Soda

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Jcox300
Jcox300 Posts: 62 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Im addicted to Diet coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. I drink about 70-90 oz of it a day and most of the time maybe 8 oz of plain water a day. I do not like coffee or tea. If I do not drink caffeine (diet drinks or energy drinks) I feel really sluggish and have bad headaches. Has anyone found a reasonable way to cut back on caffeine? I would like to get off of it but I HAVE to have it!!! Does anyone have tips?

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  • MeganAnne89
    MeganAnne89 Posts: 271 Member
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    There isn't any kind of coffee that you at least think is okay? Not even with milk and sugar in it?

    I'm just wondering how else you would get that caffeine if not from either coffee or tea.

    In terms of water though, you could try crystal light. If it's the sugar that you're craving and not the caffeine, that might help.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Im addicted to Diet coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. I drink about 70-90 oz of it a day and most of the time maybe 8 oz of plain water a day. I do not like coffee or tea. If I do not drink caffeine (diet drinks or energy drinks) I feel really sluggish and have bad headaches. Has anyone found a reasonable way to cut back on caffeine? I would like to get off of it but I HAVE to have it!!! Does anyone have tips?
    A few ways.

    1. Cold turkey. Which is tough to do and give it up at once.
    2. Taper down your intake. If you drink 5 cans normally then drink 4 for a day or 2. Then 3. Then 2. Then 1.....
    3. What I do is usually just stop drinking it, but take a headache medicine that has caffeine in it. I then ween myself off of that by taking it later and later in the day until it is not needed.

    Caffeine withdrawal can be nasty!!!
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    Im addicted to Diet coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. I drink about 70-90 oz of it a day and most of the time maybe 8 oz of plain water a day. I do not like coffee or tea. If I do not drink caffeine (diet drinks or energy drinks) I feel really sluggish and have bad headaches. Has anyone found a reasonable way to cut back on caffeine? I would like to get off of it but I HAVE to have it!!! Does anyone have tips?
    A few ways.

    1. Cold turkey. Which is tough to do and give it up at once.
    2. Taper down your intake. If you drink 5 cans normally then drink 4 for a day or 2. Then 3. Then 2. Then 1.....
    3. What I do is usually just stop drinking it, but take a headache medicine that has caffeine in it. I then ween myself off of that by taking it later and later in the day until it is not needed.

    Caffeine withdrawal can be nasty!!!

    This sounds like solid advice!! I would probably go with #2 myself, that is kind of what I did in the past.

    I am of the (controversial here) mindset that diet soda is *NOT* the devil. I drink anywhere from 1-5 cans of it weekly, usually about three 12 oz cans in a typical week. I love it with my husband's homemade pizza and sometimes if I'm feeling tired at lunchtime it's a great pick me up with my salad, omelet, wrap, or whatever else. I like the taste and the carbonation.

    However, 80-90 oz per day DOES sound like too much. And 8 oz of water is NOT good...you need more water in my opinion to be well hydrated, even though there's water in the soda I just think 8 oz of plain water isn't enough. I am saying that purely based on opinion and I'm no expert.

    Anyway - I would recommend trying to cut back to 2 cans/servings per day for awhile if you can. Then one per day. Maybe even stick with one per day permanently as 12-20 oz per day isn't unreasonable IMO!

    As for drinking more water...I found it helpful to figure out how I like water best. Some people love ice water, or infusing it with fruit or herbs, or whatever. I like it without ice, but very cold (refrigerator temp). I have reusable cups with lids and some of them with straws, and I keep them in the fridge at work and at home and drink those like it's my JOB.

    Good luck!
  • AllieBear88
    AllieBear88 Posts: 170 Member
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    Im addicted to Diet coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. I drink about 70-90 oz of it a day and most of the time maybe 8 oz of plain water a day. I do not like coffee or tea. If I do not drink caffeine (diet drinks or energy drinks) I feel really sluggish and have bad headaches. Has anyone found a reasonable way to cut back on caffeine? I would like to get off of it but I HAVE to have it!!! Does anyone have tips?
    A few ways.

    1. Cold turkey. Which is tough to do and give it up at once.
    2. Taper down your intake. If you drink 5 cans normally then drink 4 for a day or 2. Then 3. Then 2. Then 1.....
    3. What I do is usually just stop drinking it, but take a headache medicine that has caffeine in it. I then ween myself off of that by taking it later and later in the day until it is not needed.

