Soda: Why we drink it, how to stop
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I'd give almost anything to pick up drinking coffee......but yeah right. Coffee tastes like um....yuck to me.
I know how you feel! When I first started drinking coffee a while back, it was more like, "I'll have a little coffee with my cream." It's taken a while but I can now drink my coffee with only a couple of tablespoons of creamer. Don't know if I'll ever drink it black though, that seems gross to me.0 -
Thanks for the info! i definetly have cut back on my soda intake but like you say it is a hard habit to break off! I will have to keep in mind the info you just provided for the next time I feel the need for a soda! (:0
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I have heard this so many times and I AGREE I am addicted to diet coke and can not lose weight!!! I hear that if I cut out diet products I will take off some weight almost immediately. Easier said than done, I just love popping open a can of diet coke way too much. I need help with this, I cut back alot but can not cut it out completely. Anyone have any suggestions????0
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I'm no doctor, but when I was drinking 4-6 cans a day, I was sure as heck dehydrated.
But then again, was that ALL you were drinking? I was a pretty addicted to sodas (worse kind too, Mt Dew and the like), and couldn't stand the taste of water. I was dehydrated for most of my life. I would get headaches all the time, and couldn't figure out why, but when I started forcing myself to drink water, the headaches went away.
And it wasn't a caffeine thing either. I still drank coffee.0 -
Thanks for the info! i definetly have cut back on my soda intake but like you say it is a hard habit to break off! I will have to keep in mind the info you just provided for the next time I feel the need for a soda! (:0
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I love how these topics really stir the pot. Some of you people are really holding on to that soda.
It's one thing to say: "I love this stuff and I'm not giving it up"
I can truly respect that. It is really up to you and you alone to decide what you put in your body.
It's a whole different ballgame to try and defend this stuff. Listen to yourselves!
Google = inaccurate smear machine clearly aimed at eradicating the world of delicious soda
huh? health claim??? better give me a bunch of links to stuff that i couldn't possibly understand without a firm grasp on molecular bio-chemistry, or it's just conjecture!!!
Love soda? Drink it. Please just don't try and sell it as healthy, hydrating or natural.0 -
Im thankful that I never had to worry about this. I never liked soda. It was always too sweet and carbonated for my taste. My family and boyfriend has a hard time with this though. He can drink a liter a day if I let him. Ever since he had his kidney stones he has cut down and turned to more sports drinks and green tea in order to hydrate him and it still has flavor. There is also carbonated flavored water that you can use as a substitute that is cheap and calorie free! Some are even sweetened with splenda. Try it as a substitute to soda. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.0
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I have heard this so many times and I AGREE I am addicted to diet coke and can not lose weight!!! I hear that if I cut out diet products I will take off some weight almost immediately. Easier said than done, I just love popping open a can of diet coke way too much. I need help with this, I cut back alot but can not cut it out completely. Anyone have any suggestions????
Try it in small steps. Instead of drinking a full can, try to find and buy some of those mini cans they sell in the market now. Also, if you don't like plain water (I sure don't), add a drink flavor packet (I buy pink lemonade, mmm). Every time you want a coke, drink a full glass of water first! That's how I've been cutting back!0 -
I love how these topics really stir the pot. Some of you people are really holding on to that soda.
It's one thing to say: "I love this stuff and I'm not giving it up"
I can truly respect that. It is really up to you and you alone to decide what you put in your body.
It's a whole different ballgame to try and defend this stuff. Listen to yourselves!
Google = inaccurate smear machine clearly aimed at eradicating the world of delicious soda
huh? health claim??? better give me a bunch of links to stuff that i couldn't possibly understand without a firm grasp on molecular bio-chemistry, or it's just conjecture!!!
Love soda? Drink it. Please just don't try and sell it as healthy, hydrating or natural.
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* The most disgusting reason I found? Coca cola is tough enough to remove BLOOD STAINS! Think about what it's doing do your poor stomach, your teeth, and your body in general!
just this alone, eeww gross!! thanks for sharing this!!!0 -
i know you're giving advice, but if you're going to make statements about health (osteoporosis, kidneys problems etc.) please can you show us the research to back this up? thanks
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=health+impact+of+soda
Because google searches always have credible sources at the top of the results....
This. Just because there are 100s of "studies" on the internet doesn't make something true. Google/wikipedia searching doesn't equal science.0 -
I am also a diet coke addict and have tried stopping but have never made it more than a couple days at a time. It is very hard to break, Thanks for the reminder and I am on the road again to trying to give it up or at least start cutting down on it.0
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I don't want to stop.
