Addicted to Mountain Dew... HELP

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pickles77
pickles77 Posts: 47
in Health and Weight Loss
OK, so Before I could drink at least 8 cans a day! I have cut myself down to 2. 1 in the morning and 1 with dinner!! I feel like these 2 a day are holding me back from losing more! But I am already having headaches, and been feeling tired, aggravated. I just want to cut it out all together but I have been drinking it since I was like 5!!! LOL:blushing: I prefer water, everyone tells me to drink diet (yuck)!
Anyone have any pointers!!!
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  • tigersgirl
    tigersgirl Posts: 66 Member
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    i have heard cranberry juice can help with the withdrawl symptoms
  • Mirlyn
    Mirlyn Posts: 256
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    The headaches will go away shortly after you go without. I recently quit soda cold turkey (was doing diet dew about 8 cans a day probably - switched to diet about 4 years ago) and the headaches sucked but I've been off of soda since April 1st and feel noticeably healthier, have more energy (and not just a quick spike and then crash), and have less cravings (which I think the artificial sweetners and the preservatives or dyes caused) and less hunger.


    Give it a shot for a temporary period, it will take willpower but I promise the headaches don't last forever and the benefits you'll receive from doing so will be worth it!
  • terib67
    terib67 Posts: 16 Member
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    Pickles, I can definitely sympathize with your addiction to Mtn. Dew!! With me, it was actually the diet dew. Drank it for years, and I also got headaches when I tried to stop. However, your new best friend is GREEN TEA. Green tea has natural caffeine, so it helps your body over the hump. You can brew it on your own, Lipton has some great flavored green teas, or you can buy the flavored in a bottle. Now of course, you're still getting alot of sugar if you're drinking it that way. I know you don't like diet drinks, I myself don't drink or eat any splenda or nutrasweet anymore, but I have discovered Stevia, which is absolutely amazing, doesn't have chemicals, and tastes good! I hope this helps you, it really did help me. Good Luck!
  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
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    Well from one fellow MD addict to another, I feel your pain. AND Diet Mt Dew is NOT the same...I don't care what people say. I don't drink soda much anymore but it's more because I had a horrible kidney infection that just about killed me...so it's all water and coffee now. I don't have any real advice but just keep trying.

    Good luck!
  • KarenECunningham
    KarenECunningham Posts: 419 Member
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    What you are describing sounds a lot like caffeine withdrawal. It is my understanding that Mountain Dew has a lot of caffeine in it. You might want to drink a lot of water and like others have posted some fruit juice to replace the sugar withdrawal. It will get better.:wink:
  • veggieheadie
    veggieheadie Posts: 79
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    I was SO addicted to Mnt Dew, so I know your pain. :wink: I used the crystal light strawberry energy drinks to help. I know you said you don't like diet, and I have to admit, the first few days were hard, but it got easier and now I even like the taste. Sometimes I REALLY miss the carbonation, but now if I have carbonation I bloat up like a puffer fish, so I just remind myself of that and I do great.
  • bjberry
    bjberry Posts: 665 Member
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    Do you like tea?
    Since your withdrawal might have to do with caffiene (Mountain Dew is very high in caffiene), can you drink a little tea (caffinated, but less than the Mountain Dew) in with your fruit juice? Some people might gag with that combination, but I like it. Best of persistance! :drinker:
  • manderpander22
    manderpander22 Posts: 18
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    I have quit many times, although it was the diet version. I think it's more the caffeine that is causing withdrawal symptoms since it's very high in Mtn. Dew. If you are serious about quitting then I recommend tapering off to one a day for a week, then one every other day for a week, then one every 2-3 days until you have quit completely. The 2-3 days after I quit completely I was very sick so I don't recommend doing it if you have to go to work or take care of children, etc. Hope that helps. Good luck!
  • Reign
    Reign Posts: 87 Member
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    I was addicted to it too…then I switched to pepsi…then diet pepsi – like 4 a day…now I barely drink two a month…just wean yourself off.
  • pickles77
    pickles77 Posts: 47
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    Thanks everyone!! So, .... I'm going to ween myself off... and add more fruit juice to my intake!! Hope it helps! Glad to know so many others have had this problem!!! LOL

