Kicking the Coca Cola habit - HELP

13

Replies

  • Dennys_Girl
    Dennys_Girl Posts: 4
    JJ1973 - I stopped COLD TURKEY....I love Diet Coke but if I want to suceed I needed to cut the ties. No more pop in my house!

    That being said everyone has their weaknesses, perhaps if you MUST have a coke, buy the half size can. Usually the first 2 or 3 sips are more than enough to curb the craving.
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
    Been off soda about two weeks now, miss it some but not as bad as I expected :) Been drinking water with MiO and every 2-3 days I have a cup of sweet tea.
  • nickymaire
    nickymaire Posts: 138 Member
    I doubt you drink this much ...but it might scare you a bit

    http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/19/woman-dies-after-drinking-10-liters-coke-day/
  • janeosu
    janeosu Posts: 140 Member
    Diet Pepsi was my bad habit - I gave it up a few yrs ago. At first, I cut down to one a day, then just weekends, and at some point just lost the desire for it. I've had it since then and it's so crazy how it doesn't taste the same to me at all now!
  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
    Hi, My biggest obstacle to weight loss is my love of Coca Cola. Any ideas for how to tackle this addiction?

    Is it really an addiction to Coca Cola or an addiction to caffeine? I suffered from a caffeine addiction for years. I was able to cut back, but never quit completely. If it is calories or sugar you are worried about why not try diet soda? That is a change I made and after some time getting used to the new taste it worked for me.
  • kindergartenfrog
    kindergartenfrog Posts: 4
    I had my last soda a week ago Monday. I had a horrible headache for 2 days. I think it was from lack of caffeine. People at work kept telling me to drink a diet soda but I knew if I stopped drinking soda I had to stop drinking all soda or else I would fail. So far so good...I haven't wanted a soda.

    Good luck!
  • Kadesha72
    Kadesha72 Posts: 109 Member
    All of the advice here is good. I was a Dr. Pepper addict, and I'm talking... 8-10 cans AT LEAST a day... whoa... Then I just stopped buying it for the house. My husband is a Diet Coker, and we always have that, so I decided if I really wanted a soda, I would just drink one of those (and obviously they are disgusting, so that helped cut back)... and you will get that headache withdrawl, but after 3 days or so, you'll be fine. I limit myself now, to 2 cans of diet at the most.... a lunch time one and a dinner time one...

    Another thing that helps me when I think I want one... in the 4th grade we did this experiement where we put a pennie and a nail in a mason jar, and filled it with soda.... after a couple days it was horrible... I visualize my stomach being eaten by all that grossness... I mean, Coke is something people use to eat the battery acid stuff off battery cables!!!! Ack!!!

    But you can do it! You can cut way back and you can do cold turkey, just make up your mind to DO IT!!! If I can do it, I think anyone could....
  • rosieoutlook65
    rosieoutlook65 Posts: 5 Member
    Hi I gave up drinking diet coke on boxing day after drinking 1-2 litres a day for 30 years. For me it was the negative research regarding aspartame that made me quit. I made sure i didn't have any in the house had plenty of water around and carried on drinking coffee to stop the headaches. I also make sure I take some water with me where ever I go so i'm less likely to get thirsty and give in to temptation. I've lost 9lbs since giving up, admittedly some of that was due to no more christmas dinners, but my skin and energy levels have improved too so i'm sticking with it. Which ever way you descide to quit good luck .
  • larryc0923
    larryc0923 Posts: 557 Member
    Hi, My biggest obstacle to weight loss is my love of Coca Cola. Any ideas for how to tackle this addiction?
    I was a huge Coke/Pepsi drinker for years. Probably averaged 6-8 cans a day. Had peak days during high stress, long hour work days where I was drinking over a 12 a day. Any time I tried to stop I would go through withdrawel. I tried stopping/slowing down several times by drinking Diet Cokes/Pepsi's (or as we call them Diet Brown Pop) but I could not and still cannot stand the taste of these Diet Brown Pop's. However, I did find that I liked Diet White Pop's (Diet Ginger Ale, Diet 7 Up, etc.) and I moved to these. To be honest I do not remember it being done all at once but I can tell you now that I no longer drink (or really like) regular Coke/Pepsi. Now in the last few months I have started to drink water more frequently (usually during the day at work or in the car) so now my daily intake is about 50% Diet White Pop/45% Water/5% other (Milk, Juice). This has saved me about 1200 - 1600 calories a day which is one of the key contributors to now being able to lose weight. Hope that helps.
  • kittenbobitten
    kittenbobitten Posts: 199 Member
    I have been a soda/diet coke addict for most of my life. My soda addiction only got worse as time passed. I was drinking between 15-25 cans of diet coke a day. I quit cold turkey (after SEVERAL false starts) 10 days ago. The way I did it was by putting 3 - 56 ounce containers in my fridge. One with plain water and two with flavored water. I said I can have ALL the diet coke I want but only after drinking all three containers. I have used the calorie free or low calorie water flavors like Crystal Light to kind of replace my diet coke, so I still feel like I am drinking something flavored. I drink about 120 ounces of water a day. I have lost 6.6 pounds in the last week and 7 pounds the week before that. Of course I am also following a diet, etc. Now I am weaning myself off the artificial flavored water and working my way to plain water.

