Addicted to Soda
OBsaurus
Posts: 4
Hey everyone. I've been using this app for a while now and I really like it because it helps me see just how horrible I eat. I've gotten so much better about eating appropriately, but one thing I just cannot give up is my Mt. Dew. I used to drink 60oz a day and have gotten myself to 20oz, but just can't kick the habit completely. Anyone have any ways that might help me overcome this? I'm willing to try almost anything, honestly. I know that kicking the soda out will help me lose more weight, but that's still not enough motivation for me.
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Replies
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Stop buying it. Have diet or a cup of tea when you start to crave it.0
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20oz is still a lot. If you cut it down once you can cut it again, until it fits comfortably in your calorie allowance.0
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I had a bad soda addiction as well, for me it was coke. For over 20 years I would drink a 2 litre a day. I would go out in a raging blizzard to go get some if I was out. Luckily, I take good care of my teeth or they would have probably rotted out of my head by now. In February when I decided to live a healthier lifestyle I knew the soda had to go as well. I started out drinking the flavored Sparkling Ice drinks from Talking Rain. My Meijer doesn't carry them, I have to get them from Kroger or the small local grocer nearby. I just needed the carbonation. I now drink more water than I do the sparkling ice but will not cut it out completely. I still don't like plain old water with pizza. I have not had a coke since Feb 1st. I can now be around other people drinking it and it doesn't bother me. Good luck.0
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Carbonated water. But get the good stuff: Pellegrino.0
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I would say try diet sodas or I get the carbonated waters from WalMart they taste great and have no calories. I know with me its the carbonation that I crave (I know sounds weird lol) so I satisfy it with a carbonated water0
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sodas can carry a lot of sodium or caffeine depending on the kind you drink.... and as we all know sodium can be a bummer during weight loss and for your health... and as for caffeine.. tis no better IMO... well too much, one can become addicted. Soda is also a dehydrate... where water is essential for cells to work properly.. I always felt it best to keep hydrated to help my whole body do it's thing.
I cut out all soda when I started on my WL journey and I replaced it with water... sometimes I use a bit of crystal light or a squirt of Mio to switch it up. Starting is hard, because if you drink a fair bit your body will basically be in withdrawal from it.. headaches etc...
As with us all, any choices or changes we make on our diet is our own... everyone of us are different and what works for one may not work for another.... only you can decide.
Best of luck in whatever choice you make
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If you are talking regular Mt. Dew, I was switch it to Diet at first, and then slowly cut it off by replacing it with something else. I can't imagine the empty calories in that amount. You will be motivated when you see the easy weight loss that will come with the switch! Good luck!0
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Its oftentimes the caffeine addiction in Coke.
Besides that, it tastes so delicious and refreshing and perfect sweetness.
I did it by going cold turkey and after 3 weeks it totally conquered my craving, but in order to fight the caffeine withdrawal i still had a cup of coffee a day.
I drank tea, water or milk instead of Coke.
Now i can have some Coke occasionally without it being addicting. its just like any other food.
But try the cold turkey method,, it may help you the best since you want to know how I conquered my coke addiction.0 -
I just gave up soda a week ago. At home I would go through a 12 pack in two days, and then my drinks for whatever I had for lunch and dinner when we went out. It was a lot.
I didn't buy it. I bought bottled water and stocked up on water flavoring packets. Everytime you're thirsty, drink it. I tried weaning off, and personally, that didn't do anything for me because I just held out for that can I got a day. When I had no option. I switched to my water.... and it's actually felt really good.
Sometimes, even though you don't want to, you just have to kick the habit and fight through it. It's odd but I miss the feel of a can in my hands. That's the worst.0 -
You might try mixing the 20 oz down with diet Mt. Dew. Maybe increase the amount of diet to regular by 25% each day. then mix the diet mt. dew with sparkling water.
