My sweet addiction - advice please!

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  • 5kidsforme
    5kidsforme Posts: 131 Member
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    I was a Pepsi-aholic, then a Coke Zero-aholic. If I can break the habit, anyone can!

    I honestly think the best thing for the sugar addiction is to get as much sugar out of your diet as possible...especially artificial sugar.

    As for the caffeine, the headache will go away. Tea is fine, hot or iced, as long as you drink it unsweetened. Again, this is just my approach. I found that artificial sugar was a HUGE trigger for me. Now that I haven't had more than a handful of sodas since the beginning of the year, an dNO soda or artificial sweetener in a month, I feel so much better, and more in control of my eating. The only sweetener I add is local honey.

    Likepretty much everything else, all you need in order to do it, is to want to do it. Good luck! You won't regret breaking the habit!


    Yes! You are so correct. I need to really want to do this. Right now it is my kids that are pressuring me to "kick the habit". They know artificial sweetners are not the best for you and they want me to be healthier and I want to set a good example for them. My two youngest daughters ALWAYS want pop and I only let them have it once a week BUT they see me drinking it all the time!!:embarassed: So I'm setting a pretty crappy example for them. :sad: Thanks for all the advice everyone!
  • theologynerd
    theologynerd Posts: 264 Member
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    It is HARD to quit, but worth it. I tried all the replacement tricks that people talk about, but unfortunately, none of them worked for me. Sparkling water with juice was disgusting to me, but maybe you'll like it. Tea doesn't do anything for me other than to help with the caffeine headaches. Two months after I quit, I still wanted to punch someone in the face to get a Diet Coke. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I did make it. Now I can have one here or there and not go back to it, but it's still a battle. I always want one the next day after having one, and I have a mini struggle to "quit" again, but it is just a mini struggle. Good luck with it; it's for your health, and doing this will prove to yourself that you think you are worth all the trouble!
  • pinkgirlie4
    pinkgirlie4 Posts: 3
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    i am drinking flavoured water sometimes sparkling sometimes flat which helps me quite a lot
  • 5kidsforme
    5kidsforme Posts: 131 Member
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    [/quote]

    aLOT OF people have this addiction. My friend had it and decided to go cold turkey... she had a migraine for two weeks, cold swears, irritability, you name it. Her body was detoxing, just like a drug addict. They say to go cold turkey but to keep consuming caffeine so that your body doen't go too crazy. Either way it's going to suck for you, I would just do the cold turkey and pop advil.
    [/quote]

    I'm formulating a plan...pretty sure I just need to cut out the Mt. Dew and replace caffiene with ice tea. I might also try seltzer water. Maybe water down my Dew and see how that works. Maybe I can cut out 1 bottle by doing that. I'll try just one bottle today....

    All of my kids will be out of the house at camps, grandparents, etc. on July 9th. I'm thinking I will do this when they are gone!
  • pinthin87
    pinthin87 Posts: 296 Member
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    I would say the best thing to do is kick it cold turkey. I used to drink Coca-cola everyday my sophomore year of college. When I decided to stop drinking it I did have headaches from the withdrawls. Get some Excedrine Migraine for when the headaches are really bad. One of the active ingredients is caffeine and it is just enough to stop the pain and help taper you off the caffeine. Hope this helps.
  • FuneralDiner
    FuneralDiner Posts: 438 Member
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    I was addicted to caffeine my whole life. No kidding. Then I decided to cut it out because of health issues.

    I just went cold turkey. It's not as bad as it I thought it was be. First day or two is fine, then comes the headaches and drowsiness for a 2-3 days. That is the worst part and after that point, you have pretty much overcome your addiction.
  • 5kidsforme
    5kidsforme Posts: 131 Member
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    It is HARD to quit, but worth it. I tried all the replacement tricks that people talk about, but unfortunately, none of them worked for me. Sparkling water with juice was disgusting to me, but maybe you'll like it. Tea doesn't do anything for me other than to help with the caffeine headaches. Two months after I quit, I still wanted to punch someone in the face to get a Diet Coke. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I did make it. Now I can have one here or there and not go back to it, but it's still a battle. I always want one the next day after having one, and I have a mini struggle to "quit" again, but it is just a mini struggle. Good luck with it; it's for your health, and doing this will prove to yourself that you think you are worth all the trouble!

