Cutting Back on Soda?

mrstmoose

Has anyone ever successfully stopped drinking soda? I have drank it daily since I was about 16 years old and I'm honestly getting tired of it, but it is an addiction. I think about quitting weekly but then I don't have the willpower to go through with it. So, if you have quit altogether (or cut back significantly), what did you do? How long did it take? How bad were the withdrawals? I know I may react differently but I am genuinely looking for any ideas.

WinchestertoPittsburgh

I just stopped buying it for my house. Replaced it with sparkling water instead. Still gives you the feel of a soda, but without the sugar or the calories.

kmd0501

I'm experiencing a current struggle with coffee. I work nights so I always have a 16oz in the way in and maybe one can of diet soda before midnight but I'm seriously trying to cut back now before I get a BFP.

On my days off I basically have a coffee cup in my hand for 18 hours. I started just slowly stripping away one cup a day and limiting my time for drinking it. Maybe you can say no soda after 5pm to start and then only water and work backwards from there? Or limit the number of bottles/cans a day? I found that adding fruit to my water made it a lot easier for me to drink.

ArtlessIbex

I quit last year around Thanksgiving.  Up until then I would drink a Mt. Dew or two a day.  I loved the stuff.

Quitting was hard, but after the first three weeks or so (when frankly, I wanted one practically all the time), it was not that bad.  My work still offers free soda, but I don't really care about it anymore.

If you give it up, give it up completely.  It's far easier than trying to limit your intake.  If you have a little, you'll want to have a lot - at least in my case.

PrimRoseMama

I substituted with La Croix lemon and orange. Its simply carbonated water with flavor, no calories and very little sugar. Perrier is also a great alternative. Squeeze some lime or orange in there and boom.

MEA0320

I actually did it cold turkey... it was during Lent about four years ago. I don't drink it anymore except for the occasional Saturday or Sunday due to a hangover. It's amazing how much better I felt six months later and one of the better things I've "given up" for Lent.

Mostly during the day I stick with water, but once in a while I'll get a club soda. I add fruit to it sometimes as well to get some flavor but it also satisfies the need for the carbonation without the crazy sugar rush. 

mrstmoose

These are great ideas! I've been able to cut back (quite a bit) but then I get stressed/emotional and it all goes to hell in a hand basket (I realize I talk like a 80 year old woman). 

Thanks for the help ladies! 

vanessa11411

I have about 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day but only on weekdays when I am at work. DH and I were hooked on soda for some time but we've been trying to live a healthier lifestyle. We used to buy a couple of 12 packs and they would go so fast. So to avoid the temptation we don't buy any for the house anymore. It's been about a year since we stopped buying it. The fridge is always stocked with bottled water and juices. If we go out to eat, I will once in a blue moon order a diet coke. 

FloridaStanley

I'll be real. I used to drink 3-5 cans of diet coke a day. I've cut myself back to 1, more if I go out to eat or something and get a drink. I had headaches at first but they went away after a few days.

skilouise

meg032085 said:

I actually did it cold turkey... it was during Lent about four years ago. I don't drink it anymore except for the occasional Saturday or Sunday due to a hangover. It's amazing how much better I felt six months later and one of the better things I've "given up" for Lent.

Mostly during the day I stick with water, but once in a while I'll get a club soda. I add fruit to it sometimes as well to get some flavor but it also satisfies the need for the carbonation without the crazy sugar rush. 

I quit after giving it up during Lent too! That wasn't my plan, but after going without for so long, soda was wayyyyy too sweet when I tried drinking it again. I will have a ginger ale once in awhile, but that's it.

I'm so glad I didn't have the same experience when I gave up coffee, though!

dsmith211

I agree with everyone on the flavored water. I make sure to stock up on it at my house and it really helps. I've gone down from about 2 or 3 sodas a day to maybe 1 a week if any at all.

mrstmoose

FloridaStanley said:

I'll be real. I used to drink 3-5 cans of diet coke a day. I've cut myself back to 1, more if I go out to eat or something and get a drink. I had headaches at first but they went away after a few days.

