Originally Posted by jillybean720:
Thinking about it some more, I used to drink more soda than I do now, but now I drink more water, though I never actually tried to cut back on the soda. Maybe instead of focusing on limiting your soda (which feels like a negative, deprivation, something you have to give up, etc.), you could place your focus on drinking more water (which is more of a positive--helps with weight loss, clears skin, healthier hair, healthier joints, etc.). I bet if you were drinking more water throughout the day, you'd end up drinking less soda simply by not needing that many drinks!

Absolutely. When I merely focus on getting an abundance of water, I naturally care less about soda. This works really well for me.

I am in the same boat. I hear that it takes about two weeks to banish a craving, so if you can tough it out for two weeks, you should not even want to drink soda anymore. Just replace it with water for those two weeks, and think positively as others have said. After the two weeks are up, and the cravings are (hopefully) gone, try finding another, healthier, drink. Do you have Izze where you are? If not, you could find something similar or make your own. It is just 100% fruit juice in sparkling water. It has all the fizz and flavor that a soda does, but it is a much better option.

For me part of being on my plan is giving up the diet soda's - I feel it makes me retain water (real or imaginary - I'm not sure) Fortunately once I get in the habit of drinking water, I am thirsty for water the soda just doesn't quench my thirst.

Quitting the soda did give me the withdrawal headache for a couple of days, I took a couple of aspirin (they have caffeine) and it did the trick. I've only had one or two diet soda's since the first of the year and I don't really miss them.

I gave up diet coke but now I'm addicted to Red Bull, I"m trying to cut the Red Bull back to 1-2 a day and drink green tea instead. I love the starbucks green tea lattes with skim milk. I also drink a lot of Perrier, sparkling water and diet Hansens. For some reason I need the "fizz..." As much diet coke as I used to drink it's amazing I gave it up, I don't even desire it anymore, it's just an occassional treat when eating out.

I switched to ONLY soda water with a slice of lemon/lime/occasionally a splash of cranberry. I was drinking diet coke pretty regularly (maybe one or two every other day), and I found that it wasn't necessarily the caffeine I needed, but it was the fizz that made me feel really refreshed (for some reason, fizzy things feels extra cold to me, even if they're coming out of the soda fountain at work. I'm weird). Try it. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, bit at least give it a shot!!

You could also try doing soda water with splashes of juices -- cranberry, orange, pineapple, etc...just try to make sure not to put too much juice in or the cals add up quickly!

Horsey,

Did you know that there are more calories in a Red Bull than in a 12oz Dr.Pepper? If you're drinking 2 per day that's 320 calories! That's a pretty good chunk of calories you're drinking. Just wanted to let you know, they're not any better for you than soda is.

I'm drinking the sugar free Red Bull, it's 5-10 calories. I don't drink my calories anymore....

I drink diet pepsi almost every day, usually I drink it in the evenings. I like caffeine (odd, I know). I don't get caffeine headaches unless I've had a ton of it in the last few days. I cut out soda COMPLETELY for about 2 months and I always felt tired, and it didn't help with weight loss. But I have always had diet, I'm not a fan of the regular, it tastes REALLY sugary to me.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their help and advice. I have been one week without soda (cold Turkey) and I feel great! I do not have that bloated feeling (which I did not even know that I had) I dont even crave a soda anymore. The other night after work i had some chips and salsa and right away i wanted a soda. So i have not had any chips and salsa since then. Thanks for all the advice, I am new to this but it appears to be helping!!!:carrot:

I was hooked on Pepsi One. In fact, I would buy several two liter bottles when they were on sale and easily drink a two-liter in about 24 hours. I thought that I could never give it up but then I realized that this soda was making me feel yucky all the time. I started by not buying two liters anymore, then I would allow myself a 20 oz every couple of days until I was down to only one 20 oz a week. It took a good couple of weeks but my body stopped craving it. The key is to wean your body off of it slowly, then you will not want it after a while because you will be feeling better.

Remember that sodas in general rob your bones of mass... this is not very good...

Originally Posted by didjaever:
Remember that sodas in general rob your bones of mass... this is not very good...

"They" (experts, I suppose) believe they've linked this effect to the phosphoric acid found in cola-type beverages. One study showed that those drinking cola sodas (whether regular or diet) showed a loss of bone mass, whereas those drinking clear sodas did not. Clear sodas (or other non-cols kinds, like orange soda or ginger ale) don't contain phosphoric acid.