How You Kicked Your Soda Habit...

[PrincessDijon]

O.k. one of my biggest vices is soda, and it is well know that of course, it put weight on you like crazy....

How did you kick your soda habit?

Do you just drink water?

If you didn''t eliminate soda, what type did you/do you drink?

How did you deal with caffeine headaches from withdrawal?

Just curious...I still haven''t had one soda today but I am feeling it!

 

[Haven]

I used to have a huge soda habit. I grew up in a bit Tab household back in the day (we even have pictures of fat baby Haven holding an empty 2 liter of Tab . . . ) I kicked the habit several years ago.

I just stopped drinking it. I stopped buying it, stopped ordering it when we were out. Stopped going to the vending machines to hear that lovely, clanky thud when the can hit the bottom.

To be honest, it wasn''t that difficult. I was a big fan of Coca Cola and root beer. Now I will have the craving for soda every once in a while, but it''s rare and it usually involves dinner with a deep dish pizza.

If you''re having a hard time, just try to cut down a little bit every day. That always seems to be the best way to eliminate anything altogether.

Good luck!

 

[panda08]

I used to be a big fan of Diet Coke. Granted, it had no calories. I didn't drink it for the caffeine; it takes HUGE doses to do anything to me. I didn't make a conscious decision like, I'll stop today, but, like Haven, I stopped ordering it and stopped buying it and then one day, I realized that I wasn't drinking it anymore. I first switched to iced tea and am partial to arnold palmers but nowadays I pretty much stick to water with a wedge of lemon. I still have an occasional Diet Coke, though the thought of what's in a Diet Coke kinda frightens me.

My problem is coffee. I LOVE coffee in the morning. But the bad part is the half and half. I can't drink coffee without it. I've been trying to look for alternatives because I know I shouldn't drink away my calories.

 

[somethingshiny]

Years ago I drank a 12 pack of Mt Dew every day. OBVIOUSLY, that had to stop. It was to the point that caffeine really didn''t affect my sleeping or anything. I could down a Dew and go right to sleep. And, all that sugar made me lethargic although I didn''t realize it at the time. First I switched to Diet, which admittedly tasted awful at first and so I immediately cut down to about 8 a day. From there, I cut down gradually. I''d have 1 when I got up (I don''t do coffee), 1 before lunch, 1 at lunch, 1 between lunch and supper, 1 at supper and 1 in the evening. (down to 6!)

I stayed drinking soda that way for a long time. (except when I was pregnant and found it easy to only have 1 or 2 a day) In the more recent months, I cut down to none. First, I added Diet Sierra Mist because it has no caffeine. So, my Diet Dew was cut down to 4 a day, but I was still having 6 sodas. (yes, even that caused headaches!)

Then, I started adding more water. I cut down on the Dew until I was down to 1 a day and then I pretty much dropped the Sierra Mist. I stayed off of soda for just a few days, maybe a couple weeks, then I was able to just have 1 soda and feel satisfied. I started sleeping better (more soundly) and had much less heartburn, and less cavities! I didn''t drop any weight after cutting out the soda, but I believe that''s related to some other health issues I have.

After drinking flavor for so long, I couldn''t just drink water all the time. The sierra mist free helped a lot with that, and as I cut down on ALL soda, I started drinking Propel fitness water (just because it has great flavors). But, now, I find plain old water oddly refreshing!!

 

[PrincessDijon]

Lately (the last 3 or 4 months) I have been on a bad Mt. Dew kick! (like almost 4-6 a day!) I started using those crystal light instant packets that you just throw in your water bottle and shake up but most of them seem to taste odd to me. I really like the cranberry one though.

Thank you all for the stories...keep em coming! (I always like to hear what people have to say)

 

[ams0124]

In CO (not sure if it's nationwide) there is this brand of carbonated water called Crystal Clear...They're about a liter and a half and if you buy the Lemon Lime flavor it tastes like Sprite.

