Any recovering soda addicts in here?
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Sadie2PointOh wrote: »When does this end?
Ah, why didn't I think about it... depending on what you drank, it is the caffeine withdrawal that is causing the bas feeling. Hang in there, just get through today. Tomorrow will be better.
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Caffeine withdrawal is real.2
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I realized I was drinking too much soda and gave it up cold turkey for 11 years. No cheating.
Then, two years ago, I said to myself, "you should have some again, you'll be able to moderate yourself." 😂😂😂
Nope. Once a soda addict, always a soda addict. I've quit again and I'm doing fine. I'm an all or nothing person and I can't just have a can or two a week. I'd rather have it ALL or have none of it.3 -
I was never a fiend but I cut out soda about 10 years ago. I mostly drank Diet Coke.
The biggest thing is that I can now only stand 7up type sodas, ginger ale as a mixer. Even then a full can can be a bit much. Any other sofa is sickeningly sweet to me. I took a sip of coke this summer and it was awful. Even sweet tea is too sweet, and if I order a coffee with a syrup I need to ask for fewer pumps, the full amount is too much.
How much I drink varies, but I can easily go over a month without drinking any. I never crave it.
Instead I drink water (plain only, don’t like bubbles or flavour) or coffee (with milk). Also alcohol, where I also can’t stand sweet beverages.0 -
Stocked my frig w/cases of soda/beer and was drinking 6-8 cans of Coke and 3-4 cans of Bud daily for years.
This was a major factor in 1st reaching 200# (my red line) about 6 yrs ago, so I stopped buying and drinking the stuff cold turkey and lost 40# right away.
Maintained that wt loss for a couple yrs but then fell off the wagon, I forget why, and regained the 40# in a yr after starting to stock & drink the stuff again.
Lost the 40# again in 6 mos and have maintained the loss in the 3+ yrs since. Have not touched another soda in that time but I still drink a beer or 2 but only on draft when eating out, never at home where it's just too easy to break open can after can w/o restraint.
Still a recovering soda addict to this,day and I've sworn to never touch the stuff again.3 -
Im still addicted 😂 seems to be an addiction I can't break 🙄1
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I drink the occasional diet soda, so they're not totally gone. But I used to drink 8-12 full sugar sodas per day, every day when I was a teen. Until I went to the dentist and had over 30 cavities. Nothing will turn you off sugar soda quite like sitting through dozens of fillings and countless Novocaine needles! I don't miss it at all really, regular soda tastes sickeningly sweet to me now.1
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Sadie2PointOh wrote: »I'm in the midst of kicking an 8-12 sodas per day habit myself. This week is my first week (first few days I had one soda a day, today marks day 3 of only water and no soda) I didn't think kicking a 20+ year addiction was going to be a walk in the park, and it most definitely has been very difficult, but I honestly feel TERRIBLE. I have never felt so tired in my life. (I took 2 naps this week....I never nap). Completing any task takes every ounce of my energy and I'm just feeling exhausted constantly. When does this end?
It takes about two weeks before you feel better. Take Excedrin or midol if you need to get rid of a headache. The both have a little bit of caffeine. Good luck!1 -
How do you recommend going about quitting soda? I know sugary drinks are my biggest source of empty calories, but I honestly feel kind of sick when I don’t drink them. I’ve been able to quit soda but only by subbing to juice/Gatorade which aren’t much better. I can drink unsweetened tea for flavor but I don’t know how to handle the lack of sugar or if that will go away in time3
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How do you recommend going about quitting soda? I know sugary drinks are my biggest source of empty calories, but I honestly feel kind of sick when I don’t drink them. I’ve been able to quit soda but only by subbing to juice/Gatorade which aren’t much better. I can drink unsweetened tea for flavor but I don’t know how to handle the lack of sugar or if that will go away in time
I'm only on day 9 of cutting down soda and day 4 of absolutely no soda, so without much time or experience under my belt, I don't know if I'm qualified to answer this; (especially since my body is still experiencing caffeine + sugar withdrawal)
I drank 8-12 sodas per day (1300-2000 calories) for 20+ years, so I can definitely empathize with your hesitation due to feeling sick without it and inability to know how to handle it.
