I am not even sure if this is the right place to post my question. But I want to drink water and I just can't get myself to drink it. Its too plain, and I am addicted to soda. I can drink up to a 12pack of soda a day. I would like to cut way back on soda and drink mostly water and/or juice. Any suggestions?

Make your own iced tea, flavour it with a bit of fruit juice?
Carbonated water and lime/fruit juice? It jazzes it up a bit
Those powder packs of 0 cal flavouring?

I work at a cafe, where we sell sugar-free flavouring syrups in hazelnut, vanilla, strawberry and raspberry. Mixed with carbonated water is a nice treat, but I guess still technically soda

I think cutting back like you said is a good idea-- as opposed to going totally cold turkey. My DH drinks maybe 2-3 cans a day, and I've suggested to him that for every can he drinks, he drink a bottle of water. Just a thought. I do noticed that I drink more water when it's got lime slices or lemon juice or little ice cubes in it. Good luck!

Also experiment with the temperature of water you prefer. Once I discovered that I preferred my water to be closer to room temperature than super cold, it became much easier to chug down lots. I used to drink 3-4 cans of Diet Coke a day, now I maybe have two a week--and don't miss it.

I drink seltzer like its going out of style. The carbonation makes it more refreshing for me that regular ole water. I like it plain, room temp, straight from the bottle, but there are lots of unsweetened "flavors" like lemon-lime, cherry, raspberry and orange. Whole Foods has a mint flavor which I find revolting, but it appeals to some people!

Be careful with juice- it's a lot of sugar and calories. Even 100% natural fruit juice is 100% natural fruit sugar and 100% natural calories. You can cut fruit juice with seltzer (another plug for my favorite drink!) to make a refreshing spritzer. Or just eat whole fruit- less calorie dense, and you get the fiber, too.

It sounds like you ARE addicted to soda, and you say you want to cut down. Why don't you just do it? You might try cutting it out completely for a period of time- 2 weeks, 1 week, even 1 day. You can skip soda for a day, right? And then maybe another day? Soda, no matter how it is sweetened, offers nothing good for your body, and you know it. Even diet sodas fuel out addictions to sugars and sweets. Personally, if I'm going to have sweets, I'd rather eat them, but I've never been a big soda drinker. But there are plenty of things I've had to give up in order to lose weight- even if i'm not giving them up forever, I have to give them up most days.

I know you can kick that soda habit!! just for today, no more soda. Just for tomorrow, no soda. You'll come up with other stuff to drink. (but I recommend trying seltzer- you might love it as much as I do!)

Thank you so much! I now have very good ideas for cutting out the soda and getting water in!!!

I drink my water at room temperature too.If it's to cold or warm,I ujst can't stand it.

There are some great suggestions here, i hope you can bring my more water into your eating plan.

I drink a lot of seltzer or sparkling water to help me with my soda craving. And I also make sure I never have any in my kitchen!

And I love drinking cold water! I keep a container in the fridge to chill my filtered tap water and pour it in an insulated cup to keep it cold.

I didn't like water either...So since my hubby is the grocery shopper he stopped buying EVERYTHING but water (I was never a soda drinker, I loved orange and apple juice)....I got so thirsty! lol....I had no choice! So now I drink 100oz everyday with no problem....Try those things you pour into your water so it tastes different....I have only heard of crystal light....

Lauralou,
Also you can drink unsweetened green tea instead of water, add any juice that you desire from an actual piece of fruit citrus is better because just a little changes the taste a lot, and the bonus kicker is it also helps boost the metabolism which aides in weight loss. Also as far as those flavored packets I would look real closely at what is in those before drinking any of them. The chemicals are sometimes worse than the sugars in sodas just cause it says it 0 Calories doesn't make it healthy to drink. Also with the tea if you don't like the taste just make it weaker so it takes less juice to cover it's taste. And remember a person your weight should be drinking at least 160 ounces of water a day because most overweight people are dehydraded and don't even know it. The reason for so much is because for every pound of fat you have something like 75 feet more blood vessels to get blood to the fat, water also helps the body flush out any toxins that was stored in the fat cells along with other things that your body does not need.
Just some food for thought!
Also if you want some other helpful suggestions get in touch with me I will help you any way I can, if I read your numbers right you are very overweight and need to lose the weight before it causes major health issuses. I teach proper nutrition in live weight loss challenges!
Calvin

What about iced herbal teas, like iced blueberry or iced strawberry-coconut teas? I'm sure they have significantly lower sugar while still having flavour. Many of my co-workers really enjoy it, but it just makes me miss juice

Juice a lemon, mix with water (I use ~24 oz, in a mason jar), and 2 packets of "stevia in the raw". Not overly lemony or overly sweet, but I never, ever have problems finishing it.

The first thing I did when I wanted to cut back on soda was stop buying it for my home. I am still allowed soda when i eat out. But in my frig at home i just have milk and water... sometimes orange juice but that's for breakfast only. Also, try carrying a water bottle with you. I tend to just sip on it all day without really noticing. As far as water temp, I love ice water if I have a straw to drink it with (sensitive teeth). But for chugging, room temp is definitely best.