Help! Need some good tips for kicking the soda habit

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Replies

  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
    Just quit. It's called willpower, either you want to or you don't, there's no trick.

    ^this^

    There is no try......there is only do.
    Kaye
  • trishaeich
    trishaeich Posts: 40 Member
    I gave up daily soda years ago. Now on occasion I'll have one (nothing goes better with pizza than a root beer). But if and when I do have one, I opt for a soda that has no high fructose corn syrup like Sprecher. Read labels. The stuff in soda is terrible. If will power alone won't get you there, think long and hard about what you are consuming. There is nothing natural about soda (diet is worse). Water, tea, coffee, milk - great alternatives. Don't like plain water? Spruce it up with lemon/lime/cucumber. You can do it!!!!
  • minkakross
    minkakross Posts: 687 Member
    I switched to diet but eventually I wanted to give it up completely and I found it easier to make excuses to have "just one" once I was drinking diet. I had to go cold turkey, pick a day on the calendar and just say no more!
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    Maybe allow yourself one soda a week and really focus on the enjoyment you get from drinking it?

    After some time passes, you may decide that you don't really need or miss them anymore and cut them out completely, or you could continue savoring and enjoying them as a once-a-week treat.
  • mzjessicaxo
    mzjessicaxo Posts: 330 Member
    I can eat healthy foods every day but I need to have soda. Since starting MFP, I've cut down considerably but there are days where I just want to drink a whole bottle of cola. I know it's bad for me, i know it's excess sugar calories, but this is the one bad habit I can't seem to remove from my diet. I drink plenty of water throughout the day and try to limit myself to just one glass of soda, but some days are harder than others. I can't stand diet soda and I'd rather have real sugar than artificial sweetener. Anyone have any tips on how to wean myself off of soda? Any help is appreciated:smile:

    I was the same way, I used to drink probably 3 cans a day! I don't buy it anymore, so I don't really think about it when I'm at home. It's a nice treat once in awhile if im out of the house, and thats the way I see it now! A treat!
  • THuffman1967
    THuffman1967 Posts: 114 Member
    I am working on kicking my Diet Coke habit. Once upon a time I would drink about 6 a day, I gradually cut to 4, then three a day. Just a couple of days ago I decided to go cold turkey. It's been 72 hours since my last Diet Coke. I've been drinking lots of water and lots of iced tea, no sweetener. I thought I would go nuts, but I've really been okay and don't feel so bloated.
  • AndreaGrace29
    AndreaGrace29 Posts: 51 Member
    Just quit for a couple weeks. Cut back on other sugars too. Once you try it again after the 2 or3 weeks, you'll probably find that it's TOO SWEET for you... cut out the diet soda too. I havent had a more than a 20oz of soda in the last 8 months and I don't miss it at all.
  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
    what do you like about diet soda? you need to figure that out, and figure out how you can get your "fix" but in a healthier way.

    i loved the carbonation. so i switched to lacroix. after a couple months, i just flavored my water, couple months later, i only drink water.

    if you love the taste, then switch to diet, and then go cold turkey during a time in your life when you feel strong, have emotional support (we can help with that!) and are committed to quitting.
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
    I was hooked on soda too, but once I found my trigger it was relatively painless to change.

    For me, it was about the "experience" of drinking a soda. I liked going to the fridge, pulling out a can, and cracking it open. So, seltzer became my new best friend. I keep a ton in the fridge, and am now down to 3-4 sodas a week (from 3-4 a day).

    A secondary strategy that worked for me is enforcing a 1-1 ratio. When I got a soda, I would also get a cup of water or tea, and make myself drink the water/tea before going back for more.

    Hope this helps!
  • stubbseyt
    stubbseyt Posts: 84 Member
    i have a soda stream and i can made soda from squash. there are some lovely sugar free or no added sugar squash drinks, i have cherries & berries with soda water and its just delish...

    also i know diet sodas taste off at first but if you keep with it you get used to them and in the end find you will prefer them. they dont all taste the same, and some are not as good for you as others. i like diet irn bru, and coke zero (which i used to hate, but my taste has become less sweet since dieting)

    you need to get rid of full fattening soda, if you cant switch to diet just ditch them for natural juices, find some really lovely ones and go over to them. all that sugar is the DEVIL!
  • MandaJean83
    MandaJean83 Posts: 675 Member
    While I wasn't addicted to regular soda, I had a bad addiction to Diet sodas (especially Coke Zero). I would have it with breakfast. After my workout. With my lunch. With my dinner. It was really bad.

