Getting off soda

SMGMama3

I have had an addiction to soda for years sadly. That has drastically altered my life and my weight. I am one that does not have tons of energy because I have chronic fatigue. What do you use to help stay off soda and still have energy? I need some help with motivation and ideas to stay away from soda. Thank you!!

lilac_bunny

The easiest way in terms of weight loss would be to switch to diet soda. It is still addictive though. I find drinking herbal tea or sparkling flavoured water helps. I definately feel healthier when I am 'on the wagon' so to speak.

TeaBea

I drink 1 or 2 diet sodas everyday. Not addictive. For the rest of the day I'm drinking unsweetened iced tea. Both have caffeine....that's my energy boost.

Unsweetened bubbly water.....LaCroix, Klarbrunn, LaVie, Poland Spring, Perrier, etc.

faith5x5nomore

I would strongly suggest staying away from diet soda. It's very unhealthy. I don't have a soda addiction but an ice tea addiction. I didn't want to quiet cold turkey because of headaches. I am doing a fasting approach and it seems to be helping. I started off by not drinking any after 7pm until 7 am. I slowly increased the times and only having 3 glasses a day from my normal gallon a day (aka addict). I have tried to quiet in the past and this has worked better then anything for me. Hope this helps.

Hallie82

I've been off soda for about a month. I've been drinking 0 calorie carbonated flavored water in replacement (I buy them in bulk at Costco) and for my caffeine fix I have coffee every morning with agave and soy milk. I used to also be addicted to the flavored creamers but quit that as well.

kclaar11

faith5x5nomore wrote: »

I would strongly suggest staying away from diet soda. It's very unhealthy. I don't have a soda addiction but an ice tea addiction. I didn't want to quiet cold turkey because of headaches. I am doing a fasting approach and it seems to be helping. I started off by not drinking any after 7pm until 7 am. I slowly increased the times and only having 3 glasses a day from my normal gallon a day (aka addict). I have tried to quiet in the past and this has worked better then anything for me. Hope this helps.

There is nothing "unhealthy" about diet soda provided you drink it in moderation (like anything else). As far as energy OP, I am assuming it is caffeine that you are referring to. You can try tea (I enjoy Green Tea personally) or coffee. Again, all in moderation. From my personal experience, I actually found that decreasing my caffeine over time (to just two cups of coffee in the morning now) has actually given me more stable energy with less crashes. Obviously, we are all different and it may not work for you.

happysherri

I was a soda Junkie!!! I now mostly drink water and coffee. As far as energy - the best thing would be SLEEP! However, I have low energy too and a high tolerance to caffeine - I only drink coffee because I like the taste, I can drink a whole pot and go to sleep. Some pre-workout powders help me. The 5 hour energy shot drinks help me, but I try to limit those. I only drink the 5 hour energies about maybe once every 2 months, when needed.

I've tried the whole foods suggested to help with energy, obviously I've tried more coffee, even espresso, the only thing that phases me are the items I mentioned above. Good luck

saraonly9913

Hasn't anyone seen the news on diet soda? It raises your stroke risk by 3X.

Sp1tfire

I got my whole family to quit soda (except for mixing into alcoholic drinks) by replacing it with each family member's favorite flavor of La Croix or Klarbrunn. It gives a calorie-free bubbly to sip on and not feel bad about with tons of flavors to mix it up! For the energy problem, I'd reccomend keeping a couple pieces of fruit around for that afternoon tiredness or even midmorning tiredness.

Shawshankcan

joaniee2003 wrote: »

Hasn't anyone seen the news on diet soda? It raises your stroke risk by 3X.

