Gave up Soda's..Now what?

Great job giving up pop.

I haven't had a pop in over 1 month, almost 2 now. I don't miss it at all.

I flavor water with lemon juice, Trader joe Fast Flavor sticks and Mio.

You can make your own tea and sweeten it with natural sweetners like blue agave nectar. I use this for my coffee and don't miss the sugar at all. Good luck to you!

peppermint tea got me through my coffee & diet coke addiction ....

First, congratulations. Your body will be lighter and your wallet will be heavier for it!

Second, as to water flavor- most people get used to it after a surprisingly short time. If you don't, try getting some lemon or line juice and squeezing a little in, or something else without any sweetener that will flavor it up a bit. I'd avoid the sweeteners only because you've just put the effort into giving them up, no sense replacing one with another.

Cinnamon gum or another strongly-flavored gum can also help - it adds continuous flavor for VERY few calories. But constantly tasting sweet can make craving control harder, so be aware of that.

Lemon Water ?

Thanks everyone! I will try several of these.. Today I took some of my husband's Moroccan Mint Tea. I steeped it in hot water then poured it into a glass of ice.. mmmm...

I do miss the bubbly though.

Try sparkling mineral water! My favorite brand is Crystal Geyser, but there are a ton of different brands you can try. Just make sure they aren't sweetened. I like the ones that are flavored with fruit "essence" rather than juice or something. Mineral water has a different flavor than regular water (I like it, but some people don't), and the fruit essence gives it just a little extra punch.

Great job on giving up the soda! I myself was a diet pepsi addict for many many years, drank around a gallon of that stuff every day! Now I don't drink any soda at all, just plain water, or with some freshly squeezed lemon juice and stevia, or some homemade iceteas!

I highly recommend MarketSpice Cinnamon Orange tea. Excellent stuff!!! I can't get enough of it. Also, as someone else suggested already... mint tea. Coffee, sparkling water with lime & other fruit juices as well.

Thanks everyone! I will try several of these.. Today I took some of my husband's Moroccan Mint Tea. I steeped it in hot water then poured it into a glass of ice.. mmmm...

I do miss the bubbly though.

I have that tea in my desk at work, its a delight

there are several brands of sparkling flavored waters that are really good, Target's is... well I can't remember right now... maybe La Criox? anyway its in cans and can be found by their bottled waters in cases like pop cases, they're lightly flavored and zero calorie, no artificial sweeteners (a must for me as I'm sensitive to aspartame!!) and very good for bubbly cravings. Also good mixed with a shot of rum and a splash of juice :drinker:

I go through phases of what I drink, rotating between water water all the time to sobe (they have AWESOME newer flavors and a lot are zero calorie and sweetened with stevia & erithrytol) the sparkling waters, seltzer waters, hot tea & coffee (which I also rotate between unsweetenend and full of cream & stevia depending on my mood)

I also keep a box of Crystal Light's new Pure drink packets around, they are sweetened with sugar & stevia and have no artificial colors or flavors and only about 30 calories for the full packet, I only use about half a packet in a full bottle of water. these also taste great with a shot of rum... in case you were wondering... :drinker:

Water. I must be one of the few but room temperature water is my favorite.

Im like that too...i heard its actually better for you than cold water because your body doesnt have to warm it up...I just find it easier to guzzle that way

Why are diet sodas so bad? They have very few calories? Can someone educate me please?

there are a lot of camps on this one and you probably dont want to start the debate because it can get ugly!

the pro's: low or no calories, nice shot of caffeine in many of them, helps with the sweet cravings

the cons: most have artificial sweeteners that may or may not cause issues long term (and many people-me included-are sensitive to aspartame & splenda and get symptoms that range from stomach cramps to migraines and more). aside from the sweeteners there are chemicals, artificial colors, flavors & preservatives in them that cause at the very least, tooth decay and again could cause other issues as well. There have been studies (that may or may not be bunk depending on who you ask) that suggest that drinking diet drinks can cause increased cravings, unstable insulin levels and weight gain. there is caffeine in a lot of diet sodas and some people should stay away from them. If you're drinking a diet coke you're not drinking a glass of water and water is important.

everyone has their own opinions on this subject, I stay away from them because of the way they make me feel (like crapola) but lots of people love them. If you don't feel as good as you think you should and you drink a lot of diet pop then cut back and see how you feel.

I squeeze the juice of a fresh lemon into ice cold water (no sugar).

I also like Trader Joe's low calorie lemonade (40 calories per 8 oz).

Other than that, just water or milk in moderation.

If you miss the bubbles, try sparkling water. I think Peligrino is the best. When the weather is hot, I drink a lot of "fuzzy water". I kicked a 6-pack a day Diet Coke habit, so I don't dare ever drink soda, lol.

Nice response. I agree entirely. At the end for me, I just feel better when I stopped drinking soda. I found early on that some effected me worse than others. Diet cola was the less offensive with diet ice teas the worst. I found the worst really increased my cravings; or rather increased my ability and tolerance to binge on almost anything.