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Kicking Coke (-a-Cola)

Old 07-22-09, 06:32 PM
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I dropped Coke at the beginning of this year. Sprite Zero can be a nice intermediate step, no sugar no caffeine. But if you are willing to suffer the headache and being a little drowsy for a week you cold turkey is probably your best bet.
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Old 07-22-09, 09:21 PM
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I stopped cold turkey about 3 months ago. I was a Pepsi drinker for 35+ yrs and those 2 ltr bottles were easy to polish off.
When I stopped I was already drinking 6 - 8 cups of water a day, I might add a few more cups some days or a bottle of G2.
This was after the Doc told me I have a fatty liver and getting seriouly close to being diabetic. (runs in the family with both parents)
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Old 07-22-09, 09:59 PM
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I kicked soda two years ago cold turkey. I stopped buying soda at the grocery market which wasn't too bad. So at home I had milk, water, OJ, and tea to choose from. The tough stuff was not ordering soda when I was eating out because I was so accustomed to having a Coke. I started ordering lemonade as a substitute because it is still sweet but not as much as soda. Eventually I phased out the lemonade for water but now and then I'll ask if I may have slices of lemons to put in the water.

it has worked pretty well. I don't really ever drink soda but every once and a while I'll indulge, especially when there's some cool shop or restaurant that has something that isn't from one of the name brands Ever had cola with ginger in it????
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Old 07-22-09, 10:46 PM
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Gawd I hate these soda hater threads. Last Soda Preacher I encountered vanished for 3 months. He went on and on about how his body and even hair had changed from giving up the soda. When I asked to where he had vanished, he admitted to getting arrested for a DUI and did 3 months in the slammer!

Don't drink soda, drink BEER!.........The big BEER thraed was the center of attention just the other day wasn't it?
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Old 07-23-09, 10:42 AM
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Kicking Coke (-a-Cola)
Does anyone want to help me work in a Amy Winehouse joke?
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Old 07-23-09, 11:27 AM
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I tried taking Diamox, a prescription diuertic, for AMS (altitude sickness). A wierd side effect of this med is that it makes any carbonated beverage taste really nasty and it foams up in your mouth. In two or three tries of drinking a Coke or any soda, you will want to puke.
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Old 07-23-09, 03:46 PM
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There is really no reason to quit doing anything that you genuinely enjoy. The real question is whether you enjoy the coke, or the habit. I gave up fast food and switched to diet coke roughly 10 years ago. I still drink diet coke, because I enjoy it on occasion. I also drink very heavy dark beers, in moderation because I enjoy them. When I have the choice between a lite beer and water, I will choose water every time, but I refuse to give up the things that give me pleasure, and a really good beer is one of those things.

The simple fact of the matter is that it is probably more habit than pleasure, and as such, the easiest way to kick it is to replace it with a more beneficial habit. Diet coke works for me, or as has been mentioned, some of the "sports beverages" would likely fill the need. Another thing I did was to start buying the little 8 oz bottles.

I really hate to state the obvious, but the only way to actually change your behavior is to have the willpower to do it, and be conscious of the decisions you make. We all have our little battles to fight. I certainly haven't given up all my vices, just tried to decide if they were habits, or things I truly enjoyed. The bad habits, i tried with varying levels of success to eliminate, The things I enjoy, I try to enjoy in moderation.

I figure that is good enough.

Doug
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Old 07-23-09, 04:15 PM
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Originally Posted by kjmillig
I'm almost 45, about 5'9", and about 215 lbs. I also have high blood pressure under control with medication. I've been commuting to work pretty regularly and eating a lot more vegetables. My one big eating issue is trying to kick the loooooong time habit of drinking sodas. Icy cold, tasty, refreshing! Fattening!
For those who have done so, how did you kick the habit? Please don't tell me just stop "cold turkey". Doesn't work. I've tried tappering off and have cut way down on how much I drink, but I still enjoy at least one 12 oz. can each day.
Help. I'm really open to suggestions.
BTW, I have never drunk alcohol or smoked.
You don't actually need to stop, they key to anything is moderation, having a can a day or every few days, probably will not make a big difference. Although if you have high blood pressure and need to limit sodium, colas do have a lot. A good replacement may be iced or hot tea, limiting the sugar that it contains.

