Can Diet Soda Make Your Legs Hurt

by Kerry Acker

on 08/22/13 at 11:00 AM

My love for cheese knows no bounds. A glass of Sancerre can make me weak in the knees. An icy-cold beer, a smoky single-malt, chocolate... These are a few of my favorite things, but none--none!--of these has had quite the hold on me as Diet Coke.

Diet Coke has been my constant companion for decades, from college, through my 20s and 30s until now, give or take a few periods of abstention--pregnancy, extended trips abroad, brief episodes of restraint... Though most of the time I stuck to one to two Diet Cokes a day, on sleep-deprived days (aka early parenthood), the number would inch up to three. On those days I felt both soothed by the cold, sugary fizzy hit of the soda and simultaneously disgusted by the overload of chemical flavor.

When news reports surfaced over the years about the negative side effects of aspartame and diet sodas, I paid attention, but I remained unmoved and--I'll say it--addicted (!). But something has finally clicked for me--I feel more and more repulsed by the artificial taste, I'm pretty sure some of my teeth are turning blueish, and I can no longer ignore the mounting studies convincing me that Diet Coke is just not worth the risks. But the biggest factor in all of this is my 3-year-old daughter: She's paying attention to what I'm drinking, and I can't tolerate the idea of her copycatting Mommy's soda habit.

I'm on Day 5 without Diet Coke. Thank goodness there's cold-brew iced coffee to ease the pain, and I've been enjoying iced tea/lemonade combos, seltzers, and the occasional Italian lemon sodas.

But I'd love to hear from those of you who have given up Diet Coke. What drink/drink concoctions helped you through it?

(Photo: Courtesy of PDPhoto.org)

Sarah12113
11:07:32 AM on
01/10/14

Firstly I recommend people give up diet coke ASAP. Its not easy. This is a serious addiction.
I have been addicted to diet coke for 25 years……I have been gaining weight for 25 years. In the last 3 years I have experienced some very strange health issues….lots of headaches, dizziness, a general fogginess, slurred speech, forgetfulness, unable to finish sentences and small seizures….more recently numbness in my arms, hands, legs and feet……I put a lot of this down to the beginning of menopause….THEN about six weeks ago I experienced a symptom I just could not ignore. When I woke up in the night I could not open my right eye…..no residue…not infection in that eye whatsoever….my brain would send the command to open eyes…left would respond, and open….right eye would not…I thought I was having a stroke….I did all the normal stroke checks and it was apparent that this was not a stroke….it happened every night from then on…sometimes once a night…up to three times a night. On the fifth day I am considering going to a neurologist….but googled this symptom first….found out through a lot of reading that this could be a side effect of aspartame poisoning…this was the evidence I needed….I HAD to go cold turkey to save myself…..After just 3 weeks of giving up diet coke these symptoms vanished….headaches, fogginess, forgetfulness, small seizures, slurred speech, all numbness…I still have difficulty finishing sentences…but the frequency has changed. The eye incident has happened just 3 times in three weeks and I am hoping that these symptoms also subside as the aspartame that is stored in my fat slowly diminishes. I recognize that I have a long journey ahead…but I AM LOSING WEIGHT…..but advised to not lose it too quickly as the aspartame will be released into my system too quickly…..If you have gained weight since being addicted to coke…give it up…use other caffeine drinks like tea and coffee..(no artificial sweeteners though!!!) I hope this helps you…..please change your life and give up diet coke and anything with aspartame …where ever it is hiding…..

youngprof
01:28:36 PM on
08/23/13

I'm afraid you are going to have to pry my last can of Coke Zero out of my cold, dead hands.

Hey, I gave up smoking. I need one last vice.

jfain
10:14:02 AM on
08/23/13

I went off diet coke and all artificial sweeteners about 4 years ago. I went cold turkey and it was torture. There were times I would have smacked my mother for one. It wasn't until then that I really, really realized that "addicted" is absolutely the right word. Now though my skin looks so much better and I'm enjoying the benefits of tea in the morning. Caffiene AND anti-oxidants! I do love the bubbles still. I drink sparkling water or my own homemade kefir water. The hardest thing is always when we are doing a road trip. Seems like gas stations just aren't on the no sugar no artificial sweetener bandwagon.

ChubbyAlaskaGriz
03:14:43 AM on
08/23/13

I agree w/ butterfly- I cannot do Diet Coke. To me it has a FLAT aftertaste. Tastes like the can was left-open half a day. I much prefer/crave the light crispness and bite of Diet Pepsi. That said- I must admit, I recently suffered a kidney stone. So for now I'm still on (struggling) the all-water kick. When I MUST have something other than water I opt for the one litre bottles of diet flavored sparkling waters- I get the store brand from Walmart or Aldi's- but most stores have them. They're roughly 50 cents apiece and very satisfying. They come in a wide array of great flavors- dig them all, but my favs are peach, black cherry, lime white grape.

judypray
05:19:28 PM on
08/22/13

I've tried to eliminate Diet Coke entirely in the past, but I've always come back to it (call me weak!). My latest solution is to avoid the absolutes. I drink plain old water and various teas (caffeinated or not) most days, and I allow myself to have a Diet Coke once or twice a week. Lately I've found that Diet Coke tastes more and more fake to me; my hope is that I stop craving it entirely one of these days. Good luck, Kerry!

butterfly6283
04:16:00 PM on
08/22/13

For me it was Diet Pepsi, because I have never liked the bland vanilla aftertaste of Coca-Cola. I liked the clovey aftertaste of the Pepsi much better. These days it is water with 1/2 a lemon squeezed into it that I drink non-stop. Not just any water either, bottled spring water, not filtered tap water. I also like cold brewed ice coffee with unsweetened almond milk and a pinch of stevia. Iced or hot oolong tea is another favorite. I have a triniTea tea maker on my desk that goes non-stop all fall and winter long with a variety of teas from white to puer, but room temp bottled water with fresh lemon is my mainstay. I do let myself have 1 1/2 liter bottle of SodaStream diet Lime or pink grapefruit once a week. Sometimes I add an ounce of Sapphire Gin to the soda, mostly not, as booze is dehydrating.

N_Cooks
03:40:54 PM on
08/22/13

I still relapse sometimes, but I feel much better now that I only drink Diet Coke occasionally. Iced tea helps, as does sparkling water.

JHoelscher
03:23:54 PM on
08/22/13

I so relate. I've had diet coke almost daily since I was 15, but now when I pull out a bottle, I think about my 1 year old and how I do not want him to think that this is an acceptable habit. My alternative is Topo Chico, usually with a splash of something else - grapefruit juice, an Izze, Italian soda.

KerryandTom
03:05:29 PM on
08/22/13

poetcuisine: I love the lemonade/sparkling water combo idea!

poetcuisine
12:40:20 PM on
08/22/13

I am in the last stage. I tried cold turkey but no go. So now I no longer buy six packs or cans. I am down to about 4 bottles per week bought individually. I find that part of what I miss is the fizz. So although not completely diet cokeless I am drinking lemonade with sparkling water. And good quality tea green white and herbal. I am also trying to not have caffeine after 2:00 so mornings one soda or black tea. Afternoon herbat tea. Evening lemonade.

Can Diet Soda Make Your Legs Hurt

Source: https://www.epicurious.com/archive/blogs/editor/2013/08/giving-up-diet-coke.html

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