Drinking Too Much Pop

activeadriana

I'm drinking pop every day! How do I stop? What's the best thing to replace it with? I was thinking of cutting back to drinking it once a week since I don't want to cut it out completely.

Also do you call it pop or soda? Or some4hing else? Thank you.

snowflake954

Those who can't give it up use the sugar free versions. If you want to cut it out, it's like anything else --or cold turkey or gradually cut back. Regular soda or pop, will use up your daily calories fast. So, it's best to cut if you can.

cwolfman13

I used to drink between 3 and 6 full sugar sodas daily. I weened myself off of them by initially only allowing 1 per day with my lunch and then dropping off the number of days I was allowed a soda each week. It took me about a month and a half or so if memory serves me. I have a full sugar soda now maybe 2-3 times per year. I occasionally drink a diet soda here and there.

I mostly drink water and always have a water bottle with me...I also use Crystal Light flavoring relatively frequently for something different. A lot of people switch to diet soda, but I didn't really want to do that because the acidic content of soda isn't very good for your teeth if you're consuming a lot of it.

BeFit2023

What I did was started drinking unsweetened iced tea and a lot of water and as a reward I have a soda with dinner. So just find a balance that works for you and good luck with your life style change

HoneyBadger302

At first just tried to cut it out but had to replace the caffeine a bit, so weened off that. Then I worked on figuring out what my trigger was....I thought it was the sweet and flavor, so I started trying things like Mio and Crystal light in my water. That didn't kill the cravings.

Then read somewhere that for some people it's the bubbles - so tried some bubble water and found that was it for me! To this day I generally keep some fizzy water around the house to satisfy my cravings, and it doesn't need to be sweetened or even flavored, I just need my bubbles fix apparently!

And growing up in the upper midwest, it's pop LOL

Retroguy2000

Substitution.

Coke Zero or diet root beer ftw.

I never craved or needed full sugar soft drinks, it was just a habit. Now, I haven't had one in many years, don't miss them at all. Actually if I do try one, it tastes more like sugar than a drink and I don't want it.

For the sake of moderation, the equivalent of one can with lunch, and one with dinner. Everything else is water, lots of water, and coffee.

ninerbuff

Diet soda. You get used to it. Diet Pepsi is the win for me.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

glassyo

I grew up on diet sodas. The only non diet I ever drank was Orange Crush in college because the diet just sucked out loud.

OP, I'm not one for will power but, when I gave up soda for a while, I just...did it. Went from my diet drinks to iced tea to just plain water.

I'm back to diet sodas now, tho, I never really drank a lot anyway. Basically a medium drink when I would go out for lunch every day and then a can of something when I had dinner.

(And Hansen's diet root beer on a hot day was/is pure heaven! It's hard to find now, tho, for a reasonable price.)

ecjim

It's soda or coke -- I mostly drink coffee or water - sometimes sweet tea - semi sweet - sometimes a coke with sugar -rarely

Try to limit your drinks to 0 cal drinks

allaboutthecake

Many moons ago, I only liked full sugar fountain sodas. 7-11 here I come! So, before MFP (hehe), I wanted to lose a few belly fat and did half diet, half sugar on the fountain. then it was mostly diet with a little "blip" on the sugar soda to add to my cup. then pretty soon, braved it and did full diet.

Now, I don't hardly ever even have a Pop unless its a diet root beer or a diet orange or a diet cream soda. Diet slurpee's but those are hard to find.
And I grew up saying "Pop" and thought people who said "Soda" were snobby lol

paperpudding

Also do you call it pop or soda? Or some4hing else? Thank you.

here in Australia we call them soft drinks.

I drink one now and then - and have swapped to diet versions so next to no calories.

Lark13

Flavored carbonated water. You still get the bubbly cold fizz that makes soda fun to drink, without the calories, sugar, or artificial sweeteners. Also helpful that they are packaged and stored in the same way, so work within your existing habit patterns. It may taste thin or unsatisfying at first, but for me at least my preferences quickly adapted when I stayed with it.

nossmf

Grew up calling it pop in the Rocky Mountains, started calling it soda when I went to college on the east coast, and during my time in the military I heard others refer to it as pop, soda, soft drinks, fountain drinks, coke (regardless the actual brand), and a couple others. Drives my wife bonkers I tend to inadvertently flip between each of them at random from one day to the next. Probably use the term soda most often, so that's to what I'll try to limit myself here.

Twenty years ago, I drank a 2-liter of Pepsi per day. When I first tried to be healthier, I tried, and absolutely HATED, the taste of diet. Tried stopping cold turkey, but the caffeine headaches were horrendous. So, what I came up with was a plan where I allowed myself to drink as much soda per day as I wanted, but with the caveat that I had to first drink an equal amount of water. So, before I had a 12oz can of soda, I'd drink 12oz of water. If I wanted a second can, I first had to drink more water. Didn't cut out all my soda each day, but probably sliced it in half.