There have been days/periods of time where I drank more than this. It was bad for a long time; as in I would drink two 32oz a day. Bad. I  haven't drank that much in a day in a long time. But it's still not healthy!

FloridaStanley

mrstmoose said:

FloridaStanley said:

I'll be real. I used to drink 3-5 cans of diet coke a day. I've cut myself back to 1, more if I go out to eat or something and get a drink. I had headaches at first but they went away after a few days.

There have been days/periods of time where I drank more than this. It was bad for a long time; as in I would drink two 32oz a day. Bad. I  haven't drank that much in a day in a long time. But it's still not healthy!

I'm very sure there were days where I would drink that much. It's easy to get addicted to soda. I'm not proud of my past, but I'm happy with my "roughly one a day"

Lulucooks

*previous child/pregnancy mentioned*

I drank soda or super sweet tea exclusively when I became KU. I cut it all out and switched to water with type drink. Water with some juice or water with some tea or even some of the added flavors they have now. I still drank soda, but saved it for special occasions. I, over time, was able to cut down the amount of "with" I added and now just drink water 95% of the time. The rest are special drinks I like to enjoy

jhems776

I used to be about 6-8 glasses a day  :-S and when I didn't have any super headaches.  I think what worked well is instead of trying to limit make yourself have the same amount of water as pop as you want to have.  This will cut out the ones when you are really just thirsty.  I stopped having any at work and now only have 1 glass at home.

candicek15

I definitely agree with the flavoured water suggestion. It's nicer to drink, especially in the evening or with dinner, than plain water. I've found that drinking lots of plain water during the day helps me cut back on soda since I'm too full for all that carbonation. I know it's tough and you can get headaches at first, but I honestly found that the more I drank it, the more I craved it, and that the less I drank it, the less I craved it, so it does get better!

I also suggest working with someone on this. I cut it out (still have it sometimes now) when we did a health challenge at work where we had to give points for our eating each day. I'd also get called out on by my coworkers if I was drinking it. If you stick with it you'll see positive changes, and then those changes are usually enough to keep you working at it!

Good luck!

FloridaStanley

Keep water and other good drinks handy. I was so used to just grabbing a can of diet coke that I was too lazy to fill my water cup. True story. A case of bottled water helped a lot!

mrstmoose

FloridaStanley said:

Keep water and other good drinks handy. I was so used to just grabbing a can of diet coke that I was too lazy to fill my water cup. True story. A case of bottled water helped a lot!

I feel like you're my long lost soda twin. 

lalalorelai

I also gave it up for Lent a few years ago. Lent is a great time to do something like that-- it's only temporary, so there's an end in sight, but it's long enough that you can really feel the effects. Maybe tell yourself that you'll give it up for a month, or two months, and re-evaluate after that? I was never super addicted but I would drink probably a can a day. Now I might order a pop when I get a sandwich for lunch or something, but even then I've pretty much switched to (unsweetened) iced tea. 

The only time I really can't let it go is when I'm drinking my beloved Jack and Cokes. And for some reason, road trips. A nice cold diet pepsi just goes so good with a summer road trip!

RachelT1234

I gave up pop completely, cold turkey, with the exception of mixed drinks. Liquor works too well with coke and ginger ale!

FloridaStanley

mrstmoose said:

FloridaStanley said:

Keep water and other good drinks handy. I was so used to just grabbing a can of diet coke that I was too lazy to fill my water cup. True story. A case of bottled water helped a lot!

I feel like you're my long lost soda twin. 

mrstmoose

@FloridaStanley

Mr0616

Watch the doc "Fed-Up" on Netflix - very eye opening!  I was addicted to diet coke, and DH.   We will have one of those little 8oz cans maybe one a month?  Usually to get rid of a headache.  