One friend of mine did it by using those citrus mio's in sparkling water, but I don't think that helps with the caffeine in Mt. Dew... Best wishes!0 -
Thanks for the advice everyone. I have been trying to go cold turkey, but then I seem to get twitchy and the headaches begin. I'm sure most of it's mental, but I think mental is enough. I've tried the diet sodas, but I have one of those palates that is extremely picky when it comes to taste. I honestly took 2 drinks of a diet Mt. Dew, threw it in the trash, and bought a regular one to get that taste out of my mouth. It's only Mt. Dew too. I don't crave any other soft drink. I'll have to try carbonated water. I know it's not the caffeine because I've switched to coffee and low carb energy drinks with no alleviation from the cravings. I know a lot of this has to do with will power, and I'm so used to doing, getting, and eating whatever I want that it's going to take some time to change. Thanks again for the responses and please keep them coming. If I can kick this addiction, I'll be much happier.0
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I have one of those palates that is extremely picky when it comes to taste. I honestly took 2 drinks of a diet Mt. Dew, threw it in the trash
Me too. Artificial sweeteners make me gag. HOW can other people not taste them? Way to ruin food. And I can't drink plain water either (yes I'm aware that's a first-world problem, to my shame).
Also - if you do get carbonated water - it's amazing straight out of the fridge - with some freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice, just for a bit of flavour.0 -
I cringe saying this because I'm a dentist, but try a different regular soda or coffee with sugar. You may just be addicted to the sugar content, of which Mt Dew has some of the highest content among sodas. The caffeine doesn't help the addictive part either.
You have to WANT to quit otherwise you won't succeed. I bet if I could talk to you about your teeth (history of daily 60 oz of Mt Dew, wow!), you may find more motivation.0 -
I am totally addicted to full fat Soda drinks, coca-cola, Dr pepper being my most addicted to ones.
Also I do love to have Fresh orange juice and then top it up with fizzy sprite, or fizzy lemonade! - Which is even worse.
I don't really know how to get myself to stop drinking this, cause I know its affecting my body etc0 -
One afternoon I was hanging out and bored. I chose to read the ingridents list on my 20oz regular Mt Dew bottle.....there was something strange that stuck out to me: Brominated Vegetable Oil
I thought, "What in the world? Vegetable oil in my soda??" - so I got on the internet and researched that phrase. Soon as I realized that Brominated Vegetable Oil is aka a flame retardant chemical - made me quickly think twice about having any more of that!
Of course, I mean there is crap in what we eat lol - I get that. But the idea of 1 thing I was 100% aware of, and that I could 100% prevent of getting inside my body - I figured it was the least I could do for me.
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I have been trying to go cold turkey, but then I seem to get twitchy and the headaches begin. I'm sure most of it's mental, but I think mental is enough. I've tried the diet sodas, but I have one of those palates that is extremely picky when it comes to taste. I honestly took 2 drinks of a diet Mt. Dew, threw it in the trash, and bought a regular one to get that taste out of my mouth. It's only Mt. Dew too. I don't crave any other soft drink. I'll have to try carbonated water. I know it's not the caffeine because I've switched to coffee and low carb energy drinks with no alleviation from the cravings. I know a lot of this has to do with will power, and I'm so used to doing, getting, and eating whatever I want that it's going to take some time to change. Thanks again for the responses and please keep them coming. If I can kick this addiction, I'll be much happier.
Yeah just like when you see heroin addicts in detox where they do cold turkey. Thats why I drink coffee because it will give me the caffeine.. in fact, maybe you could try drinking a coffee if you get the jitters because you are weaning yourself off Coke. It may be you have to put up with it for a week if you really want to give up the Coke. If you cant do that and are not willing to up up with the discomfort of the headaches, then you can wean yourself slowly off.0 -
Thanks for the advice everyone. I have been trying to go cold turkey, but then I seem to get twitchy and the headaches begin. I'm sure most of it's mental, but I think mental is enough. I've tried the diet sodas, but I have one of those palates that is extremely picky when it comes to taste. I honestly took 2 drinks of a diet Mt. Dew, threw it in the trash, and bought a regular one to get that taste out of my mouth. It's only Mt. Dew too. I don't crave any other soft drink. I'll have to try carbonated water. I know it's not the caffeine because I've switched to coffee and low carb energy drinks with no alleviation from the cravings. I know a lot of this has to do with will power, and I'm so used to doing, getting, and eating whatever I want that it's going to take some time to change. Thanks again for the responses and please keep them coming. If I can kick this addiction, I'll be much happier.
