Giving up the soda and Starbucks

deshea_d
deshea_d Posts: 12
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
I have re-discovered my love of a wide variety of exercise over the past 8 months but struggle with my diet. My biggest struggle has been passing on my sugary drinks at Starbucks and fountain pops. I definitely seek these "treats" when I am stressed. Does anyone have any good tips or advice to overcome this weakness?

Replies

  • bdurls
    bdurls Posts: 128 Member
    I love Starbucks! But now I get sugar free syrups (usually half sweetened) and skim milk, no whip. Cuts down the calories tons!
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
    I have the same issues with coffee as you do. Over the years I've made gradual changes. First, I went from regular soda to a 50/50 mixture of regular-diet, then went all diet. Then, I tried to alternate soda with other beverages. Now I'm lucky if I buy a bottle of soda a month.

    I'm still working on my coffee addiction, pretty much using the same pattern. I'm trying to alternate between regular and decaf and have gotten down to three cups a day.... I used to drink an entire pot by myself! I'd put it on at breakfast and keep sipping it all day.

    My gyno wants me to cut back on the caffeine because I'm having a lot of breast tenderness. This is rough!!!!:-(
  • k121777
    k121777 Posts: 306
    Oh, you can't cut out the starbucks....you might as well be dead if you do!! LOL! Just get the skinny and don't go every day. Just go as a special treat. Maybe once or twice a month.
  • erinkeely4
    erinkeely4 Posts: 408 Member
    I love Starbucks! But now I get sugar free syrups (usually half sweetened) and skim milk, no whip. Cuts down the calories tons!

    Oh my god, Starbucks (and local coffee shops that I love). I pretty much do the same thing--sugar free syrup, nonfat milk or a smaller amount of 2% or whole milk, no whip. But my stomach doesn't like for me to drink anything with caffeine regularly, so I can't do it very often. Definitely haven't found a way to just get over it yet :( sorry I'm no help!
  • inlander
    inlander Posts: 339 Member
    I had to give up the frappuccino-a-day habit years ago because I couldn't justify spending 5$ (minimum) a day on a drink that was WAY full of calories. There's no way for me to regulate it, so I just have to quit cold turkey (just like many other things in my life).

    I gave up diet soda for awhile but now imbibe. It's not exactly good for me, but no-calorie is better than full-of-HFCS in my book.
  • efarester
    efarester Posts: 135 Member
    You might want to check out the 28-Day Challenge that Dr. Oz has on his site. It gives a nice step-down approach to giving up soda:
    http://members.doctoroz.com/challenge/28-day-national-soda-challenge

    Maybe alternate coffee with tea? I know over time I have been able to drink my tea without adding sugar :) Of course, I still have coffee now and then.

    The one thing that has worked really well for me in reducing my sugar cravings overall is Shakeology. I have one shake almost daily and since drinking it regularly I rarely have cravings for sweets. I also have more energy :)

    Hope this helps!!

    :)
    Erika
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
    I discovered that for me, drinking pop triggers a sugar binge. I don't drink a lot of pop, but when I do, the next thing I know
    I'm craving ANYthing w/ sugar in it....
    So, because of that, I decided soda pop must be a NO NO or I'll just be sabotaging myself.
    I really miss it when I have a cold/sore throat. Ginger Ale has been a comfort food.

    Giving up caffeine is hard. The BEST thing I can advise you is to make sure you DRINK LOTS OF WATER and flush the caffeine out quicker.
    I haven't YET found the balance between TOO MUCH CAFFEINE>>>which triggers a headache
    and NOT ENOUGH CAFFEINE>>>which triggers a headache.

    My friend is Excedrin Tension= it has acetaminophen and caffeine ( no aspirin ) I take it if I need it.

    I have tried carbonated waters (flavored, plain) but they didn't appeal to me,
    but perhaps they might to you?
  • mycatas
    mycatas Posts: 20
    The only problem with shakeology is the price. $120 a month...YIKES!
  • efarester
    efarester Posts: 135 Member
    The only problem with shakeology is the price. $120 a month...YIKES!

    I thought that too initially. But for me it is worth every penny. Since it is a meal replacement, it acts as my lunch or breakfast most days. Each shake costs about $4. (A coffee or drink at starbucks costs that much). It also acts as multivitamin so I don't have to buy those. It has a ton of the superfoods that we are supposed to eat (like acai berries, camu camu - which can be super pricey on their own). For me it is worth every penny just for the nutritional value - I know I am getting a huge serving of great stuff in each shake :)
  • deshea_d
    deshea_d Posts: 12
    Thanks for all the tips. It is good to know I am not alone. I forgot to mention a few months ago I switched my Starbuck's drink from a Venti-very unhealthy drink (550 calories) to a Tall-much healhier one (150). It is tasty but not as good as the old one so I have cut back a few trips a week. Thanks to the encouraging posts I decided to try to sugar free today. This is a big step because I absolutely hate diet soda/drinks. It was not too bad.

    I also really like the suggestion about tea (with gradual reduction of sugar). I will check out Shakeology and the websites too.

    Thank you everyone for your tips and advice :smile:
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