Help! Need some good tips for kicking the soda habit

13

Replies

  • I decided on Sunday of this last week that I wouldn't drink soda at home anymore. I had a coke zero out at lunch on Monday and then caved and had one Tuesday night with dinner. Right now I'm over 24 hours without one and other than being sleepier this afternoon than normal, I'm okay. I battled that by drinking water and taking my dog for an hour long walk, so the benefits are doubled, right?

    I reached a breaking point over the weekend and have just decided enough is enough. I'm ready to not be a soda drinker anymore.
  • I've just starting myself. But whats I find helpful for me is that I have a bonus calorie day once a week on Sundays. Everything in moderation. Pick one day of the week to reward yourself. For example Weight watcher has bonus pt's , you can reward yourself up to 250 bonus calories. That can be your soda, a piece of cake or a class of wine. You are rewarding yourself for staying on track. After while you aren't indulging some much of your soda. And you will have something to look forward too.
  • In October of 2011 I finally faced the reality that I needed to take control of my health and fitness. This could ramble on into a long boring story. Cut to the chase, I drew the line in the sand, no more pop/soda or McDonalds type fast food......period. I am not going to fight either way that these things are good, bad, or indifferent........I just knew that I didn't need them and the mental power gained by making this change would set the stage for better choices in other areas as I moved forward. AT some point you just have to want this........for you.........just because you do!!!

    I am about a week away from my 365 consecutive day on MFP and going strong. Have reached my first goal weight which I felt was un-realistic when I set it. Now on track to soon be less than 200#, a weight I surpassed in the 9th grade (1985/1986). Everything about this past year has been about education on nutrition/ fitness and having mental control. Best wishes in your journey!
  • I used to drink up to 2 litres a day .... scary to think of how terrible that is!

    I love fizzy pop - especially cola and Dr Pepper. And lemonade and Fanta.

    I stopped drinking it completely almost 3 weeks ago - cold turkey. It was quite difficult but not as difficult as I expected. I really thought I wouldn't be able to do it and that it was a bit of an addiction.

    Turns out it was more habit than addiction and I just have to be strict with myself!
  • In October of 2011 I finally faced the reality that I needed to take control of my health and fitness. This could ramble on into a long boring story. Cut to the chase, I drew the line in the sand, no more pop/soda or McDonalds type fast food......period. I am not going to fight either way that these things are good, bad, or indifferent........I just knew that I didn't need them and the mental power gained by making this change would set the stage for better choices in other areas as I moved forward. AT some point you just have to want this........for you.........just because you do!!!

    I am about a week away from my 365 consecutive day on MFP and going strong. Have reached my first goal weight which I felt was un-realistic when I set it. Now on track to soon be less than 200#, a weight I surpassed in the 9th grade (1985/1986). Everything about this past year has been about education on nutrition/ fitness and having mental control. Best wishes in your journey!

    I had my "a-ha" moment a few weeks ago when walking up a couple flights of steps and ending up so out of breath. Turning 40 in January is another motivator.
    Congratulations on reaching your goal weight!
  • Thanks everyone for the great tips and motivation! It's good to know I'm not the only soda addict out there.
  • katekross
    katekross Posts: 463 Member
    I also heard another tip that sticks-- if you leave a can of coke in the toilet over night and flush it in the morning, your toilet will be squeeky clean... and you're putting that in your body!
  • I also heard another tip that sticks-- if you leave a can of coke in the toilet over night and flush it in the morning, your toilet will be squeeky clean... and you're putting that in your body!
    [/quote

    That's one I've heard often but never tested.
  • nickhuffman74
    nickhuffman74 Posts: 198 Member
    I used to be the same way girl... for me i found that using the water mixers... like crystal lite or something similar helped me more than anything. It did take some time to kick the habbit completely but I did finally do it!!!

    ^ this. Its a hard habit to kick but things like Mio and Crystal light can help.
  • wswilliams67
    wswilliams67 Posts: 938 Member
    Plain Club Soda + MiO = ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. 0 calories, no diet taste, no Aspartame. Cheap!
  • I was drinking a fountain soda that was 64oz every day. That was practically 2 liters of crap in my mouth on a daily basis. I tried several times to kick the habit to fail. Then I realized something, I kept drinking that sugary death trap even when it didn't taste good anymore... WHY? It was in a cup with a lid and a straw. So then I think Hmm.. Maybe that is my ticket to freedom. I start carrying ice water in the same exact cup and kept it with me all day. That way I had something to suck on whenever I wanted it (haha yeah I said suck on).

    I can proudly say it has been over a year and soda free. You just have to fight through the *kitten* of caffeine withdrawls. Yeah it sucked at first but after a month my body felt so much better.
  • florymonde
    florymonde Posts: 261 Member
    I'm another one who loves the fizz; soda water and juice still hits the spot!
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
    Tip 1: JUST STOP IT.
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
    I just stopped. I might have one now and again at a weekend or as a mixer if having spirits... But I made myself switch to juice or cordial with meals, water at all other times and my customary morning and afternoon cup of coffee.

