iced tea drinkers?

I am having a fit here. I LOVE iced tea. And when I drink it with sugar, its all good.  But I've been trying to get myself ready for this surgery and change my habits. But I cannot drink tea with splenda, equal, etc.  It has to be the way I'm making it.  How do you all make your tea and how much splenda do you use, etc? When I take a drink of this -crap- well, tea. I want to gag. Please help!!!

HEY BOBBIE,         I CAN TOTALLY RELATE. BEFORE I HAD SURGERY I WAS ALL BUT HOOKED UP TO AN IV WITH SWEET TEA ALL DAY LONG AND ABSOLUTELY WAS HOOKED ON IT. HAVE BEEN ALL MY LIFE... BUT AFTER SURGERY I NEVER AGAIN DRANK IT. I JUST DONT HAVE THE SAME TASTE BUDS THAT I USED TO I GUESS AFTER WLS... SAME GOES FOR COKES OR ANYTHING CARBONATED... SO MAYBE YOU WILL BE LUCKY AND BE LIKE THAT BUT I DOUBT IT. I WAS JUST A WACKY ONE LOL.... ALOT OF PEOPLE I TALK TO STILL ENJOY THERE TEA BUT JUST MAKE DO WITH ARTIFICAL SWEETNERS... SO WISH I COULD HELP YOU MORE... I JUST STICK TO FLAVORED WATER ALL DAY AND MY FULL STRENGTH COFFEE TWICE A DAY. I KNOW THATS A NONO BUT YES IM A SINNER... BUT FOR NOW MY ONLY SIN LOL... HUGS MARGE

Hi Marge!!!  Thanks for the reply.  I can only HOPE that after surgery I dislike the taste of Iced tea. I am so strung out on the stuff. Oh dear, I sound like a junkie!  This splenda stuff...I'm just not a fan. Now I can use it in my cereal, etc. But not for my tea. Maybe someone will reply who knows the perfect way to make it using splenda! Talk to ya later, Marge!!

My Dr took me off of caffine. So my alternative is Crystal Light Peach Tea. It doesn't have the caffine like regular tea does and it tastes so good......... And only 5 calories per 8 ozs.

Hi Bobbie :) I have always been a non sugar eater. I am a pre packaged iced tea conessuire ;) I have found some brands of pre packaged diet iced tea are simply tooo weak and all you can taste is the artifical sweetner and a watery flavour. I personally love Crystal Light Iced tea. I have to have the kind that makes a pitcher full. The CL individual iced teas are much weaker. Its even a different color.  You do get used to artificial sweeteners over time. It will happen :) Good luck on surgery :) PK

Hi Bobbie: I want to tell you first off Way to go on trying to prepare for surgery. I am doing that too. lol. I used to drinin****d tea with tons of sugar. I love it witout sugar now. How I did it was put a tiny bit less sugar in every week or every couple of days until my taste buds aclamated to the taste. Now, I don't care for it with sugar in it. Hopefully that will work for you too. I also switched to decafinated tea which I like just as well. Good luck. Blessings, Annie

I am a major hot and iced tea drinker, of every kind of tea imaginable.  I don't drink coffee but I don't think I'm going to completely be able to quit caffineated black tea.  Trying to get used to herbal teas cold but not too excited about it.  Anyway, I am fortunate in that I don't mind tea sweetened, but prefer it unsweeted.  I can totally understand the hate for artificial sweeteners!  Yuck!  Have you tried stevia?  Its a naturally sweet herb and the extract isn't bad, but its sometimes pricey.  I don't know how it is with tea, but I've used it for a few years in other things and like it a LOT more than splenda!   Also, maybe you could try a flavored tea bag.  Peach or raspberry, or blackberry yum!  There used to be an amazing Fuji apple tea on the market that made an excellent iced tea but I haven't had luck finding it lately.  I think I'll do a search.  Maybe then you wouldn't miss the sugar so much.  Also, I think the better the tea quality the less sweetener it needs because there are other flavors that come through to enjoy.  Good luck! Jenn

Just FYI that apple tea I love so much is from David Rio and I bought some online today because I can't find it here anymore.

Thanks for all the replies!! I'm gonna take all your advice and I will let you know how it goes! Thanks!

I drink Crystal Light Decaff Iced Tea. It has to be super cold, but it truly is refreshing and doesn't have that "artificial taste".  Another tea I adore is Constant Comment Orange Spice tea that you make from teabags, but that requires using Equal or Splenda (which I don't mind) Hope you get an answer that helps you.  Jeanine