Need to quit drinking Coke. HELP!!

armydreamers

Hi everyone.

I need some advice. I am super duper addicted to regular Coke. I have to have one first thing in the morning or I get a monstrous headache. I also drink one with breakfast and another with lunch and dinner as well...and another 1 or 2 throughout the day. So, I am having 4-5 Cokes a day!! Horrible, I know but I love it. Ugh.

Just wondering if anyone has been successful breaking such a bad habit as mine, and if so, how the heck did you do it?! I don't drink coffee or anything else with caffeine so I'm not sure what I'll do to get through the caffeine withdrawals.

It's going to be so hard for me to switch to just water. Is there anything else out there I can drink that is better for me than soda but a good alternative???

Thanks.

kappyblu

Hi. Since you are having such a hard time, I would suggest a gradual step down. Try Coke Zero for a while. Eventually replace those sodas with Crystal Light, and then to just pure water. I am sure it will be difficult, but you can do it. You are stronger than a little aluminum can, or a two liter bottle, or a 20 oz bottle or whatever it is. You are stronger than the sugary, caffeinated bubbles! Good luck!!

itzamos

Maybe you could slowly wean yourself away from the habit by replacing 1 of your daily cokes with diet coke, and then gradually switching over to all diet coke. At that point you could try and slowly reduce the daily amount.

CasualLuxury

If you're in the need for Coke, switch to DIET Coke. It's not AS bad for you, but at least you're not drinking any calories. Set a daily goal of only have 2 diet cokes a day for this week. Then, next week, set a goal for only 1 diet coke a day. When you cut out Regular Coke, you will AMAZED at how much it helps reduce weight.

LuckyLeprechaun

IMHO, Coke Zero is much better than Diet.

I know there are those who think diet soda is the devil, but with Zero (or diet if you like) at least you're not wasting a bunch of calories on soda.

I drink a bunch of coke zero's every day, and it hasn't stopped my progress!

poodlepaws

I stopped drinking regular coke a couple of years ago and switched to Diet Coke....I was up to 4 or 5 a day when I decided to stop drinking it 2 months ago!
I went from it to Propel to Crystal light.
How did I do it? COLD TURKEY! I got tired of getting my calories from all the soda I was drinking; the sodium is OUTRAGEOUS! Sodium keeps the water on ya:)

I would suggest a gradual cutdown though. Maybe try to cut out one a day for the first week and then go from there.
I hope you can break this bad habit;)

kasmir8199

I've been there many times before, so I feel your pain!

My first addiction was to Mello-Yello back in the day. Surprisingly enough, I was able to switch from drinking many Mello-Yellos a day to drinking Powerade. I could just drink water. It also seemed to more I worked out, the more I craved Powerade (or water). My latest addiction was to sweet tea. I was used to drinking about a 1/2 gallon of sweet tea per day!! When I started working out again, I wanted more water but still couldn't stay away from the tea.

Weaning helps!! It's really hard, esp if you get headaches, to go cold turkey. Instead of drinking the whole Coke each morning, try drinking 3/4 of it. . .1/2 of it. . .and down to maybe once less Coke a day. Buy the smaller cans or bottles of Coke to help.

This may sounds weird, but I've found that I drink more water if I have it in it's own special container/canteen. I use one of those tall stainless steel bottle now, with the snap top and I have to fill it several times a day! If I try to drink out of a glass, I lose interest, lol. I've also found that a taste of something sweet makes me want more water too. Instead of having a candy bar, have a Hershey's Kiss of a few Tollhouse Chocolate Chips/morsels, then wash it down with a nice cold glass of H20!

Any little trick helps. You just have to find which works best for you.