    Caffeine withdrawal can be nasty!!!

    All of this! And I PROMISE you, if you quit caffeine, you'll wonder why you relied on it because you'll feel better. At least, after the withdrawal, which is nasty, but worth it.
  • neon07734
    neon07734 Posts: 3 Member
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    I agree. Cold Turkey was the only way I could do it. I was drinking 5 to 6 can's of full on non-diet coke for years. The first week was rough, and I increased my water intake to 64 oz right off the bat. Used those dasani water drops to make the water more appealing. Now I'm strictly water, with an occasional Ice Tea with lunch or dinner and have been for a year and a half. I honestly think that is the bulk of my weightloss is the lack of sugar. I work out 4 days a week and i've curbed my eating and calorie intake, but the sugar is the biggest factor to the loss. Good luck and be strong!


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  • ChelseyDAdams
    ChelseyDAdams Posts: 37
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    When you are feeling sluggish and have headaches it is not because your body needs that caffeine, it is because you are going through withdrawals from an addiction - just like someone leaving any harmful substance goes through.

    A lot of smokers end up not quitting because they don't want the withdrawal effects - so they end up continuing down such an unhealthy path for years and years to avoid a temporary discomfort. When you feel the discomfort, remind yourself that it is simply your body correcting itself and getting you to a healthier point.

    If you want to get off of it, you will have to go through the withdrawal, but you can use tools to help. I hate tea too, but some have smaller amounts of caffeine and it might help to get you through the initial phase. Also, an apple can be as effective as a cup of coffee in the morning. Then I would say to use some Ibuprofin for the headaches. Yep, it's gonna be crummy for a couple weeks, but after that you will feel much better. You may try a piece of dark chocolate since it has caffeine as well (and who doesn't love an excuse to have a taste of chocolate!) Also - Diet soda is generally NOT better for you than regular soda, and in many ways can be even more harmful, so I hope you're able to get away from it. :)

    BTW - I gave up soda in 2001 and used to have a couple cans of Dr. Pepper every day. Once you are off it for a while, it tastes disgusting! I mean, like sickly sweet, bubbly gunk. This makes it very easy to not go back to it.

    Best of luck!! Always a great thing to make positive changes in our lifestyles! :)
  • runningagainstmyself
    runningagainstmyself Posts: 616 Member
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    Im addicted to Diet coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. I drink about 70-90 oz of it a day and most of the time maybe 8 oz of plain water a day. I do not like coffee or tea. If I do not drink caffeine (diet drinks or energy drinks) I feel really sluggish and have bad headaches. Has anyone found a reasonable way to cut back on caffeine? I would like to get off of it but I HAVE to have it!!! Does anyone have tips?
    A few ways.

    1. Cold turkey. Which is tough to do and give it up at once.
    2. Taper down your intake. If you drink 5 cans normally then drink 4 for a day or 2. Then 3. Then 2. Then 1.....
    3. What I do is usually just stop drinking it, but take a headache medicine that has caffeine in it. I then ween myself off of that by taking it later and later in the day until it is not needed.

    Caffeine withdrawal can be nasty!!!

    All of this! And I PROMISE you, if you quit caffeine, you'll wonder why you relied on it because you'll feel better. At least, after the withdrawal, which is nasty, but worth it.

    All of this. As tough as it is, I really recommend the #1 route. If you are anything like I was I suspect that tapering just isn't in the cards for you.

    Also, try lots of different kinds of variations on water-based drink -- cold tea, green tea, cold water, water with ice, room temp. water, water with lemon, plain hot water... You'd be surprised how many ways there are to drink it, and how one minor deviation (such as putting lemon juice in water) can create a whole new monster. I just discovered the hot water w/ lemon juice and find it really comforting at night. :)
  • bellyxray
    bellyxray Posts: 6
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    COLD TURKEY!!!! I started drinking water with MIO in it, and am now just drinking plain water solidly. This coming from someone who drank Pepsi religiously since I was a KID! And not diet either. I now drink only water, and have gotten up to 10 cups a day. Occasionally I will have a soda, and it's usually a coke zero. But haven't had a soda in weeks.

    You can do it! I get migraines once or twice a month as well, and have never noticed caffiene helping or not. I think you have yourself convinced you need this. 80 ozs. of soda is not healthy.

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