How Do You Quit Soda???

soldiergrl_101

I drink 8-12 cans of Pepsi a day!!! I bought stock in Pepsi so I didnt feel so bad on how much i spend every month, every time I buy a pepsi it brings my stocks up lol, thats seriously how bad of an addict I am. I swear its like crack, I keep trying to kill this addiction I have to Pepsi...but then after a few hours if I dont have one I get *****y and lazy and I just have to have one...I tried diet its so gross. I am thankful that they just came out with Pepsi next which is still bad but has less calories. I recently added more water into my diet, I went from 0 a day to 2 Liters, but I just cant give up the Pepsi in between. Everyone says wheen off and I try. Is there something I can substitute. I think its the carbiation that attracts me honestly, water is just so plane... HELP!!!

PurpleStarKatz

Maybe try club soda or tonic water instead of pepsi.
Also maybe try tea or coffee, something with a bit of caffeine because the caffeine is probably part of the reason you are getting irritable.
I know I used to drink one can a day, and then it started making me really sick.. So I just abandoned it altogether. But I was still drinking tea, so I still got caffeine without the pepsi.
Good luck to you!

JenaePavlak

I drink 4-8 cans of Diet Mt. Dew.. I need the carbonation too.. but I also try to drink 100oz of water a day... I use a couple propel fitness additions to help drink all that water.. Try and find another completely different soda (diet) so that it's not close enough to pepsi to think it's just bad pepsi.. maybe try diet dew.. or Sprite Zero.. or Diet dr. Pepper... then wean off...

brandillyn

Put some frozen fruit in sparkling water(: It's so good and it makes me feel like I'm drinking soda because if fizzes. Way better for you than soda.

MrVixen84

Thank god for Pepsi Max here in the UK is all I can say. God knows how much I would weight without this virtual Calorie Free option!

steffihoney

I have a hard time quitting Pepsi myself. I was only drinking a 20 oz. a day, but I knew I had to cut them out.
All I can say is...willpower! I do my best not to buy it, but on my cheat day I might have a little, especially if I am eating Chinese or Mexican. I crave it worse then and when TOM shows up.

atomiclauren

I drank tons of Diet Coke most of my life (Diet because of the sugar - diabetic) but I definitely had a psychological attachment to it. I just up and quit buying it one day and *forced* myself to drink water.

I'd say after about a week or so I didn't crave it and when I do have one (maybe once every few weeks) it isn't as good as I remember it :ohwell:

maricash

I tried and failed to give up soda many times, but eventually succeeded. I was probably drinking four or more cans of Coke a day at the peak.

I did it by getting a seltzer machine, so that I could still have carbonated beverages. I went cold turkey for a month, and then switched to allowing myself up to 2 sodas a week, but only if I was out of the house. I had found, in the past, when I tried to give it up, I would be annoyed if I went out to eat and "couldn't" have a soda, and then I'd end up feeling deprived and giving up on the whole project. Letting myself have a few, in certain specific situations, was really helpful. I still have the up to two a week rule, but most weeks I have one can or none.

robsgurl

I just decided to stop drinking soda. the last soda I had was on March 3rd. I didnt cut back and try to drink less I just stopped drinking it. I do not buy it anymore. My kids are the ones who want me to buy it but I refuse to and tell them no it isnt good for you. I drink more water now.

LisaD1025

Try quitting the way I quit smoking: have one less per day, until you don't have any. Start by breaking habits: if you always have one with lunch, make that the first one to go and replace it with water. Do that for a couple of days and then move one to another one. The "most important" one of the day should be the last one to go. For example, the "most important" cigarette of my day was the first one, so I gave that one up last; and it was habit for me to smoke when I was driving (except when my daughter was in the car, of course), so I told myself no more smoking in the car, that I could have one when I got where I was going, but not in the car, and 90% of the time by the time I got there, I didn't need one anymore.

Anyways, this worked for me. It might work for you, it might not, but it's worth a shot. Eight to twelve sodas a day is a TON!! If you replaced those with water, you'd be way above the amount of water you should be drinking each day. And I bet that if you replace water for the soda, you'll see the pounds just drop off!!

Good luck!!!

mcgwnkrista

I was in the exact same boat as you a month ago! What I did was I didn't say "I'm not drinking soda from now on" but I did tell myself I needed to cut back. Now I try to make tons of iced tea (usually peach flavor with agave nectar sweetening) or stock up on flavored sparkling water. When there is a special occasion or a huge family holiday dinner, I'll get Dr. Pepper 10 but only one liter. That way it's usually gone by the time everyone leaves.

Ballerina_Cara

A nail drives out another nail. So replace the soda with another drink. They have lots of carbonated flavored waters in cans so it still feels like you're drinking a soda. This is something I struggle with a lot too, I'll be okay for a couple of days but slip up and have to refocus so plan ahead for your replacements.

soldiergrl_101

Thanks for all of the suggestions, Today I have not had any yet and the craving is BAADD...But I am going to try and go all day without one just water, if I do really have to have one my body will have no choice but to deal with some form of diet soda option, but it wont be pepsi because the taste is just too artificial for me!

manthajill

I gave up soda entirely around 10 years ago. It's really hard at first, but once you get used to the new habit, it's not a big deal. Personally, going cold turkey was more effective than trying to wean off it. The nice thing about soda is it's an acquired taste. Once I'd gone a year or so without it, I tried it again and thought it tasted revolting. Unfortunately, I gave up candy at the same time, and fell off the wagon with that one!