Those twitchy feelings are withdrawal symptoms, both physical and mental. Depending on how bad your addiction is, they can last a couple of days or weeks, maybe months. You can try weaning yourself down until you don't drink Dew anymore, which sounds like it's working.
TBH, if you can fit a can of Dew in your daily calories/macros, go for it. Pretty sure it won't kill you unless you choke on it. :drinker:0 -
I was able to wean myself down to 20oz because I have to go to the store to buy it. By avoiding the store except on my way to work, I've been able to keep from getting more. Funny thing is, I decided that going to 12oz was the next logical step, except that they only come in 12 packs, which meant I had access to more than one a day, which meant I started drinking more than one a day. Anyways, I know it's the mental part that I have to overcome, and the jitters and headaches will get better, I just have to keep pushing. I suppose I'm just hoping there's some miracle drug that inhibits the effect of all that sugar so I could still enjoy it without the unfortunate side effects.
Oh and Darling, I had read about the Brominated Vegetable oil. It's really freaky and does help me say no every once in a while. It's crazy to think that stuff is banned in several other first world countries, but not in the States.0 -
Hey everyone. I've been using this app for a while now and I really like it because it helps me see just how horrible I eat. I've gotten so much better about eating appropriately, but one thing I just cannot give up is my Mt. Dew. I used to drink 60oz a day and have gotten myself to 20oz, but just can't kick the habit completely. Anyone have any ways that might help me overcome this? I'm willing to try almost anything, honestly. I know that kicking the soda out will help me lose more weight, but that's still not enough motivation for me.
As far as sodas go, I can typically take them or leave them. Since I've started keeping track of my caloric intake, I haven't had the same desire as previously. It's not that I think they are inherently "bad," but I would rather "spend" my calories on something else.
I'm sure you've tried the diet version of Mt. Dew, and I assume that isn't a substitute for you. I normally don't like the diet version of sodas, but I find diet Mt. Dew surprisingly close to the original.
ETA: I see you already tried diet Mt. Dew, and didn't like it all that much. :sick:0 -
I was able to wean myself down to 20oz because I have to go to the store to buy it. By avoiding the store except on my way to work, I've been able to keep from getting more. Funny thing is, I decided that going to 12oz was the next logical step, except that they only come in 12 packs, which meant I had access to more than one a day, which meant I started drinking more than one a day. Anyways, I know it's the mental part that I have to overcome, and the jitters and headaches will get better, I just have to keep pushing. I suppose I'm just hoping there's some miracle drug that inhibits the effect of all that sugar so I could still enjoy it without the unfortunate side effects.
Oh and Darling, I had read about the Brominated Vegetable oil. It's really freaky and does help me say no every once in a while. It's crazy to think that stuff is banned in several other first world countries, but not in the States.
Well there are two ways to combat your coke addiction - weaning and cold turkey. depends which one can work for you.
one thing about weaning slowly, your still in my opinion, stimulating the things inside you that are triggering your addiction. thats why i think cold turkey is best - 0 percent coke. Take advil if you have headaches, it may be worth it because it might only be a few days of discomfort. it may also be ok this time. I think Mt Dew must be the worst for some reason.