What really proved a game-changer for me was when I discovered caffeine pills in the pharmacy, over-the-counter. Now I could cut out sodas completely without having to endure withdrawal headaches. These days, I enjoy 1-2 cans per week, while typically sticking to water when I dine out. (I've become quite sensitive to the ratio of syrup to carbonated water, and most restaurants simply get the ratio wrong.)

Ebonie_owlwehn

I cut down from 2hrs a day to a 600ml bottle then a can 330mls. Then it became a treat item here their 2x-3x a week then a weekend treat. I started a routine pint of water and a cup of coffee plus my meal. I do this at each meal time.

penguinmama87

I have almost always preferred diet pop (that's what we call it here!) but every now and again I try to kick it. I drink one 12oz can per day, but the price keeps going up and I'm annoyed about that, and I don't like going to the store I buy it from *just* to buy pop, you know?

I feel like there has to be some psychological component to it - I drink it when my kids are napping, usually curled up with a book, and it's often the only time I get all to myself all day. It's a whole ritual and it feels silly to type out but I savor it! Part of it is the bubbles, but replacing with seltzer doesn't hit the same spot and I don't like the taste. Same with tea or coffee, though I like iced coffee in the mornings.

My current plan is to go down to every other day, then every few days, then on Sundays, then stop. If it was still as inexpensive as it was a few years ago I probably would just keep drinking it and not mind. But around here the price has doubled. It's more per can in a 24 pack than what I used to be able to get in a vending machine! I'm just too cheap to put up with that, afternoon ritual or no.

tomcustombuilder

ninerbuff wrote: »

Diet soda. You get used to it. Diet Pepsi is the win for me.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

diet soda is great especially when in a deficit. Good for that sweet fix without calories just don’t go overboard.

kelliward1

I stopped drinking all sodas (I'm in Texas, we call them sodas or Coke) about 2 1/2 years ago when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I drink a lot of flavored sparkling water. I prefer the ones sweetened with sucralose, since I try to avoid aspartame. My favorite is the lemon lime flavor I find at Kroger. It's really good to mix with a little strawberry Moscato for a little after dinner treat.

mrsmeteor

You'll have to pry the diet Dr. Pepper out of my cold, dead hands. If you want to replace it with something, you can get little drink packet tubes of Crystal Light, or Starburst flavours/Fanta, etc, that you mix with water.

Grew up in Canada and have always called it pop, and that's the only way I've ever heard Canadians refer to it.

Kupla71

I’m Canadian and we all call it pop. I like my diet ginger ale. I have about a cup twice a day. I also have a soda stream so I make sparkling water a lot. I guess I like the bubbles. I drank regular pop as a kid but had no trouble transitioning to diet and I actually prefer it. I find regular pop too sweet!

serenecompassion2663

I have struggled with drinking pop for decades. (I’m from WI—we say “pop”😁)

I used to drink several 44oz fountain sodas daily. This is how I cut down:

I switched to diet pop,
Then I gradually started shrinking the sizes of the cups:

From 44oz to 32oz for a week or two.
Instead of buying 4 a day I went to two.
Then every other day.
Then I switched to 20oz bottles.
After I got used to 20 oz bottles, I started buying the 16oz 6-packs at the grocery store and keeping it at home rather than buying it at the gas station next door.

And I would see how long I could make that six pack last.

Right now I’m hovering between 16-20oz.
The next step down would be 12oz cans.

I’m trying to kick it completely by using the following alternatives:

ice water (plain, or with Liquid IV or Crystal Light)
Snapple Diet Tea
Vita Ice (zero calories but carbonated)
Herbal teas (hot or cold)
Black tea (many flavors available: my favorite in the morning is Bigelow Vanilla Chai) (hot)


Hope this helps.

neanderthin

serenecompassion2663 wrote: »

I have struggled with drinking pop for decades. (I’m from WI—we say “pop”😁)

I used to drink several 44oz fountain sodas daily. This is how I cut down:

I switched to diet pop,
Then I gradually started shrinking the sizes of the cups:

From 44oz to 32oz for a week or two.
Instead of buying 4 a day I went to two.
Then every other day.
Then I switched to 20oz bottles.
After I got used to 20 oz bottles, I started buying the 16oz 6-packs at the grocery store and keeping it at home rather than buying it at the gas station next door.

And I would see how long I could make that six pack last.

Right now I’m hovering between 16-20oz.
The next step down would be 12oz cans.

I’m trying to kick it completely by using the following alternatives:

ice water (plain, or with Liquid IV or Crystal Light)
Snapple Diet Tea
Vita Ice (zero calories but carbonated)
Herbal teas (hot or cold)
Black tea (many flavors available: my favorite in the morning is Bigelow Vanilla Chai) (hot)


Hope this helps.

That's what I call a commitment. cheers.