Addicted to soda...how did you kick the habit?

Serah87

I drink 2 a day and sometimes more on the weekend.

Ajocal18

I was drinking a minimum of 64 oz of coke a day my entire life. When I decided to get healthy I quit cold turkey! Its been 60 days now and I don't even miss it.

Britxclarity

i didnt kick the habit. when i first started i allowed myself to have soda twice in one week. that's 16 oz everytime. but since ive been doing this i haven't actually had a craving for soda. and let me tell you its ALWAYS in our home. and so then people started to buy diet soda and regular soda. i switched over to the diet soda. i love diet pepsi. so i either drink diet soda, water, or coffee. Sometimes when its to late for coffee and im sick of drinking water. there is no diet soad in the house. i go for the regular soda with the least about of cals.

Which is usually the clear kind. So Citrius drop ( a off brand of MT DEW) have 130 cals for 8oz. of course i dont fool myself. i drink 16oz. and that's 230 cals.

Cortneyrenee04

Don't buy it?

We shouldn't let food/drinks control us and our thoughts. We have control over what goes into our bodies. It took me a loooong time to realize this.

That said, I drink tea and coffee all day long and it really helps curb my appetite.

eileensofianmushinfine

Msyl03 wrote: »

Struggling with letting go of soda and tea...looking for stories of how others made the switch. Please share...

I switched out soda (diet and regular) for water with crystal light mixed in. I drink my 24 oz water bottle three times or more per day.

melanie899

I ditched it cold turkey. I try to drink water. I have 1 cup of coffee in the am and usually a cup of tea in the evening. Other than that, water, water, water. (sometimes I do make iced tea, but I haven't for a while)

DiabolicalColossus

It's really quite simple:

Don't buy it. Replace it with water or herbal tea (assuming sweetened iced tea was the tea you were referring to)

To be truthful, there's nothing wrong with diet soda. But if you don't want to drink it, don't. If you can't drink an amount you find manageable, don't.

You're making this tougher than it needs to be by thinking you're "addicted".

FitOldMomma

I've cut back significantly on my diet soda habit. My only reason for doing so was that I'd lost my desire and taste for simple water. When I was thirsty, I'd reach for a diet soda or a cup of coffee. I realized that I could actually go weeks without drinking plain water. I still have trouble getting my desired amount of water per day, but it's getting a bit better every week. Now I always have a pitcher of cold water in my fridge, and I'll fill a water bottle with ice water to take with me when I go out for more than an hour or so.

jporter1183

I think I will be echoing what most have said here, but until almost two years ago I was drinking about 5 cans on average a day of regular soda (cherry coke to be specific!). I gave it up by gradually phasing it out. I would reduce one can a week (so instead of 5 a day, I would have 4 a day for a week) so it wasnt a huge shock to my system.

I wont lie, it was really REALLY hard. I had horrible withdrawal headaches and I was crabby! But I didnt give up because I knew I needed to do it. When the headaches would get bad, I would take some advil. When I craved soda, I would mix juice with carbonated water to feel like I was getting my fix. It is hard, but you really can do it. I find that I am the kind of person that now it is cut out, I cannot have any at all.

I also never realized how much it was making a difference in how I felt. Other than the obvious that soda had caused part of my weight gain, once I stopped I felt like a much happier person. I had no idea it would have that kind of an effect on my mood, but it did.

I know some people here have said they can have one every so often for a special occasion or they drink diet soda daily, but for me I was so addicted that I know if I start with that I will fall back into old habits. But it is what works best for YOU. Now, I drink water and tea....and maybe the occasional glass of red wine You can do it though. If you cant do it the first try, dont get discouraged. If you slip up, its ok! Just try again tomorrow. It took me several tries over the years, and I think I was never able to the previous times because I wasnt 100% committed to doing it and I beat myself up if I screwed up. As with weight loss, i've learned that you are going to have days that arent perfect. Just dont give up trying.

NH_1970

I kept having an upset stomach and the gross burning the bottom of my throat burps and tried awhile without soda, it was one of the things that was doing it. I started drinking other things that didn't cause me pain, like water. I sometimes have a dark soda because this herbal lady I trust said that drinking one dark soda every once in awhile helps clear out the system I have no idea if that's based in rationality or not or just her thinking that it pretty much can strip paint so it's good for cleaning out the bowels or something...

papayahed

I made a deal with myself that if I could go without any type of soda for 3 months I could go on a vacation I've been wanting to take. It was tough for most of that time but somewhere in the third month the cravings stopped.

henrythedentist

Think about how bad it really is for you and has no nutritional value?

msjackiemorgan

Msyl03 wrote: »

Struggling with letting go of soda and tea...looking for stories of how others made the switch. Please share...