    Thanks so much! I know I need to do this. My husband hasn't had a Mt. Dew in about two years and he still craves it!! He wont go near the stuff because it would be that easy to be hooked again for him. I need to do this for him too.
  • gamespriteicon
    gamespriteicon Posts: 66 Member
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    I've never drank much soda but I do have the fizz cravings. I allow myself to have one can of soda once in a blue moon when I really want one, but I makes sure to limit to one can.

    I do have a substitute version which eliminates the guilt, which is sparking water with juice. You do need to add it to your grocery list or else you'll just go back to soda because it's available. I stay away from club soda's because the salt content is high. I normally by Perrier or Aqua Fina now has a sparkling version. They both taste good, and are even better mixed with whatever juice you have in the fridge. The portion of juice to sparkling water is up to your taste buds. I usually stop when the water has turned to juice color. V8 splash drinks, the lower calorie ones, are very good.

    I do recommend keeping the sparkling water & juice in the fridge as soon as you get them home. Ice waters the drink down so the less ice you need the better. If you want to dress it up some more add some fruit slices or frozen grapes or any other frozen fruit (take off the stem, wash, put into zip lock bag, then freezer), for fun. You can buy fruit in the freezer section also, they last for a longer time then fresh fruit left out on the counter or regular fridge.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    Have you tried slowly cutting back? I used to drink a lot and just phased it out over time. Now it is pretty occasional that I have one. I drink tea mostly which really compared to Mt. Dew may as well not have caffeine. I have heard people substituting sparkling water or that sort of thing to get the bubbles. I don't really like that though.
  • frogmommy
    frogmommy Posts: 151 Member
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    I did a cold-turkey on my dietCoke, mostly to cut out the artificial sweetener. It was not easy, but after a couple days, the headaches went away. I still crave carbonation so I drink La Croix or low-sodium club soda. I still have an occasional diet Coke, but not several on a daily basis. I get my caffeine from unsweetened iced tea (and I am a coffee drinker in the morning).

    You can do it!
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    I was addicted to diet soda once (diet pepsi). I was tired and had a headache when I quit...symptoms lasted 5-7days...

    Have you ever tried drinking kombucha? Google it if you are unfamiliar. I like the brand GT Dave's. It's amazingly healthy for you and "addictive" in the best sense...
  • Sharyn913
    Sharyn913 Posts: 777 Member
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    My dad is the same way with Coke. He has some mental addiction to the coke so he will mix half a coke with half a glass of soda water so he doesn't have all the sugar and toxins from the coke.

    Maybe try that. And each time, increase the ratio just a little bit more in favor of the soda water. Spritz in some lime. Maybe before you know it, you will just be drinking soda water with lime! =)
  • Emily_Katherine
    Emily_Katherine Posts: 150
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    I also drink too much diet soda and not enough water. My solution has been to alternate between the two. Not perfect, but works okay.
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
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    I am addicted to Diet Coke. I used to drink 1 to 2 Super Big Gulps of it a day.

    I weined myself off it slowly first by quantity daily then by one ever second day then every third day etc.

    Now I have it as a treat when hubby and I go out. I don't drink alcohol so it's my thing to drink in a crowd at a bar or restaurant.

    They headaches do only last a couple days. When in withrawl I don't fight them I just have some to get it to go away.

    Not much else I can say other than once you detox you have to have the self-control to say no plain and simple!
  • pfgaytriot
    pfgaytriot Posts: 238 Member
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    It was harder for me to give up my lifelong addiction to cola than it was to give up my 14 year addiction to cigarettes.

    I just slowly reduced my intake of diet Coke. Instead of having many bottles/cans/glasses of it a day, try to start with one a day for a week. Then, the next week subtract two days and continue on from there.