    You can do it. Just make a reasonable plan and start!
  • kmelissa02
    kmelissa02 Posts: 45
    I went from drinking soda to drinking tea because when i went cold turkey i got miagrains. After a couple of days drinking tea, i ditched that & has been straight water ever since.
  • queendeej
    queendeej Posts: 214 Member
    Hi. I'm am a Coca-Cola lover. I used to drink several 20 ounces daily. When I started my journey I decided to stick to my allotted calories and quickly realized that I'd rather eat my calories than drink them. I set rules for my coke intake. One was that I can only drink Coke ice cold from the refrigerator--no ice added because it tastes best that way. Another is I don't drink my coke with food-that way I can really savor the taste. I try not to drink coke when I'm thirsty. I use water to quench my thirst. I try to drink about half my body weight in ounces of water daily. I found a diet soda that I like the taste of and I drink that sometimes. It took a few weeks but now I'm at the point that I only drink coke when a I truly have a taste for it. Even then it's only a few ounces at a time. I drink coke about twice a month. I always keep one in my refrigerator just in case . Weird I know.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    I'm a pepsi lover, and really wish I could have a 12 pack in my house and know that if I go into a depression I wont finish off all the cans in one night. Too bad, but I have to avoid it. I do think if you can fit it into your calories and you really love it why not! Unless you are diabetic then of course you should never drink your calories. BUT if you can enjoy it and think of it as your treat otherwise I'd go the diet or cold turkey option.

    I started this weight loss thing actually where I was allowing myself to drink a 32oz of Pepsi for lunch which provides about 600kcals. Of course that was my lunch. I did lose a bit of weight on it, but I find the further a long you go and you start wanting to have a healthy relationship with food and yourself that you dont want to put that stuff into your body and you want to give it nutrition. Although sometimes I think YUMMMMM I could sure do a Pepsi diet today.
  • lives21
    lives21 Posts: 78 Member
    The first time I stopped drinking soda was probably in middle school. I gave it up for lent (or maybe 1/wk), even though I'm not catholic. Then later in high school I think I kicked it for several months at a time quite a few times, but I always came back to drinking it. In college I mostly used it as a mixer. Now I'm completely off the stuff. I tried diet soda, crystal lite, etc., etc.. But honestly all of those taste worse to me than water, so I've reconciled myself to just drinking water, coffee and tea or the occasional fruit juice or alcohol.

    Maybe just try cutting back and over time it won't be such a desire anymore. The only way for me has been over several years where before then I was consuming 3-4 a day easy. There's just a point where I fell out of love with it and it was no longer important. Plus once I'm off of it and I drink it it tastes heavy, syrupy and just has a really weird flavor overall. Getting water count up isn't as easy as I thought either once I stopped drinking soda. I've been trying to push water on myself the past month and I am just getting up to 8-10 cups a day. It took longer than I expected to have healthy drinking habits.
  • JEMQuilter
    JEMQuilter Posts: 30 Member
    I was a coca cola addict for YEARS. I never liked hot drinks (coffee or tea) so i would always drink coke for the caffeine. i was probably drinking 1000-1200 calories a day. i would drink it continuously. last september i took an airplane and could not fit in the seat and i knew right then it was because of the coca cola and i stopped drinking it that day. i have not had one since--i still think about it every day, and of course there are lots of triggers for my cravings but i just keep picturing myself in that airplane seat and it gives me the strength to resist. i only drink water now and lots of it. good luck--i quit so many times before.
  • ThirtyLittleSteps
    ThirtyLittleSteps Posts: 2
    Personally I love cola and I don't want to give it up- unfortunately I feel the same way about Red Bull Energy drinks. I just turn them into a snack. If I have a cola- I subtract it from my daily calories.
  • dovetail22uk
    dovetail22uk Posts: 339 Member
    just force yourself to drink water or any other naturally made drink. It may be hard for you in the beginning but as with any other habit you quit, after a week or two it gets easier until you dont even miss it.

    I have not drank soda in about 7 years and I dont miss it at all. I have taken a random sip of my BF's drink if I need to swallow a pill any there is nothing else around and each time I do that makes me so glad I gave up the crap.