I'm not going to lie....I feel horrible. I've never been so tired in my life, and have never had such a hard time trying to get my brain to function....it's like I'm in a constant state of feeling groggy and exhausted yet jittery and anxious at the same time....very strange to experience simultaneously. However, I haven't had any headaches thank goodness, despite that probably being the most common side effect. I know this will pass and I will feel better soon though! I'm not mentioning this in an attempt to dissuade you, but rather to prepare you so that you're more likely to be successful and not blindsided by that.
As I said, I went from 8-12 down to 1 for 5 days and then no sodas after that. For some people, just quitting cold turkey is a better option. For others, gradually tapering off might've the best bet. For me personally, I thought cold turkey would be too hard mentally, and felt that slowly tapering off would lead me to fall back into old habits more easily (well I'm allowed 6 today so 7 won't hurt...then 8, 9, 10, 11, and back to 12) But do what YOU think might help YOU be most successful.
I didn't substitute with juices or coffee or anything else, just water. But again, maybe that won't be the best option for you either.
Sorry I don't have more solid answers or advice. Feel free to add me as a friend or shoot me a message if you need some encouragement.1 -
How do you recommend going about quitting soda? I know sugary drinks are my biggest source of empty calories, but I honestly feel kind of sick when I don’t drink them. I’ve been able to quit soda but only by subbing to juice/Gatorade which aren’t much better. I can drink unsweetened tea for flavor but I don’t know how to handle the lack of sugar or if that will go away in time
There is a crystal light powder with caffeine. It's in single serve pouches. I weaned off caffeine using those. I filled a water bottle, dumped in a packet and each day for two weeks decreased how much I drank of the bottle. It's the first time I've gone off caffeine without the horrible side effects.
I love soda and still crave it but it's been about 2 months now and my cravings are less. My favorite is McDonalds coke but since I'm off caffeine it really cuts down my fast food cravings because getting fast food without the soda is just not as satisfying for me.
I love that i dont drink my calories, my anxiety is less, and migraines seem to be better also.
Good luck everyone!
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There is a crystal light powder with caffeine. It's in single serve pouches. I weaned off caffeine using those. I filled a water bottle, dumped in a packet and each day for two weeks decreased how much I drank of the bottle. It's the first time I've gone off caffeine without the horrible side effects.
I love soda and still crave it but it's been about 2 months now and my cravings are less. My favorite is McDonalds coke but since I'm off caffeine it really cuts down my fast food cravings because getting fast food without the soda is just not as satisfying for me.
I love that i dont drink my calories, my anxiety is less, and migraines seem to be better also.
Good luck everyone!
That’s a really good point t about helping to cut fast food, getting a drink is definitely part of the appeal for me so cutting soda might be a 2 for 1 situation as far as bad habits go
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How do you recommend going about quitting soda? I know sugary drinks are my biggest source of empty calories, but I honestly feel kind of sick when I don’t drink them. I’ve been able to quit soda but only by subbing to juice/Gatorade which aren’t much better. I can drink unsweetened tea for flavor but I don’t know how to handle the lack of sugar or if that will go away in time
Back in the good old days, they told us it takes 3 days to stop sugar cravings. First day you just want it, second day you get shaky and genuinely feel bad, third day you are sick, mad, have a headache, hate everything and everyone. Fourth day feel weak, like you have had the flu, over it, but still puny. May last for a week.
That’s just about how it affected me.
I drank tea and took aspirin for the caffeine withdrawal. Maybe 2 weeks? Or so?
If you want to take the slow tapering way, a hint that may or may not help is that drinking grapefruit juice may make sweet things taste even sweeter. So if you drink a small amount of grapefruit juice once or twice a day, it may help you taper off your need for sugar. Not sure if it would help or not, but easy to try.
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corinasue1143 wrote: »
Back in the good old days, they told us it takes 3 days to stop sugar cravings. First day you just want it, second day you get shaky and genuinely feel bad, third day you are sick, mad, have a headache, hate everything and everyone. Fourth day feel weak, like you have had the flu, over it, but still puny. May last for a week.
That’s just about how it affected me.
I drank tea and took aspirin for the caffeine withdrawal. Maybe 2 weeks? Or so?
If you want to take the slow tapering way, a hint that may or may not help is that drinking grapefruit juice may make sweet things taste even sweeter. So if you drink a small amount of grapefruit juice once or twice a day, it may help you taper off your need for sugar. Not sure if it would help or not, but easy to try.
