How to cut out sugary drinks?

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katherines2230
katherines2230 Posts: 276 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My biggest weakness right now is that I am stuck on drinks high in sugar. I am currently breastfeeding(well exclusively pumping) for my 5 month old baby and producing close to a gallon of milk every single day and it is insane how thirsty this makes me. I recently tried to estimate about how much I was consuming each day in drinks alone and I came up with AT LEAST 1500-2000 calories if not more, and it usually was more. The sugar content would be no less than 30g per serving but usually about 50+. About two weeks ago I decided I was going to reduce my intake and tried to susbtitute with sugar free drink mixes like crystal light. Then I started consuming massive amounts of that and when I realized that all that artifical stuff wasn't any better for me I went right back to drinking the real stuff. So here I am on my second attempt and I'm trying to figure out the best way to do this. This week I'm basically trying to go cold turkey, only allowing myself a coke a day to keep from getting the headaches but I'm feeling incredibly weak right now! Its only been two days but today both days I have felt physically ill. I want to keep from ending up right back at square one so should I just continue cold turkey or gradually cut back?

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  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
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    I have NO experience with breastfeeding, so my advice may not be the one to follow, but in my experience with a similar situation, the bad feeling is gone by day 4 or 5. I say if you are already 2 days in, keep going with it. If you really honestly feel physically ill after a week, I'd consult a doctor about seeing if your sugar is low. Symptoms of low blood sugar are sweating, feeling anxious, hot flashes, confusion, hunger, shakiness, headaches, racing pulse, and pale skin among a few others.

    Congrats on the baby and I hope everything works out for you :)
  • dirtyd89
    dirtyd89 Posts: 170
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    Other alternatives:
    -Vitamin Water Zero
    -Arizona Tea Zero
    -Diet Sobe Tea
    -Diet Snapple
    -Mio
    -Other Sugars: Stevia, Agave, Lo Haan and Xylitol
    etc.
    (I haven't drank soda in years and I'm glad that I quit drinking it.)
  • katherines2230
    katherines2230 Posts: 276 Member
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    Congrats on the baby and I hope everything works out for you :)

    Thank you!



    Is truvia and stevia the same thing? I bought some truvia when I first tried to quit but didn't like the taste.
  • albertabeefy
    albertabeefy Posts: 1,169 Member
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    Is truvia and stevia the same thing? I bought some truvia when I first tried to quit but didn't like the taste.
    Nope, truvia is 99% erythritol and 1% stevia. It's much-better tasting than stevia, I find, and is my personal favorite no-sugar/zero-calorie sweetener. That being said taste is very subjective.
  • lustrebass
    lustrebass Posts: 47 Member
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    How about water?

    To give it a little flavor, I like to put a pitcher of water in the fridge with cut up strawberries, oranges, raspberries, or other fruits floating in it. The fruit gives just a little essence of fruit flavor to the water, making it not just boring water. You can refill the pitcher and just keep the fruit going for a day or two before replacing it.
  • PaulaDygert
    PaulaDygert Posts: 148 Member
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    I recently did this, I went down to one cherry coke a day for 2 weeks then none at all. Honestly it was harder for me to have the one can of soda a day then to have none of it... I do drink green tea every morning to help with the caffeine part then I drink water. I have not had sugary drinks for 1 week now so I still have awhile to go but when I cut back I didn't think I was going to be able to do it at all!
  • Colorfan
    Colorfan Posts: 230 Member
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    I bought a Sodastream machine the other day. Its pretty cool. It just carbonates water, then you add whatever flavor you want. Most of their syrups that they sell are sweetened with splenda. But you could make your own "soda syrups" out of fruit juice and what not. Just straight carbonated water tasted pretty good too. A little spritz of lime or lemon, and youve got a pretty nice fizzy drink with no sugar.
  • leighann881
    leighann881 Posts: 371
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    Just believe that once you cut them for good that you won't crave them. It is true. Trust me on this. I was a 3-6 diet cokes a day gal and stopped (because of bloating and dehydration) about 2 months ago. I don't even think about it now.

    On another note... if weight loss is your goal then you should go back to the crystal light if it makes you happy. At least it is more conducive to a calorie deficit than Coke.
  • katherines2230
    katherines2230 Posts: 276 Member
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    I may have to give the truvia another try then. I am drinking water now, and lots of it but I feel like my thirst is never quenched. I probably drank 20 glasses of water today and I still feel dry. I hadn't thought about adding in fruit but that sounds wonderful!
  • GnomeLover1984
    GnomeLover1984 Posts: 80
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    I remember reading about this stuff called sassy water which is supposed to cut down on bloat, but I just drank it for the flavor. You get a gallon pitcher and put in a cut up lemon, cucumber, and some ginger in it and it tastes pretty good. You could probably do the same thing with oranges, strawberries, etc. Whatever flavors you like.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    I cut them out cold turkey. The only thing I drink now is water or beer. I go through cases of MIO though, that stuff is awesome - I drink about a gallon a day (all with MIO).
  • kcaffee1
    kcaffee1 Posts: 759 Member
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    Adding my two cents worth. I also do not like drinking straight water for a couple of reasons - flavor (city water chemicals taste horrid to me) and straight water leaves me dehydrated (yes, chapped lips, scaly skin, "cottony tongue" and other text book symptoms.)

