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[Hurricane_Chris]

So since April of 2004 I've been working out pretty hardcore, strictly watching what I eat and what I drink, and keeping accurate digital records of various statistics for reference (caloric intake, per day, caloric consumption, weight, body fat, etc)

As part of this routine I cut soda and other drinks filled with sugar out of my diet. In December of 2004, however, I started allowing myself to drink Diet Coke. It's readily available everywhere and I eventually got used to the after taste. I started to notice that I was drinking 3-4 500ml bottles of the stuff a day at one point and eventually felt very uncomfortable if I didn't get at least that amount per day. Of course this could be the caffeine that Diet Coke contains making me feel bad, but I dont think so because I was weaning myself off of the caffeine addiction by drinking a slowly diminishing amount of black coffee per day.

ANyways, for the whole month of February so far I haven't had a single diet coke or coffee and I feel fine.

Thinking back to my 2 month long encounter with Diet Coke and my quickly acquired addiction I started reading about it. There seems to be a lot of discussion about aspartame and it's "dangerous" qualities.

I can't find any definitive info going either way about Diet Coke and aspartame...Many point to the fact that it's FDA approved and approved in many foreign countries as well...However, I'm not sure that just because something's approved that its safe.

So I have a few questions:

1. Has anyone else who had no previous addiction to normal Coke or any other soft drink become addicted to Diet Coke and "required" a certain amount per day?
2. After stopping drinking Diet Coke did anyone feel really bad withdrawal symptoms?
3. Has anyone suffered from any of the problems that people claim aspartame causes while drinking Diet Coke only to have those problems clear up after stopping consumption of Diet Coke?
4. I've decided to just drink water with the occasional alcoholic beverage thrown in here and there -- what do you guys who work out and watch what you eat/drink do about drinks? For me occasionally water gets boring....

 

[Willco]

It's probably the caffeine in the Diet Coke. I've just had a recently similiar problem.

 

[Saturnman]

There's caffeine-free cola, yes, even with diet colas.

 

[Hurricane_Chris]

There's caffeine-free cola, yes, even with diet colas.

I've never seen a caffeine free version of a drink with actual caffeine in it in Japan. All of the drinks here are either "Normal version" or "Calorie Zero". If the normal version has no caffeine then there's that, although noncaffeine sodas like Sprite are not so frequently found (at least in Tokyo)...

C2 seems to be one of the few bevereges that's not normal drink or calorie zero version.

 

[Phoenix]

If you're drinking caffeine free, calorie free, sugar free, diet cola - you might as well drink water or sewage.

 

[Gorgie]

Aspartame contains phenypheline (sic) which converts in your body into methanol, not ethanol like in alchohol.

This 'wood alchohol' then coverted in your body into two things, formic acid (bad for you) and formalhyde (also bad, use to perserve dead people). As far as I understand in the aspartame debate, it's revolving whether the amount produced is in any way dangerous. Not if it happens.

I think your only course of action is to start drinking sugar drinks again, try natural sugar alternives like stevia (a reallly sweet herb), or stick to water. I know for me, I'm not taking my changes with these fake sugars.

 

[Phoenix]

I think your only course of action is to start drinking sugar drinks again, try natural sugar alternives like stevia (a reallly sweet herb), or stick to water. I know for me, I'm not taking my changes with these fake sugars.

Indeed. Unless you're a diabetic, drinking drinks with sugar in them coupled with a reasonable amount of getting off ones ass is more than enough to ensure a healthy lifestyle. The human body NEEDS to be excercised.

 

[Saurus]

http://aspartamekills.com/

Interesting site...

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

http://aspartamekills.com/

Interesting site...

hahaha

 

[Miburou]

If you're drinking caffeine free, calorie free, sugar free, diet cola - you might as well drink water or sewage.

What? I drink diet Pepsi for the taste.

 

[LakeEarth]

I drink diet stuff all the time and I'm fine. Though just in case I try to limit myself to 2 cans a day, 3 max.