    I still allow myself a diet Coke every once in a while, but it feels good to have one and not have the craving later in that same day or week.

    No doubt, it's hard, but you can do it!!
  • 5kidsforme
    5kidsforme Posts: 131 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Thanks everyone! Keep the ideas coming. I will try to let everyone know what I finally decide to do. And how I am doing.
  • ccbing
    ccbing Posts: 162 Member
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    First I purchased the small 7oz. cans of coke and drank 1 a day(for the first 2 weeks). I also kept Excedrine Migraine on hand the first 2 weeks when I kicked the soda habit in Jan. 2012. If I felt a headache comin on I took one. Got me through that first 2 weeks. Now I may have one glass of soda every 10 days or so. I only drink water, skim milk and occasional juice. Good luck...and yes, I feel better now without it.
  • LiveHarder
    LiveHarder Posts: 13 Member
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    I quit drinking soda a little over four years ago. I have one once in a while, usually involving alcohol or the desire for something a little different. I never crave them anymore, though I do see diet dr pepper sometimes and think dang... The headache sucks because like stated before caffeine is a drug and your body is addicted. But it goes away, I think they took excedrin off the market for the moment so try taking some midol(it has the same ingredients as excedrin including that little bit of caffeine). You do have to be careful if you do start drinking caffeine again, even unintentionally, I found that if I have a caffeinated beverage more than a day or so in a row, I have to deal with a caffeine headache again, which just goes to tell you how terrible it is for your body.
    Once I cut soda out I found that I didn't crave that bubbly stuff, but then again I find the various forms of soda water to be icky...
    Get through the first few days and it get's easier. You could even try rewarding yourself... If you spend X amount on Diet Mt. Dew a week, if you make it y number of weeks without soda, then you can buy yourself something that you would like that cost yX, and you don't have to feel guilty about it because you would have spent that money on soda anyway.
    Good luck!! You can do this, if I can you definitely can!!
  • 5kidsforme
    5kidsforme Posts: 131 Member
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    I was addicted to diet soda once (diet pepsi). I was tired and had a headache when I quit...symptoms lasted 5-7days...

    Have you ever tried drinking kombucha? Google it if you are unfamiliar. I like the brand GT Dave's. It's amazingly healthy for you and "addictive" in the best sense...

    Yes, I've heard of Kombucha. I love that stuff but it is so expensive. A little over $4.00 a bottle and I have to drive 40 mins. to the nearest place in order to buy it. I live in a small town. We don't have fizzy La Croix or Perrier here either!

    Thanks!
  • 5kidsforme
    5kidsforme Posts: 131 Member
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    I quit drinking soda a little over four years ago. I have one once in a while, usually involving alcohol or the desire for something a little different. I never crave them anymore, though I do see diet dr pepper sometimes and think dang... The headache sucks because like stated before caffeine is a drug and your body is addicted. But it goes away, I think they took excedrin off the market for the moment so try taking some midol(it has the same ingredients as excedrin including that little bit of caffeine). You do have to be careful if you do start drinking caffeine again, even unintentionally, I found that if I have a caffeinated beverage more than a day or so in a row, I have to deal with a caffeine headache again, which just goes to tell you how terrible it is for your body.
    Once I cut soda out I found that I didn't crave that bubbly stuff, but then again I find the various forms of soda water to be icky...
    Get through the first few days and it get's easier. You could even try rewarding yourself... If you spend X amount on Diet Mt. Dew a week, if you make it y number of weeks without soda, then you can buy yourself something that you would like that cost yX, and you don't have to feel guilty about it because you would have spent that money on soda anyway.
    Good luck!! You can do this, if I can you definitely can!!

    Thanks so much for your advice. I never thought of Midol but that will be my go to pain relief for the headaches. I love your idea on spending the money I normally spend on Diet Mt. Dew on a reward. I've done that with my weight loss. I get a reward every once in awhile for lbs lost. Thanks so much!!

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