I think there is also a mental response. Diet soda is sickly sweet. Your train your mind and body that there should be a sickly sweet treat with each meal.
Don't drink any soda or juice for a few months, and you may be surprised how sickly sweet it is. I would spit out diet pepsi at this point.
Once you get your sense on track for a reasonable diet, I find it helps with making other good choices. Like ice cream... too sweet, easy to pass up. Whereas former fat me would eat it every night.
Can confirm. Now that I'm not used to having soda all the time, when I occasionally indulge my tolerance for the stuff is really low. 3-4 ounces and it's starting to gross me out. Sodas on the sweeter end of the spectrum (Pepsi, my old favorite Dr. Pepper) are entirely unappealing.
It's a triumph of marketing that having a big-ass glass of soda (free refills!) with most meals isn't seen as just as indulgent/gross as eating a couple big handfuls of candy or having a bowl of ice cream with every meal, when in fact it's probably _worse_, since at least chocolate & nuts or decent ice cream will have _some_ redeeming qualities (vitamins). Yet no-one's going to buy a tub of Ben & Jerry's every morning to have at their desk at work—they'd be too ashamed (maybe at home, but not among co-workers). A 32+ ounce cup of soda, though? Sure. Very common.
To anyone looking to kick the habit: I found that even _unflavored_ sparkling water or club soda just about totally eliminated any immediate desire to have a sugary soda. The carbonation bite was the main thing I craved, turns out, not so much the sweetness. These days I mostly drink plain water, but I went through tons of that stuff when I was quitting, and I think it was a big help.
I quit drinking coke zero on purpose for months at a time, and come back to it, just to appreciate it again. At no time have I ever thought it tastes sickly sweet.
Comments
I think there is also a mental response. Diet soda is sickly sweet. Your train your mind and body that there should be a sickly sweet treat with each meal.
Don't drink any soda or juice for a few months, and you may be surprised how sickly sweet it is. I would spit out diet pepsi at this point.
Once you get your sense on track for a reasonable diet, I find it helps with making other good choices. Like ice cream... too sweet, easy to pass up. Whereas former fat me would eat it every night.
Can confirm. Now that I'm not used to having soda all the time, when I occasionally indulge my tolerance for the stuff is really low. 3-4 ounces and it's starting to gross me out. Sodas on the sweeter end of the spectrum (Pepsi, my old favorite Dr. Pepper) are entirely unappealing.
It's a triumph of marketing that having a big-ass glass of soda (free refills!) with most meals isn't seen as just as indulgent/gross as eating a couple big handfuls of candy or having a bowl of ice cream with every meal, when in fact it's probably _worse_, since at least chocolate & nuts or decent ice cream will have _some_ redeeming qualities (vitamins). Yet no-one's going to buy a tub of Ben & Jerry's every morning to have at their desk at work—they'd be too ashamed (maybe at home, but not among co-workers). A 32+ ounce cup of soda, though? Sure. Very common.
To anyone looking to kick the habit: I found that even _unflavored_ sparkling water or club soda just about totally eliminated any immediate desire to have a sugary soda. The carbonation bite was the main thing I craved, turns out, not so much the sweetness. These days I mostly drink plain water, but I went through tons of that stuff when I was quitting, and I think it was a big help.
I quit drinking coke zero on purpose for months at a time, and come back to it, just to appreciate it again. At no time have I ever thought it tastes sickly sweet.
Of course, diet pepsi is another matter.