Kicking the soda habit

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czuniga03
czuniga03 Posts: 99
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay so soda is definitely my down fall..I can give up anything but that for some reason. I've try diet & low calorie substitutes..just not the same. Any ideas?
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  • Berto0391
    Berto0391 Posts: 273 Member
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    Diet soda is also bad for you try sparkling water. I normally get the stuff from Marcs...2 for 1...I also heard people have tried adding lemon to their water....never did this myself however.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    Some people have to give it up cold turkey.

    Here's what I did. It may or may not work for you.

    First and foremost, I wanted to get rid of the addiction to "sweet" as much as the sugary soda, so I stayed with full-on sugar soda when I drank it. That way, there was a known penalty to the "sweet", rather than just using chemicals to get it.

    Next, I started forcing myself to alternate between water and soda. I flavored the water with a splash of unsweetened lemon or lime juice concentrate (the kind you buy in the lemon- or lime-shaped squeeze bottles) to start.

    I very rapidly found that the water with just a tiny bit of flavor was not as bad as I had feared, so within a week I was down to one soda a day and lots of water with lemon or lime. After a couple of weeks of this, I realized one day that the soda was really starting to resemble malted battery acid, and I didn't like the flavoring in the water. So I gave the rest of the soda away and stopped using the lemon/lime, and water has been my go-to hydration fluid for ten years now.

    I still occasionally have a soda as a treat, maybe 2-3 times a year, but it's not that much of a "treat" any more.
  • adswillis27
    adswillis27 Posts: 76 Member
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    I used to drink Mt. Dew like crazy. I eventually switched to diet, but got to a point where I was drinking them 2-3 times a day (which meant I didn't drink enough water). I made the decision to drink 1 dt. mt dew a day and switched from drinking them in the morning to lunch time. Then from there I would skip a day and not have one. Then slowly I just started to cut them out. I got to a point where I wasn't going to buy them anymore from the store. Now if I really want a drink I get one from the drink machine and it kills me to pay $1.25 for one drink, plus now that I don't drink them daily they don't even taste good. I went from drinking several soft drinks a day and maybe 1 bottle of water to drinking 100+ ounces of water a day and no soft drinks. It took time to slowly give them up, but it was totally worth it for me.
  • Dagoth
    Dagoth Posts: 172
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    Diet soda is also bad for you try sparkling water.

    Wrong.
  • Charlottejogs
    Charlottejogs Posts: 351 Member
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    My problem was diet soda- a bit of research told me that diet soda was not healthy (this is pretty true). This was pretty motivating for me so that made it easier. I have always enjoyed green tea so I just had tea when I wanted a soda and stopped keeping it in the house. I also considered the money I saved by not grabbing them from the vending machine at school or while I was out and about and that helped during the times I was tempted to just grab one. I imagine I will have one now and again when I am out to eat or something but that seems ok. Good luck!
  • Dagoth
    Dagoth Posts: 172
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    My problem was diet soda- a bit of research told me that diet soda was not healthy (this is pretty true).

    Actually it's not. As long as you don't drink it in excessive amounts it's not bad for you. Of course water is always healthier.
  • kettle_belle83
    kettle_belle83 Posts: 94 Member
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    Trust me. I know it's a hard habit to break. One day I decided to just give it up cold turkey and I'm so glad i did. In my opinion, switching to diet soda is NOT a good alternative. Whether or not diet soda is bad for you is a controversial topic. Here's one fact I know. Artificial sweeteners, like those in diet soda, have the effect of triggering appetite. But unlike regular sugars they deliver absolutely nothing that will actually help satisfy that hunger. This could inhibit the body from feeling full. It's an endless cycle!
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
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    Okay so soda is definitely my down fall..I can give up anything but that for some reason. I've try diet & low calorie substitutes..just not the same. Any ideas?

    Personally, I dislike most, if not all, of the artificial sweeteners,so that is easy for me to stay away from.
    I did sparkling fruit juice (fruit juice, sparkling water mixed together) and slowly upped the water component and lowered the juice component over time when I mixed them at home. I also used to do herbal teas and then watered them down.
  • Venturin
    Venturin Posts: 244 Member
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    On MFP two things I hear often from people who stop drinking sodas;

    "Artificial sweeteners in diet soda works to increase your appetite"

    "Since I stopped drinking soda everyone says how nice my skin looks!"

