I used to love regular pepsi, but then I started drinking diet orange sunkist.  Then that had caffiene so I switched to Sprite Zero...I'm still working on givig up the carbonation myself, but I can tell you what works for me...I don't really drink too much Crystal Lite only because it's sometimes too tangy for me...but I LOVE the sugar-free Kool Aid-Grape, Tropical Punch and Strawberry and you can get the singles to pour right in your water bottle.  I als use the Grape Propel singles.  Last week I bought FUZE at Costco it's pretty good.  You could try those...I know exactly how you feel...it's so hard, but you can do it!!!

Have not had one in 6 years.  I'm not only the food police, I'm the carbonation police too.......

Not really....but I just don't fight that battle anymore.  But I'll say this one little thing.....

Carbonation contains phosphoric acid.....it etches the enamel from your teeth....phosphoric acid is what the dentist uses to etch your teeth for crowns.  I've pretty much ruined my teeth over the years.....I once had 17 surface cavities.....now I know why. Nichol has the right idea......it's not easy, but you can give it up if you make up your mind to. Hugs Charlie

My husband only has AM radio in his work truck,so all he listens to is Paul Harvey talk radio stuff. About 7 months ago,he listened to a man (some kind of Kevin Trudeau person) discuss the effects of soda on the internal organs. My husband,the big 44 oz pop drinker almost immediately quit! It was weird. We just switched over to the water,crystal lite,V-8 splash,etc.. After he told me about all the horrible things it  can do,I quit too. I used to have one every now and then,but now we never drink it. Look it up sometime. Im sorry I cant quote who it was ,but it sure scared me.  I dont think you are old enough to remember this,but back in the late 70's soda was a 'treat" not a staple. My mom said she never saw girls with "muffin tops" wearing low rise jeans and tight fitted shirts. No one really drank pop either. You had a few choices,but Tab was always the big winner! Talk about nasty tasting!! Im sure plenty of others remember it!! Im 38 and I remember it! We didnt dare take a drink of my mothers Tab,she'd knock ya out! It was sacred juice!! LOL! Maybe realizing how much better it is to drink water and getting off the pop someday will help. Take it a day at a time! Wean yourself off it as you would any other addiction!!!  I know this wasnt much help,but maybe youll read something tha will shake you!

Thanks everyone!!!  You have all given me great advice. I turned 31 this year and have 2 little girls that are 4 and 1 1/2 and I absolutely deny them soda constantly because I know what it can do.  I grew up with my grandparents who always had a steady stream of bottled pop in the house (back when Coke and Pepsi came in glass bottles) and my grandma would put pop in my baby bottle!!!  It was AWFUL!  My teeth are awful too.  I am due for root canal work. So I know it's time for a change.  I just need to suck it up and do it!  I appreciate all of the cheerleading!  I NEED IT!

I had a six-pack a day habit.  And not diet either - regular, full sugar Coca-Cola.  I had to just stop cold turkey.  I switched to water and carried a bottle around with me all the time.  Whenever I had a craving for a coke, I would chug a bunch of water instead.  It definitely wasn't easy - but I knew it was necessary in order to have RNY and change my life.  I had terrible headaches for about two weeks after I quit drinking coke.  I took Excedrin for the headaches because it has caffeine in it.  Good luck!  You can do this!!

i was a hard core mt. dew drinker prior to surgery. they day i had my first visit with the surgeon i started quitting the pop. my hubby would get soooooo mad at me if he saw me drinking it. it was hard and i would usually still drink a pop a day but i stopped with the mt dew and boy the caffeine withdrawl was the pits! but after a few days it subsided. i started drinking faygo if i needed a pop as its caffeine free and started drinking ice tea constantly (no sugar no lemon its nasty that way) on a daily basis. so i weened myself off pop a few months before surgery and as soon as i got my surgery date (about a month and a half prior to the day) i stopped drinking any kind of pop. i still drin**** tea everyday but also drink water and propel fi****er in black cherry flavor. its hard but you can do it and believe me the first couple of days are the worst!

It was horrible breaking this addiction, and mine was a addiction. I drank about 5-6 Diet Cokes a day....a 12 pack was gone in 2 days. I started 3 months prior to surgery to stop drinking all carbonation in general.  I first stopped buying 12 packs, 2 liters, etc... and bringing them to my home. About 2-3 days a week i would pick me up 1 20 Oz. soft drink at the local gas station and that was it. I did this for about 1 month, and finally stopped all drinks in general. I drank alot of unsweet tea, Water, Crystal lite in place of the sodas.  I slowly weaned myself. It was horrible, and i do have migraines since i was very young. So caffeine is my vice. I now drink un-sweet tea, and instant Hazelnut cofee often. I can honestly say i wish i had stopped drinking the sodas and all carbonation years ago! If i had known i would have felt that much better i would have stopped drinking them long before i decided to ever pursue into the journey of Weight Loss Surgery. I no longer get up all night and run to the bathroom to pee, i have more energy and just felt better overall from stopping the soft drinks. It is hard , but so worth it! ~Heather

I am so with you guys, I miss my beloved diet coke. I am kinda shocked they have not had money issues since I no longer drink it. I used to drink 4 to 6 24 oz bottles a day. If I founf it on sale I would buy at least a case at a time. I had my surgery on April 8 2008. I still have over a case of Diet coke here. Funny I dont want one..............but I miss it. I drink Crystal Light or Lipton diet white tea, the Peach Papaya is the best, the rasberry isn;t bad either. I dont much care for plan water.