Stopping soda..

TheJustPull

I've tried to before but never get past three months..
How can I sucesfully quit soda?

LabRat529

Send it all to me. I love it. If I drink it all for you, then you won't have to.

But seriously... why do you want to stop soda? And what kinda soda are we talking here? The kind with sugar or the diet kind? If it's sugar kind, try switching to diet and drink the sugar kind only as a treat occasionally. If it's diet, you're doomed (kidding again)... well you don't need to stop unless you want to. It's not gonna hurt your weight loss.

TheJustPull

I've switched to diet for now but not sure of that's enough

LabRat529

I've switched to diet for now but not sure of that's enough

Sure. Diet is fine. You'll hear people tell you it's not. In fact, I think there's an argument about diet soda nearly every day on MFP. You can search for them and read all about it if you want. But long story short, some people don't trust the FDA and they think aspartame and artificial sweeteners are the devil. Others (like me) are more moderate and believe that a little aspartame is fine.

Drink it if you like it. You'll do fine.

DavidNewOrleans

I switched to diet coke about 15 years ago, forced myself to drink it for 3 weeks, after that, coke tasted worse than what I thought diet tasted like. I would marry diet coke if it was a women. I train 6 days a week, have about 7% bodyfat and drink it everyday. I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

shano25

I used to be addicted to Coke, I've tried many times to give it up (obviously going back every time.) I was most successful after deciding to cut out all caffeine because I was having panic attacks. It's eased back into my diet since, but definitely nowhere near what I used to drink.

Here's what worked for me:

Switching to natural soda - I drink Blue Sky Cola now.
&
Resolving to not bring it into the house, but allowing myself to drink it when I'm eating out, which isn't often for me.

sherrybaby81

I just started drinking more water. I am still drinking diet cola, but we now use a Soda stream machine, and only make one litre a day and split it at dinner. The rest of the day I drink water The diet cola is higher in sodium, but has no aspartame. It also tastes pretty good! They also have a few other diet knock off options which are not bad as well.

godricshollow

I used to be addicted to Diet Coke. My coworkers and I would buy the huge cartons of it and drink it in 2-3 days. Ironically I lost most of my weight then :huh: I still drink it now but I drink much more water. Soda is my treat when I am watching TV

glennstoudt

Try the mental image of 8 teaspoons of sugar is every 12 ounce can of Coke (for example). Many of the alternative beverages are equally awful. Like Vitamin Water- Sugar with some chemicals. We all have our various likes and dislikes. What needs doing I suppose if you really would like to stop drinking sugared beverages is a reasonable substitute that is a bit more healthy. You could look at various whey protein drinks. At least in that there is some fiber and other nutritional benefit. They are all very available and not so expensive, in either money or calories. Good luck in your decision.

wildhehr2

I stopped my diet mountain dew habit cold turkey, as part of a bet with friends. I had the worst headache for 10 days. As soon as I win the bet, I'm going to go back to it...although in moderation. With age (I'm 33), I'm more sensitive to the caffeine (good for my migraines, bad for my sleep), but quitting soda hasn't helped my weight loss or inches lost in my tummy. Honestly, I like the taste. I don't buy into all the "dangers" of diet soda, but if you want to quit, I've found that water with lemon slices helped me...plain water didn't cut it. Also love the "fuze" drinks, but depending on why you want to quit soda, they may not be an option....

cnewlin86

I'm not sure how you can say that drinking pop won't hurt you. I was drinking 1300 calories a day of just pop and I feel so much better since I quit drinking it. My teeth look better, my stomach isn't bloated from the carbonation and I cut my calorie consumption in half! I LOVE Pepsi but I know I'm better without it. I quit drinking pop when I was pregnant because I didn't want my child to have it but a year after he was born I started up again. Now I've quit again and it's only been a month but I am determined to not get addicted again. My reasons being 1) if I wont let my child drink it, why should I? 2) I don't need all those extra calories 3) the dentist said it was eating through my enamel and weakening my teeth 4) it's really not healthy for me and if I want to lose weight why would I want to burn 300 calories on the treadmill to lose 150 of them to a 12oz pop. I feel like that defeats my purpose. So my advice to you is to find a really good reason not to drink it. Like when out to eat don't drink it because it will make your bill higher and its a waste of money. Just find some kind of motivational tool that will help you stay away. You can do it!

