Can anyone give me an idea of how I can have an occasional soda and have it work in the Zone. I know it's off limits and I've all but given it up...still every once in a while....Thanks.

Hi Claire,

If it's sugar free artificially sweetened soda it will do less damage than regular sugar sweetened soda. The Zone recommendation is to drink a cup of water for each artificially sweetened soda you consume, due to its diuretic effect.

If it's regular sweetened soda, it's unfavorable carbohydrate and you'd consider it to be your cheat meal. Regular soda contains a lot of sugar in liquid form. It gets into your blood stream quickly, spikes your blood sugar and takes you out of the Zone.

Thanks Sue. Yes, it all makes sense. I find since in the Zone that the cravings are few, I try to remember that I'm probably just thirsty when they come, but every so often it's a nice treat.

Congrats on your test results. I know you work really hard at this and it's paid off for you in many ways. Continued success to you!

Thanks Claire, and the same to you. You've made an excellent choice with the Zone and I wish you all the best!

Claire, try drinking flavored unsweetened carbonated water, and eventually you might not even miss the soda. My favorite brand is Poland Spings. The only ingredients are carbonated spring water and flavor essences. The Trader Joe's I go to has a good one too (their own brand), and it also comes in several flavors.

Hi Claire, I found this to be an awesome alternative... http://www.zonediet.com/RESOURCES/A...fault.aspx enjoy!

Claire,

I enjoy a soda now and then. I drink decaf diet soda, but I make it a treat and only have one soda per day, if at all. Some days I don't have any at all, but it is nice to have one on occasion. Generally, it is the "sparkle" that I am looking for, and not so much the sweetness. I don't drink it for caffeine, and so if I am looking for the sparkle, I drink sparkling water.

The recipe provided by tech support looks awesome, but really if I want to do something special with my sparkling water, I just splash some pomegranete juice into it, and it gives me some anti-oxidant.

Also, a glass of plain water with a slice of cucumber is amazingly refreshing! I never used to do this, but I tried it once when I was out to eat at a fancy restaurant, and it was really great!

But, in all honesty, I am generally not going to go through all of the fuss to doctor up my waters. I am living in the fast lane and if I want a soda, I grab a can of La Croix and pop it open.

BTW, I don't know if I have ever seen the recommendation that Sue mentioned, don't know where that comes from. I know some people who make it a rule to drink a glass of water for every caffeinated beverage, because of the assumed diuretic effect of the caffeine (which is not entirely true). The truth is that caffeine is an irritant to the lining of the bladder, which causes a heightened sensation to void.

Hi CC. Thanks for the tips! It's funny how wanting to 'stay in the Zone' keeps me from some of the things I littered my days with. I find myself saying "do you really want that?" "You know it's going to throw you out of the Zone". Now I find I easily say NO! I'm just feeling too good!

there is a really good line of diet soda made with erythritol sweetener. It is still unfavorable, but it has zero calories and no effect on blood sugar. It is called Zevia and you can find it at some Hy-vee stores or health food stores.