I just thought of something - what about getting some generic soda which doesn't really taste as strong as coke. it might help a bit in that you are drinking a little of cola, but it wont taste as good, (theres something about Coke that has the best most evilly-delicious flavor) so perhaps if you get a craving and you go for the blah generic type, your tastes will change.
actually your tastes will change, if you go without coke for a while, if you do drink it, it tastes super sweet and almost not-as-drinkalby deliciously addicting 0 -
I use to drink a 12 pack of Mt Dew a day, by myself for years
I went to Diet Dew but the aspartame made me ill.
Now I make tea with Stevia for 0 calories. Drink it all the time, almost a pitcher a day.
I also wanted to say GREAT JOB on weaning down to 20 oz !! That is an awesome job !!0 -
Maybe try a different version of the weaning process. One day quit cold turkey, the day after, have up to your 20oz. Alternate for a few days like this, then try to go 2 days without, but allow yourself 20 oz. on the third day. Repeat this for several days. Continue to extend your period of going without until your cravings subside to the point you feel confident to give it up completely. Sometimes quitting cold turkey right away from something you still want badly backfires. Slowly show yourself you really can live without it, and you may have better luck. Just an idea. Best wishes for success!0
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A lot of good advice already, and I'm probably just seconding everything:
Try switching to Diet as you make the transition - less sugars and empty calories (and the artificial sweetener isn't that much worse than all that sugar, especially if you're still cutting back)
Don't go into convenience stores if that's a weak spot. Get rid of all your refillable cups, and pay at the pump :laugh:
Similarly, don't even go down the aisle at the grocery store. Pick a checkout line that doesn't have the cooler there. If you aren't walking past it, you won't be tempted to buy it.
My husband and I love our soda; we've been able to buy it in the cans, a case at a time, and store it under our bed. We get one can a day (12 oz). It's not in a super easy place to get, so there's less chance of us thoughtlessly grabbing it. This strategy may help you limit yourself again, to 1 can a day, then 1 every other day, etc. But if having a whole case in the house means that you are likely to drink it all in a couple of days, don't!! (We chose to drink diet)
I don't think it's necessary to completely cut soda out of your diet. You've done good at cutting back so far, just keep working on it. Allow yourself a treat from time to time, but if you chose the full-sugar ones make sure to allow for it in your calories and carbs for the day (don't have dessert that day, or something … but don't cut out fruit for soda!!
). And like I mentioned, if you're only having 20 oz a day or less, I think the possible risks of artificial sweeteners is no greater than the negative effects of that much sugar in a day. (And yes, I recognize that other things about soda aren't great either, like the carmel coloring and the carbonation. I just pick which junk foods I allow and soda is one of them for me) It's up to you if you want to practice moderation and have some once in a while or cut it completely 0 -
I was able to wean myself down to 20oz because I have to go to the store to buy it. By avoiding the store except on my way to work, I've been able to keep from getting more. Funny thing is, I decided that going to 12oz was the next logical step, except that they only come in 12 packs, which meant I had access to more than one a day, which meant I started drinking more than one a day. Anyways, I know it's the mental part that I have to overcome, and the jitters and headaches will get better, I just have to keep pushing. I suppose I'm just hoping there's some miracle drug that inhibits the effect of all that sugar so I could still enjoy it without the unfortunate side effects.
Oh and Darling, I had read about the Brominated Vegetable oil. It's really freaky and does help me say no every once in a while. It's crazy to think that stuff is banned in several other first world countries, but not in the States.
I had a horrible soda addiction through highschool and on. One thing that I know kicked it for me at least when I was in college, was really intense regular exercise. After a few weeks of kicking my butt in the gym soda just started tasting NASTY. Too sweat, too syrupy, and I just really didn't want it any more because it wouldn't do a thing to help with my being thirsty. Issue being that when I wasn't exercising at that level, the cravings came back.....
