Need Tips On How to Cut Soda

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  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
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    coke zero!
  • Rubysue17
    Rubysue17 Posts: 24 Member
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    soda is so bad for you! :s If you can't go cold turkey, try drinking less every day and replace that with lemon water or other fresh fruit water. Unfortunately, diet soda is just as bad, except you don't get those empty calories you do with the regular. Artificial sweetener is bad for you too, so don't use that in any drinks either. It might take some time, but like they say, where there's a will, there's a way! Good luck! I know you can do this.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Rubysue17 wrote: »
    soda is so bad for you! :s If you can't go cold turkey, try drinking less every day and replace that with lemon water or other fresh fruit water. Unfortunately, diet soda is just as bad, except you don't get those empty calories you do with the regular. Artificial sweetener is bad for you too, so don't use that in any drinks either. It might take some time, but like they say, where there's a will, there's a way! Good luck! I know you can do this.

    Not really. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Rubysue17 wrote: »
    soda is so bad for you! :s If you can't go cold turkey, try drinking less every day and replace that with lemon water or other fresh fruit water. Unfortunately, diet soda is just as bad, except you don't get those empty calories you do with the regular. Artificial sweetener is bad for you too, so don't use that in any drinks either. It might take some time, but like they say, where there's a will, there's a way! Good luck! I know you can do this.

    um, could you share any peer reviewed published studies that show this??? the research actually shows the exact opposite of what you just stated here.
  • ajsnskool
    ajsnskool Posts: 2 Member
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    I've been drinking the Walmart brand CLEAR sparkling waters. They are naturally flavored, have no sugar, no calories, no carbs, no anything...and they taste almost exactly like what they say they're going to taste like. My favorites are Orange Creme, Strawberry, Lemon and Key Lime. Other ones that I've had that taste pretty good are Wild Cherry, Black Cherry, Fuji Apple and Pineapple Coconut. The only one I really don't like is the Mandarin Orange. They've totally replaced any cravings I had for soda and the best part? 1 quart bottles are 68¢!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    ajsnskool wrote: »
    I've been drinking the Walmart brand CLEAR sparkling waters. They are naturally flavored, have no sugar, no calories, no carbs, no anything...and they taste almost exactly like what they say they're going to taste like. My favorites are Orange Creme, Strawberry, Lemon and Key Lime. Other ones that I've had that taste pretty good are Wild Cherry, Black Cherry, Fuji Apple and Pineapple Coconut. The only one I really don't like is the Mandarin Orange. They've totally replaced any cravings I had for soda and the best part? 1 quart bottles are 68¢!

    These are basically diet sodas (which is, IMO, fine). Ingredients, according to Walmart:

    Filtered Carbonated Water, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Potassium Citrate, Potassium Benzoate (Preservative), Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium
  • sammyjo0218
    sammyjo0218 Posts: 108 Member
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    Trade it for diet because it taste different and hopefully make you drink less, it worked for me. And drink hot tea like salada brand those are pretty fruity. Even flavored water helps!
  • DezYaoified
    DezYaoified Posts: 143 Member
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    261 days without soda. I want soda just as much now as on day 1. But it is just a want, where before it felt like a need.
    I quit cold turkey.
    For me soda is one of those all or nothing items. It didnt matter if i switched to diet because i was still drinking 4-6 a day. Cutting back to 1-2 felt harder then just cutting it out completely (after the 1st week of course because that was killer!)
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    Is it the caffeine you are addicted to? Is it regular or diet? You'll feel it if you cut out sugar or caffeine.
    Caffeine takes a week to overcome (but you can wean off using green tea in lesser and lesser amounts).
    Cutting back on sugar or carbs takes about three days to get used to.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited June 2017
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    I'm trying to lose weight but the one thing I just can't stop is drinking soda. I'm legit like addicted. Any tips on how to stop or help the cravings? Thank you in advance!

    Don't buy it or start drinking diet.

    If it is the caffeine you are having problems with, get diet with caffeine and cut down gradually . . . or go caffeine free and buy caffeine pills and use those to cut down caffeine consumption gradually.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    coke zero!

    Cherry Coke Zero! :)
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    coke zero!

    Cherry Coke Zero! :)

    Caffeine free Diet Dr. Pepper FTW!
  • BanksyTime
    BanksyTime Posts: 17 Member
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    I was a diet soda addict for many years, but found that it gave me sugar cravings! I cut out sweetened sodas (artificial or otherwise) and now just do sparkling water. Barely miss the other stuff now.
  • JustRobby1
    JustRobby1 Posts: 674 Member
    edited June 2017
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    I drink diet soda daily, and I have for the entirety of my weight loss thus far (50 pounds). You can get your fix this way if you need soda in your life. Does it taste as good? Nope, but it will suffice. We all have to make sacrifices to get what we want, no?

