[staybeautiful]

So lately ive been trying to get healthy and kick all the bad food and drink habits.... ive done rly good... i rarely eat anything bad but the one thing i cant give up is pop (soda)... does anyone else deal with this? like i get rly cranky when i cant get it if i know its in the house.. i can go thru a whole bottle aday...

how can i kick this its rly wearing me down & making me lose faith that ill ever get over it.

[odonnela]

I started drinking flavored sparkling water about 10 years ago and it didn't take long before I couldn't stand soda. I had a mean diet coke habit - at least a 6pk a day, usually more. I prefer Poland Springs sparkling raspberry lime water - it has no sweeteners and is just sparkling water and raspberry lime essence. There is also splenda sweetened sparkling waters which tend not to have the slight bitterness the unsweetened does. I don't like the sweet ones because I am used to the one I drink, I also do not notice the bitterness one bit but I do remember it when I first started and whenever someone takes a sip of my water they are like gee this is bitter.
Your probably dealing with a few different things here - sugar, caffiene, and carbonation. Try having a cup or 2 of coffee in the morning and do the sparkling water. Quitting caffiene cold turkey will give you a vicious headache its better to wean off it.

[BeeMom]

I mix sparkling water with fruit juice or even crystal lite.

[GreenTeaYum]

Oh. My. Gosh.

Soda was my biggest struggle too. Still is. I get cranky if I don't get some form of carbonated goodness everyday. I usually stick to diet, but sometimes a regular soda sounds good.

It's been a struggle, but I think it's been completely worth the effort. I always used to drink a Diet Mt. Dew with dinner and I would wonder why I tossed and turned in bed for an hour before falling asleep. Since I've stopped drinking it, I hit the bed and I'm out within 15 minutes.

I really kicked the habit because I knew I had to drink more water. I just forced myself to keep a water bottle at my side all day and to drink 8oz every hour, on the hour. Having to drink that much fluid on top of my coffee (sorry, can't give that up), I just felt too water logged to fit anything else in.

But, it's been about a month since I've stopped drinking soda everyday. I now crave water in the morning, in place of my usual diet pepsi and I save a soda for special occasions - maybe once a week when eating out, or I'll have it as a replacement for dessert.

The first 2 weeks were probably the worst. It was just a matter of breaking the habit of reaching for water/tea instead of the soda.

Green Tea has been a lifesaver (hence the name, ) The process of making tea keeps me occupied at night, it's honestly just a replacement for late night eating, but it's a much healthier alternative. If I have a warm cup of tea in my hands, I'm too preoccupied to be drinking soda or munching. And a bit of honey helps hit that sweet spot.

You can do it! Baby steps.

[candytrees]

i am with you..i was up to 5 two liters a day..now, half a 2 liter of diet dr pepper or something similar..its hard but worth it!!!

[Jittery]

A few months ago I realized I was having wayyy too much diet soda. So much so, that it would replace my water intake. Are you drinking enough water? If not, maybe you could tell yourself that you aren't allowed any soda until you finish your daily quota of water. That worked for me.

I've actually stopped drinking soda. Oddly enough, I don't like the taste. I realize now that I was just drinking diet pepsi/coke out of habit. If I had never heard of soda and somebody came up to me and told me to drink this black liquid that has no nutritional value and will decay your teeth, I would NEVER even take a sip. But I was so used to seeing it as a party of my daily life, that I would just mindlessly drink it.

But even if you do genuinely like the taste - maybe you could set up some reward system for yourself?