Yes, another question on diet soda.

Can anyone give me any suggestions on how to quit the diet soda?? And for those who have quit, what was the experience like? Was it difficult, easier than expected? I should be having my surgery mid to lat January and I haven't stopped. In fact, knowing I have to stop this next month I've been drinking more. I've been drinking diet soda for 20 plus years, wondering how I am going to give it up but I AM going to give it up! I have no choice! 

I had been drinking diet sodas for more than 45 years and gave them up to have the surgery.  The best way is cold turkey, because you will HAVE to stay away from them after surgery, unless you want to feel the pain of the bubbles in your belly.  Just don't buy them, don't drink them, because you will be forced to do so very soon.

The bigger question is, why are you giving diet soda so much power over you?  It's just diet soda.  If you want to succeed at WLS then you have to get control over your food addiction.  If you give food so much power that it wins the battle and you give in to it, you will not be a successful WLS patient.

It does not matter if it is "harder or easier than expected" to quit.  It has to be done, so just do it. You need to make the commitment today and then STICK TO IT!   There will be a lot of temptations on your weight loss journey.  You can't let food dictate your actions.  You need to get your head in the right place.  You are in control of what you put in your mouth.  That diet soda has no control over you.

Stop over thinking this.  There are lots of other things you can drink.  Crystal Lite, Mio, SF Kool-Aid, herbal tea.... the list is endless. You will not be deprived.  You will find a new favorite drink that is healthy.

First of all, howdy neighbor! I think we're in the same region unless Dr Nease has moved away from Huntington. I saw him once before he specialized and his practice at SOMC was General Surgery, very nice man, a bit disappointed that his office and my insurance don't play together :)

I'm still pre-op too(in month 4 of my 6 required pre-op nutrition), going for VSG through Riverside in Columbus and hoping that it is approved for February since January is my 6th nut visit, and I was a Diet Pepsi junkie for decades.

2 years ago I gave up pop for reasons other than weightloss, but weightloss STILL HAPPENED because I gave up pop.

It was tough, and the method I used at the time probably won't work for you if your nutrition-plan is anything like mine(boo sugars), but this is what I did. I had nearly as much love for iced tea as I did for pop. So I ditched the pop and replaced it with iced tea-- with sugar in it. But I still missed the bubbles. So I decided I could have one fizzy drink per day, but it couldn't be Diet Pepsi. I tried regular pop, which was hideously sweet. Then I tried equal parts pop and plain carbonated soda. It was equally terrible. I drank one glass a day for about a week and it grossed me out so bad that I just didn't even want to mess with it anymore. It was enough for me to learn to equate pop with bad tasting fizzy stuff. 

The upshot, motivation-wise(aside from being on plan for your surgery): I lost 25 pounds in about 4 months without doing anything but give up pop. I replaced sugar-free pop with sugary tea for goodness sake, and I lost 25 pounds. My nutritionist can't figure out why that worked that way, but that's what happened. I'm pretty convinced now that pop is evil :/ Also, after you've been off the stuff for a while and maybe try to taste it again? It tastes horrid.

Since we seem to be twins in other ways(coincidentally), is there any way you can learn to equate pop with badness? I mean, other than that story about 25 pounds falling off me because I stopped drinking it :)

Other than that, do you respond better to incremental change or drastic immediate change? I do better with small steps, which is probably why that failed-substitute-pop-plan worked for me. If you're someone *****sponds best to drastic changes, then cold turkey may be for you. If you're more responsive to incremental changes, then find some way to step it down and phase it out rather than just giving it up.

Fingers crossed for you!

You need to stop the soda completely and you know it. You rule your brain and body! I looked at it like do I live? or do I let it help me to die? Straight up honest! Don't allow them back in your house. You can do this! Now put your foot down and start kicking!

How about crystal light or non-carbonated flavored water?  Tea?  Iced coffee?

I did give it up cold turkey.   But, I also didn't have that big of addiction to it.  I have friends that drink 5-6 12 oz cans a day or 2 or 3 of the Big Gulp type drinks.  I know your pain if that is the issue.  I typically only drank 1-2 12 oz cans a day.  One at lunch and maybe a shared can with my wife in the evening.  I don't miss it a bit now after 9 months!  No beer either from that standpoint.  I do have my wine as that is not carbonated and I just have that as a treat now and then and if I am in a social situation.

You will be pleasantly surprised, following surgery, what really isn't very appealing any more.  Give the diet pop up now and it will go well afterwards.

I drank 3 or more diet cokes a day. Once I started thinking about the surgery I would alternate club soda and diet coke. I had my surgery on 10-12 and on 10-10 had my last soda. With having to drink a lot of water and paying attention to what and how much I eat, diet soda was the last thing on my mind. I actually spent several afternoons hanging out and am fine just drinking the water.

From my own experience, I think the desire for diet soda is directly linked to diet. Pre-surgery, when I ate very salty, highly processed foods (including proteins), I craved diet Pepsi. Post-surgery, with the huge decrease of food portion sizes, plus a decision to decrease salt in my food, has all but eliminated that craving. Diet soda now tastes like the chemical crap that it is. Try reducing the salt in your diet while trying healthier alternates to diet soda and see if that helps.

psychoticparrot

cold turkey. It's the only way.