No it doesn't.

gymzonian

I know " some"people might say diet sodas are bad. I love them so I switched to diet version ones.

cardiacmommy

I have fibromyalgia and debilitating fatigue. I think caffeine only makes it worse because it puts your​ body on a roller coaster. I quit soda 2.5 years ago. I realized it was a trigger item. I set a date to quit. I had a friend who had quit drugs and he said if he can quit drugs I can quit soda. About 1.5 years ago I quit sugar. I was getting stressed and binging on it. I have it a lot of thought for a few weeks. Then I installed an app designed for addicts that told me how many days clean. That really motivated me. 491 days now.
I still get fatigued but don't sleep as much as I used to. And when I need it I nap. Try and stay hydrated and get rest. I am starting to increase exercise as I know that's helped me in the past. For me it really is easier to just abstain. I tell people.. Sorry I don't drink soda. Sorry I don't eat sweets. It makes grocery shopping simpler because I've already made the decision to avoid those foods. My hubby still buys sweets but they are easy for me to avoid now. I do still miss them occasionally but i can always have them later in life. They'll be there for me after I've met my goals.

mattcorbs

Diet Soda usually has Aspartame in which probably isn't great. Have carbonated water with fresh lime. 0 cals yet will feel like having soda so will calm your addiction. Ween yourself off, or mostly off, sugar and everything gets better bodywise:)

camschuckie

kclaar11 wrote: »

faith5x5nomore wrote: »

I would strongly suggest staying away from diet soda. It's very unhealthy. I don't have a soda addiction but an ice tea addiction. I didn't want to quiet cold turkey because of headaches. I am doing a fasting approach and it seems to be helping. I started off by not drinking any after 7pm until 7 am. I slowly increased the times and only having 3 glasses a day from my normal gallon a day (aka addict). I have tried to quiet in the past and this has worked better then anything for me. Hope this helps.

There is nothing "unhealthy" about diet soda provided you drink it in moderation (like anything else). As far as energy OP, I am assuming it is caffeine that you are referring to. You can try tea (I enjoy Green Tea personally) or coffee. Again, all in moderation. From my personal experience, I actually found that decreasing my caffeine over time (to just two cups of coffee in the morning now) has actually given me more stable energy with less crashes. Obviously, we are all different and it may not work for you.

Actually studies have shown that diet soda makes you hold on to your weight longer. She is better off with her regular soda and cut it down slowly.

Seajolly

Start incorporating sparkling water into your diet. Start by replacing 1 soda a day with a sparkling water, then 2, etc. You'll probably miss that fizziness from the soda so this will help!

clicketykeys

camschuckie wrote: »

kclaar11 wrote: »

faith5x5nomore wrote: »

I would strongly suggest staying away from diet soda. It's very unhealthy. I don't have a soda addiction but an ice tea addiction. I didn't want to quiet cold turkey because of headaches. I am doing a fasting approach and it seems to be helping. I started off by not drinking any after 7pm until 7 am. I slowly increased the times and only having 3 glasses a day from my normal gallon a day (aka addict). I have tried to quiet in the past and this has worked better then anything for me. Hope this helps.

There is nothing "unhealthy" about diet soda provided you drink it in moderation (like anything else). As far as energy OP, I am assuming it is caffeine that you are referring to. You can try tea (I enjoy Green Tea personally) or coffee. Again, all in moderation. From my personal experience, I actually found that decreasing my caffeine over time (to just two cups of coffee in the morning now) has actually given me more stable energy with less crashes. Obviously, we are all different and it may not work for you.

Actually studies have shown that diet soda makes you hold on to your weight longer. She is better off with her regular soda and cut it down slowly.

Correlation, not causation, in the ones I've seen. I know that one person doesn't count as an effective sample size, but I've been drinking diet soda quite happily all through my so-far-50-pound loss.

bbell1985

Diet soda. In addition I drink a ton of caffeine. I'm a mess. But there's nothing wrong with the diet soda.

LonniJay

Diet Soda is no more healthy than regular soda. I drink green tea sweetened with stevia. There are an array of teas you could try with stevia and make it low sugar and low cal. I also love chai tea, homemade chocolate milk, and lemonade. You could also buy sparkling water and sweeten with fruit juice and stevia to imitate soda.