    I hate to say this, but the only way I quit was COLD TURKEY. I gave it up and said no more. The artificial sweeteners have always kind of made me nervous, and here I was consuming them like regular sugar. It took a few weeks to get over the hump, but I don't crave them anymore. Every once in a while I will have a half a can of coke or root beer, as a treat. But otherwise I don't touch it.

    And my fiance and his kids drink soda like it's going outta style, so it's ALWAYS around me.

    If only I had the same willpower against french fries and candy...
  • ebr250
    ebr250 Posts: 199 Member
    Just quit. It's called willpower, either you want to or you don't, there's no trick.

    No nonsense approach, I agree.

    I disagree. I loved (really I still do!) Coke and I made myself really evaulate what I liked about it. I found that I love the fizz the most and so swapped out Coke for seltzer with lime or a splash of juice. Same thing worked for me for beer. I would say find a sub for what it is you really love about pop and you will be most successful.
  • OMGeeeHorses
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
    I honestly just read whats in soda and research it...that was enough for me to quit drinking it. If you need something sweet grab a green tea and add some honey to it or make it a treat to have some crystal light drinks ( normally with truvia and stevia in it) I mean diet it just as bad with the aspartame and such in it. Now I just drink plan water with lemon or just plain water. today I did a packet of crystal light but in a huge amount of water so its not even really crystal light drink. :) good luck or drink a V8 as well lol
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
    I too am a hopeless soda addict. But I have been able to quit (once for a two years) -- maintaining that quit is something else though.

    Anyways, two quitting strategies I've had work for me : (1) switch to gingerale (for about 2 weeks). then move over to diet gingerale (for one week). then stop soda completely, and go with iced water.
    The other method (2) switch to iced tea / hot tea (this really helped me avoid the caffeine withdrawal) -- then gradually move over to water. For me, I've found the more ice the better. [ If you can't stomach a substitute, then decrease your volume -- it is always easier to quit a 12oz a-day habit than it is to quit a 2-liter a day habit.]

    Good luck!
  • ladyvintage
    ladyvintage Posts: 34 Member
    Wow I'm the exact same as you! I've cut down considerably but I still NEED a can at least per day.. I actually get grumpy if I don't have one.
    I'll try some of these suggestions though too
  • libbymcbain
    libbymcbain Posts: 206 Member
    Sparkling mineral water with a little juice, or a slice of a citrus fruit or a few berries or mint leaves. Add lots of ice cubes and have it in a nice glass to make it a bit of an event.
  • I ended my love affair with Dr. Pepper by switching to unsweet tea. Now, that I don't have cravings for it, I just drink water. Boy am I glad that I did too. According to Dr. Oz, drinking as little as 2 cans of soda a week, can increase your risk for pancreatic cancer by 87%! Just imagine what your poor pancrease goes through every time you dump all that sugar into your system! Maybe if you visualize the damage that you're doing to yourself, it will help you to say no to it.
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
    I too had a bad soda habit. I guestimate (and probably low at that) 4-6 cans of soda a day. I can only tell you what worked for me. The first week I only drank it if I was still craving it after more than an hour and drinking at least 8oz of water. I probably had about 6 sodas in the first week and then didn't crave it again. On Thanksgiving day, I decided to have the last Dr. Pepper in my fridge with my pizza. I found it wasn't near as tasty as before and the carbonation felt harsh. I did have a Root Beer and about a 1/4 a can of Dt. Sierra Mist (yuck) over that weekend. Since, I haven't craved it at all.

    I will say, this morning was tough, I really, really, really wanted something with caffeine. Had my water, went about with work, and never went and got one.

    if you Google something along the lines "water infusion recipes" you'll find sites with recipes to add stuff (fruits, cucumbers, etc) to water that you may find replaces the need for a soda flavor.

