soft drinks

Hairhacker

Anyone here have a HUGE addiction to soft drinks?? I am soo addicted and have been for a long time.. I've tried and tried to quit but I always go right back. The more I drink the more I want. Coke and Mt. Dew are my favorites. Any tips on quiting? I use alot of my calories every day for them and that doesn't leave me with much food, so if I'm gonna stick with this I'm gonna have to stop drinking them. I have tried to just cut down and it's so hard, I think I might do better just going cold turkey. I would switch to diet but I don't really think they are much if any better for you, or that's what I tell myself anyway lol

seal57

I used to drink Pepsi till I discovered the amount of calories...I changed over to Coke Zero which only has 1 cal in a 390ml bottle.......

TMLPatrick

I used to be that way.... I converted to Diet Coke when I first tried dieting in college, but have never even tried to break that habit completely. Nowadays I can't even drink the regular stuff because its too sweet. A lot of people refer to urban legends about how "bad" diet anything is for you.... but it certainly beats 200 calories a pop for "real" soda.... and there's not any credible studies that say anything bad about aspertame, nor splenda.... so I'd recommend at least cutting over to diet if you can.

cteaplet

About three months ago I stopped drinking sodas. It was so difficult, but I did it and now they disgust me. I literally get a picture of syrupy goo when thinking about them. Now, let me back up. I used to be addicted to Mt Dew like nobody's business. I can't even tell you how many I would drink a day. There would be times I could drink an entire two liter bottle a day. My friends knew I loved it so much, it was part of my birthday present (in a joke way). However, I started to have health problems over it and couldn't lose weight. So one day I told myself I had to stop. I haven't had a drink of Mt Dew in three months now and after about three weeks was when I noticed I wasn't thinking about one every single day. Since the only soda I realy like is Mt Dew, I put something else in it's place: Gold Peak Diet Tea. And if I was craving bad enough, I grabbed a diet coke every once in a while. That way I wouldn't consume calories (even though the stuff is terrible for you also) and it gave me a carbonted drink fullfilment. I think the carbonation was what I missed the most. I also read so much about how terrible they are for you and what it does to your body. Now, I never ever want one anymore and I've saved TONS of money not buying sodas.

bahacca

WHat is it ABOUT the soda you crave so much? The caffiene, the sugar, the fizz. THose are the 3 most common things I've heard. I'd find replacements for them. Caffeine-coffee or tea, sugar-try stuff like Crystal Light Pure or even regular juice in moderation. Fizz-tons of options from sparkling water to seltzers, etc. Just watch it as you WILL get withdrawl symptoms from the caffeine you are used to. Start by cutting out one serving each day. After 2 weeks, cut another and so on.

Hairhacker

Thanks guys! I would LOVE to be to the point where I didn't want one!! Dr. Oz called soda liquid candy bars and I guess that's really what they are!! I can easily dink over a 2L per day, but since I started MFP I have cut way down but still way too many!! I've read and read about how bad sugar is for you and you'd think that would be enough to make me do it ....but no lol. Ok, tomorrow I am going to just drink 1 and if I feel like I have to have another I will drink diet. Maybe this will be a start. Also anyone looking for friends add me as I could use some lol

Hairhacker

bahacca...I love everything about them lol the fizz...the caffeine...sugar....and it makes it hard too because I don't like coffee and can make myself drink tea if I have to. I have tried crystal light in several different flavors and just don't care for it.

kykykenna

Try Pepsi Maxx?? The caffeine in it is a little more than regular, tastes more like regular soda, and has 0 calories. If you want to quit cold turkey, I say try it.......but if you cant, try that........I have one every morning, before it is even light out..........lol.......the headache you will get from trying to stop would make most go back to it...at least if you were to wean off it a little and have 0 calories doing it, it may make it more bearable????Good luck!!!:)

76tech

I have two suggestions. Fizzy, how about fruit juice spritzers? Seltzer plus fruit juice. Scale back the juice to control sugar.

Sweet and caffeine? Iced tea. Wean yourself off the sugar slowly if you like, and maybe end up liking non or lightly sweetened iced tea.