    As I see has been previously pointed out, conspiracy theory nonsense in the popular press that Aspartame in diet beverages will kill you or is extremely harmful has been throughly disproven in the peer reviewed medical literature. The US GAO subsequently released a report to that effect gao.gov/products/HRD-87-46 but it seems some people are determined to beat an incredibly dead horse regardless. Provided you are still getting your daily intake of water, you are just fine consuming diet soda.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
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    I don't see the need to cut soda out completely. I still have some in my fridge and have one now and then. But I drink a lot more water than I used to and over time you really don't miss drinking soda that much. It's nice to have one now and then though.
  • taziarj
    taziarj Posts: 243 Member
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    I cut soda out cold turkey about 5 years ago. I still have the occasional one on a special occasion like a holiday or about a 1/4 glass every now and then, but for the most part I am 100% water. I don't drink coffee or tea. I used to be able to drink a 2L of Pepsi or just about any other soda in a single day. I could also easily down a single large bag of chips in a single sitting. Chips are still by vice.
  • venuscaelestis
    venuscaelestis Posts: 27 Member
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    I was addicted. What I did was buy one of those insulated cups like yeti, and filled it up with ice and filtered water. I don't like water if it isn't ice cold, so that's why I wouldn't drink it. Maybe once a week I have a treat of ice tea with some calories that I track (I love peace tea) or coffee and I also noticed that diet sodas no longer have an after taste like they used to when I drank 3 sodas or so a day so sometimes I have a diet if I really want some bubbles. Although water still tastes the best to me now.

    If you quit for a week or two it will become easier!
  • craigo3154
    craigo3154 Posts: 2,572 Member
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    cdahl383 wrote: »
    I don't see the need to cut soda out completely. I still have some in my fridge and have one now and then. But I drink a lot more water than I used to and over time you really don't miss drinking soda that much. It's nice to have one now and then though.

    Going from 3-4 a day to 1 per is harder than 3-4 a day to 0 for a month. If you allow 1 per day, its hard to stop at the 1 per day when you feel you need it. People psychologically bargain their way around it until back at old habits. At 0 there is no bargaining. Zero is 0, none, nada (but there must be a set finish, a light at the end of the tunnel). The plan is to get over that first week or two and let the body start to re-adjust. There is both a physical and psychological game needed to be played in the first couple of weeks and having a visible end point makes the psychological game possible to win.

    After the month (end of the tunnel) slowly re-introduce at more sensible levels if you want. You may find you do not want to, but this is almost inconceivable at the start.

    If caffeine addiction is an issue, have coffee or tea (preferably black with no sugar). The goal is to get you off soda. If we can get off sugar/sweet addiction that is a BIG plus. However, one step at a time.

    Most substance addictions are detrimental (sugar, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, "other drugs"). In the case of caffeine, a high tolerance makes it harder to start the morning without a "hit" and if you need a "pick me up" you need far more. Longer term reduction/elimination of the substance of addiction is one of the proven ways of decreasing tolerance and increasing sensitivity (as the body adapts).

    Oddly enough, if you cut out (or severely limit) sugar and sweetener from all intake, after a while your sweet sensitivity comes back (this is also from experience). Foods that used to be normal start to become very sweet (almost inedible). Previously bland foods start to have more flavour. This is good thing when trying to manage weight as sugar/fructose sweetened foods do not trigger satiety (fullness feeling) the same way, or to the same degree as vegetables, meat and fats.

    Overweight problems are often, but not always, due to long term consumption above calorie expenditure. Re-balancing the "satiety" triggers in out normal diet help prevent further long term over consumption.

    All this does nothing to address "emotional" dependency on substances (like sugar, comfort foods, etc..). That requires different, psychological, approaches to be combined with reduction of exposure.
  • ronronronj
    ronronronj Posts: 474 Member
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    I also quit cold turkey and switched to drinking (a lot of) water. Sometimes I will add a drop of soda to the water I am drinking just to give flavor. In my case, I never drank diet or caffeinated sodas. I consider the diet ones to be toxic anyway. It's been over a year now, and if I do drink a regular soda, the sugary taste is quite a shock to me. In addition, you will save money by switching to water. One other thing that drove me was the calorie counting on MFP.

    It may take a few weeks before you see weight loss results, but seriously, cut the sodas completely. You will be happy you did.