Now PLEASE, no one hurt me for saying this, because I am not recommending this as a diet or anything else, just an honest personal experience. My husband and I did the HCG thing for a month a little over two years ago. We did lose weight but gained it all right back. The reason I am mentioning it however is because I was heavy soda addicted before we started, and by week 1 the soda cravings were gone, and they have NEVER come back. Every once in a while I can have and enjoy a soda, but we're talking MAYBE once a week when we're out at diner. Before, I could get a soda craving at 2 in the morning, and I wouldn't be able to sleep until I got my hands on a coke.
I know it's a weird side effect, and even I have a hard time attributing it to the HCG, but I have to be honest and admit that it's the only correlating factor I can point to.0 -
I was addicted as well. One day when the soda ran out I said OK this is it, no more soda in the house. When I was able to "detox" from the pop and not have the "withdrawals" I let my husband bring pop back into the house and I was able to not touch it. I allow myself pop every once in a while but that's it. I've also noticed that since cutting out pop things have become too sweet for me now. Such as apple juice, apple sauce, power aid, etc0
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I quit a huge soda habit cold turkey more than 30 years ago and I STILL dream of the taste of Diet Pepsi. Now I only drink water. If I had tried to just cut down I don't think it would have worked for me. It was all or nothing.0
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You just have to make the decision to change. It's as simple, and as difficult, as that. Stop buying the soda. Don't even go down the aisle, shop at the store, or have the money to do it. Try a glass of iced tea or water with lemon or cucumber in it and just make the decision, one day at a time, one drink choice at a time. You already know it's terrible for you, and you don't like diet (smart man, it's awful) but you need the push to do it. Nobody can come there and make you do it, you know you need to do it for yourself. 0
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*massive generalisation klaxon*
It does seem that adults drinking fizzy drinks is more of an American habit? In England it's usually just kids or students who drink it.
Adults drink tea - or beer.
Not judging just commenting...0 -
I was able to wean myself down to 20oz because I have to go to the store to buy it. By avoiding the store except on my way to work, I've been able to keep from getting more. Funny thing is, I decided that going to 12oz was the next logical step, except that they only come in 12 packs, which meant I had access to more than one a day, which meant I started drinking more than one a day. Anyways, I know it's the mental part that I have to overcome, and the jitters and headaches will get better, I just have to keep pushing. I suppose I'm just hoping there's some miracle drug that inhibits the effect of all that sugar so I could still enjoy it without the unfortunate side effects.
Oh and Darling, I had read about the Brominated Vegetable oil. It's really freaky and does help me say no every once in a while. It's crazy to think that stuff is banned in several other first world countries, but not in the States.
Well there are two ways to combat your coke addiction - weaning and cold turkey. depends which one can work for you.
one thing about weaning slowly, your still in my opinion, stimulating the things inside you that are triggering your addiction. thats why i think cold turkey is best - 0 percent coke. Take advil if you have headaches, it may be worth it because it might only be a few days of discomfort. it may also be ok this time. I think Mt Dew must be the worst for some reason.
I just thought of something - what about getting some generic soda which doesn't really taste as strong as coke. it might help a bit in that you are drinking a little of cola, but it wont taste as good, (theres something about Coke that has the best most evilly-delicious flavor) so perhaps if you get a craving and you go for the blah generic type, your tastes will change.
actually your tastes will change, if you go without coke for a while, if you do drink it, it tastes super sweet and almost not-as-drinkalby deliciously addicting
YES to the taste change! Not only does coke (or Mountain Dew) taste sweeter after you've given it up for a while, but everything ELSE tastes sweeter too! I found that all sorts of fruits tasted better after I stopped drinking coke regularly.0 -
To be honest, I quit cold turkey on my first day of logging. I replaced it 100% with water. The first week was hard, but after that I felt great. Haven't looked back since.
It's interesting though, because I've NEVER, in my whole liked any kind of tea. I've always thought tea is so bitter. I got hubby a pack of diet snapple green tea. I took a sip and it tasted sooooooooooo sweet to me!
Sometimes, you just have to buckle down and get things done. I found cold turkey to work very well for me.0
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