    If nothing else - it sure gives me a stack of calories back in a day!
  • cbk93
    cbk93 Posts: 35
    Try adding fresh squeezed orange, lemon or lime juice and a zero calorie sweetener to club soda.
  • StudioMaid
    StudioMaid Posts: 84 Member
    I am a diet pepsi junkie and know that stopping the soda will aid in losing weight
    but I also know that depriving yourself of the things you like isn't a good thing
    either, so this is what I do...I don't follow a specific diet but do stay within a
    certain number of calories, nor do I deprive myself of the things I like.
    When it comes to diet pepsi I wait until I really want one and then go and
    get ONE. The big thing is don't deprive yourself of anything you like
    it's not going to hurt to indulge once in a while. Best of luck to you. :flowerforyou:
  • wildcelticrose
    wildcelticrose Posts: 40 Member
    Diet Soda is nasty and extremely unhealthy.

    I quit soda many years ago, but occasionally want a fizzy treat.

    I take plain sparkling water (not club soda which has sodium) and mix in a an ounce or so of POM Pomegranate juice. It's a super yummy treat and way healthier than diet or regular soda.
  • Give carbonated v-8 fusion a try. They've got fruit flavors, are fizzy, have more caffeiene than sodas, and are waaay less calories.
  • demilade
    demilade Posts: 402 Member
    I cut back to 1 caffine free diet coke a day when i got pregnant, then when i got heart burn i stopped all together, now i cant stand the stuff and havent had any in over a year. Cut down to 1 a day and then make the decision to stop. after a couple of weeks you may find you dont miss it, and if you do decide to have one you might not like it.
  • axialmeow
    axialmeow Posts: 382 Member
    Most soda isn't "real sugar" it's HFCS and it's not the same. No one bother flaming me about that because my mind is made up. I don't think corn syrup is any better for you than artificial sweeteners. If you want to have a soda and it fits in your calorie allowance then have one. But try to find one with actual real sugar.
  • When I crave a soda, I will replace it with flavored, carbonated water. I get the same satisfaction as I would drinking a soda, but with no calories. There are one liter bottles at Dollar General for 70 cents. You might give that a try.
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,641 Member
    Some things that I did to quit were:
    -stop buying it at the store, don't have it in the house
    -buy a cute water bottle with a design on it and carry it everywhere you go
    -try to see if those around you will drink water (my boyfriend always drinks water, even when going to a restaurant he always gets water)
    -just keep drinking it and you will get used to it

    I used to drink soda all day every day. Now I rarely have it (maybe once every 2 months) and I crave water. Its so good to me now! I used to hate water. You will get used to it, just keep drinking it.
  • em3120
    em3120 Posts: 154 Member
    Just quit. It's called willpower, either you want to or you don't, there's no trick.

    ^This. I wanted to stop drinking so much soda, so one day I just quit and I haven't missed it at all! I've gone 2 years without drinking it (except for a handful of times where it was all I could get) and now it kills my stomach to drink it! Whenever I drink it, I feel ill and my stomach is very bubbly and upset. It may be hard to cut cold turkey but it worked for me.
  • like_milk
    like_milk Posts: 79 Member
    I was addicted to Coke. The best thing to do is go cold-turkey.

    I found that when I would get thirsty I craved Coke, not a drink, just Coke. So what I did was when that Coke craving came and I felt I couldn't take it anymore I would down a whole pint of water in ONE GO! After that I saw if it was gone, if not I would drink another half a pint. It worked. However, drinking too much water is bad for you so I wouldn't do that all the time but I felt so much better forcing a whole pint down in one go, and it did have to be in one go!
  • amyplaysflute
    amyplaysflute Posts: 91 Member
    I used to have a serious soda addiction. Like 3-4+ cans a day. Then one day a year or two again, I decided that it was really bad for me and I quit drinking it all together. I didn't put much thought into it, I just stopped. Then only thing I did to ease into it was before I quit for good, I would make myself drink a glass of water before I could have any soda. I still drank the soda though, but not as much in the long run.

    When you quit soda, you will no longer crave it. At least I didn't. If I drink it now, it makes me burpy and makes my teeth feel like they were coated like sugar. My advice is to just stop drinking it.. and don't think too much about it.
  • LesaDave
    LesaDave Posts: 1,480 Member
    Do you like orange, strawberry or grape soda at all? Or just cola?

    There are some drink mixes (like Crystal Light, etc) by Crush. Their mixes taste JUST LIKE the pop--and only 5 calories per 8 oz. They also make Squirt drink mix. I don't really like Squirt pop, but I really like the Squirt pop mix.

    The only place I have found them is the Dollar General. Or I think there is a website...I think it's called....oh, I can't remember. something like "MyBrands.com" or something similar. They sell hard-to-find products.

    But I would really try something like this.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    With all this talk about it, pepsi sounds good right now! haha
    The easiest for me was just not buying it. If it's there, we will drink it. I like it every once in a while, but water is good too!
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
    Do you think maybe you just like the fizzies? That's the only reason I'll drink soda. Otherwise it's kind of gross when you think about it.

    Maybe try flavored carbonated water, or carbonated water with lemon, etc. I love it.
  • MorbidMander
    MorbidMander Posts: 349 Member
    I agree with some that have already said. Just stop drinking it. I was addicted to soda for a loooong time so I know it is hard, but decided it was too much of a pain in the @ss to lose weight while drinking it. Plus, it ain't exactly the healthiest anyway. Diet soda is worse then regular, so I don't recommend that as a way to get away from it. The best way to do it is to just stop buying it and force yourself to drink water. I don't even really crave it anymore and when I do have some of it (Very rarely), it's like, WOAH! That is a LOT of sugar, lol. Hope you can find the will power to quit the soda (:
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    Just don't buy it. Simple. It's all willpower.