soda not diet not zero but real calorie filled soda

Switch to diet cola. I used to be addicted to Coke when I was younger and switched to Coke Zero and lost 10 pounds. A diet cola addiction is still not the epitome of health but cuts out a lot of sugar. I'm now so accustomed to sugar free drinks that Coke Zero tastes normal to me. Regular soda is way too sweet it almost tastes sickly.

I was really addicted to soda in High School. Then we did this biology experiment where we made our own cola. Well, I made the mistake of drinking mine and I could taste the yeast in ANY soda for about a year. I think I drank a total of 3 sodas that year. After that I just have never been interested in it. I never have it in my house unless we are entertaining. I only drink it when I am out, usually at a fast-food place because I love fountain colas. Not like love where I want one in my house, but it's a nice treat.

*I edited my post to change coke to cola because I thought it sounded a little shady that we were making coke in biology class :laugh:

i used to be. mainly was addicted to sprite and ginger ale.

for ginger ale, i started making my own ginger beer. that way i can control the sugar and even add in some cool yummy flavors like peach and strawberry

for the sprite addiction i switched to hansen's soda (supposedly the sugar is healthier :laugh: ) and eventually to their diet soda (the mandarin lime is delicious) then i weaned (yes wean, don't judge me!) myself off of it completely.

i'm so over it now that i have a 6 pack of hansen's in my cupboard that's been there a few weeks. used to be those babies wouldnt have made it 2 days

I am a total Dr Pepper addict. I have cut waaaaaaayy back. But still have 1 maybe 2 a day. I stopped completely for a while and did fine without but had just 1 and couldn't stop again. My biggest addiction Sonic DP's..................yummo :drinker: I have added a lot more water to my day though. There were some days maybe even weeks where I didn't have a drink of water. Yes I know that is bad.

before MFP i was drinking a ton of pepsie (full calorie pepsie) drank anywhere from 8cans a day up to around 15 cans i had a can of pepsie in my hand almost everywhere I went.

When I started my change I gave it up 100% for about 5months then I introduced it back in very slowly now that I`m in a better mind set and I now have one can here and there and thats ok with me I like the taste and I know I will NEVER go back to how I used to be it was just crazy the amount of cals. and amount of sugar I was taking in per day before

Okay its been confirmed I am addicted to soda not just one kind almost any kind..I have tried numerous times to stop and I can't well I did stop for 2 weeks but even then soda stayed on my mind..at this point all I can do is reduce the amount I drink which I have ..I now have one 12oz can a day and dats working for now..but I want to know is there anyone else out there with a soda habit as bad as mine or if anybody has quit and how did u do and do u still think about it

I was drinking 2 2ltr's per DAY. I was holding the 2ltr with one hand chugging it....

That was almost 12 years ago.

Each time I wanted a soda, I would grab a bottle of water (12oz) and chug it. I was really determined to kick the habit because soda is just not good for you, regardless of diet, 0 cal or regular.

Then I found soda-water. Just carbonated water with nothing in it.. the nutritional label is nothing but 0's, no sodium, no artificial sweetners, etc.

I found the carbonation to be part of the addiction I had. It 'felt' like my thirst was quenched.

I havent had soda in 12 years and when we dine out, I order a soda water with lemon. My palate has become so sensitive, that I can tell if their soda-water comes out of the same spout for either root beer or Sprite. That little hint of syrup comes through and makes me want to vomit....

You have to really want to quit soda altogether and keep focused on the food-related triggers that cause you to want to drink a soda.

I got rid of alot of things in my daily intake that truly made a difference. I no longer have a craving for bad carbohydrates, that includes soda.

I was heavily addicted to soda. I drank coke. Easily 2.3 liters per day. Minimum.

I joined MFP in June, and saw a challenge for No Soda in July. I decided to do that. It was really hard for the first two or three days. I was thinking about it all the time. I made it through July, but drank soda in smaller amounts in August. No soda in September, then smaller amounts for the rest of the year.

. . . and then I fell back into my old ways. Liters of the stuff, everyday.
I just quit again this week and what's different is I have no desire for it. A MFP pal shared this link, and it totally DESTROYED my taste for it. I feel ill thinking about drinking it. Or thinking about how much of it I've had in the past:
http://2012patriot.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/cannibals-drink-pepsi/

Absolutely disgusted. Never touching the stuff again.

Another thing that helped me a few months back was when I was watching a show called My Big Fat Diet Show. You can find it all on Youtube. Episode four features a man who was addicted to coke, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjR6f8oT9T0



What I found hardest about quitting was breaking the habit. I was *used* to drinking it. Even when I got down to the end of a can--even if I didn't want to drink anymore--I still finished it out of habit (and out of my mother raising me never to waste food). I would eat dinner with friends and they would pour me a coke and set it in front of me. I would grab for it without thinking. It was eye-opening.

