Hi everybody! I'm new to this lovely website and am just starting on my weight loss journey. One of the hardest things that I've tried so far is giving up soda. Water is a great awesome thirst quenching thing, but sometimes a girl just wants something with a little flavor! Lol. I also really enjoy the carbonation of soda. What alternatives would you all suggest? Thanks!

Have you thought about buying a soda stream to make your own soda alternative using fruit and water? I would make a plain vitamin water by crushing up a few pieces of your favorite fruit and adding it to water, letting it sit for a few hours (or overnight). Then use the soda stream to add in the carbonation.

Welcome to 3fc's Jenbenjen!

Have you tried the various flavored seltzer waters? I know they come in lots of different flavors and are carbonated.

For non carbonated drinks you might want to try some of those flavor enhancers that you add to water.

I drink peach Diet Snapple and it's really good as well.

I'm boring and have pretty much given up on carbonated soda. I do miss my favorite (I loved, loved, loved raspberry ginger ale, back in the day), but I have re-adapted to plain old water for the most part. Sometimes I use flavor enhancers if I am longing for something with more flavor. I don't do diet soda, I tend to dislike the taste of diet sodas in general. I would though like to try out some flavored seltzer waters, just to see how that turns out.

/boring

Hi Jenbenjen. I wondered too if I could give up the yummy, bubbly taste of soda, but I did! I haven't had much soda since I started my journey on July 1st of this year, but I do treat myself. I cut out all drinks except water and I use those sugar free, low calorie, energy flavor packets. I buy them at walmart for a few bucks. My favorite is the wild strawberry, but I recently bought a variety pack to try some other flavors as I am getting bored! I still have the occasional sip of soda, actually have to with my huge nighttime pills unfortunately, but it's been pretty easy to give it up. I don't really think of it as giving it up, I think of it as doing something better for my body. Soda really isn't good for you, so I don't drink it unless I have to with the pills or if I'm really craving it. I bought one bottle a few days ago and it's still half full in the fridge. Once it's gone it's gone and I will happily keep enjoying my water.

Dreamgyrl- yes I have thought of that, but they are a little expensive and I wanted to see if I could find a cheaper alternative first.
Tai- I've tried carbonated water, but not seltzer water, is it less bitter than carbonated water? Not really a fan of drinking bitter things. I do occasionally use Mio as a flavor enhancer for water and I do enjoy that. I've never been a big tea person but maybe I should give Diet Snapple a try!
fairandfree- boring, maybe, but it's probably best for us! Lol. I agree about the diet soda, I very much dislike the fake oversweet kind of taste that all diet sodas seem to have. Blech.
Slush- I like the idea of the positive, doing something better for your body versus the negative giving something up. Using psychology on yourself. Do you find the flavor packets that you add to water bitter at all? I haven't tried those specifically but have had something like that and it was fairly bitter.
Thank you all for taking the time to respond! Much appreciated!

The more you drink water, the more your body will want it. If you do need some sweetness try making fruit water. Put a wedge lemon in your water bottle with some sweetner. I use truvia in the raw and shake it hard for like 60 secs. Taste like sweet lemonade like from the fair. You can use strawberries, limes ect.

I was a soda junkie for a long time. For me, it really wasn't about the flavor, it was about the fizz. I have given up soda now, but once in a while still crave the fizz. I have virgin mohitos when I crave a little fizz: Club Soda, crushed mint, limes and a packet of stevia.

I have grown to love sparkling mineral water: pellegrino, gerolsteiner, perrier and even plain old Safeway carbonated water.

I flavour the water myself and drink it this way: I add some lemon juice or ginger juice to the bottle and sweeten it with stevia.

Fabulous and no cal.

Sidebar: drinking mineral water is known to be a heart and bone healthy thing to do.

If you look at the ingredients, those carbonated waters are essentially the same as a caffeine free diet soda. I allow myself 1 12oz diet soda a day. I usually opt for the caffeine free low sodium ones. The rest is water water water, V8, or my two servings of milk.

I like flavored Seltzer water, it has no sugar or calories but satisfies that craving for something fizzy I get every now and again. I mostly drink water and use water enhancers when I need something with a little more flavor. I would agree with trying lime or lemon in plain seltzer water too. Good luck.

I tried the flavored selzter I liked it but my tummy didn't. Now I use mio and I love it. Cranberry raspberry and fruit punch are my favorites. Also fruit2O is good....love the grape

I have switched o diet sodas; I still need some sort of crutch to get by. I figure that if I don't smoke, drink or do drugs, I can afford to ingest a little artificial sweetener every now and then.

Since you're not an iced tea drinker, which is the other drink I've switched to, maybe you could try mixing club soda with your favorite juice or lemonade. You get the sweetness and bubbles of soda but with significantly fewer calories.