    1) Stevia is a naturally sweet plant, and if you can find it, "Stevia in the Raw" or something similarly labeled may taste different than Truvia for you. But, because it IS a plant based sweet flavor, it may also have a SLIGHT grass taste. (I actually prefer Stevia over Truvia and don't notice the grass taste others have mentioned.)

    2) If you like some of the low calorie/zero calorie drinks and want to have a fizzy drink, I can second the opinion about the soda stream carbonator. I typically toss in on-the-go juice packets to make up the size bottles I drink. (Typically 3 - 2 L for the day, and I'm sure it will go up once the heat REALLY sets in here). And, this is coming from someone who drank almost exclusively Diet Dr. Thunder 3 weeks ago. Now, I can't stand the taste of ANY soda, and even the store bought carbonated waters are getting a little too sweet.

    3) During the bad Texas summers, I watched one of my ex-roommates use citrus juice in their drink to help with the dehydration. 1 L of liquid (usually soda in their case) for 1/2 lemon or lime. I like tart myself, but just can't seem to wrap my mouth around tart/sour. Also, try adding some ginger/honey or ginger/stevia to your water - just dust the bottom of the container with both, fill and enjoy. Adding something to the water so it isn't pure water may help slow the passage down enough to help the felling of dehydration.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Agreed on cold turkey quitting. I also used to drink 2000 calories a day in soda and lemonade. I just replaced the juices with water and the soda with diet soda. Cutting the high calorie drinks is going to be the easiest dietary switch you're going to make in your quest for weight loss.
  • meFreshwater
    meFreshwater Posts: 46 Member
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    In my personal opinion, the artificial sweetener (in moderation) can't be less good for you than massive amounts of sugar. I drink a diet soda almost every day, because it was a better alternative for me than sweet tea. It helps with the sweet tooth, when I don't have other sweets available. I realize it isn't optimal, but I can work my way down from here. Some days, I don't have anything but water. Some days, I have two diet drinks. I try to look at it as a work in progress. Definitely, find your own personal best option and keep that baby healthy and happy.
  • katherines2230
    katherines2230 Posts: 276 Member
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    Right now my goal is weight loss but eventually I'd like to be able to just drink water. For a while I had a horrible addiction to sodas, shortly after the birth of my baby I would go through a 12 pack of coke or pepsi in about 2 days. I was able to cut that down to one a day, some days I don't have any all and would be fine with that if it weren't for the headaches. You guys have given me some wonderful suggestions to try.

    P.S. I just mixed a little stevia with some unsweetened koolaid mix and its awesome! Not sure what happened the first time I tried it...
  • Ang_from_Colorado
    Ang_from_Colorado Posts: 55 Member
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    I wasn't a big fan of just plain water and was a HUGE soda drinker too. I had to quit cold turkey on the soda but still allow myself 1 can a week or so. I fully support the idea of Mio in your water though. You can make it as sweet as you want and it has no calories to it. It can get kind of pricey so check the papers for coupons or even in the store itself. Good luck!
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    Try drinking teas or making your own flavored water with fruits and vegetables. Sounds like you are really wanting extra calories from breast feedings so consider eating those calories instead like fruits, veggies, ect.
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
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    Cold turkey! It was only hard for the first week. Think of it as a challenge. After the first week if you have a coke every once in a while its NBD, but don't buy them for your home (only restaurants, etc.).

    I didn't quit coffee though, so that was my "flavor" beverage.
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Keep in mind that it is much healthier to have water you've flavored yourself by putting fruit in it than it is to have a drink that's been artificially sweetened. People will disagree with me, but this is just my opinion: artificial sweeteners make you thirstier. They also can give people headaches. This is my experience and the experience of most other people I know, but some of the things they add, especially aspartame, make me have terrible dry mouth and feel like I need to drink more, and if I drink more than one a day, they give me headaches. You will feel much better, I think, if you cut out anything artificially flavored. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all I drink is plain old water, because I do usually indulge in some type of flavored drink with dinner, but cutting them almost completely out of my diet has made me feel so much better in general.

    Also keep in mind that, I don't know about other people, but when I first start drinking a lot of water, I'm always soooo thirsty until I get used to drinking it that much. No idea why, but I've heard the same from others. I think you just need time, but you can do it :)
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
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    Drink a lot of water and try to drink at least half your body weight in ounces. If you can accomplish that you will be distracted from other drinks.

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