My teeth are incredibly healthy....I brush them
The damage to my body is from eating more calories than I burn and being sedentary
It does not dehydrate me, because I drink water most of the time in addition to 1-2 sodas a day
Anything bubbly will help remove stains....ever heard of people using seltzer water to get out stains? If not, ask your GrandmaI have heard this so many times and I AGREE I am addicted to diet coke and can not lose weight!!! I hear that if I cut out diet products I will take off some weight almost immediately. Easier said than done, I just love popping open a can of diet coke way too much. I need help with this, I cut back alot but can not cut it out completely. Anyone have any suggestions????
"'Artificial sweeteners could have the effect of triggering appetite but unlike regular sugars they don't deliver something that will squelch the appetite,' Sharon Fowler, obesity researcher at UT Health Science Center at San Diego and a co-author on both of these studies, told the Daily Mail. She also said sweeteners could inhibit brain cells that make you feel full." - http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20075358-10391704.html0 -
If someone is posting something as scientific fact then they have to back it up. i have spent a lot of my own time reading numerous (and often conflicting) articles about the health impact of soda. i don't think it's up to me to have to find the proof myself if someone is categorically stating 'this is how it is'.
Most of the advice given on this board is not based on scientific fact. But we let it slide when it suits our own beliefs.0 -
Easiest way to stop drinking soda? Always pretend that you're someplace where you wouldn't want to end up burping from the carbonation (a first date, job interview, having tea with the Queen, etc.)
To Froggeh: You forgot to mention that regular Coca-Cola can actually be used to remove rust from metals and corrosion from car batteries.
Another thing worth noting: Watch the documentary "Tapped" about the bottled water industry and what our support of large beverage companies is doing to our environment. All of those individual bottles of soda, water, iced tea, etc. are major contributors to global pollution and the polyethylene terephthalate (PET/PETE) used to make those bottles has caused an increased risk of cancer in communities bordering their facilities. Under normal use, PET containers may yield endocrine disruptors (chemicals that disrupt human hormone systems) that can be found in the beverages within PET bottles, which can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects and other developmental disorders; such as ADD, deformation of the body/limbs, and sexual development problems.
Another good reason to drink water from your tap and milk from a carton instead of soda from a bottle.
(All information above was taken from my own knowledge or Wikipedia.)0 -
If its the caffeine, look back at my earlier post, the method worked for me. It's not to painful I promise
Good Luck!I am also a diet coke addict and have tried stopping but have never made it more than a couple days at a time. It is very hard to break, Thanks for the reminder and I am on the road again to trying to give it up or at least start cutting down on it.0 -
I just want to say THANK YOU for sharing! It surprises me how many people are quick to bash others who are trying to make a point. A lot of people on MFP write threads because they can relate to it, not because they picked a random topic and they want to "preach".
I don't need an article to tell me how bad cola is. I am on MFP to support people and to receive support on what we each are trying to accomplish, INDIVIDUALLY! If I feel like talking about cola and how I want to remove it from my diet and re-iterate to others how bad it is for you, you DON'T have to read/listen. If you don't agree, move on! Don't give me a reason to look back and think twice, I AM PERSONALLY trying to accomplish something here. You should be smart enough to make your OWN decisions; I am not telling you what to do!
Phew!
Thanks again for your input; good luck on your journey!0 -
I found the tips given in a friends 'Quit smoking' quit really helped me quit My 2Litre a day Coke Zero habit.
When a craving strikes:
-put it off for 5 minutes (Go for a walk, watch a youtube clip, listen to a song on the radio) and the craving will go away.
- have a drink of water
- do something with your hands
- celebrate milestones (1 day without, 5 days without, 30 days without)
- write down the reasons WHY you are quitting, and read them when you get the urge
Not in the 'Quit Smoking' pack, but, SKIP that aisle in the supermarket! (bonus points if the chips are in the same aisle)
:flowerforyou:0 -
It is quick fast and easy and I was once told by a bottling place for soda they add more ingredients during the summer months and then the winter months they take it out so you will drink even more. I just stopped drinking pop all together many moons ago.
It is a tough struggle for many and a hard habit to kick but it can be done I will have a soda every now and then but nothing like I use to. Just like any habit it is hard to quit and until you, yourself are in the mindset to quit you won’t stick to it so don’t beat yourself up over it just keep trying.0 -
Before I joined MFP and got serious about losing weight I drank 6 to 12 cans of Mtn. Dew a day and never drank water from the time I was 13 years old. I'm 36 now. I can't imagine the damage I've done to my teeth, stomach and kidneys. I know I was dehydrated all the time. Now I'm drinking one can of Mtn. Dew every couple of days and at least ten glasses of water a day. I don't get headaches. It was just a healthy decision I made for my lifestyle change and I feel sooo much better. I'm sure my stomach and kidneys feel better too.0
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I haven't had soday in a week, I started the Fat Flush Diet Dr. Louise Geitlman and she encourages people to drink Cran-Water...which is 1 oz of PURE cranberry juice w/ 8 oz of water and now I'm ADDICTED!! Before I had a cup of coffee and 2 diet cokes a day...after the first couple of days I had major headaches...so I have crazy energy and been dropping weight pretty steadily!0
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Although I tried, I could not get cravings under control until I stopped drinking diet soda (never drank regular soda, nor did I like caffeine free diet soda). I can now judge when I am satisfied from the food I am eating because soda filled me up with gas instead of food. Being satisfied with food helps me to stay fuller longer. I now sleep better as an extra bonus.