That’s reassuring! I’m not too concerned by the caffeine as most of the time I drink no caffeinated stuff already, but I can tough it out for a week or so. Also the grapefruit juice is a good idea, I might pick some up next time I go shopping
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Hi I just recently stop drinking pop since July 22nd. I noticed I have lost weight & have more energy. 😊😀2
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How do you recommend going about quitting soda? I know sugary drinks are my biggest source of empty calories, but I honestly feel kind of sick when I don’t drink them. I’ve been able to quit soda but only by subbing to juice/Gatorade which aren’t much better. I can drink unsweetened tea for flavor but I don’t know how to handle the lack of sugar or if that will go away in time
@phx92 It will go away in time, the strong craving for sugary drinks. I know this isn’t easy but you have to train your body to crave and desire water. In my case i used to hate drinking water. For meals i just absolutely HAD to have a soda or juice or ANYTHING other than water. So when i quit drinking soda i would have to force myself to drink only water with my foods. Disgusting! But then it just became a habit. And after a while it was actually good and refreshing. Now water is the best tasting, most refreshing drink to me.
Also, the amount of water you drink is a direct result of how active you are. The more exercise you do the more your body will plead for water. Right now i drink about a gallon of water or more a day. Try to keep a track of how much water you are drinking on a daily basis. The more water you drink, the less soda or sugary drinks your body will want. Where i live the humidity is high and i work in exhausting heat. So I found that simple water was not giving me the nutrients i needed. So i started buying electrolytes in the form of liquids or powder and they come in different flavors. They are very popular and taste satisfyingly yummy. But don’t overdo it and ONLY drink water enhanced with electrolytes. Nothing will beat a nice cool glass of refreshing crystal clear water... AHHH DELICIOUS!
I would stay away from caffeine additives because then you will develop a caffeine addiction. My wife for example drinks coffee all the time and when she doesn’t have her caffeine she gets horrible headaches and feels sick. Me on the other hand don’t drink any caffeine, therefore my body does not demand it at all and i feel fine. I used to drink coffee for years but just decided to quit that too. No, I’m not saying coffee is bad for you. I just choose not to drink it. That’s me. Just be really patient, the first days, weeks, are the worst. But if you want to reach your goal it will be worth the effort and sacrifice.
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Soda addict here not bad maybe 1 or 2 cans a day at most but I do it every day. I gave it up completely for about 6 months and drank mostly just water last year then started back on it. Wrong move. Managed to gain weight back and think soda contributed to that. Now I need to give it up again. I love most sodas but my real weaknesses are Mountain Dew and Vanilla Coke. I don’t love water but I will make myself drink it again.0
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I’m 3 weeks soda and energy drink free! I’m down from 300 to 278 (obviously this is water weight but still) without any other diet changes. I’ve only been drinking non flavored fizzy water drinks (just carbonated water no flavors or sugar)
This has me motivated to make some serious life changes.
That said I’d LOVE a Dr Pepper, room temp, in a glass right now.
Don’t shame me for my room temp soda habits lol1 -
I've never been a soda drinker of more than 2-3 cans per day and I still do drink diet soda a few times a week (maybe 1-4 per week)...but one thing I've done is "require" myself to drink x amount of water before I have the soda. I also have a few select foods that I always "allow" myself to have soda with, like pizza and a couple others.
I really think a lot of it (for me) is habit. Years before using MFP, I pretty much only ever drank coffee, milk, and diet soda. It would not have occurred to me to randomly pour myself a glass of water or bring water in my lunch or guzzle water before bed...it was soda I grabbed, every time. I didn't drink much at all because of this...I somehow realized it would be weird (for me) to have 6-8 sodas a day and I always had 2-3. Now the water drinking habit is second nature and to me, it would feel weird to grab a diet soda at 10 pm just for something to drink. That just would not happen.
I have noticed zero changes in how I feel with the reduction in soda, but again it was never extreme consumption and I do still drink it occasionally.
As for drinking it w/ meals in restaurants (fast food or regular places) the ever-increasing soda prices have helped me, I almost always drink water because I am cheap and hate paying around $2 for a diet cola when I can buy a twelve pack at the supermarket for $4 and have my soda fix all month.
One more thought - a lot of people suggest switching to flavored sparkling water or club soda and other similar beverages. For me personally...those are not a "substitute" for soda AT ALL but a totally separate thing, which I also enjoy 1-2 times a week.0
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