An option might be Nestea Zero, uses Splenda if I recall.
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Old 07-23-09, 07:25 PM
  #34  
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moderation I use to drink alot of soda, but now i just reward myself with a diet pepsi after a realy long ride. Easier said than done though. I feel ya on the icy cold coke on ice, nothing better.
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Old 07-23-09, 07:36 PM
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Originally Posted by hendrick81
moderation I use to drink alot of soda, but now i just reward myself with a diet pepsi after a realy long ride. Easier said than done though. I feel ya on the icy cold coke on ice, nothing better.
and a chili dog
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Old 07-23-09, 08:20 PM
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Originally Posted by hairnet
and a chili dog

And a taco
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Old 07-23-09, 09:20 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Wogsterca
Although if you have high blood pressure and need to limit sodium, colas do have a lot.
I suppose that depends on how one defines "a lot". According to Pepsi, 8 oz. of Diet Pepsi contains 25 mg of sodium...that's 1% of the daily value. For a 20 oz. bottle that'd be 2.5%. Other types and brands are up to about 3% for 20 oz.
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Old 07-23-09, 09:35 PM
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I kicked the habit about 10 years ago but relapsed. I started by taking pop and diluting it water. I increased the amount of water over time until I dropped the pop. I do not like the taste of diet soda but prefer water so that was a better option for me.
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Old 07-23-09, 10:33 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by deraltekluge
I suppose that depends on how one defines "a lot". According to Pepsi, 8 oz. of Diet Pepsi contains 25 mg of sodium...that's 1% of the daily value. For a 20 oz. bottle that'd be 2.5%. Other types and brands are up to about 3% for 20 oz.
Well do a quick comparison here: 1 Can of Campbell chicken noodle soup = about 90 diet cokes as far as sodium goes. I think cream soups are even worse. Then again remember also your body needs sodium especially if you are working out hard.
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Old 07-24-09, 01:10 PM
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*runs in and scoops up armloads of abandoned cans of Coke. giggles hysterically! hides in corner opening up cans and drinking them*

Ok, I have a wee problem with Coke. But it's much better than it was 7 or 8 years ago. I used to drink 5 or 6 cans a day (worse in Uni since I didn't like coffee -- maybe 10 cans?) but now I have a can of Coke every other day or even less. I actually forget to buy them and have gotten into the habit of buying single cans and not cases to prevent slipping back into addiction.

Quitting was tough and I did it cold turkey -- the first week I had the worst headaches and I was super grouchy. After a month or so I was fine but kept away from it. About a year later I made a rule that I could have a can of coke when I went out for pizza (maybe once or twice a month). Now I'm fully in control of the cravings and have a coke only a few times a week and that's because I love the taste and fizziness, not because I need the fix.

I'm so grown up! *laughs, swigs back another cold, crispy coke*
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Old 07-24-09, 03:12 PM
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I did it cold turkey, and would definitely recommend it. I used Crystal Light to help me transition to water. I only kicked the sugar fix, I still get my caffeine fix from black coffee.

Don't forget to drop other sugary habits if you have them, or you will be still hooked on sugar, and the cravings will last a lot longer.
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Old 07-24-09, 05:56 PM
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I'll be the protagonist here...
Princeton did some sugar/HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) studies...
sugar is more addictive than cocaine...
...
feel free to blast me all you like just google it first...

https://www.confectionerynews.com/The...says-scientist
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Old 07-25-09, 05:38 AM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by kjmillig
I'm almost 45, about 5'9", and about 215 lbs. I also have high blood pressure under control with medication. I've been commuting to work pretty regularly and eating a lot more vegetables. My one big eating issue is trying to kick the loooooong time habit of drinking sodas. Icy cold, tasty, refreshing! Fattening!
For those who have done so, how did you kick the habit? Please don't tell me just stop "cold turkey". Doesn't work. I've tried tapering off and have cut way down on how much I drink, but I still enjoy at least one 12 oz. can each day.
Help. I'm really open to suggestions.
BTW, I have never drunk alcohol or smoked.
I had a bad habit with Diet Coke. But like you, I have high blood pressure, so I finally quit cold turkey to cut out the caffeine and sodium. I moved to diet 7up, then Trader Joe's sparkling water with some fruit flavor (not sweet), but now I am drinking much more plain cold water.
Blood pressure has dropped 20 points, and I should soon be able to drop a med, but I am hoping to get myself to the point of losing all three. I still have an urge to drink the diet 7up, and do now and then, it's always on the fridge, but I tend to drink much more water. Good luck, you'll be healthier as you rid yourself of the habit.
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Old 07-30-09, 08:56 AM
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I'm in the process of cutting soda out; cold turkey - started on Saturday and hav'nt lapsed so far - and I won't.