There's a little more sugar in it than I would like but much better the soda!





ETA: There's more flavors then just Lemon Lime...but that tastes the most like a type of soda. The other flavors are various types of fruit...Key Lime, Strawberry, Peach....you get the idea

 

[HollyS]

Date: 9/25/2008 4:25:25 PM
Author:PrincessDijon
O.k. one of my biggest vices is soda, and it is well know that of course, it put weight on you like crazy....

How did you kick your soda habit?

Do you just drink water?

If you didn''t eliminate soda, what type did you/do you drink?

How did you deal with caffeine headaches from withdrawal?

Just curious...I still haven''t had one soda today but I am feeling it!

I didn''t have to actually kick the habit of soda because I''ve never been a big fan. But I get my caffeine from (unsweetened) tea, and plenty of it. Good thing it has no calories!

 

[BeachRunner]

I used to drink a 20 oz bottle of Diet Pepsi per day. I decided that I did not want to drink it anymore, and I just stopped. I drank a lot of unsweetened tea and water. I had a bad headache and slight nausea for about a week. I lasted about a year. Today, I drink about 64oz of water per day (sometimes I''ll add the sugar free flavoring to the water, lemonade, berry, etc). I limit myself to one 2 liter of diet pepsi per week. A glass per night with dinner!

 

[musey]

I never had a habit, but I would drink root beer occasionally (and where I grew up, "occasionally" for soda meant about 2x per week).

Toward the end of high school, when I was starting to become financially responsible for my meals away from home, it was purely the cost that kept me away from it. Not that it''s expensive, but water is free! I liked water just as much as (now better than) soda, so it wasn''t that hard. Now I''m a water addict, I hardly drink anything else (hot tea and beer/wine on occasion are the exceptions).

Ever since then, if I did try to have soda again, I''ve HATED it! It''s awful! Once you''re not used to it anymore, it tastes like a melted bag of sugar, and it burns all the way down for me--not unlike drinking straight hard alcohol like vodka or rum

Soda is just terrible for me, now. I don''t think I''ve had more than 2 sips at a time for at least 5 years.

I should disclaim that when I talk negatively about soda, I''m referring to American brands. There are some foreign sodas (from Brazil especially) that I do like, and some artsy fartsy brands at Whole Foods (I like the Lavendar soda they sell there)... but they''re basically just lightly flavored fizzy water.

 

[musey]

Oh, just remembered something slightly relevant...

My mother was addicted (literally) to Diet Peach Snapple Iced Tea. The kind that comes in those cute little bottles. She''d go to Sam''s club and buy those huuuuge wholesale packs (I think 48-ct) every weekend and they''d be gone by the next weekend. I think she drank upwards of 6 per day.

I forget what it was, maybe her blood pressure, but her doctor told her that she needed to go cold turkey off those snapple guys and never drink them again. The only kind of caffeine she was allowed to have was regular fresh-brewed tea.

Anyway, she had a lot of trouble with headaches and such, I think it lasted a week or a week and a half. Then she was totally fine.

I really think that cold turkey is the answer for a caffeine addiction, if you have one.

If it''s just the flavor and feeling of the carbonation, teach yourself to shop for healthier options. If you have a Trader Joe''s or Whole Foods, check out what they have--and READ THE LABELS!

 

[marcy]

I was a definite coke-a-holic. I just quit drinking it when I got serious about losing weight. I still have 4 to 6 ounces of it sometimes on the weekend and I find I don''t like it as much as I used to. I drink a lot of ice water. It has to be cold and the glass full of ice but I love it.

 

[Bia]

I was (still am) a Coca-Cola ADDICT. Love it. Would drink it everyday, all day if I could. Now I only drink it on very special occasions and that works for me.

The way I kicked it was by first drinking lighter sodas, like ginger ale and sprite. Then I moved to flavored carbonated waters. They are calorie free and have no sodium, or other artificial ingredients (although some do so check your labels). My favorite is Polar Seltzer...they have great flavors, plus it is very crisp, which was what I miss the most about drinking soda.