WickedGarden

Sparkling water/seltzer water. I am looking at getting a seltzer bottle to carbonate my own water, and add lemon or lime juice to it.

Tonic water and club soda typically have sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) added to carbonate them so that adds salt to your drink.

It does take time, but I was able to quit soda by switching to 'pure cane sugar' soda only for a while, then went to the seltzer water. Now I can't even finish a can of regular HFC soda.

Good Luck!

Bunnehface

So glad to read there are other people with similar experiences! I used to be well and truly addicted to energy drinks - it was all I drank! When I fell pregnant last year I gave them up cold turkey because of the caffeine (which was horrible because I couldn't even have coffee or regular Coke either!) but once my daughter was born, I slipped back into bad habits and was drinking 2-3 double size cans of energy drink a day. I convinced myself I needed the caffeine because of being tired with a new baby and lack of sleep etc. I tried replacing them with other fizzy drinks but it wasn't the same and I was crabby and irritable if I couldn't have one.
The only thing that has stopped me since then, is following a strict calorie-controlled diet. As soon as I realised that 3 of those big cans was HALF my daily calories, I had a wake-up call! Now I still have one sugar-free can in the morning as my only treat, if I have a soda now it's always Diet Coke, which has almost no calories at all. When you add up all those calories, it's shocking how much you're saving by ditching them. Think of all those other things you could be enjoying instead!
I know it'll be hard, but focus on dropping a dress size or seeing the scales go down. It won't be easy, but I promise you it's worth it!

Hazel, 25, UK.

ironanimal

The only way I could do it was cold turkey. Took all of about a week for the cravings to subside. Now soda makes me gassy and uncomfortable. Helps if you can substitute something you like for it - fruit teas, green teas and Earl Grey got me there

Zephyrmeadowds

I like xs energy drinks. Loaded with vitamin b- no sugar/carbs in the ones I have

tsh0ck

Just switch to diet. And don't let the sky-is-falling brigade scare you away with ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS ARE THE DEVIL!

Allison22451

i havent had a soda in awhile. ( a natural ginger ale when i was sick on monday... but before that it had been a couple weeks, thats a lot for me)

all that to say this. i dunno how to quit soda. its so darn delicious! *smirk*

for me, it isnt the caffeine, its the super-bubbly-tickles-my-nose freshness of the CO2.

im cool with other bubbly substitutes like perrier... but sometimes nothing beats an ICE COLD, Diet 7Up, Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale, or a Diet Coke. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!

KP5555

I also had a diet soda addiction.... I drank 6-8 cans of either Diet Mt Dew or Diet Pepsi, a day.... Some days I drank more.... I quit cold turkey last year.... I stopped buying the stuff, and just made myself drink bottled water instead.... After about a week I didn't miss drinking the soda at all. Now if I even taste the stuff I can't believe I ever drank that nasty stuff. Yuck... Just stop... It is nasty stuff filled with crazy chemicals (not good for you)....

HardcorePork

I drink 8-12 cans of Pepsi a day!!!

I'm not sure what to do, because I have a similar problem with coffee. I don't seem to gain weight but I can't imagine 4-6 cups a day is good for me.

Anyhow, try diluting your pepsi with soda water. Keep it up, until you can just completely switch, I guess?

hiker282

1) Remove all soda from house.

2) Don't buy more soda

3) Don't buy soda from vending machines

4) When offered soda, politely ask for non carbonated beverage.

5) If soda falls from sky and knocks you unconscious, consider it a blessing from God and just drink the damn soda when you regain consciousness!

TheresaGettingHealthy

La Croix and Iced Tea!

scotslass

I went cold turkey when it came to cutting it out. I will say it's not easy, you crave it, you get headaches, you feel like your an addict to the drinks!! BUT the massive affect it's had on me, cutting it out of my die,t far outweighs the hard times, the weight has dropped off and just think your teeth will thank you too :-) good luck x

saxnviolin

I gave it up cold turkey! Next month will be 2 years that I haven't had ANY type of soda at all. I just
decided water all the way and my morning coffee- that's it. I tried to lower the daily amount but
that didn't work so cold turkey was hard for about a week or two and then I stopped
wanting to drink it. I don't even crave it anymore and I drank soda like water. I hope you are successful. :bigsmile:

blv0267

Club soda worked for me.....but I realized I was addicted to the fizzies and not the sugar/taste of the soda. I still crave a ginger ale now and again.

saragato

Sounds like you either have a caffeine addiction or a sugar one if you get moody without them. In that case you're better off weaning yourself off them. Cut down your intake every couple of days and try better replacements like tea (which can be sweetened with either sugar or honey) until you're not drinking soda anymore.

And like hiker282 mentioned, stop buying it and having it in the house. If it's within your reach, you will grab for it without thinking.

SuffolkSally

The caffeine's probably the worst bit. I gave up coffee cold turkey, and it took about 6 months for me to not want to kill people at random;). It was worth it though...

Prettylittlelotus

Honestly,

I started drinking talking rain or other "sparkly" drinks that lack the calories. I can't stand artificial sweeteners, so I do things like use juice in sparkling water or add raspberries.

It really helps curb the cravings for soda, and eventually, you will stop craving it so much. I swear soda is addicting, but once you make a habit of drinking other things you won’t even miss is.

Celeigh12

Cold turkey here from a 10-12 a day diet Coke habit in February. I switched to iced tea (couldn't give up the caffeine) and sparkling water for the carbonation.