Giving up soda....

MrsPike07
MrsPike07 Posts: 160
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
My husband and I went grocery shopping this weekend and didn't buy any soda. Normally we buy between 3 and 4, 12 packs. I drink 2 a day sometimes none at all sometimes more. I am trying to give it up cold turkey and just pound the water. This is hard for me, I mean I grew up in a household that always had Pepsi in the fridge. Has anyone out there done this, and did it help drop the pounds??
«1

Replies

  • 500lbs2marathon
    500lbs2marathon Posts: 542 Member
    Ive been off carbonated beverages now for almost 2 years!! The first couple months ARE hard, im not gonna lie, but I dont even miss them now.
  • j_g4ever
    j_g4ever Posts: 1,925 Member
    I gave up coke about 6 months ago and did it for about 3 months and I had done it before that also. Its a great idea but I always end up going back to pop. I am now on coke zero and I know its not good for me but I find it very hard to give up.
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
    an alternative that I've found refreshing is to brew peppermint tea and put over ice. tingly and refreshing, though not sweet (one teaspoon of sugar is only 15 cals, if you want the sweet. With me it is also a diuretic....soda never was!

    now is just a good time to give soda a break and try something new.....hopefully with a happy attitude :)

    best of luck!
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    I had a practically new 12 pak of Coke at home a month ago when I started eating better and tracking on here, since then I have probably only drank 2-3 Cokes....when you realize how many calories they are for absolutely no nutrional value...it really makes you not want them. It should certainly make a difference if you had a habit of drinking a lot of them.
  • Chunkabutt83
    Chunkabutt83 Posts: 461
    im trying to do this right now also, its only been a few days for me so i cant give you any personal feedback, i am still allowing myself a few diet pops to curb the caffeine cravings. I have friends who said they have lost 10-15 pounds by cutting out regular soda though, so i hope this works for both of us!
  • ultimatecutie
    ultimatecutie Posts: 11 Member
    I have done this and it definitely helped me lose some pounds! It laso helped me feel way less bloated! IT's very tough because you definitely crave the sugar, but just keep drinking the water and you'll be too full anyway!
    I had to think of it like this: it is not giving me any nutritional value at all, so it's just empty calories.
    Good luck and you can do it! the first couple of days might be tough, but it will pass and you will feel better for it!
  • staceyb00
    staceyb00 Posts: 43 Member
    I gave up diet soda and it seems to have helped with my weight loss. If I get a hankerin' for soda I take 8 oz seltzer water 4 oz water and either use root beer flavored stevia or use a pinch of citric acid and stevia syrup to make a lemon/lime type soda. It takes care of my soda craving.

    Good luck!
  • cmayshook
    cmayshook Posts: 1
    I am pretty much addicted to soda. I have dropped it from my diet several times. Every time I do, I lose around five pounds the first couple weeks without it. My problem is, I start drinking it again. It does help you lose weight when you stop though.
  • ohpurdysure
    ohpurdysure Posts: 45
    Yea it will so help you loose some weight, its so full of sugar and yes I have been addicted to coke for years and my 1st attempt was when I quit smoking 10 yrs ago.. I left the soda alone for a year.. then got bac on it real bad.. then I decieded again not to let it rule me.. so Now I only have a coffee cup a day if that.. or if we happen to grill hamburgers.. other than that its water and home made control the sugar sweet tea . U know they make it with an ingredent that is addictive so we will have to buy it, this is true, as with the people who opt to drink Diet that has no calorie, to me thats a trade off for a chemically produced sweeter that can or will cause other addictions or bodily harms later in life.. so just limit or do without... I think anything in moderation is ok.. we just have to have limits.. good luck
  • Crooks0204
    Crooks0204 Posts: 189
    today is my 12th day with NO diet pepsi. I thought it was going to be awful but I feel so much better. I would drink a 12 pack by myself if i was home all day so i had to have something to replace the caffiene that i was used getting. i replaced it with green tea (not the diet with the artificial sweetener) i bought full flavor and I water it down. so i get some caffiene to ward off the evil headache but i am also "sneaking" some water in as well. like i said it has only been 12 days for me so I have not seen a difference in weight but i am hoping it will help!! good luck to you and your husband!
  • elizamc
    elizamc Posts: 285 Member
    I struggle with these too - along with fresh coffee - never used to drink diet drinks but in the last year find they fill me up or get rid of craving something sweet. Always have caffeine free diet coke though, bust mostly diet lemonade.

