Pop Cravings - Suggestions?

I have been a pop addict for a long time. I quit cold turkey and replaced with Crystal Light for several months. Eventually I was able to add it back in but the habitual drinking was broken.

I will drink an occasional diet soda, but I can also tell that it makes me crave more junk food. I usually drink water, iced tea, or a Sobe Life Water. The Life Water also has zero calories but no aspartame. It doesn't seem to trigger cravings for me.

I love plain soda water but there are also the flavored ones which can be pretty good. You could also try something like coconut water.

Make the conscious decision that you're in control of yourself and you decide what you put in your body.

If you stop drinking soda it is going to suck at first but eventually the cravings will pass.

@ManiacalLaugh pop is a northern English term too. I am now in western Canada and it isn't used as much.

Cheers, h.

Start drinking more water. Drink a glass before you have a soda. Try to shift your thinking to "water is for thirst, pop is a treat." I look at soda like ice cream: if Im going to have it, it's more of a dessert and I savor it rather than guzzling it down like water. Over time, I've come to find that water is more appealing as a way to hydrate.

I've also found that Kombacha (a fermented tea, found in health food stores or maybe the organic/overly-priced-single-serve-specialty juice section of your grocery store) can replace soda for me. It has the carbonation but low calories and no artificial sweeteners - in fact, it isn't very sweet at all. Since its fermented, it does have trace amounts of alcohol, just in case that's an issue.

I just stopped drinking pop a little over a month ago. I just decided cold turkey was the best way for me personally. The first 2 weeks were super hard but, after that it got a little easier. I still crave it when we go out to eat but, I am pretty sure it is out of habit more than anything. Only sucky thing is I don't like much else besides plain water like tea or lemonade or most flavored waters. If you do you will probably have better luck.

Crystal Light. I've been off pop for months now and it's been so much easier just by putting a packet of Crystal Light into a liter bottle of water. And it's helping me drink way more water!

drink more beer.

I love the flavored sparkling waters that are store brands. They are .68 cents per leiter at Walmart and I think the same at Safeway. My favorite flavor is White Grape but there are tons of favors. It gives you the flavor and the fizz and it satisfies the pop craving while still sort of getting you away from the pop so that you can give it up for good. Less chemicals for sure than pop.

Second alternative is to get some unflavored seltzer or lightly flavored with lemon or orange. Pour almost a full glass of it and then top it off with about 1/4 cup of your favorite juice. Preferably a lower calorie juice but at 1/4 cup, it's not going to break the calorie bank and it sure does satisfy a craving.

I'm a Pepsi girl. Always have been. I love soda. So for me it had to be full stop. I stopped immediately and replaced it with Mio water drops added to water. I also don't like to use artificial sweeteners. I'm not saying they're bad, I'm just saying I don't want to use them. So as soon as the soda cycle was broken (1month) I dropped the Mio water for just fresh lemon in ice water. Now when I want a Pepsi once every couple weeks or so I'll have one. But now I find it too sweet and end up drinking about 1/2 a can and then pouring it out.

That's kind of my point though. You can flavor sodastream water with literally anything. It doesn't need to be syrups. You are only limited by what you choose to put in the water.

I don't know how much more economical you can get, and for 0-5 (my chosen items... yours may vary) calories per liter... can't really beat it.

Edited for clarity.