    ^^This! You just have to use your willpower - nothing else will work!
  • macaya5
    macaya5 Posts: 75
    Drink a glass of water before you have that coke. Add lemon, mint and/or ginger to regular water and drink that throughout the day instead. Try seltzer water with and without flavors. Drink unsweetened tea or coffee, iced or hot. If you really need to have a coke, get the small 100 calorie cans, add a ton of ice to it and take your time drinking it. Try to stay away from the diet stuff as well. I think it's worse than regular because you think it's ok to drink (once you get past the taste) because it has no calories. Artificial sugar is just as bad for you as regular sugar, avoid them both.
  • GemaG
    GemaG Posts: 142
    Hypnotherapy was the only thing that worked for me, it was the only thing that didnt give me the painful headaches and mood swings
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    I kicked it when I was a teenager and stuck in a boring party with only coke to drink - didn't touch it for 25 years! I now have a very cold DIET one very occasionally, but otherwise I just have one diet soda with my lunch. Occasionally I'll have a diet soda with my evening meal (I really prefer wine:wink: but sometimes its good to have a day off - and the calories are fewer). I'm not very keen on green tea but will have it if my tummy's rumbling. I keep a bottle of water handy and sip if I feel thirsty so I'd never think of looking for a soda.
  • shanster23
    shanster23 Posts: 144 Member
    Cold turkey :) as a kid it was all I drank, and I hated the taste of water. It made me feel nauseous to drink it!
    So when I was 13 I quit cold turkey. I got headaches for about a week and after that it was fine. I didn't drink tea/coffee back then so I didn't switch one caffeine addiction for another, either :)
    If you struggle to enjoy water I started by mixing honey and lemon into the water to make it sweet. Now I drink plain water all day long :) (although the honey & lemon juice water is great for a sore throat if you have a cold!)
    And after almost 7 years of no cola, if anyone offers me a sip now I gag at how horrid it tastes!
    Good luck :)
  • skinny_cigarettes
    skinny_cigarettes Posts: 49
    swap to coke zero, and slowly limit the amount you have until one day you'll only grab one every couple of days :) worked for me and my mum
  • pinkprincess1952
    pinkprincess1952 Posts: 194 Member
    I gave up pop altogether beginning the 1st of this year... because I am getting married in September and I am really cutting back for it... But my suggestion for you if just cutting it out all together for an achievement or something to be proud of doesnt work for you then I would cut back the amount you drink each day and eventually you wont need it at all... Mind over Matter
  • lublue
    lublue Posts: 123 Member
    http://killercoke.org/health_issues.php
  • wickedwendy6
    wickedwendy6 Posts: 117 Member
    Do some research into how bad it is for you, that might change your thinking - caffeine and sugar are both disgusting things to inflict on your body on a regular basis. And please don't take my suggestion lightly - I was always the person who said COKE IS IT! and could tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi just by smelling them! I couldn't understand why people would drink any other soft drink. Now I say COKE IS EVIL!!! I don't drink it AT ALL anymore - I have ONE soft drink a week, a fruit mineral water. So if I can do it then I reckon you can too. I wish you the best of luck and if you want to, friend request me and I can help you with it.

    The two books I read about sugar and caffeine are called Sweet Poison and Caffeine Blues - EXTREMELY eye-opening.
  • jj1973
    jj1973 Posts: 131 Member
    I don't buy coke for the house on my weekly shopping trips. Usually what happens is we go out to eat and I want one with the rich salty restaurant foods. The other times I cave are usually boring weekends when I decide I deserve a treat, so I run up to the local quick stop for a 2 liter.

    I also am weak when I hear a co-worker 'pop the top' of a coke can in the break room. Makes me want to RUN to the coke machine!!!

    But there are LOTS of good ideas here. I will be reading and re-reading them on my journey.

    Thanks everyone! Keep em coming.... :)
  • szuluaga0611
    szuluaga0611 Posts: 12
    what tea are you taking?
  • szuluaga0611
    szuluaga0611 Posts: 12
    You may try to start with changing to diet soda and then from there go to green tea. I've been drinking diet sodas for over 10 years, but when I started losing weight this time I started making green tea at home and only drinking diet soda when I ate out. About two weeks ago I committed to NO SODA of any kind. I'm not only drinking water and green tea, sweetened with Truvia. There are so many great health benefits that come from green tea, not to mention is speeds your metabolism. :) Good luck!
  • LorieLou91
    LorieLou91 Posts: 1
    I just started the weight loss process and I totally understand! I love Coca-Cola (pop in general) and it takes a lot of will power not to order a coke whenever I go out to eat. I have started drinking lots of tea and Fuze Juice. The Fuze Juice Slenderize has a sweet taste, but is only 10-20 Calories depending on which flavor you choose. My favorite flavor is the Blueberry Raspberry. Mott's Light Apple Juice also tastes really good. Good luck! :)
  • priyasharma25
    priyasharma25 Posts: 1
    for 2 weeks i have kept away from fizzy drinks such as coke/pepsi/dr pepper as much as i love them all! my new thing is sparking spring flavoured water--- and hey its working!!! loosin weight brilliantly (also due to diet loosing 2pounds a week)

    because i just am not prepared to give up that fizz so ive subsituted it!

    just try to find some that arent high in sugar- i live in the uk and ive found some decent ones!

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