Think I'm addicted to soda...alternatives, anyone?

FluffaWumpkins

I'm curious to hear other people's opinion on the matter. I, for one, have a huge problem with drinking soda. I badly crave it and sometimes when I have a headache, all it takes is a bottle of soda to make it go away. A friend of mine recommended seltzer/soda water as an alternative and I do like it. However, I've gotten a lot of mixed reviews about it. Some people say it's bad for you and should be avoided at all cost and then I have people who say it's a healthy and great way to stay hydrated (I'm trying to increase my water intake...really hate drinking water).

I really really really love soda and probably drink about 2-3 bottles a day. I know it's a unhealthy habit that's hindering my weight loss, so I'm open to learning how to break this habit. So let me know what you think and if you're one who believes seltzer is a bad options, can you recommend something as an alternative.

Kalikel

Taper!! Don't go cold turkey or you'll get a caffeine-withdrawal headache. If you can't taper and have to go cold-turkey, try to spend a lot of time outside or in a pool. That's what worked for me. I was on and off that stuff so many, many times.

When I quit, I started drinking water. It's healthy, low-cal and cheap.

ManiacalLaugh

I have no idea why seltzer would be seen as being bad for you. Did they give you a reason?

Was it the artificial sweeteners? I don't agree that they're bad for you (in normal amounts), but there are kinds made without them. Or was it the sodium? Once again, there are kinds without them. I have a bottle of Trader Joes lime and rasberry seltzer waiting for me at home. It's very tasty and has no artificial sweeteners or sodium.

As for a good recommendation, I might recommend a few options:

• Try diet
• Try fitting a little soda into your daily calorie allotment
• Fruit-infused water
• Add-in flavors (Crystal Light, Mio, etc...)
• Tea

You might be a little addicted to caffiene too, which is why the headaches disappear when you drink it. If you want to give up soda cold-turkey, I'd recommend drinking a little coffee or green tea to ween yourself off of caffeine. Otherwise, you might end up with some withdrawal headaches.

jnoah76

Me also. I would get headaches if I go without my soda. I was drinking more than 2 cans a day. Thats a lot of calories! I now have limited myself to just one can a day. (Half with breakfast, the other half with lunch as an example). I just started that a couple weeks ago. So far so good. Im considering cutting in half again. (Two 3 oz servings). But then again, I'm drinking a gallon of water a day. If you like tea, try replacing some soda for tea.

psuLemon

I drink 2-3 diet mt. dews a day. As long as it's not interfering with you meeting nutritional requirements, then it's a non issue.

slaite1

The headaches are most likely from The lack of caffeine, so you could replace it with ice tea or coffee. Diet soda, if you find when you like, really does the trick. I am a big fan of Coke zero and diet Dr Pepper.... There also is nothing wrong with seltzer, except that it won't give you the caffeine fix so you will still get headaches.

JMC3Terp

I drank between 1 to 2 litres of Coca Cola most days. When I decided to diet, I went Cold Turkey. Worked for me so far. 116 days without soda/pop.

soldiergrl_101

I used to drink about 6-8 cans of soda a day. I just switched to ICEE water its so good I dont even miss soda now. its carbonated, no sugar, no carbs, just water http://www.sparklingice.com/

RedDiamond37

I also have the fight with drinking tons of soda! For me it worked to just go cold turkey and drink something else .. I try to stick to water and if I find myself really dying for a soda then I have a diet pepsi.. and I hate diet sodas so that kills my cravings right there.

mantium999

Kalikel wrote: »

Taper!! Don't go cold turkey or you'll get a caffeine-withdrawal headache. If you can't taper and have to go cold-turkey, try to spend a lot of time outside or in a pool. That's what worked for me. I was on and off that stuff so many, many times.

When I quit, I started drinking water. It's healthy, low-cal and cheap.

What is the link between spending a lot of time in a pool, and reducing soda intake?

FluffaWumpkins

The headaches I get are really bad. I don't even reach for Advil anymore when I get them, just a bottle of coke or pepsi and I'm all good. But I was told that seltzer breaks down the calcium in your bones and cause kidney problems but a lot of people swear by it. I do like tea and coffee though, so I guess between the those and the seltzer, I might be able to wean myself off of soda. It's way too much calories and the amount I drink eats up my sodium/sugar/cal intake.

Definitely gonna try the ICEE. They looked good and have a lot of flavors to choose from.

