Soda addiction....

seltzer water!

I used to be addicted to Diet Coke and replaced it with green tea instead. It was tough, but eventually stopped craving it. I still indulge occasionally, but don't end up craving it afterward. It just takes willpower. I've heard replacing it with seltzer water is helpful, but I'm not a huge fan so I went with tea instead.

Been there, years ago, but I still remember it quite well. I know caffeine plays a factor for sure, but I do think it was more a sugar addiction than anything else. I wish I had some really great advice for you, but it really just boiled down to a real resolve because those cravings were a biiatch for a while. Things that helped me was a cup of coffee in the morning and then constantly drinking water and tea throughout the day. That obviously didn't do much for the sugar cravings but it did help curb the headaches a bit. If you are into carbonation you could add in some carbonated flavored water or something. That's sadly all the advice i have though. Like kicking any habit, it will suck for a while, no getting around it.

On a positive note, it doesn't really last that long. Stick to it for a month and you should be well over it. Not that you might not think you want it here and there, but it shouldn't be intense. Also, I doubt you will ever regret kicking it due how much better you feel not drinking it. After the withdrawal type symptoms pass you will likely find you have a lot more energy. I'm not positive but I'm guessing it's because there are no more sugar spikes/crashes. Also no more drinking your calories (which is great if you are trying to lose weight.)

Good luck!

Mine too was bad. I stopped in January and the first week was horrible. Really bad headaches. Five weeks later I feel much better and actually have more energy. I found getting enough sleep is important. I still have a can every other day but the need is gone.

michelleheesh wrote: »

See if I could stick to 1 or 2 a day I may be okay... But it's like 6-10 a day... And no water or any other kind of fluids unless I'm at the gym.. Than I drink water... But I went one day with no soda and I did have a terrible head ache. But what's not pain is no gain right.. Just wish I had a water addiction lol.

You just gotta make the choice to stop. You might get a headache, but it'll pass.

Vanilla Coke is my guilty pleasure. I'd have at least one a day. I'm down to one or two a week now. I drink coffee in the morn, and I tried doing green tea, but I'd still end up with a coke on the way to my night classes and just be super alert. I just stopped buying them when I go to the store. I take coffee with me to my night classes. And I just try not to think about how yummy and smooth it is, because it always puts me over my cals and sugars, which is more frustrating to me than not having one.

Seltzer water and a small amount of some kind of juice (make sure it's just the juice with nothing added) helped me a lot. The headaches will happen but after a while they'll stop. You could wean yourself off of it slowly, I allow myself 1 a week.

pwatol wrote: »

The headaches are from caffeine withdrawal. It's rough, but it should pass in less than a week. And they're not as bad if you stay really well hydrated until your system adapts. If you have to, try grabbing a little chocolate instead of a soda while you're quitting. It's got some caffeine, but not as much as the soda.

Pwatol speaks the truth. It's caffeine withdrawal giving the headaches, there's no such thing as sugar addiction. If you're having trouble going cold turkey, I'd start limiting your intake every week. Maybe a quarter less of what you drink normally each week.

MikiFloofyPanda wrote: »

RllyGudTweetr wrote: »

Diet soda for the win.

Most of them are not good and have aspartame in them. Same with "no calorie" sodas.

So what?

OP, it's simple. You have 4 choices really.

1: keep your current diet and current weight
2: keep your current diet including 10 cans per day of cola (1600 calories worth!) and make that fit into a deficit diet (obviously unhealthy)
3: drink less regular cola and deficit diet
4: switch to diet cola or other low/no calorie beverages and deficit diet

If you want to lose weight you must deficit diet, and less cola calories = more food. Simple.

michelleheesh wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice!! Knowing I'm not the only one and a lot of you have been successful helps!

Have you tried cold tea with stevia extract? I drink 2 pots of cold tea home-brewed everyday because water doesn't go down so easily... Some people absolutely hate stevia as a sweetener because it has a distinct taste to it. I'm using it for 2 years now in place of sugar for all of my drinks (tea, coffee and smoothies)

My poison is Pepsi I drink about 1-2 per day if I have it. The secret here is not to have it handy. For example, when I crave it I make sure to send hubby to do groceries and he won't buy it. Then if I don't have it in my house I just don't consume it.
It's easier when I am at work cause I am so busy that I barely have time to eat food. But, I've been in maternity leave for almost one year now and being tired and stressed with a new baby really pushes you to comfort food and drinks like Pepsi.

It's really like a drug. Hard to break free but not impossible. If you want it you can do it.