What? I drink diet Pepsi for the taste.

I know, the damn stuff is GOOD. Damn good.

 

[Fatghost]

I had a heavy diet coke habit (sometimes as much as a case of 24 cans a day).

I've quit for a week now, and the first few days I had terrible withdrawal, even though I was chugging coffee and tea to keep caffinated.

I had headaches, cotton mouth, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and loss of appetite until about the fourth day.

 

[TheDuce22]

Wow, I dont understand how people do it. Diet soda tastes like garbage.

 

[Fowler]

24 CANS A DAY?!?!

 

[Saturnman]

Wow, I dont understand how people do it. Diet soda tastes like garbage.

It's an acquired taste actually. I couldn't stand it at first, but I somehow got used to it and it's now regular colas that tastes awful.

 

[DJ Sl4m]

If you have a reaction to it, then yea it probably is dangerous.

It gives me extreme migraine when I consume it, I imagine if I kept drinking it and got used to it's affects, my body would react to it in a new way or even worse a long term reaction with serious consequences.

Some peoples body simply doesn't like to digest it.

 

[Fatghost]

24 CANS A DAY?!?!

Yeah. I spend a lot of time commuting so I keep a case in the back seat of my car. On some heavy days, I'd polish off a case in a day.

 

[sefskillz]

It's an acquired taste actually. I couldn't stand it at first, but I somehow got used to it and it's now regular colas that tastes awful.

Same. Aspartame is bad news all around... I still quite a bit of diet coke though.

 

[SteveMeister]

Indeed. Unless you're a diabetic, drinking drinks with sugar in them coupled with a reasonable amount of getting off ones ass is more than enough to ensure a healthy lifestyle. The human body NEEDS to be excercised.

Exercise is a must, for sure. But sugared drinks are empty calories. Best to avoid them completely if you're trying to lose weight & burn fat.

 

[ElyrionX]

I don't know how the fuck someone can consume 24 cans of diet coke a day. Seriously, I doubt I even drink that much water a day....

 

[BigGreenMat]

Aspartame is really bad and is known to cause very bad reactions in people like stomach cramps and headaches and such.

 

[SpoonyBard]

Sugar is really bad and is known to cause very bad reactions in people like diabetes and obesity and such.

 

[SickBoy]

I can't imagine 24 cans in a day, but look up almost anything that's not 100% natural and you'll find a chunk of online fearmongering:

Splenda: http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_dangers.htm
Aspartame: http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html

At the very least, here's the response to some of the aspartame stuff: http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartame.asp

In the end, I do wonder if these products are approved before their time and before we know all there is to know, but you'd figure with the widespread nature of aspartame in particular, we'd have an epidemic on our hands if it was as dangerous as some people say. That said, it's my understanding that aspartame was pretty intensely tested before it won FDA approval.

 

[IgeL]

Diet stuff isn't that bad... but yeah it takes getting used to. I became diabetic a year ago, so the circumstances sort of forced me to start drinking diet cokes. I started to like the taste after a while. Sprite Zero is great, tastes almost the same as regular Sprite.

(I don't drink that much, probably one 1500 ml bottle a week or so.)

 

[slayn]

I drink diet coke all the time but I don't have an addiction to it or anything. We are often lazy about going to the store so I'll go a week or so without it simply because there isn't any and I don't mind. I just happen to realy like the taste. Health aspects aside, diet coke is one of my favorite sodas and tastes far better than regular coke.

 

[Nightbreeze]

A couple months ago I switched from normal pepsi to diet. At first it took come getting used to but now I actually prefer the taste of diet over the normal one. I've noticed I have lost abit of weight since then, and I feel good so I'm not complaining.

 

[Jeffahn]

I avoid artificial sweetners like the plague. They are all heavily linked to neurological disorders like Alzheimers and Parkinson's. If you need sweetness you just need to make the right substitutes:

brown sugar/honey in your coffee/tea

fruit/veggies instead of sweets

fruit juices/water instead of fizzy drinks

...

