quitting soda

I feel your pain - I am a Coke fiend!

I haven't had any in about a week, but I still want it. For me, the best way was to step down and substitute iced tea.

**In the spirit that I'm not a doctor and all my medical information may be totally bogus**

I remember reading that a craving for sweet drinks or candy is related to 1) dehydration and 2) vitamin C shortage. The suggested solution was to drink a glass of water then have a piece of fruit. We keep a bowl of apples and tangerines on the dining room table all of the time, and I dip into that first. If I still have a craving, well, I just grab a Coke and don't beat myself up over it. I keep the 100 calorie cans (8oz) at home instead of the 20oz bottles, and one of those works just as well.

Baby steps. I was ADDICTED to Cherry Coke. I would crack the first one 5:30am and wouldn't stop til I went to bed 18 hours later. I just cut back slowly. Buy cans, not bottles. And/or don't buy at the grocery store but stop at the gas station each day and only buy what you will allow yourself to drink that day. Cutting back one can/bottle every couple of days. I replaced what I cut back with something else sweet (Snapple, Sobe, Arizona...) at first, then once I was off the Cherry Coke (it took a month probably) then I weaned off the other which was much easier.

My husband was addicted (more than I was even) to Dr Pepper. He still drinks it, but in much better moderation. He did it by just committing to only having it when we were out to eat and one can at home per day. He would fill a gym-style refillable bottle full of ice, limes, and water with him at work to keep him from stopping at the vending machine.

Sometimes I think half the battle is that we are not only addicted to what is inside the bottle, but the to action of reaching for it and taking a swig to fill gaps in conversation/thought process/elevator rides.

I agree with the cold turkey quitting. I quit Diet Coke a couple of years ago and it was tough, but it's totally doable. The easiest way for me to quit was to switch to another sweet drink, in my case, Crystal Light. Now I drink water, or water with a bit of coconut water (nummmmmmmm). You can do it! It's mind over matter.

Cold turkey. Your body is probably craving the sugar spike. Replace the sodas with fruit...try an apple for each time you'd drink a soda.

I have found that if I don't drink anything until at least a half hour after a meal, I feel fuller. I tell myself that the liquid I used to drink with a meal just 'pushed' the food out of my stomach and left me feeling hungry even after a meal. I think it's working but haven't weighed yet.. but I do notice I don't need to snack as much. I had it in my head that every meal (in fact every bite) had to be washed down with a swig of diet coke.. apparantly, that's not true. Since I don't go for the dc with my meal, I never think to have it any other time.. it just kinda went out of my radar.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who's addicted to coca cola!
I really need to give up/cut back. As I have a cola sat by me at the moment I will start tomorrow.
Good luck everyone to giving up

I tried a few years ago and failed. Migraines where so sever I about lost it. Husband says I was so crabby. I was like some one in drug withdrawls and guess what I was. Caffeene is a drug.
I went up on how much I was drinking and it was real stuff.
I have never gone back to drinking as much as I was at. I have also a few years back switched to Diet
I have just done a cut down again. 1 a day. and I am having migraines. but getting threw it this time.
Good luck, you can do it.
Of so my advice slowly cut back will help with the withdrawls

Ouch, I had this problem when I quit. The migraines were so bad every night that I puked.

But after a few days, I stopped getting migraines and it was just those horrible cravings. And I was super tired (and cranky) after that.
I find that eating a healthier diet with more protein and fruits and veggies, helps me a lot with energy.

It definitely is not easy but a little determination will help.

My next goal is to quit my fast food addiction. I quit McDonalds, and I am doing pretty well so far with everyone else.
Never give up!

Used to be addicted too...go cold turkey...this is how i did it...every time i thought of drinking a soda, I remembered 1 fact...if you cut out soda for a year, that equals at LEAST 11 lbs lost...I was off of soda and one day had a taste of it, and I was horrified by how sugary sweet it was..here's another idea...schedule a teeth cleaning and whitening...after you see how beautiful your pearly whites are, would you really want to drench them in the acidity of soda? And when I say I was addicted..I used to search under the couch cushions, in the seats of my car, where ever i thought I could find change to go to a soda machine...

here's another idea.... you can take the money you would spend each day, put it in a small tupperware container and every two weeks or so, go treat yourself to a beauty splurge of some sort..