Experiment until you find what you like. I haven't had a soda in months but certain ones feel like syrup sliding down my throat, yuk. I do have a weakness for orange crush and squirt though, and will drink about 8 oz if offered then stop.

Good luck!

jen_bush

I have san pellegrino sparkling water and sometimes add lemon to it. I was massively addicted to coke and this is the only thing that works for me x

KosmosKitten

TeaBea wrote: »

I drink 1 or 2 diet sodas everyday. Not addictive. For the rest of the day I'm drinking unsweetened iced tea. Both have caffeine....that's my energy boost.

Unsweetened bubbly water.....LaCroix, Klarbrunn, LaVie, Poland Spring, Perrier, etc.

This. I started actually noticing the scale move a bit more once I traded regular Mt. Dew for the diet version. It did take some getting used to the taste, but now that it's been more than a month, I honestly find it hard to switch back to the full calorie version (too sweet).

I usually have two (sometimes three) 12 oz cans a day and subsist off of unsweet tea the rest of the time. I'm not a fan of the carbonated water, but to each their own.

But honestly, no reason to give it up entirely if you can switch to the diet version. At some point, I will probably get down to drinking one diet can a day.. only because it does get expensive to keep buying this stuff when you drink two cans a day.

SuccessJMG

Not that I am in any way an expert...
As someone who has drank LOTS of diet soda for over 35 years, I never thought twice about the amount I was drinking. I am also morbidly obese. My doctor, who I respect greatly, suggested I try going without all artificial sweeteners citing studies that say for some people the ingestion of artificial sweeteners enhances cravings for sugar and carbs. I had nothing to lose (except lots of weight) so I gave it a try. Initially I was crabby and got headaches until I realuzed I was also withdrawing from the caffiene as well. Three weeks later I am sleeping better and I really don't crave the sweets like I had before. Maybe it's all psychological, but I'll take it!

Aordaz6

The way thay I try to stay off soda is by simply drinking other products. I don't mean diet soda or gatorade either, but here's a few low price beverages that I use in place of soda.

Neuro drinks- If you haven't heard of them, look it up online. They are is many corners stores. These have a soda like texture (fizzy taste) and there are VERY few calories contained in them. Each flavor is supposed to change your mood. For example, an orange one may make you feel more energetic. I don't know if I believe this, but they are definitely very good substitutes for soda.

Peace Tea- These drinks are the size of Arizona Teas, contain much less calories, still $1, have a wider variety of flavors, and, in my opinion, taste better. I believe one can is two servings with each serving being 80 calories. This is really good for when you just want something with a smoother texture. Plus, the great flavors make you forget about soda. I have only seen these at Shell corner stores, so be sure to look out for them if you have a Shell store near you.

Bai- These are sold in almost any store. They have many flavors and have a fizzy texture to them. I believe that Bai has the fewest calories in this list. I think it may have been in the 30-40 calorie range for one serving size, which is one bottle.

I purchased this next one you WalMart. I don't remember the name of it, but it had a fizzy texture to it. They were long, skinny bottles. Just look out for them next time you stop by WalMart.

I hope one of these drinks helps you fight that soda addiction. I used to drink about 3-4 Coca Cola cans a day and these drinks really helped me stop craving soda. I wish you the best of luck!

xmarye

Personally I usually drink tons of coffee and Pepsi daily, but when I diet I only have 1-2 cups of coffee at home (40-80cals) and water. That's it! It's been 3 days and today I met up at Tim Horton's with some friends and as I waited I checked MFP's database and settled on a small Iced Coffee made with milk for 70cals and only 9g of sugar. I also had after dinner half a portion of chips and half a can of cherry Pepsi. I savoured it and enjoyed every bite and sip. I log it and fit it in my calories. I am happy to have found a balanced approach (IMO) this time.

