Drinking too much soda?

abbullar

I drink on an average 2-4 cans of soda a day. Does anyone know how I can stop doing this? Any tips?

jbretz

I stopped drinking all forms of caffeine on June 20th of this year. I haven't had anything but water since then. I used to drink 4-5 cans of soda a day, I was beyond addicted. The first four days were horrid, but afterwards the world became much sunnier.

The best advice I have is to buy a Coleman gallon cooler and fill it with ice and water all the time. This is the best $6 investment I've ever made. I drink up to two gallons a day. I actually just filled it up a few minutes ago.

I can't stress enough how awesome this change can be. The effects are incredible. Water is great.

ambrosia8

Have you tried cystal light instead?

glp724

I've been successful in the past at dropping cutting back my soda intake by setting a rule - one soda/day. At lunch. Otherwise it's ONLY water.

I did let myself off the hook on weekends & holidays so I had something to look forward to.

Seajolly

Slowly cut it out little by little so the withdrawals aren't that bad. I don't drink caffeine every day anymore. I'll have a cup of coffee maybe once a week. Life is MUCH better without the caffeine, I promise! I have so much more energy now.

MissMandy1010

i would say crystal light is a good transition, but don't JUST drink it. Its got aspartame, the same nasty, bad for you artificial sweetener thats in most diet sodas, so you really won't be doing much to help yourself. Id say go cold turkey. or try crsytal light pure, which is made with sugar and truvia. good luck!!! it will suck at first, but maybe you could wean yourself. I did that with mt dews. I drank them all the time and went to just one a day and then one a week. now I don't drink ANY soda. much better for you!!!!

dmbnj

Not to sound snarky, but just don't buy it. Originally i switched to flavored seltzer but then stopped buying that and now drink water or add some diet decaf iced tea mix to it.

Broken_

Water and unsweetened tea became my vice when I was trying to stop drinking soda.

Also water with "Stevia" may be a good idea for you

Julijulz

If you absolutely can't cut soda out, cut it to only 1 soda a day. When you buy a case, write on it with a permanent marker when you should finish it by if you only drink 1 a day. DO NOT let yourself buy another case until that date. So that will hold you to only consuming 1 a day.

abbullar

I'm not a huge fan of crystal light, since I don't really like artificial fruit tastes. I have successfully gone cold turkey from soda before. I think I went a few days without one. But then I rewarded myself with one and then I was hooked again.

lucacrazymom

I have the same issue me and my husband can go thru a 12 pack a day if we are both off this is my greatest struggle

musicmint

Do not stop cold turkey. Try drinking 1 less can of soda every few weeks or months, but the sooner the better. While doing this simply drink more water. As you get into this new habit it will be difficult at first, but eventually you will develop the appreciation for water and the benefits it brings.Over time you will begin to notice how soda is too sweet and the after affects it brings.

abbullar

That's an awesome idea! I will definitely try writing the date I should finish on the box!

MarieNevada

i drank a gallon of diet coke a day. I quit cold turkey. took me two times to do it and the withdrawal is horrible. here's a little experiment to try if you're drinking regular soday. get 12 oz of water then add 1 oz (or 9 teaspoons) of sugar. mix it up and drink that. That's what you're drinking every time you drink a can of soday. That'll help you quit. but yeah, taper off if you can and then just bite the bullet and remind yourself that it will all be over in a few days. and dont substitute with fruit juice. drink water instead. use crystal light if you have to but that's a lot of chemicals. be strong. you can do it.

ljmeep

I've had to gradually ween myself down. I was drinking close to a 6 pack a day. I started by limiting it to only a soda at meal times (3 a day). After a while I was able to cut it down to 2 and now I only allow myself 1 a day.

By doing it gradually I allowed my body to adjust to less caffine and avoided the hellish with draws from it. There are some days now that I go without any soda at all. I eventually want to cut it back even more.... but for now I'm baby stepping my way to that goal.

Good luck!

budkow

I used to drink at least 128oz of Diet Coke a day, sometimes more. I managed to replace most of it with water and Mio (flavoring like Crystal Light). Personally I can't stand "plain" water and it just makes me more thirsty. I still drink ~64oz of Diet Coke at lunch, but darnit I can't give up everything! :-) What's odd is I have no effects one way or another by cutting down or drinking more caffeine. I think my body ignores it. :-)

Lleldiranne

Replace it with better drinks. 1 cup (8 oz) of 100% fruit juice a day is fine (I wouldn't go much over that) and water is the best replacement. But if you like something with flavor, look into Crystal Light or G2 (lower calorie/reduced sugar gatorade) or PowerAde (they also gave a low carb variety). I personally like the Crystal Light to go packs - I tend to dilute them more than suggested (about 20 oz of water per pack instead of 16) and ice water. Skim milk is also a great drink, it goes especially well with a meal - studies have found that women who drink at least 2 cups of skim milk daily have healthier weight than women who drink diet soda instead!

