Cutting back on soda
walkinginplace
Posts: 12 Member
I drink a lot of Coke. 6-8 cans a day usually. I've tried to quit cold turkey before but it just wasn't sustainable for me. I want to cut down gradually but I'm not sure what kind of timeline to put it on. Ideally I'd like to get my daily intake as low as possible over the next two weeks, but I also want something that will help me avoid soda longterm. If anyone has experience weaning themselves off soda, I would love to hear it. I'm thinking I might lessen the amount of cans every two days. So starting of at 6 cans for two days, 5 cans for two days, 4 cans for two days, etc. Do you think this is good or should I ease into it more?
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When I stopped drinking soda to drink more (or, you know, any) water, I basically just started drinking iced tea and then plain water.
But I also was only drinking like a medium sized diet soda with lunch and a can of diet soda with dinner.
Are you drinking leaded? Can you change up some of the leaded for unleaded to start?1 -
I agree. Cutting liquid calories out can help. There is evidence that the body does not compensate very well for liquid calories. Nothing wrong with diet soda. If you have caffeine issues, get caffeine free. Best of luck...2
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I second the diet idea. One thing I've found, if you like Coke trying something else in diet may work better. Diet Dr. Pepper for example. Expecting Diet Coke or Coke Zero to taste like Coke never seems to work out.
#teamcokezero
Oh, and expect headaches from the reduced caffeine if you switch to something caffeine-free. (I wouldn't do that to myself, personally.)3 -
It's super- addictive. The only thing that works for me is not buying any. But now I drink like 8 cups of coffee per day. I guess I still have unresolved food/ drink issues. 😀0
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caffeine is addictive1
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I stopped drinking sodas cold turkey several yrs ago. Drank as much (and simetimes more) than the OP daily. Haven't had a soda of any kind since
Everyone is different but I had no problem stopping I just started drinking water, tea and more black coffee instead.
People say the sodas are not addictive and, while that's medically true, the high sugar content does have certain physiolocial effects (more for some than others) and definitely can be psychologically addictive and something you yearn for if you've gotten into the habit of drinking a lot of it regularly (been there, done that).
In order to stop drinking it, you just have to just stop drinking it by force of will - just say no! That's obviously easier for some than others.
You could start drinking zero cal versions to wean you off the sugared variety but ultimately the goal should be to not drink any kind of soda at all which would be cheaper, if not also healthier, for you.
Good luck w/that, OP.
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I switched to diet and now really like the clear diet sodas(sparkling waters) like Clear American at Walmart.1
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Whilst I am first to agree soda in moderation is ok as long as you can fit the calories in or you switch to diet to over come that the calorie issue - 6 to 8 cans a day does seem a large amount.
Cutting down to less than that does seem a good idea. ( on cost reasons alone!)
How you do it and far down you want to cut to is up to you - if you have been drinking caffeine version, I suggest weaning down - either that or being prepared for mild withdrawal symptoms until it is out of your system.1 -
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psychod787 wrote: »
I don't disagree, although for me the source matters a lot. I couldn't choke down a can of regular coke (diet is fine) but I adore my coffee.
I was remarking on the person who claimed they drank tons of soda because "sugar" is addictive and now must have other food/drink issues because they drink lots of coffee.
The commonality there is caffeine, so probably that was the addiction at issue, not poor, always maligned sugar. ;-)2 -
psychod787 wrote: »
I don't disagree, although for me the source matters a lot. I couldn't choke down a can of regular coke (diet is fine) but I adore my coffee.
I was remarking on the person who claimed they drank tons of soda because "sugar" is addictive and now must have other food/drink issues because they drink lots of coffee.
The commonality there is caffeine, so probably that was the addiction at issue, not poor, always maligned sugar. ;-)
Much thought and some reading I have given this. I think, it's the combo of easy calories... aka....pure refined sugar... and a habit forming drug like caffeine. From the animal research, the brain had trouble telling "diet" drinks from regular at first, but does seem to learn there are no calories. I think arguement that diet soda causes weight gain is just a case of correlation. Maybe people drinking diet are trying to lose weight kinda thing...lol 🤔0 -
Coke is my dark lord. I bow to it. However, I haven't had one since August of last year. I went cold turkey but in the beginning I'd drink those ICE drinks, I found the fizz helped me not miss the Coke but now I have a cherry coke zero occasionally and the rest of the time drink water or unsweet tea.
I've tried quitting in the past but I always came crawling back. This time I recognize that the sugar content was going to have an affect sooner or later and that put it into perspective.0 -
psychod787 wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »
I don't disagree, although for me the source matters a lot. I couldn't choke down a can of regular coke (diet is fine) but I adore my coffee.
I was remarking on the person who claimed they drank tons of soda because "sugar" is addictive and now must have other food/drink issues because they drink lots of coffee.