 

[AstroLad]

Looks like that hoax e-mail worked pretty well.

 

[demon]

I avoid artificial sweetners like the plague. They are all heavily linked to neurological disorders like Alzheimers and Parkinson's....

What kind of artificial sweeteners are we talking about here? Does that include stuff like sugar substitutes like sweet'n'low or whatever it's called?

 

[Error Macro]

2. After stopping drinking Diet Coke did anyone feel really bad withdrawal symptoms?

Not with Diet Coke, but with every other caffeinated drink... HELL YES I HAD WITHDRAWLS. How about when I finally stopped drinking caffeine altogether last year, and this was about the second time in my life when I quit, I had migraine headaches that lasted all day, for a week and a half. I'm not kidding. I wanted to die. But I refused to drink anymore caffeine if that's what a powerful grip it had on my body.

I noticed, after my first divorce from caffeine, and when I started drinking it again for the first time, I felt severely stressed out. I had a anxious feeling in my chest, and at times my heart would palpitate. Scared me. Then when my body got adjusted to it, those things stopped. But it made me think; just what in the hell is going on there? Let's see how long I can do without it this time around. It's been about five months or so, I think.

 

[radioheadrule83]

I'm not sure about diet cokes myself. Sugar free gums use Aspartame too.

There's actually a lot of scientifically undocumented mythos circulating the internet suggesting that there are links to MS and other diseases. Meaning Multiple Sclerosis, not the people who make the Xbox. It's ALL myth though. There's no real evidence to suggest it's unsafe. Hence it's approved.

As for caffeine. I have had a caffeine addiction I think, but I've shaken it off recently. First I went onto Diet Coke / Pepsi Max, then I replaced cokes with the likes of Red Bull and other energy drinks. I used to go through litres of coke a week. Now more than anything I just drink water. As long as someone else in the house isn't buying it, I'm not buying it or drinking it myself. I still love it, but I dunno -- it makes my skin go all freaky, and it backstains your teeth. Nasty.

 

[Pachinko]

I really like the taste of suger but aspartame tastes awful. It almost tastes like soap actually, despite that I dont' mind the occasional diet pepsi but diet coke just doesn't do anything for me. Regular coke, however. Love that stuff.

 

[Jeffahn]

What kind of artificial sweeteners are we talking about here? Does that include stuff like sugar substitutes like sweet'n'low or whatever it's called?

They all basically operate the same way; mimicing the way natural sugar behaves in the body, but having generally negative consequences due to being synthetic. In terms of general diet, it's best to stick to what's natural as far as possible. If you crave sugar then switch to less refined versions, fruit sugars and honey.

...

 

[radioheadrule83]

The most shocking thing you'll read about Aspartame is about the metabolite formaldehyde. You mighta heard of that. So even if the link to MS and other diseases is myth, aspartame could still be dangerous. In fact, it most probably is. It's madness really.

So like people are saying: probably best to stay away from sweetners.

 

[DJ Sl4m]

Sugar is really bad and is known to cause very bad reactions in people like diabetes and obesity and such.

Sugar isn't the evil in this scenario, it's the lack of discipline, bad timing, and diabetes.
Sugars can be Extremely benficial if you know how/when to consume them.

 

[demon]

They all basically operate the same way; mimicing the way natural sugar behaves in the body, but having generally negative consequences due to being synthetic. In terms of general diet, it's best to stick to what's natural as far as possible. If you crave sugar then switch to less refined versions, fruit sugars and honey.

...

Well the thing is, for example, lately I've been getting Smucker's sugar-free jelly. But then I noticed that the jar says it's "sweetened with Nutrasweet", so does this mean that the sugar-free jelly is in actuality worse for me than the regular?

 

[DJ Sl4m]

Well the thing is, for example, lately I've been getting Smucker's sugar-free jelly. But then I noticed that the jar says it's "sweetened with Nutrasweet", so does this mean that the sugar-free jelly is in actuality worse for me than the regular?