JoyJulRay

Im hooked on diet coke..I drank about a 6 pack a day for a long time.Cut back to 1 or 2 when I started
dieting. Back in Sept I posted a topic about giving up something for the whole month of October. So
as of today I have been diet coke free for 20 days..I dont like juice so its been water water water..or unsweet tea. But cant wait till Nov 1 so I can have one. So you could try
to finish out the month by giving up the coke or just cut back till Nov

kappyblu

Another soda you might like besides Coke Zero (which tastes great, btw) or Diet Coke (also tastes good) is Diet Rite. There is no sodium, calories, sugar, caffeine in it. They make different flavors of it, too. Just a suggestion. Eventually, you'll get to where water is your main drink and you have a soda only once in a while. Good luck!!

cavswife

I was drinking about a 12 pack of diet coke a day, ugh I know. I starting cutting back slowly it took me about 1 month and I was off completely. I still crave one from time to time so as a reward I will allow myself one small one on Saturday. Also another way it helped was a friend and I came up with a deal....if we drank a soda we owed the other person a $1. Good luck!!!!

LuckyLeprechaun

if you decide to wean down, excedrin has caffiene in it, so it helps a LOT for those headaches.

angisnee

I used to drink a couple of regular pops a day. After starting MFP, since I love to eat, I didn't want to waste my precious calories on pop; I'd rather eat something filling. What got me drinking water was adding a some lemon or lime juice. It gives it a little flavor and is less boring that way. Keeping it ice cold helped me too.

Good luck! Hope you can kick your habit!

macalloway

I am addicted as well. I switched to coke zero. Now with a goal of my 8 servings of water. I have been drinking a bottle of water with some crystal lite wild strawberry ( energy) it helps wake me up and it's 2 servings of water. yay. then I let myself have a coke zero. I have with this idea ( a bottle of water = 2 servings of water then a coke zero) cut down on my cokes(12 pack a day to 6 and only on week 2) and helped get water in me. I hope to one day not need them, but I get bad headaches too!

Good luck and let me know what works for you. I am always up for new ideas!

Cheers
Melissa

NoAdditives

I would not switch to Diet Coke or Coke Zero. There have been numerous studies done on artificial sweeteners and they're not good for you. Plus, it sounds like you've got a serious caffeine addiction if you absolutely have to have one first thing in the morning. I would gradually reduce the number of Cokes you drink in a day. Replace one a day with a healthier drink (water would be best but even juice or tea would be better than soda) for one week. Then replace another soda the next week, and so on.

For a while I was drinking nothing but soda and quit cold turkey. I hate drinking water from a regular glass but I can drink 9 glasses of water a day if I drink it from a sports bottle. Keeping the water in a closed container helps keep it fresh and not seeing the water actually helps me drink more. I'm less aware that it's water so it's not as much of a chore to drink. I drink one full 24oz bottle while I'm at the gym and I drink two more throughout the day at home. Try keeping a bottle next to you at work, at home, in the car, and take a drink whenever you feel thirsty. You'll be surprised at how much water you can "trick" yourself into drinking.

LuckyLeprechaun

Respectfully, if artificial sweetener were so dangerous, the FDA would've yanked it long ago.

There's much worse things. Like Migraines.

as always, IMHO:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

diet45

Switching to diet first might be a good idea because you won't have the headaches. I was addicted to diet Dr. Pepper. I decided to give them up after dinner first (it was really hard the first few nights, but after that piece of cake). I started drinking water at night (which I never did before...not a big water drinker). I was a bit frustrated with losing very slow and a few weeks not losing at all, so I just gave them up to see if it would be a difference. I then started drinking water instead of the soda. It has been four months and now I don't miss it at all. I don't even order it when I go to a restaurant. I think I didn't get severe headaches because I gave up part of them gradually and I still have one non-fat no fun iced mocha a day!!!

lalouli

I drank a ton of Coke when my twins were little because I was getting so little sleep that I'd do anything to try to stay awake. I went half and half w/diet and still drink one or two diets a day, plus my morning coffee when I decided to quit. For me, the coke draw isn't the caffeine as much as the cool, crisp carbonation. When I waitressed, many moons ago, I drank soda water with lemon, lime, cherry, or bitters and got the same satisfaction. Also, I'm sure this won't be popular with everyone, but coffee has more caffeine than soda and is supposed to have benifits for metabolism. You could drink a cup of that in the a.m. to ward off the headache maybe. Good luck!