The key for me has been not letting myself feel thirsty - by pre-empting drinking water.

i'm 230lb and for me, my coach/trainer recommends 3.5L per day - more if i'm training that day.

I've also cut take aways out the same way - not letting myself feel super hungry - by eating continuously all day - 5 to 7 times.

oh - nearly forgot - i've dropped 6lb in 6 days since starting...(I know it's mostly fluid - but it's a start)
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Old 07-30-09, 10:01 AM
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I've gone from 6 cans a day to 1 soda every 2 weeks. I've been on a Diet Dr. Pepper kick, but I just enjoy the way it tastes, it's not my cocacola placebo or anything. The big thing that motivated me to stay off of it, was a noticeable drop in weight by doing nothing but kicking soda and seeing great results in the rest of my body (skin complexion, more stamina, no crashing) from drinking pure water.
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Old 07-30-09, 10:37 AM
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Being diabetic, I have been enjoying diet soda for some time, regular soda is now way to syrupy to my taste.

I however noticed while visiting my mother, (no soda in the house), that even with her conventional cooking methods and exposure to cakes and breads and other yummy deserts my fasting glucose test each morning was lower by 10 points on morning, then 15 the next.

A emergency trip for a funeral of a uncle, I had the same experience, lower glucose readings, even after a meal out of Chinese, w/o white rice, 25 points, lower than the previous 24 hours.

Return home the next day was normal, and a soda while watching the Tour de France, (Fresca), and no additional snacks. The next morning, my readings were back at higher level????

I thought through my previous experiences and realized the only item different between being home and visiting mom, was no soda. Water, ice cold water for my thrist.

So I followed the same routine at home, water instead of soda. The next morning the readings were lower, and continued each day since.

Besides my fasting results, I now experience lower highs after meals, with readings now predictably in the normal ranges.

These results have been consist for the last few weeks, and my daily weight fluctuations have been also eliminated.

For me, water is now the first choice when thirsty. A cold beer (MGD) is yet in the fridge, for special occasions, and I will let the kids clean up the sodas when they visit.
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Old 07-30-09, 04:04 PM
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For me once I started riding on a regular basis my eating habits changed. My company provides cokes and stuff for sandwiches everyday. I just stopped drinking them. We have a water cooler so I bring a cup from home and fill it up with ice and water. The only carbonated drinks I have are diet, either sprite zero or coke zero. I've moved to fixing wheat wraps with grilled or broiled chicken or fish. Haven't been able to way yet but I can tell I've lost. Others have noticed it too. Hopefully soon I'll be able to go into the doctors office and they will actually be able to weight me on the scales.
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Old 07-30-09, 04:49 PM
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Pepsi is my weakness and now that they have been making Pepsi Throwback, I'm doomed to stay addicted forever.....forever......forever.....forever.............
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Old 07-31-09, 01:22 AM
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Update:
I'm trying to substitute juice or Coke Zero. OK so far, but still not completely off the Coke. And I don't drink coffee or tea, so I can't use that as a caffeine substitute. We'll see, and thanks for all the comments and suggestions.
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Old 07-31-09, 03:30 AM
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I kicked non-diet sodas out of my diet about three years ago.

At the time I had gone to 195 lbs. from eating like crap and drinking about six cans of Coke a day.

One day I just decided that I wasn't going to drink that stuff any more and instead I would drink water, Arnold Palmers w/ light lemonade, and Diet Coke/Pepsi.

I had heard that diet sodas could be harmful but I didn't care because it had no calories or sugar.

Now I cannot stand the taste of regular soda, lemonade, or sweetened iced tea. The poster who described it as "thick syrup" is spot-on.

I've now began kicking the diet soda out of my diet, as well, because I found that water is satisfying enough and is so much cheaper than buying soda. Although I'll still have Diet Coke when I'm out for dinner because I hate the taste of tap water.

After kicking the soda habit I was able to get down to about 170 lbs. while still eating like crap and only playing soccer on the weekends. Since taking up road cycling last year, I've been able to get down to 155 lbs. at 5'11. While my diet isn't as poor as it used to be, I still have some work to do in that area to get down to my target weight of 150 lbs.

So basically, I don't recommend quitting soda cold-turkey because I feel like that's setting yourself up for failure. Instead, go through a process of weaning yourself off regular soda, to diet soda, to eventually not having any soda.

Good luck!
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