That's still debatable, but all signs point to real sugar being more safe than all of the artificial sweeteners.

 

[mightynine]

Wow, I dont understand how people do it. Diet soda tastes like garbage.

If you're diabetic like myself, you don't really have much a choice.

24 cans in a day though...that's too damned much. I drank four cans of Diet MD:Code Red in one sitting and I thought I was crazy.

 

[AstroLad]

If you're diabetic like myself, you don't really have much a choice.

24 cans in a day though...that's too damned much. I drank four cans of Diet MD:Code Red in one sitting and I thought I was crazy.

IAWTP, are you type 1 (ME AM)?

 

[TheDuce22]

If you're diabetic like myself, you don't really have much a choice.

You could just not drink soda. You would be alot better off.

 

[All Hail C-Webb]

When I was 15 I started drinking a 2 litre bottle of diet coke everyday. I eventually got it up to 2 bottles a day, and did that till I was 18. In addition, I had a slight problem with Vicodin, and that stayed with me for about a year.

Now I can no longer drink any soda or take any vicodins (or similair pills). If I put a Vicodin near my mouth I have a gag reflex, and can throw up if I keep it there long enough. I don't drink soda anymore either. It now tastes horrible to me (I used to love it), and after just a few sips my stomach begins to hurt, and I feel like I will have acid reflux. My stomach region bothers me in one way or another at least 3 times a week, and I'm sure at least some of it has to do with all the soda I was drinking.

 

[AstroLad]

You could just not drink soda. You would be alot better off.

Well I don't think he was being literal. But diet soda does help get rid of basically any sugar craving, and also if you're on a highly-limited carb diet like myself, any carb cravings period. I'd like to meet the man who can eat like I do while avoiding all artificial sweeteners and stay sane, for he is a better man than I.

 

[demon]

I don't understand how some people use sodas as their main source of liquid intake. That shit is like acid in my mouth. I very rarely drink anything but water nowadays (oh, and the "occassional" booze), and it's AWESOME. Water is AWESOME. And BORING. BORING IS AWESOME.....oh god I want an orange soda right now....

 

[AstroLad]

I don't understand how some people use sodas as their main source of liquid intake. That shit is like acid in my mouth. I very rarely drink anything but water nowadays (oh, and the "occassional" booze), and it's AWESOME. Water is AWESOME. And BORING. BORING IS AWESOME.....oh god I want an orange soda right now....

:lol

I am pretty good about drinking water too; I just have a 32 oz. bottle and make sure to drink at least 2 a day. I can get pretty heavy on the soda drinking, especially if I'm working late or have a craving, but I don't reduce my water intake. That being said "water" people (and this is not referring to you, of course) are almost as annoying as "I don't have a TV" people. OK WE FUCKING GET IT YOU DRINK WATER AND YOU LOVE IT AND EVERYONE ELSE IS STUPID. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BRING UP WHAT THE ONLY THING YOU DRINK IS A FEW MORE TIMES?

Edit- Onion Article About "I don't have a TV" people:

the Onion
Volume 39 Issue 24
25 June 2003

Area Man Constantly Mentioning
He Doesn't Own A Television

CHAPEL HILL, NC

Area resident Jonathan Green does not own a television, a fact he repeatedly points out to friends, family, and coworkers as well as to his mailman, neighborhood convenience-store clerks, and the man who cleans the hallways in his apartment building.

Above: Jonathan Green, who tells as many people as possible that he is "fully weaned off the glass teat."

"I, personally, would rather spend my time doing something useful than watch television," Green told a random woman Monday at the Suds 'N' Duds Laundromat, noticing the establishment's wall-mounted TV. "I don't even own one."

According to Melinda Elkins, a coworker of Green's at The Frame Job, a Chapel Hill picture-frame shop, Green steers the conversation toward television whenever possible, just so he can mention not owning one.