15in8

It is hard, but is is one of THE best ways to cut empty calories. I am off them now, I have had two glasses of rasberry soda with a cheat meal this week. You can try adding flavoring to soda water, that can be quite low cal, or even adding lemon juice to soda water. But there is some good diet drinks on the market. Some people are worried about some of the additives, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. If I had to have cola, coke zero do me fine!

angel_north

I can't take the taste of diet Pepsi. Had to drink regular. I have been good so far and not one soda. My biggest graw back is hard candy like butterscotch or Werther's. With the meds I take daily some cause dry month and sugarless gum only goes so far.......

Cindy311

I drink diet when I do drink soda. We have a Soda Stream machine and drink a lot of carbonated water (selzer, club soda). I think the first thing not to have it in the house. Secondly, when you eat out maybe have one glass then switch beverages.

daphnemoon

I wish I could stop drinking cola, I did try with the diet version but I think I overcompensated and drunk *too* much of that and didn't feel very well. I stopped drinking the diet cola and felt better again. Now I've gone back to regular cola and just try to have it in moderation. The only other stuff I drink is green tea and water, so I'm good half the time. Oh well....

hiker282

Don't buy it, don't drink it if somebody offers it to you. Always carry a water bottle. I allow myself the occasaional soda, but have no inclination to drink a gallon every day.

TheAnie

I fought with my addiction to soda for YEARS. Are we sure that stuff isn't still made with cocaine? I've finally got myself to a more reasonable level. I drink a soda every once in awhile and am just as likely to order a tea as I am a soda. The only way to truly stop is to want it. I managed to get myself to stop for several months but I've found by allowing myself the occasional soda I'm doing better. I never drink more than one can of soda in a day.

So basically: determination. You have to want it. Just like weight loss. There are no easy ways out.

Also, I do not and will never drink diet soda. Not because of the chemicals but because that stuff tastes AWFUL to me. I figure if I'm going to be ingesting something that bad than I'm going to enjoy it.

tialynn1

I have tried before and didn't succeed at quitting drinking regular soda. I can't stand the taste of diet soda. Since I started this journey, I have given it up almost completely. This past week I didn't have any. The week before I had 1 glass about 4 days out of the week.
When I do go out, I am trying to drink iced tea or just water with a slice of lemon. I do drink a lot of water.

duetwithjosh

I used to be super addicted to diet coke... I'd finish 3 twelve packs in a week.

I quit soda (and caffeine) altogether a few weeks ago and feel immensely better. Caffeine was making me tweaked out, unknowingly, throughout the day, and I actually had *less energy*. Since quitting, I've saved so much money, and feel so much better.

nikolaim5

I've tried to before but never get past three months..
How can I sucesfully quit soda?

Not putting it in your mouth would be the obvious choice but if that's not working out then diet (aspartame) is fine. There's the folks who will tell you it will give you cancer and grow you extra fingers and whatnot but they typically know little about chemistry of the body and they buy into the fear campaign that the sugar industry is waging, quite successfully I might add. There are in fact few substances that have researched as much as aspartame and the conclusion is that it's perfectly safe.

admanMike

i switched from the hard stuff to diet a few years ago. Diet tasted ick for a week and then i could never go back to regular... Tastes like syrup now.
That being said i believe i'm drinking too much diet soda. (2-3 cans/day) It doesn't help we have 25 cent soda at work . Although its diet it probably isn't that great for you if only for the caffeine. Working on bringing it down to 1x per day.