Any tips for reducing soda and getting more water?

amyrmca04 · February 2014

I have always been a soda drinker but over the last few years I have began to drink a lot more than I should. I want to drink less coke and more water but I'm not sure how my body will react. Should I quit cold turkey or ween myself off? I know that water is better for me but I'm not sure how to incorporate it in to my day. Soda is my go to. There are times I will have a glass of water or two but those days are few and far between. It's not one of those things where I have to have it or I will just go crazy but It is a big part of my food/liquid intake. A friend said to go buy a water bottle I like and maybe that would give me some incentive. Please help as I'm trying my best to get healthy but soda is a big problem for me.

Mistyvs · February 2014

Bottled water helps me. It's easy and portable and it goes fairly quickly. I line 4 up on the counter and I know they have to be gone by day's end. I still have a soda with lunch but knowing those bottles have to be gone makes it easier to reach for those instead of extra sodas.

mjudd1990 · February 2014

Step 1) Throw soda in trash can
Step 2) Purchase BPA-free or stainless steel water bottle
Step 3) Drink water out of bottle purchased in step 2
Step 4) Repeat step 3

lambchristie · February 2014

Fill a gallon jug each day with water and add citrus fruit (orange, lemons, limes, grapefruit), strawberries, mint leaves, even cucumbers to your water. Let it sit for 30 minutes or so ... then drink. Flavor, no sweeter, and its very refreshing.

For every 8 oz of soda you drink, drink 8 oz of water.
Each day ... eliminate one 8 oz serving of soda and replace it with an additional cup of water.
Soon, you'll be drinking more water and less soda, and hopefully down to soda occasionally, if ever.

Good luck!

patriciapowerswilliamson · February 2014

I hear you girl. I am/was addicted to diet coke, just one a day but apparently that is more than enough. My employer has a filtered cold water machine. I brought in a 30 ounce water bottle and fill it up twice, drink it all so that by the time I am ready to run after work, I am sufficiently hydrated. I also add lemon to my water and ice.

patriciapowerswilliamson · February 2014

oooo love this idea!!!! Gonna try it!

Techmuse · February 2014

Years ago i drank 6+ liters of Coke per day. Way to much. Until recently i was still at about 2 liters per day until I decided to just stop. The challenge was to find something i could drink in quantity that wasn't high in calories. I find plane water just too boring. What worked for me was carrying grape cool aide singles. I add one pack sized for 8oz of water to a 24oz bottle. That way i keep it diluted and cals down while still getting enough flavour so its not boring. Sometimes i use countrytyme lemonade for a change. This has allowed me to cut my coke intake down to less than a case of cans per year.

Hope this helps. From one addict to another.

Slippyslope · February 2014

I drank nothing but soda for 40 years. Made the decision to start drinking water 3 or 4 years ago. Other than a coffee or two each day during the winter, I only drink water now. I HATE the taste of soda! It can be done, just have to cold turkey go for it.

emiliailse · February 2014

I drink seltzer water to help kick that craving for carbonation. Make sure to get the unsweetened kind though that's actually water! When I get bored of plain water I put in (as suggested before) things like strawberries, lemons, cucumbers, etc. to liven it up. If you always have a water bottle next to you you will just grab that out of convenience! (The seltzer thing really works, I was completely hooked on diet coke for years.)

Strongandhealthy1234 · February 2014

Squeeze fresh lemon into your water. It adds much needed flavour and vitamin c. The perfect cleanse apparently.

feedthebohemian · February 2014

I'm obsessed with seltzer water! It really helps make water less boring.

dmvarner · February 2014

My New Years goal was no soda...and so far I am keeping to it!!

I am a huGE diet dr.pepper fan so I am not going to lie it has been a challenge. I now drink water, mineral water with carbonation but no sugar if I am having any digestive issues and one 8oz glass of no sugar added juice in the am(not a coffee drinker????)

I do a combination of the items already discussed. I also measured out 8oz of water and then poured it into my different size drinking glasses and cups so I could know what I was drinking at home and not using bottles. It has helped me to ensure the water is cold and I also heard or read Chris Powell I believe suggest counting to 8 each time you drink. For me that is about 5-8swallows and I have been amazed at how fast I go through water now!

Good luck!

nikkylyn · February 2014

Dont buy soda. If its not in your reach you can't drink it.

Drink only water maybe milk if you like that.

Cold turkey best way. You may have headaches for a while but they eventually go away and then you feel so much better. Seriously.

This doesnt mean you can never have soda. On rare occasions that I go out to eat I will have a soda ( 1 glass) thats it. If I need a refill I ask for water. Most of the time I prefer a water so I dont even get it all the time.

josstuff · February 2014

Like everyone else says. Cold turkey Soda now, do not wait. Just stop buying it, refuse to even think about it.

SlashofBlue · February 2014

Fill a gallon jug each day with water and add citrus fruit (orange, lemons, limes, grapefruit), strawberries, mint leaves, even cucumbers to your water. Let it sit for 30 minutes or so ... then drink. Flavor, no sweeter, and its very refreshing.

For every 8 oz of soda you drink, drink 8 oz of water.
Each day ... eliminate one 8 oz serving of soda and replace it with an additional cup of water.
Soon, you'll be drinking more water and less soda, and hopefully down to soda occasionally, if ever.

Love this idea! It really works! Sometimes too much water can be overwhelming. Adding a little flavor can help with the mental (and sometimes physical) block. Also, a cup with a straw encourages high liquid intake--I suggest you get a reusable one and put your flavored water in it every day.

RllyGudTweetr · February 2014

What's wrong with diet soda, again, assuming you're not allergic to artificial sweeteners?

MIpiccolo · February 2014

The chemicals in the "diet" sodas affect your hormones and can actually make you crave sugar more than regular sugar does.

My friend has had great success with telling herself that she will only drink a soda after drinking 100oz of water a day. She has lost a bunch of weight in the last 2 months, and hasn't had a soda since she started that - not because she can't, but because by the time she's done drinking that much water she doesn't want the soda anymore!

cwolfman13 · February 2014

I used to drink between 3 & 6 Mt Dews daily. Instead of picking up the can of soda, I picked up my water bottle. It wasn't that big of a deal...it's not like heroin or meth or nicotine or alcohol...your body will react just fine...keep some advil on hand for a few days as you might get a slight head ache or something.