Good luck!

 

[Patiently_Waiting]

When I was in college, I was completely addicted to diet Pepsi - it helped get me through many a late-nighter (wasn''t a big coffee drinker back then). But once out of school, I just quit all soda cold turkey and haven''t had soda for a very long time (at least 10 years). And to be honest, I don''t miss it one bit. I drink mostly water throughout the day, allowing myself the occasional cup of coffee/tea, glass of wine, and unsweetened iced tea. Even the diet sodas are not good for you, despite the fact that they aren''t sugar filled. I hated the way they would make me feel so bloated all the time. So if you are serious about wanting to give them up, I know you can do it - good luck!

 

[PrincessDijon]

Thanks for the replies all....

I personally am not a diet soda fan....YUCK! (I would rather go without than drink it....maybe that''s the idea...lol)

Anyway, I have been soda-less for about 3 days now and while it may be difficult at first I know that in time it will not taste good anymore and I won''t be putting on any more sugar weight!

 

[ladypirate]

BF cut soda out of his diet (well, he cut out all high fructose corn syrup, but soda was the big bad guy for him) a couple of years ago and lost 50 pounds just by doing that. He started off by switching to Arnold Palmers (half lemonade--TJ''s brand is made with real sugar, water and lemon juice--and half iced tea) and then went to straight unsweetened iced tea. Nowadays we drink mostly water although we usually have some sort of unprocessed juice around the house as well (we usually do grapefruit juice in the morning and I am a huge fan of unsweetened cranberry juice mixed with sparkling mineral water).

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 9/28/2008 11:47:18 AM
Author: PrincessDijon
Thanks for the replies all....

I personally am not a diet soda fan....YUCK! (I would rather go without than drink it....maybe that''s the idea...lol)

Anyway, I have been soda-less for about 3 days now and while it may be difficult at first I know that in time it will not taste good anymore and I won''t be putting on any more sugar weight!

I''m with you, diet sodas are actually worse for you and make you gain weight just as much as regular soda anyway.

I have two suggestions.
When you want sugar, go for a fun, 100% fruit juice. I love cherry juice and welch''s white grape peach. They are not as bad as soda but are a good way to get a sweet fix and are more fun than plain apple juice, imo.

For caffine, I drink white tea. My favorites are celestial seasonings white peach and white plum tea. The are both light enough in flavor I don''t have to add sugar and white tea is about the healthiest thing you can drink. It has more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff than green or black tea and it makes my skin look amazing.

 

[MishB]

I know that old chestnut about diet soda also making you put on weight, but I don''t think that''s the case for me. When I am dieting, a fizzy diet soda really satisfies me, fills me up, it''s like an extra part of the meal.

But I''m just as happy to drink sparkling mineral water, it''s the fizz more than the sugary taste. I do like Sprite Zero though, but not a big fan of cola in any form.

I just don''t like the taste of plain water, I don''t like it cold at all. But I do like it warm, like out of the hot tap warm, with a slice of lemon.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I went cold turkey. I think I was drinking 3-4 cans a day. Of course then I got preggo a few years later and CRAVED it so I started drinking it again. Now I only have one maybe once or twice a month. I drink only water (sometimes milk).

 

[GoingCrazy29]

I drink one diet coke a day.... is that really bad for me?!?!

 

[TravelingGal]

I was a coke lover. I actually went to diet coke and then became a diet coke lover.

But when I went to Europe, cokes were pricier than beer! So I decided to just drink beer. hehe. I pretty much went cold turkey. I have not a coke in 5.5 years now.

 

[PrincessDijon]

Wow 5.5 years...I am almost at the 5 day mark and I am struggling...lol....

 

[LAJennifer]

I am a Diet Coke-head. It is my only vice.