"A few days ago, [store manager] Annette [Haig] was saying her new contacts were bothering her," Elkins said. "The second she said that, I knew Jonathan would pounce. He was like, 'I didn't know you had contacts, Annette. Are your eyes bad? That's a shame. I'm really lucky to have almost perfect visionI need reading glasses, but that's it. I'm guessing it's because I don't watch TV. In fact, I don't even own one."

According to Elkins, "idiot box" is Green's favorite derogatory term for television.

"He uses that one a lot," she said. "But he's got other ones, too, like 'boob tube' and 'electronic babysitter.'"

Elkins said Green always makes sure to read the copies of Entertainment Weekly and People lying around the shop's breakroom, "just so he can point out all the stars and shows he's never heard of."

"Last week, in one of the magazines, there was a picture of Calista Flockhart," Elkins said, "and Jonathan announced, 'I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. Calista who? Am I supposed to have heard of her? I'm sorry, but I haven't.'"

Tony Gerela, who lives in the apartment directly below Green's and occasionally chats with the 37-year-old by the mailboxes, is well aware of his neighbor's disdain for television.

"About a week after I met him, we were talking, and I made some kind of Simpsons reference," Gerela said. "He asked me what I was talking about, and when I told him it was from a TV show, he just went off, saying how the last show he watched was some episode of Cheers, and even then, he could only watch for about two minutes before having to shut it off because it insulted his intelligence so terribly."

Added Gerela: "Once, I made the mistake of saying I saw something on the news, and he started in with, 'Saw the news? I don't know about you, but I read the news."

Green has lived without television since 1989, when his then-girlfriend moved out and took her set with her.

"When Claudia went, the TV went with her," Green said. "But instead of just going out and buying another one, which I certainly could have afforded, that wasn't the issue, I decided to stand up to the glass teat."

"I'm not an elitist," Green said. "It's just that I'd much rather sculpt or write in my journal or read Proust than sit there passively staring at some phosphorescent screen."

"If I need a fix of passive audio-visual stimulation, I'll go to catch a Bergman or Truffaut film down at the university," Green said. "I certainly wouldn't waste my time watching the so-called Learning Channel or, God forbid, any of the mind sewage the major networks pump out."

Continued Green: "People don't realize just how much time their TV-watching habitor, shall I say, addiction eats up. Four hours of television a day, over the course of a month, adds up to 120 hours. That's five entire days! Why not spend that time living your own life, instead of watching fictional people live theirs? I can't begin to tell you how happy I am not to own a television."

 

[DJ Sl4m]

You could just not drink soda. You would be alot better off.

Water really is the better choice, I only drink coke with lunch, and that's only because usually all I have time for is a quick fast food meal.

Of course I know it's easier said than done for most people once it's in their daily diet.

 

[TheDuce22]

Im a water person... Seriously though, if you quit drinking soda for a couple months you wont miss it.

 

[Space Age Playboy]

IAWTP. Just give the stuff up and eventually you'll not only not miss it, you'll be glad you don't drink it anymore. Water or a delicious caffeine free tea hits the spot better anyway!

 

[LakeEarth]

Im a water person... Seriously though, if you quit drinking soda for a couple months you wont miss it.

I'd do that, but after a bottle of water I tend to have to pee like once every half hour.

 

[DJ Sl4m]

I'd do that, but after a bottle of water I tend to have to pee like once every half hour.

Mainly because it doesn't put as much stress on your kidneys.

Has anyone here ever seen what placing a pulled tooth does in a cup of coke ?
Let's just say it's eaten away very quickly, not hydrochloric acid quickly, but in less that a week.

 

[SpoonyBard]

Mainly because it doesn't put as much stress on your kidneys.

Has anyone here ever seen what placing a pulled tooth does in a cup of coke ?
Let's just say it's eaten away very quickly, not hydrochloric acid quickly, but in less that a week.

Hi!
http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/tooth.asp