Everyday Systems

I'm completely on board with No S and Glass Cieling rules. No issues. The only rule I'm considering adding is one concerning diet soda consumption. Any diet I've every been on, I've felt deprived. Whatever diet I was on, however, I allowed myself unlimited diet soda. It was a little reward or treat. The problem was and is that I abuse it. It's all I'll drink sometimes. How have people handled this? I no it's not technically restricted but I need a rule of some sort. I either need to quit or impose a glass cieling for diet soda like I have for alcohol.

The real issue with food for me, like other things, is immediate gratification. Diet soda allows me this and I need to change this behavior.

Thoughts?

I think part of what's so valuable about this way of eating is that it re-trains us to delay gratification. So many people write about how they've come to appreciate having an appetite, and how they feel freed from mindless eating.

Would it be helpful to consider how un-food-like diet sodas are?

Jayhawk28 wrote:I'm completely on board with No S and Glass Cieling rules. No issues. The only rule I'm considering adding is one concerning diet soda consumption. Any diet I've every been on, I've felt deprived. Whatever diet I was on, however, I allowed myself unlimited diet soda. It was a little reward or treat. The problem was and is that I abuse it. It's all I'll drink sometimes. How have people handled this? I no it's not technically restricted but I need a rule of some sort. I either need to quit or impose a glass cieling for diet soda like I have for alcohol.

The real issue with food for me, like other things, is immediate gratification. Diet soda allows me this and I need to change this behavior.

Thoughts?

I drink a lot of Diet Coke. I hear it causes brain tumors though.

The main issue is immediate gratification. Still need to determine if systematic moderation will work with it or if I should just make an effort to give it up. I'm leaning towards the latter. I tried systematic moderation for a couple of days last week. My limit was two 12 oz cans. It was, however, all I thought about it seemed. I don't think that way about alcohol and glass cieling or even food. Because I percieved diet soda as calorie free, I think of it as guilt free immediate pleasure. It's not the diet soda, but the mindset I have about it that worries me.

It's not the diet soda, but the mindset I have about it that worries me.

I think you've hit on the key issue. Not to be totally tinfoil-hat-wearing paranoid or anything, but I really believe that the manufacturers of junk food knowingly formulate their products to be as addicting as possible.

Nobody's brain obsesses over broccoli!

I drink one or two diet sodas a day...caffeine free.

I know it is not the best choice, but I have other more pressing habits to manage.

You have to do what feels right for you. If it feels like it is a problem to you then it probably is.

Not to be totally tinfoil-hat-wearing paranoid or anything...

I've had a long day and that just completely cracked me up. Thanks - I needed that!

Tinfoil hats are cool. Possibly the best moment ever in a Mel Gibson film.

I used to do the same thing with diet pop. Every other time I've lost weight I would drink it daily as a "treat" I was allowed to have. Reinhard suggests making it an S, but I really would have a regular soda on an S day if that's what I want. I gave it up for a few months after I started the no s diet, but I've added a mod now. The way I deal with it is I allow myself to have only on Fridays, and only one. I kind of find sticking to no s on fridays difficult, because of the "woo hoo it's the weekend" feeling. Allowing myself a diet pop in the afternoon helps keep me on track. Also, I allow myself to have one sometimes if I'm eating out (which is less than once per month for me). I don't keep it in the house. If I have it on hand at all I can become addicted again quite easily (and I find it very addictive! More so than regular soda for some reason).
I also like to drink club soda or mineral water on a daily basis. It gives me the bubbly/calorie free feeling of diet pop without all of the chemicals.

Update: I gave up diet soda. I'm about 6 days in with my last one on Saturday this past week. I know that if I allow it, it will be a slippery slope. So, I drink water, tea and alcohol within the confines of glass cieling. It's the correct decision for me and I'm glad to put it on the permanent ban list. It's really the only food or drink item I'm doing that with. Everything else will fall into the guidelines of No S.

I really like DietCoke. SO, I drink it. 2 cans a day, sure not a problem.

Jayhawk28 wrote:Update: I gave up diet soda. I'm about 6 days in with my last one on Saturday this past week. I know that if I allow it, it will be a slippery slope. So, I drink water, tea and alcohol within the confines of glass cieling. It's the correct decision for me and I'm glad to put it on the permanent ban list. It's really the only food or drink item I'm doing that with. Everything else will fall into the guidelines of No S.

good for you.. that stuff is absolute poison..
keep it up!!

I will say that when I give up diet soda, I do look and feel better (and thinner). Supposedly the gasses in the soda cause bloating so if a person drinks a couple a day I guess they would always be a bit bloated.

It is a habit, like everything we do. I have been having a couple a day at work, just as something to break up the mid morning or mid afternoon. Think I will swear off again for a while. I also drink a lot of lemon/water, herbal teas and a LOT of water so I won't go thirsty.

I look at it like, it might not cause any harm, but it isn't anything I really need to have in my body either.

BTW, it's so much easier to get large doses of caffiene with diet soda. Significatnly less of the stuff in tea. Going through a bit of withdrawl.

Jayhawk28, I think I'll join you. I plan on dropping diet drinks this week. I think the artificial sweetener is giving me headaches...my kids already have that covered so the beverage has got to go.

Heidi

It's really not good for females. I gave up all diet sodas and artificial sweeteners in 2004 because of cystic breasts. I've seen a big difference! I'd rather have an unsweet tea or tea and a bit of sugar now.

I'm mostly a natural foods kind of person -- cook from scratch, eat a lot of fruits and veggies, oatmeal instead of cereal and all that smack.

I do drink the occasional diet soda and don't sweat it. However, the drink I have in the bottle beside me that I'm sipping on right now is water. I haven't had a diet soda since a rum and diet coke a couple of weeks ago at a party.

Because I do it rarely, I don't get tied in a knot about it.