The commonality there is caffeine, so probably that was the addiction at issue, not poor, always maligned sugar. ;-)
Much thought and some reading I have given this. I think, it's the combo of easy calories... aka....pure refined sugar... and a habit forming drug like caffeine. From the animal research, the brain had trouble telling "diet" drinks from regular at first, but does seem to learn there are no calories. I think arguement that diet soda causes weight gain is just a case of correlation. Maybe people drinking diet are trying to lose weight kinda thing...lol 🤔
With beverages I really think it might be even simpler. I find it very easy to mindlessly drink something, and personally I like to have a drink available at all times. Many years ago that was diet coke, then water, then coffee (and I like water, but there's something a bit more satisfying to me about coffee), and now -- because I decided I needed less caffeine, it's mostly water, some coffee, occasionally something else like a diet coke.
But if someone were inclined to blame an "addiction" and had easily switched from high consumption of soda to high consumption of black coffee, caffeine seems like the commonality, not sugar. (I also think there's a difference between overconsuming something because it's a habit you have and it tastes good to you and an addiction, of course, and I think most people who overconsume foods are just doing it based on tastiness and habit, or not previously thinking there was any reason to bother limiting it. That's actually what it turned out to be with me and coffee -- I cut back from ridiculous amounts all day to one or 2 cups in the morning and expected to have a headache, etc., but was just a little tired for a couple of days and then my sleep improved and I felt great. I'm off the wagon with keeping the coffee down and focusing on sleep right now because of the whole coronavirus/working from home/life being disrupted/general anxiety stuff, but am going to try to get back to normal on that, at least.)2 -
psychod787 wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »
I don't disagree, although for me the source matters a lot. I couldn't choke down a can of regular coke (diet is fine) but I adore my coffee.
I was remarking on the person who claimed they drank tons of soda because "sugar" is addictive and now must have other food/drink issues because they drink lots of coffee.
The commonality there is caffeine, so probably that was the addiction at issue, not poor, always maligned sugar. ;-)
Much thought and some reading I have given this. I think, it's the combo of easy calories... aka....pure refined sugar... and a habit forming drug like caffeine. From the animal research, the brain had trouble telling "diet" drinks from regular at first, but does seem to learn there are no calories. I think arguement that diet soda causes weight gain is just a case of correlation. Maybe people drinking diet are trying to lose weight kinda thing...lol 🤔
With beverages I really think it might be even simpler. I find it very easy to mindlessly drink something, and personally I like to have a drink available at all times. Many years ago that was diet coke, then water, then coffee (and I like water, but there's something a bit more satisfying to me about coffee), and now -- because I decided I needed less caffeine, it's mostly water, some coffee, occasionally something else like a diet coke.
But if someone were inclined to blame an "addiction" and had easily switched from high consumption of soda to high consumption of black coffee, caffeine seems like the commonality, not sugar. (I also think there's a difference between overconsuming something because it's a habit you have and it tastes good to you and an addiction, of course, and I think most people who overconsume foods are just doing it based on tastiness and habit, or not previously thinking there was any reason to bother limiting it. That's actually what it turned out to be with me and coffee -- I cut back from ridiculous amounts all day to one or 2 cups in the morning and expected to have a headache, etc., but was just a little tired for a couple of days and then my sleep improved and I felt great. I'm off the wagon with keeping the coffee down and focusing on sleep right now because of the whole coronavirus/working from home/life being disrupted/general anxiety stuff, but am going to try to get back to normal on that, at least.)
I dont agree with the idea of food addiction personally. Now, reinforcement? Yes ma'am I do. Sugar is not addictive,but can be reinforcing. Caffeine come with withdrawal symptoms. Mild? Yes. Combine the two and make soda, or high calorie coffee drinks... ect...0 -
Caffeine is addictive.
I dont think anyone is saying withdrawal will be like narcotics withdrawal though.
And it will vary between people.
And depend how much you were using to start with.
6- 8 cans of coke daily seems a largish amount though
headaches, muscle aches,nausea, irritiability - those are common if you stop suddenly.
But not severe - so either wean down or be prepared for a few days of mild withdrawal symptoms
Either way is doable.2 -
I quit sodas during my first marriage in a rather inadvertent way. We were very poor and lived on his disability check, and that meant that we bought food at the beginning of the month, and if we ran out of something, well, you were out until the next month. One month it was a very tight month for food because the utility bill had gone up, and I just didn't have money for as much soda as usual. And so consequently I ran out about a week in. It was winter, so I was happy to substitute a lot of hot tea for it, as that helped keep me warm in an uninsulated house. We did not have a working washer and dryer, so we went over to my mother's regularly to do laundry there. And for that afternoon, I kept a case of soda there, and drank three or four over the course of the afternoon's work. We did that on Sundays, and Mondays were always hard for me because my chronic pain flared; due, I thought, to the bad chair I sat in at Mom's, and all the lifting and carrying in and out of six or seven loads of laundry. One week, I went, and discovered my son who lived with my mother had drunk all my sodas. I drank hot tea, and grumbled a bit. But Monday I felt okay. He had forgotten to replace them by the time I went again, and so I drank tea. And I was okay on Monday. The third week he'd remembered to get me my Diet Cokes, and I drank them. And Monday I felt like I'd been beaten up and slept on rocks. And I said, HMMM! And so the next week I drank tea, and was fine on Monday. Sodas, and sore on Monday.
Well, I'm not an idiot. I could figure that out well enough, and I was fine with just drinking tea or water. Especially given the massive reduction in pain levels that I got when I quit soda.
And now it doesn't even taste good.1
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