I also told a close friend that I was quitting soda and for her to help me out by calling me out if I drank some AND for her to move it from my place if someone poured me a glass at dinner. Helped a lot.

Wish you well on this. I know you can do it!!!!

Edit to add: in the back of my mind, I was scared of developing diabetes. I'm at risk for it already. And I was headed right for it. I don't want to invite it in. I knew I had to do something.

I used to only drink soda, I would not even drink water. I would also drink 2-3L per day. I wanted to lose weight and become healthy and knew that I needed to kick the habit, and it was very difficult especially since it was around me all of the time. It took me about 2 months to actually quit but I did quit soda all together. Even now I will crave it here or there, but if I take a sip of one it makes me so sick because it now tastes just like a thick syrup. Its been almost 1 year since I quit drinking it but it was worth it. I actually didn't even lose weight when I quit drinking it but I do not get cavities now and do not feel bloated like I did before:)

pepsi max is the big one for me... i've been quitting it and starting it again for years. at the moment i'm fine with having just the occasional one like once a week at the most. a few years back i was in africa for two months and they sure didn't have pepsi max there. i was thinking about it a LOT and even dreaming about it! how sad is that...
i've found for me that it takes two months for me to not be addicted to it anymore. so i would say if you want to quit:

* quit for at least two months. say to yourself "it's ok, after two months i can have it again, i'm not quitting for ever". at the end of the two months you won't want to have it so it will sort itself out
* drink lots of water
* really think about (and maybe write down) the reasons why you want to quit. for me it was the fact that i didn't like that my mood depended on if i could drink soda or not. also i found my tounge and stomach really weren't enjoying the acidity of it. oh, and it's exepensive to. and made me want to eat more sugary stuff.

I used to go through 3-4 2L bottles of mountain dew every day, holding it in one hand and chugging as someone else said.

I find that for me, restricting it works better than eliminating it. I was off soda for 6 months straight a few years ago and the craving never, ever went away... and once the dam broke, I went back to my old habits -- not quite as bad, but was going through a case every 2 days.

Most days now I manage to stick to 1, maybe 2 cans -- although if I have a long driving day I tend to drink it at the end of the drive.

I also hate hate hate hate hate coffee/tea/other warm drinks.

I was drinking 6 or more cans of pepsi a day!!!! The pepsi was starting to make my teeth hurt... I cut down a can at a time. Now I cant handle the taste of pepsi!!! You are doing right, just start weening yourself off...

I am a complete Dr Pepper addict. I just couldn't stomach the 150 calories a can any longer. I switched to Dr. Pepper Ten. It is still tasty and satisfies the cravings.

The chemicals in diet sodas aren't doing your body any favors, either. Though they are a good "gateway drug" to what you should be drinking, which is lots of water.

Try getting those flavor packs you see everywhere, and try water with just a bit of flavoring (if it contains a little sugar, that's OK, just get yourself off the taste of super-sugary soda).

Also consider the PRICE of the soda. What would you rather be spending your money on? Take the money you spend on soda today, and put it in a jar every week. Put a picture of what you want to buy with that money on the jar. Choose whether you want to spend that money on soda (by pulling it out of the jar) or save up for the item you want (by leaving it in the jar). By the time you buy what you want, the sweetness of soda will sicken you.

I switched to diet about two months ago...I still crave regular pop and I will admit I have one now and again. But statistics say you can drop ten pounds in a year by doing nothing but switching to diet or stop drinking the stuff altogether. I do know that diet really isn't any better for you and it actually increases your sweet tooth because artificial sweeteners are like a million times sweeter than sugar, but I can't live without my fizzy bubbles and I can't stand carbonated water.

On the Doctor OZ show once he had like a four step plan to cut out pop and the first step was to switch to diet, then diet caffeine free or something, so at least its a step in the right direction. The worst culprit is when you are at a restaurant, most wait staff will fill your drink or bring you a new one before the other one is even finished, without realizing you could have drank four or five pops, that could be over 600 calories if you order regular!

I hope you have success as you continue in your journey and remember no pop is good for you, but a little indulgence now and then isn't bad for you either! ;-)

Ah, other things I've done to cut down on soda.

With any soda other than the one first thing in the morning, if I want soda I make myself drink a 16oz glass of water first.

I don't keep it in the fridge anymore. I only like it chilled, so if I really want one I have to go put one in the fridge and wait for it to chill. Sometimes I decide I didn't really want it that badly before it finishes chilling.