Or if someone buys a bottle of crown  

kelseyac

I used to LOVE drinking soda. Then I heard a statistic that said something like drinking a soda with your dinner is like pouring a cup of sugar on your plate. Gross. After hearing that I was done. I drink an occasional can, but regret it after one sip. I'm a water person, i could drink water for days. 

CoonMom

I used to give it up for Lent but always went right back to it Easter Sunday. This year when we started TTC I started cutting back to one can every other day (it used to be one a day). Then my coworker, who is a one a day coffee dranker, kept telling me how awful pop was for me so I gave it up completely. (I still think it's equally as bad as coffee but I'm probably wrong). I did have headaches for awhile while cutting back but it wasn't terrible. Best of luck!

BabyIntegers

Not me personally, however my husband was highly addicted to Coca Cola. He drank about 3-4 twelve packs per week  

When he learned all about what high fructose corn syrup does to the body, that was enough for him to make a change. He started buying natural cola from Trader Joe's. I don't know if you have that store where you live, but it's worth ordering online if you can. There are also natural juices they have which are carbonated to curb the craving for soda. He hasn't had Coca Cola regularly since about two years ago. 

He will occasionally have one when we got out to eat, but only drinks about half of it. He didn't experience any withdrawals, but he said the only way he could go through with it was to switch to something natural. Best of luck to you, kudos for wanting to make a healthy change. Your body will thank you so much for it! 

ttcimpls

I made the switch by going to tea. Helps with the caffeine cravings and (depending on the tea) can be good for you too! It's a little more work than just grabbing a can of soda, but totally worth it.

m6agua

Warning this may get long...

I used to drink soda like crazy, I have never really bought it for home or had it in the house but I would buy a case and leave it in my car. I was addicted to it/caffeine. 

I tried to quit many times since college (2010), I tried all different methods, cold turkey, cutting back to 1 a day, then 1 EOD, then 2 a week, etc. I would start out doing good, then it would drink all the sodas. If I heard someone open a can at work I would go to the vending machine and get a can, if I was stressed I would get a bottle from the gas station.

The only time I successfully quit was Jan 21, 2014. I quit cold turkey, however it was different this time. Something in my attitude changed. I finally decided that I didn't really "need" it, and I knew it was terrible for me. So it was definitely my mindset. In the past the withdrawals were terrible but this time it wasn't as bad, I mean I still had the headaches and stuff but not too bad and they didn't last very long. I think a lot of that had to do with my mindset once again. Also pretty much all I drank was water instead. I found that drinking ice cold water helped more than just cold or room temp water. Also once I quit I lost 10lbs. So that was motivating.

I went almost a full year and half without a single drop, I didn't even crave it anymore. I'll admit I was scared to try any, even in a mix drink because I thought I would "relapse". The first soda I had was this past July on vacation, and I only got it because my $12 drink from a bar was way to strong and I needed something to cut it. Since then I have only have had 2 cans of sprite (my stomach was upset). I feel I am finally at a place where I don't need soda anymore and I really prefer not to have it at all.

@mrstmoose I hope this helps, sorry it was so long. My takeaways for you are change your mindset (easier said than done), ice cold water, and just push through the withdrawal stage, it will get better.

calfherder

I quit soda several years ago. I used to drink 3 or 4 cans of Pepsi every day. It was giving me cavities despite my obsessive teeth brushing, so I had to quit. Now I can't stand it, too sweet. I only drink coffee, water, and iced tea without sugar. Like others said: It helps to keep a glass or bottle of water filled in the fridge, ice cold water is so refreshing.