FluffaWumpkins

I tried going cold turkey and lasted a whole of two days. I always thought it was the carbonation that I was addicted to, but even while drinking seltzer, I still crave soda. So I'm gonna try to get in more caffeine and see if that helps.

pmm3437

For most people, there will be withdrawal symptoms from a sudden drop in intake of caffeine and/or sugar. That is what you are craving, when the high/crash cycle is on the down swing. Staying hydrated and well rested will help with that, should it happen.

The knock on flavored waters and other items of that ilk is that most have just as much sugar and/or additives in them as what they are replacing. You're not getting any health benefit from a vitamin water over a sprite, if it has the same amount of calories.

As with anything, caffeine and sugar are not inherently bad for you, you just have to use in moderation.

cwolfman13

you're not addicted to soda...you have a habit of drinking soda.

I drink a lot of Perierre...I like the grapefruit flavored.

kdiamond

I love sparkling water! The La Croix ones have great flavors and they're all natural.

I agree with others, it's the caffeine so just drink coffee or iced tea! Nothing wrong with a little caffeine.

Organicgasm

Kombucha

wkwebby

FluffaWumpkins wrote: »

The headaches I get are really bad. I don't even reach for Advil anymore when I get them, just a bottle of coke or pepsi and I'm all good. But I was told that seltzer breaks down the calcium in your bones and cause kidney problems but a lot of people swear by it. I do like tea and coffee though, so I guess between the those and the seltzer, I might be able to wean myself off of soda. It's way too much calories and the amount I drink eats up my sodium/sugar/cal intake.

Definitely gonna try the ICEE. They looked good and have a lot of flavors to choose from.

Where did you get this from? All seltzer is made up of is water and carbon dioxide. This dissolved carbon dioxide is slightly acidic in nature so it may affect your teeth, but by the time it enters your stomach, the pH should be well within range of anything that you would normally ingest. There is no scientific evidence beyond your teeth being affected and that would be the same thing as vinegar in your diet or pickle juice.

If you like seltzer and it helps you keep the soda calories away (at zero calories), I'd say do it. It will leave room for real food. Your headache may be coming from caffeine withdrawal which should ease itself after a week without the soda.

Groto1980

This is my 3rd day without cola. In the past i have used seltzer to help and it has worked. I also either drink a decaf coffee or iced tea. I had to go cold turkey because it was controlling me. If i didn't have it i was anxious and cranky and all it took was a sip. I found it really sad that soda could do that to me. Good luck to you.

lemurcat12

If you are addicted it's the caffeine. Kicking a caffeine dependency isn't terribly hard but it's a pain. Headaches are common and you are likely to feel really tired. (I love coffee but give up caffeine from time to time when I start drinking too much.)

It also could just be that you are habituated to drinking it at certain times and haven't found a replacement.

My view is that if your main concern is losing weight that the easiest thing to do would be to switch to some calorie-free (or very low calorie) beverage and then deal with the caffeine/habit issue later, if you feel like you need to. For example, I often give up coffee for Lent (among other things) but in 2014 I did not because I'd just started losing weight and knew it would be something else I'd miss that would make keeping my calories down more challenging, so I prioritized the weight loss-related changes and did non-food-and-drink-related stuff for Lent.

If it's the habit thing, or the caffeine isn't a big deal to you, seltzer might help. I personally don't see anything unhealthy about it and I like some fizz, so that's what I might do (I actually love some kinds of diet ginger ale too).

If for some reason you eventually want to quit that, you could always do it when established in your weight loss routine.

I guess some people think artificial sweeteners cause them to crave sweets. That's not at all the case for me. However, one nice alternative is iced tea (make tea and chill it)--the fruit ones especially work well (I never sweeten iced tea, but a tsp of sugar doesn't actually have many calories).

ElJefeChief

Are you drinking the sugared variety or the sugar-free variety? What size are these "bottles" you're drinking? I would think those two questions matter a lot.

Coke or Pepsi (either variety) doesn't really have a ton of caffeine in it when, say, compared to coffee. A 12-ounce serving of Pepsi has 38 milligrams of caffeine in it. A 12 ounce serving of Starbucks, for comparison - 260 milligrams. Unless you're drinking 2-3 *liters* of Pepsi or Coke per day, I would doubt the headaches are caused by caffeine withdrawal.

Source: http://www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm

Sugar withdrawal is something different. I'd say there's probably something to the idea that constant self-administration of high levels of sugar on a daily basis probably *could* produce an abstinence syndrome upon abrupt withdrawal. Don't know if it produces a headache.

Either way, if you get used to less sugar or caffeine over time, it gets better!

AspenDan

I WAS addicted to soda, talkin 5+ cans of mountain dew a day..but then I went a week using mio, and I loved that too...also the longer I spent away from soda, the less I wanted it!