    Good luck!
  • katiefridley
    katiefridley Posts: 151 Member
    I never did quite drink that much soda, but I did dink it every day. Since I am in college now and on a limited budget, I find myself very satisfied with water. The best part about limiting it is that is goes back to being a 'treat' like it was decades ago. I becomes a fun, festive drink again that is used for special treats instead of an all the time thing.
  • lizzybethclaire
    lizzybethclaire Posts: 849 Member
    seltzer water and juice. Better for you than diet soda, in my opinion.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Sparkling water helped me kick it. I drank that for a looong time until I decided I wanted plain (ice) water. Hope that helps!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Wow I'm the exact same as you! I've cut down considerably but I still NEED a can at least per day.. I actually get grumpy if I don't have one.
    I'll try some of these suggestions though too

    You get grumpy if you don't have it because you are addicted to it. To break that you just have to stop drinking it and after a couple of days you don't need it any more.
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    Switch to diet. Or flavored sparkling water. Or just stop it. You want to do it bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen!
  • Shelby814
    Shelby814 Posts: 273 Member
    I was a Diet Mountain Dew ADDICT for years. I started alternating & drinking carbonated water, a Kroger brand lemon-lime actually. It was a decent replacement. I haven't had soda in well over a year & now drink a variety of flavored waters. My favorite is actually the Walmart brand raspberry apple, but there are a lot of good ones out there including SoBe & Sparkling Ice. It can be done. Good luck!
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    There are now the semi-diet colas like Pepsi-Next try one of those or the 10 cal Dr Pepper does not have the diet taste.:drinker:
  • Strive2BLean
    Strive2BLean Posts: 300 Member
    If you care about your health you'll stop drinking soda. IT'S POISON! Good luck and just do it pleeeeze.
  • mafoote
    mafoote Posts: 10 Member
    Zevia natural soda. They have cola, ginger root beer, creme soda, dr. pepper-type, a bunch of others. I am a Diet Coke addict and Zevia is not quite the same, but it still tastes good enough for me and I know I'm drinking all natural ingredients. Check here: http://www.zevia.com/.
  • shinkalork
    shinkalork Posts: 815 Member
    I've quit almost everything but that... I take diet now and once a day or one every two days but ...I still do.
    Stopping everything you like won't help you out in a long run.

    Try to slowly reduce the quantity and take diet... if you can't stop.

    It's not the best I know but.... If you train,workout,eat everything else well........a treat's fine sometime.
  • AddieOverhaul
    AddieOverhaul Posts: 734 Member
    I used to drink pop, juice and iced tea all the time. ALL THE TIME. Cutting it WAY down was the best thing I ever did for my weight loss.

    I started by doing one month of no pop. I could still have juice etc, but no pop. One month felt doable to me, not like giving it up forever. After that the craving significantly reduced. Then, I just wouldn't keep it in the house. I don't keep anything in the house except water, soda water. If I'm having people over for drink I might pick up some sprite or juice to add a touch of sweetness to the club soda.

    Now, I only have pop on occasion as a treat when I go out for lunch dinner. I don't really miss it and in fact, if I buy a can of Pepsi now it's often too sweet (I pretty much only drink the fountain pop now as it is watered down, and that is a treat only).

    I'm with you on not switching to diet - aspartame gives me migraines. I can't even have Crystal Light.
  • TypeARunner
    TypeARunner Posts: 5 Member
    Same here, soda is my vice. When I started tracking calories it helped me kick it pretty quickly. Seeing that I was drinking more than my day's worth of allowed calories alone was a rude awakening. I slowly weaned myself off of it, switching over to sweet tea and then cutting out the sugar to drink unsweet tea. Eventually I made it to all water, all day long. If I want something with taste, I'll grab an unsweet tea again. The diet vs regular was a no-brainer for me, because diet gives me migraines (pun intended). I have been soda free for about 6 months now, and then last week I got a wild idea that I needed one in the afternoon. Worst bloating and gas (TMI) followed soon after. That was enough to convince me not to drink one ever again.