Something with all three? I got nothin', since I don't think fizzy iced tea would be all that good...

spectralmoon

I was addicted to Coke until I happened upon Vitamin Water (Focus, the kiwi-strawberry kind) between classes. It may be switching one vice for another, but the sugar dropped dramatically.

ts1122

I used to drink 2-3 32 oz pepsi's a day before I was 20... When I had my first baby and went to lose the weight, I decided the weight had to come off and the pop had to go to do so. I started replacing my pop with a big glass of water and would chug the water until it was gone. I hated the taste of water at first but after the first couple weeks, I started to crave it. The withdrawal effects of no caffeine wasn't too bad for me but I did get killer headaches. Now, I get a craving for a pop just about every day but I think about my end goal and it just doesn't fit so I grab the water instead... For me it's a "mind over matter" type thought.

nnylee

I used to drink a lot of soda and then I quit. Months later I tried to drink it again and I didn't think it tasted as good as I remembered. So now I'm strictly water with the occasional juice. But I love water anyway.

SBelle83

I used to be that way.... I converted to Diet Coke when I first tried dieting in college, but have never even tried to break that habit completely. Nowadays I can't even drink the regular stuff because its too sweet. A lot of people refer to urban legends about how "bad" diet anything is for you.... but it certainly beats 200 calories a pop for "real" soda.... and there's not any credible studies that say anything bad about aspertame, nor splenda.... so I'd recommend at least cutting over to diet if you can.

I totally agree. While diet sodas have nothing to contribute health wise other than zero calories, I love it. I used to drink coke all the time and switched to diet coke and cut out all white sugar, I now use sub sugar for everything. Even when I bake I use twin sugar. Doing that alone helped me lose 25 lbs in 8 months with no exercise. Now, when I drink anything or eat anything with sugar, I find it way too sweet and it actually gives me heartburn. I can take the natural sugars in fruits but fruit juices are way too sweet for me. Switch to diet, or coke zero if cutting soda out completely is too hardcore for you.

vmclach

lol yeah i have the same problem. I actually took a turn for the worse and started drinking diet, now i'm hooked forever. I would try maybe weening off of it bubble water/sparkling water and/or using water flavoring packets

dianemhughes

I went cold turkey on sodas and all coffee last Friday. The headaches were tough over the weekend, and I slept like a rock! Monday was tough to get out of bed, but after that I was surprised that I feel much more rested on the same amount of sleep and can focus better at work. I still crave it A LOT and am hoping the cravings subside, but it just needed to go. A friend of mine said she lost about 5 lbs -1 1/2 weeks after she gave it up. That would be a dream!

radwyn

yeah try diet drinks like diet pepsi, pepsi max, coke zero etc no sugar at all They have about 1 calorie per can I drink about 6 cans a day and lose weight no problem.

bharriscar

I've started drinking hot tea and iced tea with sweetener and that seems to quench my thirst. The hot tea also seems to diminish my appetite. You might try it?

stacygayle

I've never drank sweetened sodas only diets. My weakness is Coke Zero and I drink at least one a day. I used to only drink diet soda and coffee but now I actually drink some water. I try to drink a glass or two of water a day and keep my soda to 1 a day and coffee to one travel mug a day. I drink my coffee black so I do not actually drink any calories. I doubt that diet soda is very good for me either but I have given up all my other bad habits so I'll keep my one coke zero a day

PSnavely

I had the worst Diet Pepsi habit that I've ever heard of - I was drinking a good 6 liters a day! I'd get 2 1-liter bottles on my way to work, drink both of those during the day and then polish off a ton of canned soda during the day. That's a tough habit to break, but here's how I've done it:

* Replacement - switch to something else that you enjoy, but not as much as your favorites. For me, that was Diet Dr. Pepper.
* Once you've cut down overall, switch to something else that's flavored, but better for you. Diet Hansen's is a great alternative - good flavors, all natural, no preservatives and they use Sucralose instead of Aspartame.
* Start swapping out soda time for a 0-calorie vitamin water. I'll drink one of those and then force myself to fill it up twice more with regular water before I can drink anything else.

kairsme

While you are attempting to wean off I suggest pouring 1/5 or 1/3 or even 1/2 of your regular glass with the real full sugar soda, and the rest with its diet alternative. I try to not drink soda very often, but LOVE root beer. Diet root beer is super yummy, but if its not available I ask for "diet coke with a splash of root beer." Tastes great still, but cuts out a ton of calories and sugar. GOOD LUCK!

sherrybaby81

I am addicted to pop. I used to drink regular, then I switched to diet coke years ago. I recently decided that spending money on cases of pop is a waste. My in-laws got us a Sodastream pop maker for Christmas, and I LOVE it. My husband and I were drinking almost half a case of pop a day, and now we are down to one litre bottle a day between the two of us. It is great because we are drinking less pop, and saving money. AND! The diet cola flavouring tastes close to diet coke, and is not made with aspartame.