ozncj1976

Don't just switch to diet or zero because that is no better for you. Aspartame and the other chemicals in those can cause awful headaches too. You will crave it less and less the longer you go without it, but you shouldn't go cold turkey off that amount of soda or you will be miserable. The other post that said there's caffeine in exedrin is right, I would suggest using something like that or just a caffeine supplement (like no doze) to ward off any headaches. My advice is to step down slowly by replacing your lunch coke with something else that you like to drink. I hate crystal light and most of the "good for you drinks" but I've become accustom to water since I've gone without the soda. I do have it sometimes but I try to limit it to once a day if I do indulge. Good luck its not easy to get off caffeine but you will feel better and I'm sure your insides will thank you since mechanics use coke to clean battery hookups (imagine what it does in you) Hope this helps.

sunravenstar

I have been drinking juices, but to fill myself up more with it and quench my thirst, I have been doing half juice/half water to equal about 16oz each time. It will help with your sugar desire, your water intake, and the juice is good for you too. I love white grape juice, but there are plenty of juices to work with out there. Just remember to watch the calories. :-)

darcibean

This was me exactly 3 weeks ago. I seriously HAD to have coke or pepsi....I started logging my calories, even the ones I would drink and realized I was wasting my calories on soda and I was consuming THOUSANDS of calories a day. I quit drinking the soda cold turkey...I drink Crystal light, ice water, Coke Zero, Diet Pepsi, or Diet Dr. Pepper. I have adapted a taste for these. At first they tasted terrible!! I had to tell myself it's either this or water (which I hate by the way). After 3 weeks of my new eating lifestyle, I have a diet soda once every 2-3 days. Today I actually had a regular dr pepper and I didn't like it, and felt guilty drinking it!!

You have to be ready to give it up mentally and physically...you need to tell yourself what's best. As for the headaches, you will get them...I am still getting them, I'm pretty sure it's from withdrawals of all those years of drinking it. I take excedrin and the headache goes away...I keep telling myself they are temporary and will go away. Good luck, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

nowic

Hi- I know exactly what you are talking about!! I started drinking coke when I was 14 and now I am 34. I have not had a coke since Aug. 10, 2010. I know this sounds harsh- but I had to stop cold turkey! I tried to wean myself off but it usually led back to my same habit of 6-7 a day.:grumble: So finally I said enough! I had so much water that day I thought I was a fish! And I guess because of the water, but I ended up not having a headache- I was shocked!:noway: And yes it has been horribly hard I still crave them! But it is getting better. I had tried before to quit and one thing that helped was a No-Dose the first day. A half of one the next and so on. But I went back to it a couple days after what was I thinking! Anyways- now I am done with it and feeling better than ever! I have replaced the coke with water. Hope this helps- its hard but you can do it!!:bigsmile:

YeaILift

I drink Diet Coke almost daily (0-3 cans a day). Water is always good or Lipton's Diet Green Tea. You are just going to have to ease yourself off slowly if you are having trouble.

armydreamers

Thanks everyone! Unfortunately I can't switch to Diet. I tried that and got terrible migraines from the fake sugars.:( I wish I drank coffee! That would help so much with the caffeine withdrawals. Can anyone reccommend a tasty coffe for a new coffee drinker?

darcibean

Sounds like you should try Diet Rite...it's made with Splenda! It's not like the other ones!

I don't drink coffee either, I don't like it! lol

dlmarkley66

Wow, do I know your dilema!!! I have been addicted to Pepsi (fully loaded) for several years. About 6 cans a day. I will take my 32 oz glass of Pepsi everywhere, and fill up at any Casey's I come to! I even take my cup into Walmart to go shopping! I hate coffee also. I have gained 55# with the help of my little buddies!!. I have tried to quit many times but failed every time. I told myself that I can't possibly stop as I have chronic Migraines and would have a hard time with that. Anyway, I finally had enough and joined this site. I decided to first of all, start logging my Pepsi intake for about a week. After that, I started to cut down, one can every several days. I had tried earlier to take away one can each week, drinking like 5 per day for a week and then 4 per day for a week and so on. This took too long and I just gave up. I hate diet soda and water is so tasteless after you have become addicted to Soda. So I forced myself to drink the water here and there. I tried some Crystal lite but didn't really like that either. I finally found that the only diet soda I can stand is diet root beer. So I am now down to 1 Pepsi a day and have lost about 8# in 2 wks. !! I drink some Root Beer and force the water down. It is becoming more tolerable. The headaches were not near as bad as I had assumed they would be. I have several Migraines per week, so I am very afraid of causing a Migraine. For me, I had to get sooo sick of being fat and causing sooo much damage to my teeth, which soda causes, that I had to do something and fast. So I know that you can do it! Good Luck!!!