    My main concern with them is the effect on bones, I read that something in them leaches calcium from bone. Not good! (Can't remember how much you have to drink though....be worth a Google if you're interested.)

    Good luck with it!
  • Chunkabutt83
    Chunkabutt83 Posts: 461
    thats why i made the decision i had to give them up, i was drinkin 4-6 cans of pepsi a day and at 150 calories each i was consuming 600-900 calories a day in just soda!!
  • TommyWR
    TommyWR Posts: 65
    I quit them cold turkey two weeks ago. I was a 2-4 can user a day. Not the diet ones either. (also cut out sweet tea) Every once in a while I will have a "zero" (coke or pepsi). You can do this. It has helped the weight although, I cant say how much as I dont know. Remember, you can do this! You can do this! I know you can! <
    (can get it? hahahahha)
  • blazergrad
    blazergrad Posts: 603 Member
    I quit sodas about 2-3 years ago and at first it was tough, but it definitely got easier as time went along and now I'm to the point that I have no desires whatsoever to have one. I was like you, too ... we always had sodas in the fridge when I was growing up and even up until I quit, I was easily having a couple a day.

    I can definitely say that I don't feel as "bloated" as I used to when I was drinking sodas and I have dropped some weight, but along those lines I've also started eating better overall and started exercising. Nevertheless, I'm sure that cutting out the soft drinks played a role in the weight loss as well. :)

    Hang in there! ... it'll get easier. :)
  • Simomofmich
    Simomofmich Posts: 126 Member
    I agree with the bloated feeling. I don't know if it's the carbonation or what, but giving up diet coke and energy drinks was so good for me!
  • yeahfatty
    yeahfatty Posts: 228 Member
    i gave up soda like two months ago & it's amazing how much more water i drink now.

    i gave it up cold turkey & didn't have any issue at all with it even though i used to drink it everyday.

    whenever i'm like .. hmm i could do with a nice cold glass of coke .. i just think about my teeth & suddenly it's not so attractive anymore!
  • fab50G
    fab50G Posts: 384 Member
    My addiction is McDonald's coke -- large, with light ice (so I can have more coke). I had quit cold turkey for about a year and then they started selling them for $1. Oy! When I strated MFP, I would only have one McDonald's coke on the weekends as a treat, and I've been very successful with the weight loss (29lbs since the end of January). But, I gradually started adding the cokes back and have been drinking at least one a day for the past couple weeks. It has caused me to gain back a few pounds :grumble:, which doesn't make me very happy. So, it's back to one on the weekend, but only if I've met my excercies and nutrition goals for the week.

    So, to answer your question, yes, it does make a difference. It did for me anyway.
  • mgmlap
    mgmlap Posts: 1,377 Member
    I hear ya..I am ..or rather a recovering....Dr Pepper addict. I used to drink upwards of 4 cans a day. I did give it up cold turkey. I do like a little sweetness..so my nutritionist said to use liquid Stevia..I use the berry and lemon drop . I adds a bit of kick to my otherwise plain water.

    If I had to totally forgo the sweetness..I wouldnt have been able to.. As far as weight loss..HECK YEAH!. Soda has loads of empty calories..and for someone who is IR..it did nothing for my midsection.

    I am now 15 pounds away from my ultimate goal and 5 pounds away from mini goal..I cant see myself going back to soda..
  • MrsPike07
    MrsPike07 Posts: 160
    I probably should have added that we drink diet soda....but I always feel gross after drinking it so I cant imagine what it is doing to my body. I am sticking with water!! :)
  • Sj20fame
    Sj20fame Posts: 205 Member
    Woohoooo!!!! :flowerforyou: **Clapping!** I have never been a pop drinker, even since I was a little kid, Never, I don't like the taste of pop, and trust me I've taken sips of different kinds, because people just can't beleive that I don't like it hahaha, anyhow, giving up pop is gonna make a big difference on your diet. You'll see if you stay strong!! Just keep thinking of your goals! I've realized that people who have given up pop that do it one step at a time like drinking less every week have succeeded more then those that just completely put a hault to it!! so good luck to ya!
  • MrsPike07
    MrsPike07 Posts: 160
    I hear ya..I am ..or rather a recovering....Dr Pepper addict. I used to drink upwards of 4 cans a day. I did give it up cold turkey. I do like a little sweetness..so my nutritionist said to use liquid Stevia..I use the berry and lemon drop . I adds a bit of kick to my otherwise plain water.

