Any recovering soda addicts in here?

2»

Replies

  • katie8032
    katie8032 Posts: 8 Member
    phx92 wrote: »
    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!
  • phx92
    phx92 Posts: 87 Member
    katie8032 wrote: »

    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

  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    phx92 wrote: »
    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.

  • phx92
    phx92 Posts: 87 Member

    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
  • kschoono
    kschoono Posts: 344 Member
    Hi I just recently stop drinking pop since July 22nd. I noticed I have lost weight & have more energy. 😊😀
  • kschoono wrote: »
    Hi I just recently stop drinking pop since July 22nd. I noticed I have lost weight & have more energy. 😊😀

    @kschoono 👋🏼 Hello. That is awesome glad you are experiencing the positive effects of leaving soda behind! Keep it up!
  • cerillo_encendido
    cerillo_encendido Posts: 74 Member
    edited September 2019
    phx92 wrote: »
    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.
  • lois1231
    lois1231 Posts: 330 Member
    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.
  • jakeworkman89
    jakeworkman89 Posts: 11 Member
    edited September 2019
    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 lol
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    edited September 2019
    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.