lacroyx

i just stopped cold turkey in Dec. 2009. haven't craved it since. I drink water, green tea, occasionally Vitamin Zero and Sobelife. I got headaches but it went away in about month. I found when I did get headaches, I'd go on walks. it would stop for me.

sydney19930

Hi I used to drink a lot of fizzy drinks Coke, 7UP etc but cut them out last year and now drink Sparkling water with a dash of lime and find it really refreshing and it kills the thirst like fizzy drinks used to do. I do drink the occasional coke or 7up but nearly always opt for sparkling water first. I save the coke to have with a malibu when I am out

hewhoiscd

I used to drink 10 to 12 cans of Coke a day, so I know exactly where you are coming from on this. I tried diet stuff and hated the taste, and even worse the after-taste. Coke was my comfort food as well. Didn't feel good? Feeling a little down? Just dealt with an angry customer? I drank a Coke! Which made it even harder to quit.

I tried cold turkey, and the headaches felt like they were going to kill me, lol. So, I started to wean myself off of them. I allowed myself only 9 cans a day for 2 weeks, then 8 cans a day for 2 weeks, etc. This worked great till I was down to 3 cans of coke per day. Then I would rebound and start drink more coke again, before I started trying to wean myself off again. This happened many times till i decided one time when I was down to 3 a day to just quit drinking it all together. I had relapses every now and then, but at least I was down to just 2 or 3 per week, then I finally made the mental push and stopped all soda drinking.

Been Soda and Sweet Tea free for 6+ weeks now, no caffeine from any source. Only took me 10 years of trying to kick the habit, lol. I could have kicked it much sooner if I had just tried going cold turkey sooner during one of my low weeks, but mentally I just didn't want to give it up all together. Once I accepted that I just wasn't going to be able to do it till I was ready, willing and mentally prepared to NEVER have a any Soda or Sweet Tea again, was I able to succeed. And I mean NEVER, not even as a reward to your self, or "just this one time" or any of that...never drink one again. Till you are mentally ready to accept that reality, it will be very hard to wean yourself off and eventually quit.

They key for me was to always have a glass/bottle of water by my side. Every time I saw the water, I drank some. Even if I wasn't thirsty, I still took a sip. Eventually it becomes a habit and you are taking sips of water all day long without even thinking about it. I found that many of my headaches were coming from being dehydrated, and if I kept myself super hydrated I didn't get the withdrawal headaches as bad.

Another thing that helped me was to satisfy the sweet tooth when I had a coke craving. Using healthy foods of course.

michie1979

i suggest cold turkey, and some painkillers. Pepsi Max tastes far nicer than diet coke and coke zero, but as you said, that gives you migraines. Im wondering if your migraines are from lack of caffine in theses diet drinks??
Im not sure how long your headaches will last, as everyones different, but once its over, your free.
coke is niiiice though :P

ErinMarie25

I would drink soda all day, never drank a glass of water or even a drop. I honestly just stopped drinking Coke. Once I was motivated enough to get my *kitten* in shape then it was easy. I saw it, didn't care for it anymore. Even when others drink it around me.

nicola838

i was also addicted to coke.... went through 5-8 cans a day.. im not gonna say try something else as there is no point you just need to go cold turkey... i tried the diet/zero but at the end of the day i just said to myself.. stop.. if you want to lose weight you need to switch to water/green tea/ orange/apple juice.. cause other wise the weight aint gonna go anywhere esp as there are 139kcal in each can.. so 5 of those add right up.... so like i said cold turkey is the only way.. after a week you wont even miss it...

time since my last taste of coke... 6 week.. and now dont know what all the fuss was about lol