Tucker3306

Green tea works for me

chris_james17

The only time I was able to give up soda totally was when I went three basic training because I didn't have a choice at that time.i never noticed any whitdraw or from no being able to smoke. I gusse i didn't have the time to worry about it. Now I've cut my soda intake to 3 a day from about 6. I'm hoping to wean myself off here soon

SMGMama3

Thank you all very much for the advice and feedback. I greatly appreciate it. I have been trying Diet Pepsi without Aspartame the past few days. I have upped my water intake a lot. I work plus I am doing the single parent life right now. I have small children at home so I don't always get a lot of sleep. I hate relying on caffeine but I need to until more weight comes off and I have more energy.

Penthesilea514

I like LaCroix in Passionfruit because it seems sweet to me- I think it was a good flavor to start with. I tend towards lemon/lime flavors now.

Increasing water intake is helpful but I saw one of the post mention sleep- when I was weaning off my ridiculous diet soda consumption (6 cans+ a day), I took some ibuprofen for headaches and I went to bed early for a few days. It really helped me. I drink 16-20z of coffee in the morning now- and that's it for caffeine. The rest of the day is either plain water or LaCroix/Perrier.

I still occasionally have diet soda- but rarely.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Get a Soda Stream and make your own sodas! There are lot of possibilities, including tea and (small amounts of) juice. A great life hack is to buy caffeine and make your own energy drink. Don't bother with the syrups. You control the amount of sugar, caffeine, aspartame, juice, whatever.

laurenebargar

Sparkling water is what helped me, I quit cold turkey, and replaced all the liquids I consumed with water, sparkling water, and one cup of coffee a day. Which was a huge deal for me, because I never drank water before, I realized I needed to quit soda when my husband asked when the last time I had some water was, and I couldnt remember, I quit that day, I was tired for the first few days, but 41 days later and I feel much better, I dont get headaches everyday like I used too from too much sugar, and my skin is 100X better.

lemurcat12

SMGMama3 wrote: »

I have had an addiction to soda for years sadly. That has drastically altered my life and my weight. I am one that does not have tons of energy because I have chronic fatigue. What do you use to help stay off soda and still have energy?

It sounds like the issue is caffeine, so something without calories and with caffeine. I'm personally obsessed with black coffee, but it obviously tastes nothing like soda. Diet soda and homemade iced tea (pick a flavor you like, make it, chill it) can be nice substitutes.

Ideally one is not hooked on caffeine, so then reducing the amount you drink is a good idea, but there's no real reason to go cold turkey on caffeine normally, just gradually reduce it and it's largely painless to quit.

You might find you sleep better without it and that helps your energy levels, too. But you have to give it a little bit of time.

kclaar11

camschuckie wrote: »

kclaar11 wrote: »

faith5x5nomore wrote: »

I would strongly suggest staying away from diet soda. It's very unhealthy. I don't have a soda addiction but an ice tea addiction. I didn't want to quiet cold turkey because of headaches. I am doing a fasting approach and it seems to be helping. I started off by not drinking any after 7pm until 7 am. I slowly increased the times and only having 3 glasses a day from my normal gallon a day (aka addict). I have tried to quiet in the past and this has worked better then anything for me. Hope this helps.

There is nothing "unhealthy" about diet soda provided you drink it in moderation (like anything else). As far as energy OP, I am assuming it is caffeine that you are referring to. You can try tea (I enjoy Green Tea personally) or coffee. Again, all in moderation. From my personal experience, I actually found that decreasing my caffeine over time (to just two cups of coffee in the morning now) has actually given me more stable energy with less crashes. Obviously, we are all different and it may not work for you.

Actually studies have shown that diet soda makes you hold on to your weight longer. She is better off with her regular soda and cut it down slowly.

There have been vast amounts of studies showing quite the opposite. Many of the those studies show correlation, not causation. It is a similar concept to people eating twice as much of something because it says "low fat". If you continue ingesting more than you burn, you will continue to gain or retain weight.