No caffeine in Diet Rite? I think you might be mistaken about that! My understanding is that all colas contain caffeine (unless labeled "caffeine free"). You won't see it listed as an ingredient because it is inherent in the cola itself, just as you don't see "caffeine" listed as an ingredient on coffee or chocolate! If I'm wrong please correct me, but I really think you might be under a misimpression about the Diet Rite not having any caffeine.
Chana

The Diet Rite says on the can that it's "always caffeine and sodium free"..
(I just went and looked because I started second guessing myself).. I avoid them too, except at rm--but as Vel said--the only way to know for sure what the effect will be on the individual is to do without, and then try adding it back in, to see what happens..

wow, I'm glad i was wrong! Diet Rite sounds like the perfect drink - made with Splenda AND no caffeine! I know what I'll be drinking when I visit the States, hopefully this summer. I sure wish we could get it here! I can get caffeine free Diet Coke, but of course it's loaded with Aspartame, so I TRY to have it only at RM.... which leads me to another question...
People who drink diet sodas at RM.. is this instead of another carb or dessert, or in addition to whatever you eat on the carb third of the meal?

Several years ago I began CAD and lost, painlessly, a lot of weight. I limited myself to one diet coke a day (or a second one at my RW). The few days I broke that rule, I ended up gaining weight. Over the past year I only half-heartedly followed CAD. This has kept the horrible cravings at bay but my weight has crept up over the months. (That is actually an improvement; in the old days I would have ballooned up almost instantly and been beset by horrible cravings).
Now that I have completely returned to CAD, I find myself unable (unwilling?) to kick my diet coke/Nutrasweet addiction -- at least 3 Diet Cokes a day. I am convinced this Nutrasweet is sabotaging my diet. Now why, knowing this, I don't simply stop drinking it, I cannot say. I have the solution, if I would only act on it.

I too did CAD several yrs. ago. I didn't worrry about coffee with sweentener infact I had it throughout the day. I hadn't read the bok but had a freind tell me aobut it over the phone. I didn't worry about sugar free gum either...anyway I ate chicken and cauliflower for lunch many days and then had a reward meal...I don't remember what I often ate for breakfast...but I did usually eat one. I would eat a balance rm but I DID have dessert. I was about 33 yrs old and lost about 10lbs and kept it off for a year until I decided to have more than one rm and started to get lazy with the program. I am currently doing a modified version and it is working great.

Here it is: BF- lc shake decaf coffee
lunch- lc shake
supper- balanced meal
I have gone to the mexican restruant and did just fine...I don't feel deprived in the least and so far have maintained a 2lb weight loss...that doesn't sound like much but I had been ~ 137 for awhile now (months) now I am below that!!

I did CAD way back in the 90s when it first came out. Perhaps I misremember, but I don't believe there was a limit on AS then. CAD worked wonders for me. I did drink diet soda, and I had Equal in my coffee. No problems.

I'm not doing CAD right now, but I still use Splenda in my coffee. I have given up sodas almost completely for other reasons. It seems that tolerance for AS is very much an individual tolerance sort of thing. Unfortunately, that means the only way for you to know is to try it. Try it with, and if you have problems, tyr without. You may need a few weeks of each to truly judge the results.

Good luck!

Friday

Why did you keep your carbs soo low while on Atkins? Twenty grams are the recommended allotment. If you go too low you can jeopardize your weightloss.

I don't know if this is a dead issue.. but I cannot tolerate diet pepsi (my drug of choice) outside of my RM. I did try diet rite and it seemed to work better for me.. but if possible I would try to eliminate as much as possible. I am stubborn and keep trying to sneak in more soda.. and then have to start all over again.

I on the other hand, can lose weight and drink caffeine outside of my RM. I drink coffee and iced tea with no sweeteners often and still lose weight.

I think this WOE works on what your tolerances and sensitivites are.. if you have a sensitivity to artificial sweeteners and you still consume them you will not do well... same with caffeine. The first time I was on this WOE I could eat cottage cheese with a CM and felt great.. this time it starts cravings. So just go slow and pay attention to your body.. everyone is different, and often the sensitivities are subtle.

Hope this helps.. and hope you are doing great, Kandi