    Kim
  • spuds_mom121301
    spuds_mom121301 Posts: 7
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    I just read your post and the withdraw/headaches has me curious. I have been trying really hard to cut out all sweets and sugar, I have been having mild headaches lately. At first I blamed stress then I thought their was a need to see a chiropractor for a stiff neck. Maybe I am having withdraws too. I used to eat candy ALL the time, and I lived on sweet tea alone. Everyone told me my sweet tea was sickeningly sweet and I poured sugar on all cereal, oatmeal,etc. and even my toast. I have gone from buying 2 bags of sugar a week to barely needing 1 a month. (Mostly for my kids now). Anyway maybe that is where my headaches are coming from, I used to get migranes if I didn't eat about every 4 hrs. and a candy bar would knock it out almost everytime. Hopefully since I have started eating more fruit, the headaches will stop.
  • lculian
    lculian Posts: 313 Member
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    I used to drink 3 litres of Diet Mountain Dew a day, the withdrawal headaches last 6 weeks, because I kept having a random soda. The best thing to do is go cold turkey. You can get through the withdrawal, drink green teas or caffeinated ice tea. Look for Viatmin waters that contain natural caffeine. When I finally gave it up, I switched to vitamin water, then I weened myself off of Vitamin water and drank only green tea of water. Now I drink Ice tea for a treat, green tea if I feel like it, or good ol water. If I'm really missing the bubbles I'll have a perrier with some lemon juice. I've been soda free since January 16 of this year. Now I don't even miss it. Before if there was a fountain soda machine, I was drinking a 32-44 oz Mountain Dew!

    You can do it. My weight loss and muscle tone have improved hugely since I gave it up, plus my sweet cravings are much better unless it's TOM.

    Just think about this anything that gives you withdrawal is probably reaking havoc on your body, who knows what other affects you are experiencing from the soda besides weight. Soda is quite literally one of the worst things for you. The Diet soda actually was giving me problems with my vision. I am happy to report that since giving it up I was fortunate and my vision has actually recovered. No more blurred vision or floaters, WooHoo!!

    If you need any other ideas to hekp kick the habit let me know. Trust me , it will be one of the best things you do for yourself!:flowerforyou:
  • amypowwow1
    amypowwow1 Posts: 1 Member
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    z
  • MeyersQ
    MeyersQ Posts: 2
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    I'm in the same boat with my Pepsi. I am down to 2 cans a day from 8 cans. I am trying to cut out 1 more but it's not easy. Coffee does seem to help with the headaches. I'm not a big coffee drinker though so it's hard to make that switch. Good luck in whatever you try!
  • Hazel2005
    Hazel2005 Posts: 175 Member
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    Instead of "Mountain Dew" think "Mountain don't"....trust me....it's gonna be stuck in your head :bigsmile:
  • arenkel
    arenkel Posts: 77
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    Everyone on here has given some great suggestions and personal stories.

    I'd just like to add that if you feel like you need a soda as a treat on occasion, try out Mountain Zevia. It's not the same as Mountain Dew, in both flavor and mouthfeel (it's not syrupy), but it's actually pretty good and it's still somewhat caffeinated. It's a "diet" soda, but not really. Instead of using aspartame, Zevia uses stevia as a sweetener -- so it has a bit of an aftertaste, but IMO not as bad as aspartame.
    I'll admit it is a bit of an acquired taste for some, but for me, I'd rather have Mtn Zevia than Mtn Dew any day.
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
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    Holy necro thread Batman! If the OP is still having problems after 8 years, she's done for.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    deesch wrote: »
    I'm addicted to Mountain Dew I used to drink diet But diet soda compromises your bladder and causes you to pee your pants after many years I suffered this problem
    Now I drink regular Mountain Dew didn't lose our gain any weight from it
    But my headaches if I don't drink it constantly and I found out the substance in it is the kind that used to make cars out of the but carbon and vegetable oil in Mountain Dew
    I need to stop

    :laugh:

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