The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
How do I give up carbonated sodas?
JimJimBinks
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
For the last 3 months I've been in a pretty decent workout routine (Decent for someone who's never exercised regularly for this long in his life) and now I'm thinking it's time to give up my one big vice. Diet Mountain Dew. I drink waaaaaaaay too much of it. We're talking like three 20oz bottles and two 12oz cans per day. Sometimes a little less, sometimes (but rarely) a little more.
I've tried to quit before. But eventually end up back to it.
The last time I tried to quit I was doing a low carb diet. So I couldn't drink any fruit juices or anything like that. This time I'm not so restricted. I'm not sure if I should try to give up now, or in a few weeks. In a week I'm going on a 2½ week vacation to Hawaii and California, and I'm going to be around a lot of family and a lot of carbonated beverages. When I'm at home it's just me and my wife, she doesn't drink any sodas at all so I won't have to worry about being constantly surrounded by carbonated drinks.
Another thing I'm worried about, and my constant excuse every other time I've tried to quit, is the headaches I get when I have no caffeine are horrible. Is there any way to quit and avoid the headaches.
tl;dr: I need advice on how to give up carbonated beverages.
I drank a 20oz diet mountain dew while writing this. Just find that kinda funny.
I've tried to quit before. But eventually end up back to it.
The last time I tried to quit I was doing a low carb diet. So I couldn't drink any fruit juices or anything like that. This time I'm not so restricted. I'm not sure if I should try to give up now, or in a few weeks. In a week I'm going on a 2½ week vacation to Hawaii and California, and I'm going to be around a lot of family and a lot of carbonated beverages. When I'm at home it's just me and my wife, she doesn't drink any sodas at all so I won't have to worry about being constantly surrounded by carbonated drinks.
Another thing I'm worried about, and my constant excuse every other time I've tried to quit, is the headaches I get when I have no caffeine are horrible. Is there any way to quit and avoid the headaches.
tl;dr: I need advice on how to give up carbonated beverages.
I drank a 20oz diet mountain dew while writing this. Just find that kinda funny.
JimJimBinks on
0
Posts
What I did was have a small bag of sweet candy around and used that to cure the headaches, since I wasn't drinking soda at all, the habit got kicked pretty easy, and I can tell you that I feel pretty good, so you have that to look foreward to.
Also: Crystal Lite (unless you're allergic) is tasty.
One thing that helped me reduce soda intake was to keep a plastic jug of water on-hand as often as possible, and drinking from it regularly, even if not thirsty. It will keep you from getting thirsty and grabbing a soda; just don't go crazy and drink too much water, it can be harmful if you force it down.
This is what worked for me as well. Having water right there with me kept me from being thirsty and craving soda. I'll second the suggestion of coffee as well. It'll help you with the caffeine withdrawal.
For me I missed the carbonated part sometimes, so I picked up some H20 carbonated bottled water. I prefer the berry flavor.
However, I've said it before and I'll say it again: All the tricks in the world aren't going to help you if you don't have the will power to make it happen. It ultimately comes down to you having the will to stop drinking soda.
http://funhouse.bubble.ro/311/How_much_sugar_is_in_a_can_of_soda_/
There's almost 40g of suger in every can of juice, according to this guy that's 7.5 heaped teaspoons of sugar. You should probably go into your kitchen and tip 7.5 teaspoons of sugar onto a plate and look at it, because it's a horrible amount of sugar for what your drinking. When you multiply this by the amount of soda that you're drinking per day you are actually consuming a horendous amount of sugar.
In all reality, you probably really enjoy the taste. And so the only way to get yourself off of it is to physically disgust yourself at the amount of absolute shit that you're drinking every day, and what an adverse affect it's having on your body. Seriously, go put that amount of sugar into the equivalent amount of water and try and drink it, and see how it tastes.
And I second the pure water thing. Fill an empty soda bottle or two and stick in the fridge and have ready for when you're thirsty.
You all have been a big help. Now the ball is in my court. Let's see if I can keep it up.