    Perhaps this will be your big life test. Can you just stop? Simply be done with this thing that does you no good at all?
    From someone who stopped a 30+ year smoking habit I can assure you, you can do anything you set your mind to.

    Good luck!
  • awal2069
    awal2069 Posts: 101 Member
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    I am trying to kick the diet soda habit as well. I am not there yet, but I have cut back significantly. I used to drink a 20 oz bottle 3 times a day! Some days I will only have one, other days I will have two 12 oz, and other days just one a day. I am trying to go back to one a day.... so I understand your pain. I want to cut them out completely!
  • va_va_voom
    va_va_voom Posts: 467 Member
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    Okay so soda is definitely my down fall..I can give up anything but that for some reason. I've try diet & low calorie substitutes..just not the same. Any ideas?

    Personally, I dislike most, if not all, of the artificial sweeteners,so that is easy for me to stay away from.
    I did sparkling fruit juice (fruit juice, sparkling water mixed together) and slowly upped the water component and lowered the juice component over time when I mixed them at home. I also used to do herbal teas and then watered them down.

    ^^ This would be my recommendation, as well.
  • rubysphoto
    rubysphoto Posts: 254 Member
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    I use to drink sodas all day long. For me I just decided one day that I was done. I have only had about 3 sodas in the last 6 months. I did miss it at first but I got past that.
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
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    What worked for me:


    1. Stage 1: At work I switched iced tea for soda (made it myself, sweetened with splenda); I drank diet soda only at home.
    2. Stage 2: At work I only drink water. (Ugh, I know). I drink iced tea at home/restaurants.
  • nataliefamily3
    nataliefamily3 Posts: 190
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    I had to quit cold turkey I used to drink at least 5 cups from fountain at work per day. It sucked for about two weeks but now don't miss them and last time I tasted one it was gross and burned my throat. I've been drinking them since I was like 5 so never ecpected to not miss it so quickly. Lost ten lbs right away also. I would reccomemd quitting. All together
  • lacymemphis
    lacymemphis Posts: 14
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    I am addicted to sweet tea! Sort of the same as soda. I'm going to put forth the effort to cut it out.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    Gradually lower the amount you drink until you aren't drinking any if you want to completely cut it out. One now and again is totally fine.

    I drink diet pop. Never had a problem with it. Don't believe all the people who state it's terrible for you. Artificial sweeteners are in a LOT of things and I've never had a problem with them.
  • quie618
    quie618 Posts: 102 Member
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    I use to drink a lot more soda espescially when I lived at home with my parents. I never liked drinking water. Then as I moved out of the house and began to do my own shopping, I came to this realization - why am I spending all this money on soda? It's not doing anything for me. I don't buy it anymore and I don't desire it. I am a fan of seltzer so I'll buy a few bottles. The carbonation makes it "feel" like a soda when it's not. I do have a diet soda sometimes when we go out to eat since it's not the norm.
  • Melwillbehealthy
    Melwillbehealthy Posts: 893 Member
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    I'm addicted to diet coke and I do know from experience that it is very bad for you. I'd be better off drinking regular sugary pop. My husband has been ill, so I've been kind of stuck in the house and can't go to the 'drive-thru...it's a good thing. I haven't had a pop in about 3-4 days, so I'm thinking maybe I should quit and this would be a good time to start. I've been substituting club soda with some fruit juice mixed in. It makes a nice, sparkling, refreshing drink for the summer.
  • DeirdreMum8
    DeirdreMum8 Posts: 68
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    Like another poster said I only have Diet coke when I am out, so I would guess once a week. Then if I take the kids through McDonalds I just get an unsweetened Iced Tea, it is a good habit and keeps me away from all the junk. It feels like pop is a gateway drug to bad food choices LOL so sticking to iced tea and never having pop at home helps! Now if I could curb the afternoon snack time..one step at a time:wink:
  • nichalsont
    nichalsont Posts: 421 Member
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    I never drank sodas in excess, but I did make an attempt to switch to diet. Why would anyone drink those on purpose? Everyone said I would get used to it - like switching from 2% milk to skim - but I never did. These days, I drink tea, hot or cold, sweetened with Sweet & Low. Love McDonald's for having the large tea for a buck!

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