I don't really care what someone else is drinking. Only care that I made a change which I consider positive. Btw, I thought about making the change and then stopped drinking it consciously one day. That's how to stop as is asked by the OP. But to each, his own0 -
I love diet coke also but I also could see that when I drank it I felt bloated and had a hard time losing weight. A few weeks ago I came across the sparking water. I actually forgot about them. I found ones that have nothing in them including sodium and actually i have not wanted a pop since I started drinking them. And the fact they come in a liter bottle I drink alot more water.0
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I don't drink regular soda, but do drink diet soda once in awhile; say if I'm at a restaurant or at times with my lunch at work. I drink it more for the fizz than the caffeine, actually. Throughout the day I drink water. But at home I do drink sparkling water as my replacement for diet soda simply because it has far less sodium than diet soda. But in the end, is drinking sparkling water any better than diet soda? :huh:0
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To people who are having troubles giving up soda in any way shape or form, I have a few suggestions!
1.) Try going cold turkey for THREE DAYS. This is probably the hardest thing to do, but once you put water in your diet in place of soda for a few days, you'll have time to to notice the difference in how you feel.
2.) Find a healthy replacement. I personally reach for a Shakeology every time I need some sort of sugar. Another option that may ease you into the idea of drinking water regularly is to drink vitamin water. Its a far healthier choice than soda.
3.) Don't do it alone, find someone else who is trying to give up soda and support each other.
You can give it up, and once you do, you'll never go back0 -
I never thought in a million years I could ever give it up. I was a HUGE pepsi drinker my entire life, and not the diet stuff either. I would chug at LEAST a 2 litre bottle every single day. But I decided to go cold turkey off of all sodas as of January 1st when I started my new journey with weight loss. My feet, ankels and hands were constantly swollen, my stomach was constantly bloated and felt hard to the touch and I think soda was the main culprit. I know it isn't the only factor to my weight gain, but I do believe it was the main one. When I drank it, it was like an instant high for me, I just wasn't hungry, so I would basically live on just that and then have one huge meal late at night. Well, I have cut pepsi and all other colas out of my life completely and in just 3 short weeks I am already down 18lbs (actually 20 but I haven't updated yet as I just do my check in once a week!). My feet, ankels and hands are no longer swollen and I am now off my water pills completely I don't even crave it at all anymore. I have 4 children, 3 of which are teenagers who LOVE soda, so staying away from it, I thought would be challenging. But no, this is the first time in my life I have been serious about losing weight, and SODA, was the first thing that had to go from my diet. Can't say I wont ever touch it again, but I can promise you, until I actually reach my goal, it's not coming in this body any time soon. I still have a LONG way to go, but it's these little changes that make a huge difference and keep me motivated. I already feel healthier and more energetic and less weighed down by that extra bulk pepsi used to cause me to feel.0
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So what about Diet Caffine Free Mt Dew? Is that still bad for you like all of the others? I don't drink a lot of it. I may have it with lunch twice a week, otherwise I drink water and skim milk.0
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So what about Diet Caffine Free Mt Dew? Is that still bad for you like all of the others? I don't drink a lot of it. I may have it with lunch twice a week, otherwise I drink water and skim milk.
I'm skeptical that diet drinks are as bad as some claim, at least in the short term. While there is speculation that diet drinks cause additional hunger which may lead to overeating, I'm not really convinced that's a big problem. At least not for the majority of people. While sugar and regular soda gets my hunger going, diet soda doesn't seem to have any effect.
We all know that too much sugar is bad though, and that's pretty much undisputed in the medical community so I'd stay away from regular soda except for rare occasions.0 -
I drink Fresca every night and usually about 3-6 glasses but during the day, I drink anywhere from 8-15 glasses of water.
I won't give up my fresca, it's the only thing that I like mixed with my Cranberry Vodka. :P Let the bashing begin!!0 -
Thanks Frogee I will try that great idea. Matter of fact, I drank a full glass of water before lunch and the diet soda didn't even taste that great. teehee0
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