Lime juice in water. It's surprising just how good this tastes, especially once your taste buds are no longer accustomed to sugar water. It wasn't convenient for me to keep limes around to cut up, so I picked up one of those little lime-shaped squeeze bulbs at the store. Check the ingredients list, some are just concentrated lime juice, others have nasty additives.
Also, caffeine tablets. I love coffee, but still have those days where I just don't even want to look at a cup. This is an alternative eye-opening fix, that can be washed down with plenty of healthy water.
Mineral water is amazing, but it's really hard to find around here. When I was in Germany I could find it all over the place.
But yeah I have completely stopped drinking soda myself (I'm down to probably one can a month). If you need caffeine coffee works great, as does green tea.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
I was a soda ADDICT for most of my life. Since I was... what, 12? 13? I've consumed at least 5 cans of soda a day. In a conservative estimate, that's 1000 calories a day of the sugary substance.
About six months ago, I began to realize that I've spent most of my adolescent and adult life killing myself with this shit, so here was the plan I laid out:
1) Never, ever buy or drink a regular soda again. Not at a restaurant, not on a road trip, not if you're nailed to a cross and someone hoists a sponge drenched in it for me to drink.
2) Start with diet Dr. Pepper. Diet soda's not great for you in some ways, but calorically and in terms of sugar intake (both of which are 0), you're doing your body an incredible favor. Diet Dr. Pepper is the least "diet" tasting soda I've ever found. Whatever you'd normally buy (quantity wise) of regular soda, buy diet Dr. Pepper instead.
3) One month in, begin the switch to water. Start by halving your diet Dr. Pepper supply, and replace it with water.
4) Proceed further at your own pace, and according to your own caffeine needs.
Using this plan, I (a hardcore soda junkie for most of his life) have quit soda entirely and permanently. Hopefully it can help you as well.
After the month was up I had gone for so long without Soda that I decided fuck it and I haven't drank soda since.
That was 5 years ago.
Now I drink a Coke Vanilla Zero (I like this better than Coke Cherry Zero or just Coke Zero, and find it to taste better than normal Coke Vanilla) with lunch and a beer with dinner. Between I drink water. And lots of it.
Pretty much all of this advice requires some form of willpower... so yeah, it's implied if that helps.
Well, not so much. All the ideas about water and other low-cal alternatives are great, but you have to actually want to not drink soda and you have to learn to control yourself. For a lot of people who haven't really had to do that with food before, it can be a big thing. It requires a sustained alertness that can take practice.
beat me to it.
Along with willpower, just avoid it. If you don't buy soda, I think you'll find it's a little difficult to drink it.
It seems to me like that's two sides of the same coin though. I mean, you have to drink something in order to survive, just as a biological fact. So drinking water or diet soda are definitely good alternatives from a health perspective... and you still have to have the willpower to choose them over regular soda. I think what we're doing is saying the same thing in two different ways.
I'm doing this alongside giving up smoking (patches are a godsend)... just trying to make myself more healthy overall. A question I have about carbonated beverages and the giving up thereof - will it help to reduce my pot belly? I don't eat too badly and I walk for an hour and a half every week day. I am going to start introducing more focused exercises for my abdominal area, but will cutting out the cola help towards getting rid of my podge?
*Thanks Thanatos!
If thats part of the reason you like soda so much try going for other things in bottles, teas, water, whatever that satisfies your thirst as well as your need for convinence.
I know its 0 fat 0 sugar etc, but what do the chemicals that replace these do to you?
Is that some sort of herbal supplement? Is it FDA approved?
how difficult to operate are the taps where you live?
50 mile walk through tribally disputed desert to the nearest communal well.
I'd think cold-turkeying on sugar would be a bit harsh, especially considering how much he's already consuming. Fruit or fruit juice to sate those cravings might be a good idea in addition to using plain water to quench his actual thirst.
Its not the difficulty of the taps, but the quality of the water. Luke warm water is not refreshing satisfaction.