Pushing out the Pepsi Max

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driaxx
driaxx Posts: 314 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This is a massive struggle for me. Ever since starting this diet, I've climbed up to drinking 3 cans a day! I get so pulled in by the zero calories. Despite the aspartame horror stories you hear, it's also got heaps of sugar.

The problem is, I HAVE to drink something after my meal to wash it down and tell my brain that I'm finished otherwise I keep eating. Water just doesn't cut it.

I tried home made iced tea but that tasted so bad with my meal I almost threw it up! (I've never been a huge iced tea fan anyway). On that note, I'm really picky with drinks! I hate lemonade and basically any other soft drink other than the whole Coke/Pepsi taste and I only really drink juices (also high in sugar), milk and water.

Does anyone know a magic alternative? Or has any one managed to cut out soft drinks successfully and want to share their tips/story? I really need some motivation for this!

Replies

  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
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    I LOVE Fuze. It is very low in calories, and I don't believe it contains artificial sweetener. Good for you for trying to kick the habit!
  • judykritikos
    judykritikos Posts: 161
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    3 cans a day is excessive - and you're right, aspartame isn't good. I LOVE the carbination, so I made myself a deal - I'd have milk w/ my cereal for breakfast, have my Diet soda at lunch, then have lemonade or a flavored tea - Peach or Raspberry at night. If you tell yourself you can't - you won't. YOU control you! You can do it. "I want and deserve to have a healthy lean body. I CHOSE not to drink things or eat things that are not good for me - because I am worth being as healthy as possible." Print it out - put it where you can see it - it's a mental file folder you need to re-write. You're worth it, right? So make the choice to be healthier than 3 cans of soda can make you. I cut chocolate/candy at THIS time of year - and 6 wks later, it's not the monkey on my back any more. YOU CAN DO IT! :)
    Jud
  • ptrain987
    ptrain987 Posts: 30
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    all i drink is water...but when i want something with flavor i use those single packets of crystal light, or hawaiian punch, or that sort of new drink they got goin on from arizona...that arnold palmer half tea half lemonade. There are plenty of alternatives you just have to see which one is good for you
  • HarlCarl
    HarlCarl Posts: 266 Member
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    I like powerade zero. no calories, no sugar, no aspartame, low sodium, several different flavors to chose from as well.

    But I drink more water than anything these days, water is good for you.
  • Littlered9
    Littlered9 Posts: 81
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    There is a "natural" soda called Zevia. It is sweetened with Stevia plant. It has been a lifesaver for me! I was a HUGE Dr. Pepper fan and have not touched one in over 2 months. Dr. Zevia is great for me and I also love the Caffeine Free Cola Zevia (which would probably be what you'd want to have). They have a regular Cola too, if you want/need the caffeine. Good luck!
  • pinkstp
    pinkstp Posts: 220 Member
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    Crystal light, vitamin water zero and powerade zero are all great options. I've never been big into soda myself but I'm very anti-water solo unless I'm totally parched. Albertson's (or whatever their alternative names may be) offers really good Diet Dr. Pepper like soda that tastes a TON better than Diet DP - called Diet Dr. Chill. Yum :) At the very least you can limit yourself to 1 can a day - will power!!
  • Getting_Fit_4_Life
    Getting_Fit_4_Life Posts: 401 Member
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    I know this may not be so easy for some, but I just quit diet soda cold turkey. All I drink is water, tea and once in a while 100% juice. It was kind of hard for the first couple days, but I figure that it would get better with time. I haven't had any diet sodas in 5 months and I must say that I DO NOT miss it at all.
  • girlypop
    girlypop Posts: 80
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    I would suggest a tea or coffee to finish a meal. I personally prefer coffee after an evening meal. It helps settle the food and aftera meal will really trigger that full feeling. I get that a lot people can't do coffee in the evenings because of the high caffeine before bed but than I would suggest a tea. The caffeine is actually part of what creates the full feeling so a smaller dose might work well for you. However, if you really don't like having any caffeine after dinner I would say go herbal. There are tons of flavored teas (all at zero calories) to try, so you should find something you like. Green tea is highly recommended for various health benefits and has no caffeine. I'm not a huge fan of it, but I do like chai tea and vanilla roobois. The hot fluid should actually fill you up and help to stop you from overeating. I know that carbonated drinks do that too but really having 3 pops a day is excessive, so ya maybe replacing that with something herbal, or just regular tea or coffee might be good.
  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
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    I'm no huge help here because I will openly admit my addiction to caffeine and carbonation...for me, it's my one indulgence and I'm just being realistic for myself when I say I'm not going to be perfect. I let myself drink the Diet Cokes and Pepsi Max freely, but when I want chocolate, or ice cream, etc. it's easy to say "No, I've had my diet coke, that's my treat." And I'm fine with that. For me, if it weren't diet coke, it would be something loaded with some other ingredient that someone is bound to say will kill me in a week...it's just unrealistic for me personally to give up every single thing I used to eat/drink all the time. Keeping one favorite will NOT kill me. :bigsmile:

    That said, the closest substitute I have found is the flavored carbonated waters, especially Lemon flavor. It does the trick when I've had my caffeine for the day but want carbonation. It tastes a lot like Sprite, and there are a million flavors to keep it interesting.
  • Vodkha
    Vodkha Posts: 352 Member
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    I am a carbonation addict too. You could try Perrier or San Pellegrino?
  • significance
    significance Posts: 436 Member
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    I'm having one can of pepsi max a day (which I think is much too much), plus lots of tea (chai tea, English breakfast tea, peppermint tea and others), lots of water and (no more than once a day) a Berocca. Berocca works well as something to finish off dinner - it feels like a sweet drink, and almost feels good for you, but has few calories.
  • MarlaChandlerBarton
    MarlaChandlerBarton Posts: 141 Member
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    I think anyone is actually better off drinking the full sugar drinks before consuming anything with any kind of artificial sugar in it. Did anyone see the Dr Oz show regarding it. The stuff not only is it toxic, but they have proved that people that drink these are getting fatter and fatter. It actually causes them to crave more food by reacting with brain chemicals.
  • NotGoddess
    NotGoddess Posts: 1,198 Member
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    Ah, Pepsi Max. That was my favorite drink for the longest time. Like you I drank way too much of it. Here's what I did to finally kick the habit.

    First, I started buying cans only. I'd store them warm and if I had one only take a couple drinks to 'take the edge off' before making myself let it sit and go flat. If I wanted another I had to finish that one first. Eventually the combination of warm/flat soda made the idea of drinking one less and less appealing.

    I allowed myself more coffee to offset the caffeine but at least for me going off the artificial sweeteners was much, much harder than going off caffeine (I've done that a few times but always returned...love my coffee too much :).
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I think unflavoured sparkling water would be worth a try... you still get the fizz but without the sugar or artificial sweeteners/flavours. There is some sodium but I think it's worth the sodium to cut out the sugar and other rubbish.
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    I think if you like the taste of soda water that is a good alternative, but I could also suggest adding a bit of cordial to give it some flavour. Mixin' it up old school, like with the old SodaStreams (which I must confess we still have one and get decent use from it making home made soda water :P)
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    I just have my daily pint of 7 up free with my dinner at about midnight.

    No problems here :)

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