Quiting soda

[chupon]

i drink water like crazy. used to not drink water ever - mostly just sports drinks and soda but then i quit the sports drinks and went solo water. it was evil at first but now i can't stop. just fight through the first few weeks and it'll get better.

[otaku]

I've never drank nor have I smoked no drugs either not even the stuff from the pharmacy! However I am far to fat for my own good I'm about 60 pounds over what I've weighed before and even that was overweight. So I need to get into excercising again (used to run 3 miles a day at least)

I know what you mean about the social situations and drinking thing I just turned 21 and am getting alot of Sh*t stil for not drinking

[maiku]

I wouldn't panic too much about the appointment. If you were in any immediate danger they'd tell you to haul ass over to the emergency room rather than wait a few days.

Still, 33 is a good time to start taking your health more seriously. (I'm around the same age.) You're off to a good start. Take a few days and look closely at what you're eating. I'm not big on diets but I try to make general rules to keep things from getting out of control. Things like "don't eat anything after 9pm" or "only two non-water drinks per day."

If you're struggling to quit soft drinks you could try switching half of your daily intake to a caffeine-free soda. Then gradually cut back to 2 liters or switch to diet. It depends on your personality. I usually handle gradual change better.

[DuManchu]

I throttled back my regular soda intake to almost none last year. The only problem is I replaced it with diet soda. My caffeine intake is way too high and I am going to try cutting back. I will say though that since I quit regular soda I did drop about 20 lbs over the course of 6-8 months changing nothing else.

I'm also in the middle of quitting smoking. Though I've only gone about 20 hours without one so far. I'm ready to strangle/yell at/throw anything that gets within 20 ft. of me at the moment though... lol

[Mozgus]

Soda is the only "addiction" I guess I have, but I think it's more of a reward for getting through the workday than it is a habit. There has been times when I was living cheap and gave it up for months without any issue. Didn't feel any different at all.

I don't seem to form addictions with anything, and I also don't seem to benefit from anything either. Caffeine never has any effect on me, including so called energy drinks and coffee. Painkillers don't do jack shit for me. Even when I'm at the dentist, he has to inject my gums with double the normal amount and wait twice as long for it to work. I get the impression that my dentists don't like me for that very reason.

Frankly, I feel no sympathy for all you drinkers and smokers. You made a choice to add an extra challenge in your life, and you really don't deserve any praise for removing it.

[MrPopo]

Frankly, I feel no sympathy for all you drinkers and smokers. You made a choice to add an extra challenge in your life, and you really don't deserve any praise for removing it.

Do you have a newsletter I can sign up for?

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Frankly, I feel no sympathy for all you drinkers and smokers. You made a choice to add an extra challenge in your life, and you really don't deserve any praise for removing it.

Do you have a newsletter I can sign up for?

Yes, we need a vocal anarchist newsletter, there hasn't been one since at least the mid-'90's.

[Mozgus]

Frankly, I feel no sympathy for all you drinkers and smokers. You made a choice to add an extra challenge in your life, and you really don't deserve any praise for removing it.

Do you have a newsletter I can sign up for?

Yeah.

[the King]

Frankly, I feel no sympathy for all you drinkers and smokers. You made a choice to add an extra challenge in your life, and you really don't deserve any praise for removing it.

Well, I sort of agree if we are talking about being being addicted to those activities and for the most part you don't smoke unless you are. I hate smokin and think it's stupid, but for the most part when someone starts that they are young and stupid. So, if they change for the better just like anything I'll get em some props. Most people get over the drinking too much phase after they realize how stupid it is to get completly drunk and turn into an idtiot. I'm not sure why most don't get over the smoking thing once they start, I think it might have something to do with what's in the cigarettes.

I guess I would consider myself a "drinker" but I don't think by consuming alcohol I've added any extra challenge to my life. Heck I might drink too much soda really, and neither I touched till I went away to college.

For the most part I'd say anyone that smokes is addicted to smoking. I am talking about someone who smokes cigarretes daily. The majority of "drinkers" don't drink daily. There is a difference between enjoying a drink and drinking just to get drunk.

[ubelaffe]

Don't substitute tea for it. Tea is caffeinated unless you buy it otherwise. Also, sweet tea will also have a competitive amount of sugar in it, which is the point of quitting - getting rid of the sugar intake, right?

I quit regular soda a while back. Here's what worked for me. Totally quit and don't have any around the house. We tried the southbeach diet while I quit, so we weren't going out to eat or anything, that makes choosing water or another beverage easier. When we finally went out, I ordered a diet coke and it tasted so magnificent because it was the first soda of any kind I'd had in nearly 2 weeks. We drank crystal light and water. Crystal light tastes sweet without any real sugar in it. If you're going to drink tea, don't drink much, follow it with water and try decaf with splenda or another sugar alternative.

Another thing, I tend to do is drink the amount that's in front of me. If I've got a 12 oz can in front of me, I'll tend to ration it out more than if I have a 20 oz. I'll drink whatever size I've got, usually. Use smaller glasses and plates and you'll drink/eat less.

Good luck!