 

[iheartscience]

I was just thinking today about how badly I need to quit drinking Cokes and I came across this thread! There are tons of good ideas in this thread! I''ve mentioned it here before but I am addicted to Coke! I love it and I drink anywhere from 2-4 Cokes a day. BAD!

Soooo...I need to quit, too. It''s a ton of empty calories and I''m not getting any younger so I know eventually it will catch up with me. I just don''t know quite how to do it. When I quit smoking I went cold turkey but quitting Coke cold turkey seems so hard!

I''m going to try some of the ideas in this thread to at least cut back starting NOW. I''d like to cut back to maybe 1 can a day at lunch and then phase that out, too and just have it on special occasions. Diet Coke doesn''t really do it for me so I think I''m going to try drinking hot tea in the mornings and try to sip on Pellegrino, etc. and see how that goes. Yikes-I love Coke!

 

[PrincessDijon]

Thing of 2!

Well, we're in the same boat on quitting soda...mine is a work in progress...

I just bought 3 liters of Pellegrino, some lemons and limes, some Lipton Green Tea To Go in Cherry Blossom (similar to the Crystal Light on the go things), I also got some Cranergy stuff to try as well as some new V8 Fusion Light in Peach Mango.

I've only had 1 soda in the last 5 days and it is a bit hard....especially when i used to drink 4-6 a day!

Best of luck to you!!!

ETA: I am so not a diet coke fan.....yuck...

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 9/30/2008 8:28:26 PM
Author: PrincessDijon
Thing of 2!

Well, we''re in the same boat on quitting soda...mine is a work in progress...

I just bought 3 liters of Pellegrino, some lemons and limes, some Lipton Green Tea To Go in Cherry Blossom (similar to the Crystal Light on the go things), I also got some Cranergy stuff to try as well as some new V8 Fusion Light in Peach Mango.

I''ve only had 1 soda in the last 5 days and it is a bit hard....especially when i used to drink 4-6 a day!

Best of luck to you!!!

ETA: I am so not a diet coke fan.....yuck...

I''ll have to let you know how it goes! I''ll try to remember to post here! And keep me posted on your progress, too! I will need all the helpful hints I can get!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 9/29/2008 9:01:53 AM
Author: GoingCrazy29
I drink one diet coke a day.... is that really bad for me?!?!

I think so
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight

 

[iheartscience]

Only 1 Coke so far today! I held out until about 3 pm and then I had to have one, and I had a can instead of a bottle. I just drank lots of water instead of Coke today, and I''m going to try to hold out for the rest of the day! I have a bit of a headache right now but I think it''s just because I''m hungry. I think I can do this!

 

[PrincessDijon]

Way to go thing2of2....I haven''t craved a soda all day! YIPPEE!

These things take time so don''t beat yourself up for day 1....

I had 8oz of pellegrino today and 3 bottles of water (one had the flavor packet of cherry blossom green tea).

I did have a craving for milk last night and only was able to drink 4 oz instead of 8!!!!

Keep on working... I guarantee if you start upping your proteins you won''t crave the sugary sodas as much (or at all). I notice I almost fall off the wagon on days when I haven''t had enough protein because I have blood sugar spikes....

 

[Diva0413]

To get over my soda habit, I started mixing seltzer with as close to 100% juice possible (like cran-apple or grape). So it gave me the carbonation with not as much sugar.

 

[wishful]

I used to drink 3-6 cans of pepsi a day. had horrible headaches if I didn''t have it.
So first I switched to caffine free pepsi. (which totally tricked my brain - no more headaches!)
Then I went from there to Sprite or 7Up (no caffine and clear)
Then I went from that to sometimes natural sodas like Hansons...but mostly to water and then picked up my lovely latte habbit I have now.
I do only one caffinated latte a day and the rest (if I do them) are decaf)

also I drink sparkling water esp when I''m craving soda...I think the fizz gives me that same feeling soda did.

Good luck!!!!