Soda: Why we drink it, how to stop

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! (:

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.

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.

* 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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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 own

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:

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.

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.

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. teehee