After reading a 'delightful' article about soda (someone posted it in a thread on here, it also had to do with fast food) my husband and I have finally decided to give it up. I've done it before, but have always came back. This time, I hope to do it completely.

There were two others things that caused us to come to this decision. One happened a month or two ago. We were sitting in my mom's truck, waiting for her to get done with her shopping, after just loading our groceries into the back. My husband and I like to watch people, and we saw these two women (a mother and a daughter) unloading not one, but two buggies completely filled with bottles of soda into their vehicle. That was all that was in there.

The other thing happened around last month, I think, and it was when we were inside Walmart, buying a couple gallons of distilled water. There was an old lady and a younger woman, and the younger woman was asking the older lady if she wanted to get a gallon of water. The old lady responded with something like this, "No, I still have the one, and it will last me."

So, Monday we went to town and bought a water filter. I think this will also help on our grocery bill, so I'm happy about that.

Has anyone else ever seen anything like what I mentioned that drove you to change something about yourself?

Around here, any time we see someone buying a vast amount of soda bottles it usually means they run their own store (and are buying it when it is very cheap at the grocery store, or are having a party. Just saying, not always best to assume the worst.

Yeah, sorry about that.

I have seen people buy large amounts of soda, and it has been for themselves. I know this because they were friends that I was shopping with. I agree, people abuse pop way too much. It's calorie laden and high in sugar.

Good on you guys for making that decision I only drink diet coke once in awhile but am thinking about giving that up too.

I drink soda like it is going out of style. It's extremely hard for me to give up. My mom told me once she used to give me soda in my bottle when I was younger so it is a long time addiction. It's affecting my health bad though so I truly need to stop..Why is it so hard to though?

It's likely that the elderly woman was not buying distilled water for drinking, but for use in steam or vapor producing household appliances such as steam cleaners, steam irons and clothing steamers, facial or sinus steamers, room humidifiers.... and for making coffee and tea, primarily if using old-fashioned metal coffee and teapots. The reason being that "ordinary" tap or bottled drinking water would eventually leave mineral deposits on the gadget. Distilled water is free of minerals, so this is not a problem.

The lack of minerals actually makes distilled water a poor choice for every day drinking water, because it can (by osmosis) actually pull minerals from your body. Drinking small amounts isn't an issue, but not your best choice for your primary source of fluids.

"Drinking water" is generally a better choice, because it will have a higher mineral content. And in most areas drinking tap water isn't any less healthy than most bottled waters (bottled water is often just some other city's tap water, with at best no more filtration than a Brita water pitcher would provide).

Bottled water is also a huge waste of resources. It's far more ecologically sound to use a filter or filter pitcher for your tap water (depending on your local water quality, this may be entirely unnecessary).


Another great reason to avoid distilled water - most people find it less tastey than "regular" water. In taste comparisons, most people find distilled water "flat tasting" compared with filtered drinking water and even most tap waters.

The best thing about kicking the soda habit is once you do you won't go back. I have not had a soda for at least 5 years. If I even tasted one now it would be such a turn-off. It is seriously just an addiction....they don't really taste good.

However, when I was addicted, I drank 4 Dr. Peppers a day.I could not function at work if I did not have one as soon as I got out of bed.

I am so glad I don't drink them now.

I used to be SERIOUSLY addicted to caffeine...like, to the point that I would get withdrawal headaches if I didn't have a coke early on in the day. I had cut down to 3 canned Pepsis a day and, when I started Southbeach, I was seriously concerned about being able to give it up. I can't do diet coke b/c the aspertame that most of them use gives me migraines. So I switched off to sweet tea (sweetened w/ Splenda). It's been 3 months since I've had a coke and I don't miss them at all. I actually tried having one not long after I started and it didn't even taste as good as I remembered. I only drank half of it. LOL

Oh, I forgot to mention that since going off coke I have noticed that my feet no longer swell. Used to, by the end of a 12 hours shift my ankles and feet were so swollen that my shoes were unbearably tight. No more!!!

Thanks for the feedback. And I seriously didn't know that about distilled water. Well, I've got a water filter now (and it taste great!) so I don't have to worry about that anymore.

I actually came to the same conclusion at the beginning of my journey - to be done with soda. I had no idea how much something so simple [even 'DIET'] could effect my weight. By just cutting out soda, I lost 6lbs my first week, and 4lbs the week after.

Now, it's not a big deal. My roommate is a HUGE soda drinker, he came home with SIX BOXES [in his defense it was buy 2 get 4 free] of soda last weekend and he's down to 3.5 boxes left. I have enjoyed a soda or two from the stash and don't feel much guilt in doing so.

However, to your question at hand, I took a trip to Italy last November and watching how everyone ate there really changed my life. It wasn't my first time there and it won't be my last, but I got rid of all the prepackaged food in my house and vowed to start cooking for myself with only the freshest of ingredients, which I have done, and let me tell you -- I feel so much better, it's astonishing.

i haven't had a soda in a week...but thats not really my weakness. southern sweet tea on the other hand is the hardest thing i had to give up for my diet. but as long as i don't see it i'm usually ok. it;s weird for me with sodas. its like if i have 1 i have to have 10 but if i dont drink one i dont crave it

My in-laws do this. 2 walmart carts(minimum) per month of nothing but soda. And its all for them. The first time I saw them do this I thought it was all for an upcoming family function, but it wasn't. After seeing the money they were spending on soda alone, my husband and I made to decision to cut way back on our soda puchases. We've both gone from 4 or 5 dr pepper's a day to 1 to 2 for him and a half of one to 1 a day for me.

I just wanted to say good luck on quitting soda. I know it can be hard, but you will def tell a difference! I very rarely drink soda, but when I do it is usually caffeine free, like Sprite, or A&W Root Beer. And I realized that I only drink sodas at work!! We never buy soda with our groceries, and I have been on vacation since the 7th of July, and I have honestly not thought about having a soda more than once!

Enough of me.... GOOD LUCK, YOU CAN DO IT!!