Need help breaking a soda habit
 

Hi All!

Okay, feel like I'm in AA but I'm addicted to coca cola. Anyone in the same boat? Only time I've been able to break it was when I was overseas and a can cost $3. Even I wouldn't pay for that!

All jokes aside I'd appreciate and advice. And if you have any warnings...i.e. how bad it is for you...I'd love to hear them. Figure if I come back and read the reasons why not I can break myself of the habit. I think this is definately my RED LIGHT FOOD. :bomb:

Just to start off the warnings list: I've been diagnosed with Fatty Liver Syndrome....if I continue the way I am I'll develop clirosis of the liver. Not the alchol that does it but the sugar from the alchol. Didn't know that....excessive soda can do that for you too. :eek:

Also wondering how damaging the caffeine is. Have you seen that new studyout abou the affect of caffeinated soda on kids?

Diet soda is not an option for me either. Did you know that nutra sweet turns into phermaldahide (sorry about the poor spelling - mean embalming fluid) if it hits 80 degrees. :o

Deb

I'm addicted to Dr. Pepper....I would pay over $3 a can :lol: Wish I could help but I'm trying to kick it too.

P.S. - it's formaldehyde :D

Try switching to seltzer for the bubblyness, and to unsweetened tea for the caffeine. It will take you awhile. It took me a few years.

You have to stop drinking your calories is the main thing.

My old roommate did this by switching to juice all the time instead of Coke. I explained to her that it wasn't 100% juice & wasn't any better than soda. So then she switched to Kool-Aid. :rolleyes: But at least she wasn't drinking any soda! :)

I did it by buying seltzer & drinking that instead of soda when I wanted it. I had to quit the coffee, so now I drink unsweetened green tea w/mint in the morning, or unsweetened iced tea from a mix.

i drink less than one a day. every other day. but i'm good with that. but here's something to think about:

put an old penny in a glass of coke. it will soon be shiny and new. you can clean a toilet with it, too! it's some strong, nasty stuff.

I had a Diet Pepsi habit of 6-8 cans a day, every single day, for over 20 years. During my pregnancies I would cut down to 3 cans a day, but I was never able to give it up.

It finally took my blood pressure being up before it scared me into quitting. Just cold turkey and I haven't had any in almost 6 months. I switched to water and when I need something with more flavor, I drink a carbonated flavor water. They have no calories, no carbs, and no sodium. They're still not perfect, but I know it's better for me than the Diet Pepsi.

I thought that after 20 years of drinking the soda, that the caffeine didn't affect me any more, but I was amazed to find myself feeling so much better when I quit it. I started sleeping better at night, my ankles weren't swollen at the end of the day, my anxiety lessened, and my blood pressure did go down.

It's not easy, but if you can get away from the soda you will definitely feel a lot better. Good Luck and we'll all help any way we can!

Coca Cola
 

After reading your post, I was quite interested in what coca cola does, so I searched the net. Here is what I found, quite informative, and some of this stuff I had no clue!

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WATER



75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (This is likely that it applies to half the world population)

In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.

Lack of water, the No. 1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic arithmetic, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%. This means we are also 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.


COCA-COLA



In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.

To clean a toilet, pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers, rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminium foil dipped in coca-cola.

To clean corrosion from car battery terminals, pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion !

To loosen a rusted bolt, apply a cloth soaked in coca-cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

To bake a moist ham, empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminium foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

To remove grease from clothes, empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The coca-cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its’ pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
To carry coca-cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the “Hazardous Material” placards cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.
The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years !

Wow very interesting! I used to drink 2 liter bottle a day until i realised that was almost 1000 calories a day there!

Wow, Kari .. that was interesting indeed. I'm so glad I removed soda from my household over 2 years ago. Now we'll have some ICB root beer maybe once or twice a month as a real treat with a special dinner, instead of it being something they drink all the time. We have green tea, skim milk, and water. Oh, and once in a while crystal light. That's it.

Also, pop (hey, I'm from northern wisconsin, I don't apologize for my accent, LOL) is extremely bad for your teeth. It's bathing your teeth in acid and sugar constantly... eeek. -Apryl

I'm glad you posted that email, Kari, I was hoping someone would. :)

As a transplanted midwestener living in Boston, it is always "pop"! I agree Apry. I've been here 4 years and I still cringe when I say "soda".

I used to drink 2 20 ounce bottles of coke every day at lunch. Now having a diet coke (one or twice a month) is a treat! I've gone cold turkey and haven't had regular pop for several months.

Pop
 

I agree. Pop is horrible for your teeth. That's probably the #1 reason why I quite drinking it. Waaaay before I started this weight loss plan, I noticed how my teeth didn't look as white, and realised it was from all the coca-cola and iced tea that I was drinking.

Usually when we went to get fast food, I automatically ordered coca-cola. I literally had to force myself to order sprite. Not any better for my teeth, but it did not leave the stain that coke did.

Now, pop is not even a part of my plan. Not even diet pop. My health is too important now, and I'd like to have teeth when I grow old ;) Heck, if it can dissolve a nail in 4 days - I'd hate to see what it would do to my teeth and internal organs over an extended period of time.

I AM SOOO ADDICTED!

"Real" Coke is my one huge downfall. It's not allowed in my house under any circumstances. I've dreampt about it, I've craved it, I've drooled over it. It is a highly addicted substance.

I've always been a big water drinker, so there is no reason I couldn't change my coke habit to a diet soda habit. However, if you're drinking Coke instead of water AND you're not getting enough water, switch to water.

Here's some terrible withdrawal symptoms to watch out for:
*Headaches - especially if you don't drink enough water
*Physical hunger - I kept wanting to eat because my body was going through sugar withdraw.
*Thirst - usually die to dehydration - again, get some water
*Sweet tooth - Omigod, all that sugar is gone and now I want more of it!

I kicked the habit! So can you!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! All your comments were great....and that comment about the clean penny and toilet bowl cleaner is one that will stick in my mind.

Hate to imagine where I would be if they still used the original recipe - it had an opium base.

Deb :)

OK - I have a suggestion - this is how I cut down on my Dr Pepper habit -

I went back an hour a day. For example - no soda after 6 p.m. Next day, no soda after 5 p.m. Then back, back, back.

I had to do this with all caffeine - I have terrible insomnia. But was so addicted that cutting cold turkey would give me migraines.

I'm down to 1 can every day or two. I also stay away from fountain drinks - even a small can be more ounces than you're expecting (and want to count in your weight-loss program).

I buy cans and then only allow myself one every couple of days. Sometimes I forget all about it!