I also have a problem with soda. I thought i was doing great when i switched to diet because it has 0 cal.,0 fat., 0 carbs., But from what i have heard , diet can be just as bad for you as regular. I think i have a caffeine addiction. When i go a day or so wothout it, i get cranky and get a headache. I just need to cut it out and deal with the side effects for a few days then i should be fine.... Congrats to everyone who was able to completely stop soda!!!!! Way to go!!!!!

When I stopped drinking soda, I started by drinking carbonated water, mixed with 100% fruit juice. After a while, I started mixing the juice with regular water, then just water alone. Now, I can't stomach the taste of regular soda -- and diet soda isn't that much better.

I used to be severely addicted to Mt. Dew. I would have a 20 oz. with every meal and then some. Around July of 2010 I decided quit cold turkey. The cravings were hard to deal with and the withdrawal headaches were horrid. But over times things got better and I am proud to say that I have been soda free ever since.

The only way I was ever able to do it was cold turkey. i tried 6 months ago and got a HORRIBLE headache because my body was addicted to the caffeine. I brought it up with my doctor this time and he gave me a script for a few migraine pills (they have caffeine in them) and I got past the 3 day headache. No coke since Christmas! Good luck!

I was drinking at LEAST 32 oz of Dr. Pepper a day and I decided to quit cold turkey after Thanksgiving. I haven't had one since, and I feel so much better! I drink a lot more water and drink the Great Value calorie free drink mixes (like Crystal Light) when I want something sweet. I didn't want to get started on diet pop either, and I'm hoping I can eventually add it back it as a treat instead of something I 'need' every day. Good luck!

I was always addicted to soda, drinking at least a gallon everyday a lot of days I would drink two gallons. I first gave it up when I was 16, I went to Alaska and the pop their tasted awful, so I decided to quit, but after a few months the old habits slowly came back, I tried to set rules, but didn't follow them. The only rule that stuck was not buying pop for my house.

During the summer between graduating undergrad and grad school (2005), I was staying with my mom who did keep soda in her house. One morning I got on the scale, while drinking a can of Dr. Pepper. It said 230, first time I had ever weighed myself over 215. I dumped out the rest of the can and have never touched pop again. I started feeling better within a couple of days, I slept better, had more energy and just felt great.

As soon as I stopped drinking pop I started carrying a water bottle with me everywhere, which helped a lot. At first I also drank a lot of sugar-free kool-aid. I never have drank anything else with caffeine in it (no coffee, tea, etc) and I never noticed any type of caffeine withdraws, except for getting much better sleep.

The hardiest part for me was going to fast food places and not getting the value-meals, since they were only a few cents more and I was a poor college kid.

Here is something to think about...

Think you don’t eat a lot of sugar? Consider this, every day the average American consumes the equivalent of 22 teaspoons of “extra” sugar — sugar that’s been added to food and beverages. That’s about a half of a cup a day! If you’re pretty sure you don’t have a sweet tooth, Consumer Reports says you may be in for a surprise.
Sodas, candy and cookies are the usual sugary suspects. But Consumer Reports says even if you don’t buy a lot of these, you still could be taking in too much sugar. A high intake of sugar comes with some serious health risks. The American Heart Association says it increases the risk of high blood pressure and high triglyceride levels.
So how much sugar is too much? You want to try to keep the added sugar to no more than six teaspoons a day for women and nine teaspoons for men, but that can be easier said than done.
Consider how much sugar is in some supermarket staples. A half-cup serving of Prego’s Traditional Italian Sauce contains the equivalent of 2 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. And a six-ounce container of Dannon’s All-Natural Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt contains 6 teaspoons of sugar! So does a half-cup serving of Mott’s Original Apple Sauce.
Even a serving of Vlasic Sweet Midgets pickles has almost 2 teaspoons and that’s just 3 little pickles! So it’s important to check the nutrition label for the amount of sugar. A teaspoon of sugar is equivalent to about 4 grams, so that can help give you a good estimate.
Also look under the ingredients. You probably recognize sucrose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup as added sugar. But it’s listed under many names, like fruit juice concentrate, malt syrup and evaporated cane juice to name a few.
So be on the lookout for sugar. And when a sweet craving hits go for nutritious, healthier options like fruit or low-fat chocolate milk.
Consumer Reports says eliminating sugary beverages, like soda, bottled teas, and juice drinks, will cut your sugar intake significantly. Some sodas can have as much as 16 teaspoons in a 20-ounce bottle! Instead, try seltzer with a splash of fruit juice, unsweetened teas, or a smoothie made with fresh fruit and plain nonfat yogurt.