Brand guide
How to stop drinking Coke Zero
Coke Zero has no sugar on the label, but it is still a daily habit with caffeine. This guide gives you a plan for each moment you open a can.
Not medical advice. QuitSoda is habit support for adults. If caffeine, sugar, pregnancy, medicines, or a health condition affect your plan, ask your clinician.
Short answer: Count your cans and their moments, pick an unsweetened replacement for each, decide whether to keep caffeine from coffee or tea, then cut back or set a quit date. A 12 oz can of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar has 34 mg of caffeine and 0 g of sugar.
What is in a can of Coke Zero
| Drink | Calories | Sugar | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Zero Sugar | 0 | 0 g | 34 mg |
| Diet Coke | 0 | 0 g | 46 mg |
| Coca-Cola Original | 140 | 39 g | 34 mg |
Coke Zero has no sugar or calories on the label, so the plan below works on the taste, the cold fizz, the caffeine, and the routine.
How to stop drinking Coke Zero
- Count your cans for three days. Note the time and place for each one.
- Pick a replacement for each moment. Very cold plain seltzer in a glass with ice is the closest match for the fizz.
- Decide about caffeine. Each can has 34 mg. You can keep caffeine in unsweetened coffee or tea while you drop the can, or taper both.
- Choose your pace. Cut one can every few days, or pick a quit date. Cold turkey vs cutting back compares the two.
- Clear the supply. Stop buying the 12-pack and keep the replacement where the cans used to be.
- Track 30 days. The tracker counts Coke Zero as diet or zero soda.
If you feel like you can't stop
Treat it like any repeat habit: the cue (a meal, a desk, a drive), the reach, and the reward (cold, fizzy, a lift). Change what happens at the cue and keep the reward where you can. More on this in soda cravings.
Swaps that fill the same slot
- Plain sparkling water or seltzer, very cold, with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime at home if you like.
- Unsweetened iced or hot tea, black or green.
- Unsweetened coffee, if the can was mostly about caffeine.
- Still water in a bottle you like, kept where the can used to sit.
Coke Zero to Diet Coke is a swap between two sodas, and in the challenge both count.
Sources
- Coca-Cola US: Coca-Cola Zero Sugar: calories, sugar, and caffeine per 12 fl oz.
- Coca-Cola US: Diet Coke: calories, sugar, and caffeine per 12 fl oz.
- Coca-Cola US: Coca-Cola Original: calories, sugar, and caffeine per 12 fl oz.
- FDA: Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?: the 400 mg figure for most adults and the advice to cut back gradually.
- StatPearls (NIH): Caffeine Withdrawal: onset within 12 to 24 hours, peak at 20 to 51 hours, and 2 to 9 days in total.
Quit Coke Zero with a 30-day plan
Practice the next month with a simple plan. No app.
Frequently asked questions
How much caffeine is in Coke Zero?
A 12 oz can of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar has 34 mg of caffeine, per Coca-Cola US. Diet Coke has 46 mg.
Should I stop drinking Coke Zero?
That is your call. QuitSoda is for adults who want to change the habit. In the QuitSoda challenge, Coke Zero counts as soda along with regular and diet soda.
Is there caffeine withdrawal from Coke Zero?
It has caffeine, so if you drink several cans a day and stop all at once, caffeine withdrawal is possible. NIH StatPearls describes onset within 12 to 24 hours and a total of 2 to 9 days.
If I stop drinking Coke Zero will I lose weight?
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar lists 0 calories per can, so stopping it does not remove calories from the label. QuitSoda doesn't promise weight loss. Calories from drinks may change depending on what you swap in.
What can I drink instead of Coke Zero?
Plain sparkling water, unsweetened tea, unsweetened coffee, or still water. All are on plan for the challenge.