Stop buying soda. Don't get the cases at the store, and avoid running by the convenience store for a quick fix. Also don't carry change that you can use to buy a can from vending machines at work, etc. Instead, throw your loose change into a giant pickle jar (empty of course, lol) and save it for something useful

You can indulge once in a while in a soda - at a party, out to dinner, maybe at a movie. But once you replace soda with better drinks, you'll probably find you care much less for the taste!

la_nanita

I do grocery shopping on Saturdays and buy 2 2-liters of our favorite soda. With a family of 5 that only last 2 days = the weekend. The rest of the week it is only water, milk and juice. I bought a pitcher with a filter that I keep full so that when we eat the pitcher goes on the table with us.

wickedcricket

4 cans of soda per day = 560 calories x 7 = 3920 or over 1 pound per week
one pound per week is 52 lbs a year
these are empty calories with NO nutritive quality at all and may actually harm your body in the long run
Water has NO calories and your body needs it to function correctly - in fact, our bodies can't function properly w/o water, but surprisingly, they can w/o soda

your call

auntiebabs

I swapped out my diet coke for coffee... I'm not yet convince that caffiene is horrid, but pretty scared of all the artificial sweeteners.

If you want to cut out caffiene too. I'd say first make the switch to coffee and then to water.

Why go through all you withdrawals at once.

Jonicha26

I have been a Coca Cola addict my whole life. Love coke and I used to drink it all day long... it was such a thing for me that friends would buy me coke product gifts of all kinds. It was a joke that I never went anywhere without a coke in my purse. So, let me just say... I have been there. BUT... I am not there anymore. You can do it... it is possible.

The first thing I did was go cold turkey... I made it a competition with myself to see how many days I could go without it. I did it for about a month and a half... at that point it got much better. Then... I felt like maybe I shouldn't stop drinking coke altogether because people just associated me with Coca Cola, but I knew that wasn't a good or real reason. I still wanted to drink some of it, but I started to scale back. One a day, then a couple a week, then one a week. It was hard, but when I started thinking about the empty calories and how bloated drinking so much soda made me feel it became easier to turn it down.

Now, I hardly ever drink coke. It was a process, but I made it. I think it took me about a year to get to this point... so, don't get discouraged. I will still drink coke on occasion... only when I feel like it. But I don't crave it in the same way. It isn't something I need anymore. You can do this. It will be a process, but don't give up! Just take it one day at a time.

sunkisses

Just quit. Is it difficult at first? Yes. But you're tough enough to get through it. People always complain on here about a lack of willpower; these little steps you take are where willpower begins. (I know you didn't complain about it, I'm just putting it out there.)

babydbones

I used to drink MT Dew like crazy!!! I gave that up and then got on a Diet Rootbeer kick. And i know i was drinking too much of that, but now I am down to maybe 1 can of diet rootbeer a day. I make a deal with myself that if i drink atleast 64 oz of water a day i can have 1 can. and usually don't even finish the whole can!

12skipafew99100

Drink one can of soda, then fill it with water the rest of the day. I find just holding the can is part of the appeal. :drinker:

stevwil41

I gradually switched to caffeine free soft drinks (mostly ginger ale) before giving it up completely. I don't like the diet soda after taste so I drink mostly water these days.

annglenn

I am so glad I found this forum. I drink 4-5 diet dr. peppers a day (12 oz. can). Last week I started having heart palpatations (sp) and went to see my family doctor. She said I was not having a heart attack. Thank goodness. However the amount of caffine I was consuming was causing the problem. She also said that due to the amount of sodas it was causing my body to dehydrate which opened the door for UTI's which I have had several this year. I had only increased my sodas this year. It used to be 1 or 2 or none a day .

beachlover317

Gave them up in March of this year. I drank a 2 liter bottle (or more) of Diet Pepsi a day. When I cut out the soda, I drank green tea (over ice) to keep me from having caffeine withdrawals (headaches). AFter about a week, I switched to just water. That is ALL I drink now. Good luck

betterme1291

sparkling water and lemon juice

selig0730

try to cut it to 1 can a day and then drink lots of water.

rachelkern

Allow yourself one a day at first, then when you crave more - try drinking iced lemon water! It's very quenching and tasty. Even one soda a day can be damaging. Read up on just how bad for you soda is (I'm sure you have, but the reinforcement is always good) and soon, the satisfaction you get while drinking just that one soda will be replaced by the healthy lemon water.

Greenwellj

That is something I struggle with too. I have a product called Want More Energy that helps me when I need something besides water. It is all natural and really good.