mamma1614

I was addicted to coffee and had no plans to ever stop until the subject of TTC came up for the first time. First time around when I did it, I replaced it with hot chocolate. Every morning I used to have a coffee and I couldn't function at work without some kind of hot drink. I gained too much weight drinking the hot chocolate in my pregnancy so I wouldn't recommend it lol. Second time around ( not yet pregnant), I started reducing it by adding more milk and less coffee and limited myself to once a day instead of twice. In my own comfortable pace. I finally replaced it with raspberry tea and I feel fine without the coffee! Maybe you could do something similar with the soda? slowly reduce the intake and maybe mix it with seltzer? Keep doing it til you feel no need for the soda flavor and replace it with lemon.
Also, don't tell yourself your not allowed to have it while quitting. If you really need a sip, let yourself have it. Very slow process, but it worked for me.  Just a thought

You do go through some headaches and drowsiness as you withdraw the caffeine. But eventually that goes away! 

aloha5736

I used to drink coke zero daily, even x2 a day.  I switch to flavored seltzer water for awhile and now really only drink water.  I got myself one of the refillable, glass containers and just keep filling it.  My dentist told me soda and seltzer really wear done the enamel on the teeth, so I wanted to get away from the carbonation.

Coffee...I attempted to quit cold turkey and got headaches LOL.  I weaned myself down, and now I just drink decaf every AM.  Don't even notice the difference in my energy.  I like tea so I do that too in the winter.  Just can't give up my iced coffee haha.

onefootinthebayou

I didn't get to read all responses so apologies if this suggestion has been given but what about club soda with a splash of fresh juice? Cranberry, Apple, White Grape, cherry, mixed berry, would all make delicious spritzers. You could even add some frozen fruit bits (or white wine after 5:00 They take a bit more effort than popping a top which is a prevention mechanism in & of itself. It would also probably save $ over time. Good luck, it's a worthwhile habit to give up.

brambles1

I cut out soda cold turkey in support of DH when he decided quit his Diet Coke addiction.  We've switched to flavored seltzer and I honestly don't miss soda.  I had a Coke for the first time in three months and I couldn't even finish half of it; it was too sweet/chemically tasting, and this is coming from the girl who would drink a can of Coke every other day in college.

Edited to add: @mrstmoose I don't know if you live in an area where you can get Polar seltzer but they have a TON of flavors so you never get bored with options.

mrstmoose

I think I'm definitely going to go cold turkey. I am going to look into the La Croix and other flavored waters. I can only imagine how cranky and snarky I'm going to be for a few days/week/however long. 

aloha5736

I second the Polar They had a million flavors haha.

stylist001

3rd for Polar! I quit soda cold turkey 2 years ago and seltzer has been a life saver. I always have a ton of seltzer in the house and I honestly can't even drink a soda diet or regular anymore.

m6agua

mrstmoose said:

I think I'm definitely going to go cold turkey. I am going to look into the La Croix and other flavored waters. I can only imagine how cranky and snarky I'm going to be for a few days/week/however long. 

I'm not sure what you all are concerned with but if it's just the caffeine addiction other flavored drinks should be fine. But if it is also the artificial sweeteners make sure to read your labels. The only flavored drink I could find without artificial sweeteners was the 0 calorie sobe lifewaters. The regular ones had sugars.

sorarose

*TW: PRIOR PREGNANCY MENTIONED**

I drink 1 can of Coke Zero a day. DH drinks other sodas/lemonades with artificial sweeteners to limit calories. When I was KU, I cut out all caffeine and artificial sweeteners, except for ginger ale. Personally, I think it's all about moderation, but I do consider cutting out diet soda sometimes.

Malibu45

Hi ! I am a coca cola fanatic so in my attempts to significantly limit my soda intake I drink seltzer...my favorite flavored are lemon lime or mandarin orange. Just be careful because most brands are sodium free but not all. I prefer the sodium free brands obviously

ReadyForaB

I gave it up for lent about five years ago and never went back. I will have one once in a blue moon but nothing like the everyday routine I was doing.

kaitlink33

I have been drastically cutting back on soda for the last week in an attempt to give it up altogether and I have headaches like you wouldn't believe. Hopefully, they will subside soon! GL!