    If I had to totally forgo the sweetness..I wouldnt have been able to.. As far as weight loss..HECK YEAH!. Soda has loads of empty calories..and for someone who is IR..it did nothing for my midsection.

    I am now 15 pounds away from my ultimate goal and 5 pounds away from mini goal..I cant see myself going back to soda..


    Congrats to you! I am hoping my mid section will benefit from this :)
  • rjbrowne82
    rjbrowne82 Posts: 198 Member
    The pounds will definitely come off easier that you have cut it out. I haven't drank any soda in over 4 months and I dont miss it. If u find it hard, you should try and using some crystal light powder to your water and adding some seltzer water if you have a taste for soda. Not the same but close to it lol
  • zukekitty
    zukekitty Posts: 185
    Giving up sodas makes a big difference for me. Anytime I go back to drinking them then quit, I will lose a few pounds the first week. I will still have one on occassion, but they taste really strange now. Like drinking sugar water, which it is.

    A strange side effect for me is that my teeth cleaning takes longer when I'm not drinking soda. The dentist thought it was unusual so I experimented and it was the case every time. We both think it must be the acids in the drinks.

    Has anyone else experienced this?
  • smrtcar
    smrtcar Posts: 104 Member
    We have a Soda Club carbonator at home and rarely use the flavours. I add lemon juice to my soda water, I water down my orange juice with soda water. I only use the flavours when I mix it with booze.

    Bottom line, get soda water. Keep the fizz in your mouth but the calories/chemicals out of your body.
  • CLMillikan
    CLMillikan Posts: 4 Member
    I gave it up in May when I was doing aThe Daniel Fast and never started back drinking it. I feel so much better and swell much less than when I was drinking Diet Dew. I do drink tea and green tea with sweetner, but nothing carbonated. You can do it! It is worth it! (Think of the $$$ you'll save:)
  • MrsPike07
    MrsPike07 Posts: 160
    Woohoooo!!!! :flowerforyou: **Clapping!** I have never been a pop drinker, even since I was a little kid, Never, I don't like the taste of pop, and trust me I've taken sips of different kinds, because people just can't beleive that I don't like it hahaha, anyhow, giving up pop is gonna make a big difference on your diet. You'll see if you stay strong!! Just keep thinking of your goals! I've realized that people who have given up pop that do it one step at a time like drinking less every week have succeeded more then those that just completely put a hault to it!! so good luck to ya!

    Thanks! I have set a goal for myself to lose 15 pounds this month because my husbands cousin is getting married and its a pretty big deal so I wanna look hot!! Plus I havent seen his family in about a year so they would be shocked :)
  • Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet
    Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet Posts: 486
    Try diet?
  • deb54
    deb54 Posts: 270 Member
    i have had one diet pepsi in 7 months...and that one was an accident at a cookout in June...went through line, got my food, grabbed the can and had it opened and a drink before i realized, hey !!! went ahead and drank it and have not had another...i am less bloated and my sugar cravings diminished greatly...they say that even diet pop causes sugar cravings and blood sugar spikes...i don't miss it at all...good luck to you on quitting...:drinker:
  • smrtcar
    smrtcar Posts: 104 Member
    The phosphoric acic in soda could be the reason cleaning takes more time.
  • MrsPike07
    MrsPike07 Posts: 160
    I gave it up in May when I was doing aThe Daniel Fast and never started back drinking it. I feel so much better and swell much less than when I was drinking Diet Dew. I do drink tea and green tea with sweetner, but nothing carbonated. You can do it! It is worth it! (Think of the $$$ you'll save:)

    Thats what I was thinking, maybe I will be less bloated! Not to mention the money, its at least 10-12 bucks every two weeks so its a savings, no matter how small! I am thinking I will drink a cup of tea at night for the caffeine if I need it. (I get a headache sometimes if I havent had any soda.) Thank you for the support!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories