Giving up soda & potentially dairy

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kirdyq
kirdyq Posts: 165 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I am a person that has quite a bit of stomach issues. Last year at this time, I underwent some food sensitivity testing, eliminated the culprits for a the required time periods, slowly reintroduced them, and that seemed to help!

Well, lately, I haven't been feeling up to par again. Not as bad as before, but sluggish - my body just never feels "settled" if you know what I mean. I'm tired a lot too.

So, I kind of randomly started out this week by giving up soda. I usually have Pepsi once a day. Sometimes it's just one can, other times it is the big 44oz from the fountain at the gas station.

Well, I have been feeling pretty good since giving this up!!! It really surprised me...I didn't think it would make a difference since I wasn't having like 12 a day. So, I have decided that I would like to try to keep this up for a month, and see how I feel.

For those of you who have given up soda, what beneficial results did you see? I would love to hear how you felt, and maybe if you lost weight! I've had this stubborn 5lbs on me that I never used to have. It's kinda been hard getting it to go away. And I'd really like to get 15 off total.

Another thing is that this little soda-free stint has made me so happy, that I'm thinking of waiting another week or so, and then cutting out dairy, which I am completely and hopelessly addicted to. I love drinking milk, and I love snacking on cheese - mainly cottage cheese. That one will be pretty darn hard for me. Anybody out there cut out dairy? What results could I expect to see?

Thanks!

Replies

  • musycnlyrics
    musycnlyrics Posts: 323 Member
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    Whenever I give up soda (and I usually do this a few times a year then I jump back on the pepsi bandwagon) I feel better. More energy and less bloated.
    It just tastes so darn good!

    Also, I am lactose intolerant so when I give up dairy, I feel like a million bucks! But that doesnt happen very often because I am hopelessly addicted to cheese and butter...
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
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    I gave it up. I'm not wasting cals on liquids. No more caffeine crashes so that's good. I drink water or tea no sugar. Milk is gross to me I still need my yogurt and cheese tho.

    Since I'm filling up.on food.and.not.empty.cals.its.not.hard.to.stick.to.1500 cals Im never hungry and losing.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Gave up soda awhile ago and am much less bloated. I also did it to preserve bone density. I do have it once or twice a year but quickly realize why I stopped. I'll burp for hours after just one soda.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    I can see giving you soda for the wasted calories but why give up dairy if you like it? It makes no sense to randomly eliminate foods "just because".
  • marinegirl92
    marinegirl92 Posts: 184 Member
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    Good for you for making some positive changes in your life. GENIUS to take small steps too! Wahoo!

    I have a sensitivity to dairy and soy - I will admit it's hard at first but there are so many good alternatives (except the cheese part of it). Try all the substitutes - one will be calling your name.

    I tried rice milk, almond milk and hemp milk. My personal opinion - rice milk was a little bit sweet for me; the hemp is better warmed up (steamed for cappucino's). I'm in love with almond milk.

    I am a foodie - so I still mourn/grieve the loss of dairy specifically the cheese! But I feel so much better! No more congestion and nauseous feeling! Good luck you!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    Avoiding foods that a tine test indicated I'm sensitive to and controlling GERD finally brought an end to my chronic sinus infections -- and by chronic, I mean 30+ years and lots of specialists. It wasn't until I found a specialist who was both an ENT and an allergist that two and two were put together.

    As to lactose/dairy problems, these are quite common. It varies with age and ethnicity. Consider this from Wikipedia: "It is estimated that 75% of adults worldwide show some decrease in lactase activity during adulthood.[5] The frequency of decreased lactase activity ranges from 5% in northern Europe through 71% for Sicily to more than 90% in some African and Asian countries."

    It never hurts to try elimination of certain foods to fight gastric troubles. If elimination of one doesn't help, resume eating it and try something else.
  • Ceciliacaldas
    Ceciliacaldas Posts: 1 Member
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    I was recently put on a anti-inflammatory diet that included giving up sugars, meats, and specially dairy. Milk is one of the worst offenders for inflammation and sugar a close second. It has been very hard and I am still in the process to give it up altogether, but just by cutting out milk, butter and most cheese and sticking to chicken and fish I have seen a huge improvement on my pain levels. Take it slowly and cut out the ones you can first and just keep consuming less and less. If you feel better it will be the greatest incentive to continue. Good luck.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Dropping soda was a positive in my life. I feel better in many ways. Carbonation doesn't interact well with me. I also sleep better (this is purely caffeine intake). And for whatever reason, it tastes really bad to me now, so it's very easy to continue to avoid.

    I'm lactose-intolerant, so avoiding/mitigating for lactose also makes me feel better. Happily there are many options available to continue to enjoy dairy products.
  • kirdyq
    kirdyq Posts: 165 Member
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    @mokey41 - I've been reading lots of things about dairy and how inflammatory they can be to your digestive tract. Given the extreme quantities of them that I eat and the sorry state of my digestive system, I was thinking doing without them for a month as a trial run to see how I feel may be in order. If it doesn't do a thing, yay, I'll continue eating them. If it makes me feel as good as randomly stoping soda - it could be a lifechanger for me!

    My family doctor had actually recommended dairy elimination to me before I had my sensitivity testing done. I didn't really ever do it. And then my sensitivity test didn't reveal that I needed to cut out dairy, so I never tried it.

    I seriously have some kind of dairy addiction. Almost every night, I wake up in the middle of the night once or twice and go to the fridge and eat cheese. Sometimes I can barely remember doing it. It's awful and I don't know how to stop.
  • ames105
    ames105 Posts: 288 Member
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    Giving up pop was hard, but I do feel so much better without it. It does cause bloating for me. I think it also adds to sugar cravings.

    Dairy was a lot harder. I love milk and I could sit there and drink glass after glass all day long. However, I try to limit my intake, and I do feel better without it. I still miss the taste, I let myself have it when I want some (limiting myself to a portion size).

    I think these are empty calories and I have noticed a difference in my weightloss when I don't have them. However, everyone has to try for themselves to find out what works.

    Good luck to you!
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
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    i gave up dairy after two doctors i went to about bloating suggested it. it has made a big difference. i am no longer bloated like i used to be. i, too, loved my yogurt and cheese, but ultimately, it wasn't worth it. i have replaced my dairy with almond milk and a calcium supplement.
  • sooz
    sooz Posts: 15 Member
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    I diet without a support system, so I rely on books and Netflix. Since you have a history of digestion issues, you might try Beverly Snyder's book "The Beauty Detox Solution". Get it at the library if you don't want to buy it. It's a vegetarian diet, which most people are afraid to try, but her nutrition information is good and she advocates some food combining -- like always eat fruit first because it's digested more quickly. As for giving up soda, I used to drink diet soda -- gave up the sugar after my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I haven't noticed any improvement in the way I feel since giving it up, but when I occasionally have a soda, it doesn't taste very good. I do feel mentally better because soda is soooo bad for you. I've also given up dairy and, since I don't believe I had any lactose intolerances, I haven't felt physically better since quitting it. But, again, it's sooo bad for you. Kim Snyder's book gets into the why's of that position. After many, many years of unsuccessful dieting, I've adopted a diet for health rather than weight loss. If you have Netflix, I would suggest the following:

    Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
    Forks over Knives
    Foodmatters
    Hungry for Change
    Vegucated.

    When I feel my willpower flagging, I re-watch these. I know it sounds extreme, but cleaning up your diet is a process -- I've been at it for a year and a half. Whenever I eat something "normal" like a hamburger, or eggs, my stomach reacts very strongly and I'm back on the whole foods wagon. Seriously, try it, and let me know if it's working for you.

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