but I have been drinking iced tea more than usual and it is caffeinated too

laurakaz13

I drank one caffeinated drink (diet coke, coffee) per day the entire pregnancy. A diet coke has about 40 m.g. of caffeine, and we can have 200-300 m.g. per day. 

At least this is what every OB I've ever spoken to has said about caffeine during pregnancy. 

Soxgirl07

I was a huge addict - at least 2 cans a day for many years. I gave it up (I think cold turkey, I don't really remember) when I was training for a marathon a few years ago. After that I figured I would just stay off because we were TTC. Then I was nursing. Every once in awhile, I'll have one and I just don't like it anymore. i don't think I have any good advice for kicking the habit, but I do have to say that, at least for me, once it was out of my system, it's never really been the same.

mamasmurf12

Kie310:

I drink 2-3 cans of Diet Dr Pepper a day.

THIS! I started drinking half-caff in the morning so I don't feel bad if I decide to get a fountain DDP at Sonic Happy Hour. I can't have wine, and DDP is my second favorite dangit. I do try to up my water intake when I know I'm gonna have more than one DDP or iced tea b/c I know I will feel bloated and dehydrated afterwards when I don't. For the first few weeks of this pregnancy, my nausea turned me off of DDP and made me crave water. Now I'm having to force down water and watch my DDP intake again (I refilled my 20 oz fountain twice out of habit at dinner the other night and felt SOOO guilty afterwards). And I don't worry about artificial sweetener...the only one I've heard you should completely avoid is saccharin (blech anyways)!

Mmmmm...now I really want a Sonic DDP.....  

njgal26

Diet coke and diet dr. pepper addict here! I used to drink a cup of coffee in the morning and about 2-3 cans of soda during lunchtime but now I only allow myself either one cup of coffee or one can of soda a day.