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Quitting

S

Sideonecincy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 29, 2003
421
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I drink about 2 2-liters of coca~cola a day or a 12 pack. Sometimes ill sit down at lunch at work and drink an entire 2-liter in half an hour. And now I've decided and made a bet that I could quit drinking coke and all other caffinated sodas completely.

Any tips on how to get through? I am going to try to lower my intake down to 1-2 cans a day and then dump it completely. I know I will get the headaches and will prolly sleep more. Anyone got any tips?

I made about an equivlant of a $500 bet on this...so I need some tips or pointers
 
Glad you are oding this. I did this about 4 years ago. Just start drinking water. It kinda takes your mind off of it. Or eat something else thats sugary but not as much. I just started drinking water, so at least I was doing something.
 
Water's always the best substitute, but if you find that it's just not quenching your thirst as you would hope perhaps try a Gatorade or the like.

This way you won't be cutting your sugar intake completely just like that. Baby steps. ;)
 
Everytime you crave for a Coke, grab your trainers and iPod and go for a jog.... if that's too extreme try then leaving a glass of Coke with a 2 Cent piece at the bottom and everytime you get the urge to drink, look what it did to the coin.... :p

Good Luck

- Dal
 
Start drinking something else. Water is your healthiest choice, but if you need some flavor get some Gatorade or somethin. Gatorade is awesome!
 
I suggest taking some Sparkling water with a hint of lemon instead. It will kind of give the sizzling ssensation of coke with a refreshing lemon taste.
 
Sideonecincy said:
so I need some tips or pointers
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Unless you're determined... I suspect that if you try to shift directly to water you'll struggle because it'll taste so plain.

I think Kaiser Phoenix has hit the nail on the head, though I suggest a shift to something like a sparkling raspberry or cherry water to help ween you off it that way. ;)
 
Sideonecincy said:
I drink about 2 2-liters of coca~cola a day or a 12 pack. Sometimes ill sit down at lunch at work and drink an entire 2-liter in half an hour. And now I've decided and made a bet that I could quit drinking coke and all other caffinated sodas completely.

Any tips on how to get through? I am going to try to lower my intake down to 1-2 cans a day and then dump it completely. I know I will get the headaches and will prolly sleep more. Anyone got any tips?

I made about an equivlant of a $500 bet on this...so I need some tips or pointers
Click to expand...

Your post did say you're trying to avoid *soda*, so my advice is to switch to [sweet] tea. If you make it yourself, you still get the caffeine, but can control the level of sugar. In my case, I switched over to Splenda in lieu of sugar and have since lost more than 20 pounds. Then again, I also go through about a half gallon a day (I'm a Southerner after all).
 
I used to drink on average 3L of coke each day back when I was smoking... safe to say that was one of the main reasons I gained a lot of weight when I stopped smoking.

I used to drink a lot of water instead, but water, though good and healthy and all that, is a bit boring, and lacks caffeine (so I also started drinking coffee to compensate, need my caffeine ;)).

Also there was an outbreak of Giardia in the water supply here in Bergen a couple of years ago, at a time I used to drink 2-3L of water a day, at least... kind of put me off water...

Back in my coke days I wouldn't touch sugar free sodas or limonades with - well anything, really - just the thought of the "fake sugar" after taste was enough to make me sick, and I could actually smell the difference between coke and diet coke... but lately I've tried a few and they've actually gotten better over the years, most of the after taste is gone, and even if they still taste nothing like "real" coke it's close enough if you close your eyes and think "coke"... :D

Now I drink Diet Coke, Pepsi Max, Sprite Zero and the occasional low sugar Fanta and some sugar free Ice Tea I just found on a regular basis, and are quite happy with that. I just get me a glass bottled Coke every now and then to "reminisce"... ;)

So drink as much water as you can, get your caffeine through coffee** and find some form of sugar free soda/ice tea/lemonade that you can drink when the coke cravings kick in. Do not get any sport drinks, they often have more sugar in them than Coke!

**recent studies shows a moderate intake of coffee, 1-3 cups a day, is very healthy
 
Mitthrawnuruodo said:
Do not get any sport drinks, they often have more sugar in them than Coke!
Click to expand...

not true.. if it's a real sports drink, it will have much less.
 
zach said:
not true.. if it's a real sports drink, it will have much less.
Click to expand...
Even if they use "alternatives" like glucose and stuff, it's still a form of sugar and has just as many carbohydrates and calories as the others... and it should be so, you need those carbohydrates when doing sports, just not when sitting in an office chair or your favourite sofa... that energy is then converted into even bigger love-handles... ;)
 
wrc fan said:
I'd recommend Glaceau Vitamin Water. My favorite flavor is power-c dragonfruit. And when you go out to eat get water and a nice wine or beer (well I guess you can't get that at a fast food place, but you should cut those out too :) ).
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those vitamin waters are the biggest crock of crap ever. they're nothing but sugar.
 
Just so you know what you may be up against here's this link.

As others have already stated, replace the coke with water. Maybe add some lemon for flavor. There are also those fruit-flavored waters. Never tried them myself, but they may help. Drink juice if you have to.

Good luck!
 
My housemates drank coke all the time, like two big bottles a night but then I was drinking orange squash or juice and they started drinking it because it was there, now they've cut down dramatically and drink lots of juice/squash.

Dunno if that helps but its my tup-pence anyway...

P.s. I used to drink lots of Coke and my front teeth are refered to by my dentist as 'glass' they are so fragile.
 
jadekitty24 said:
"Cept maybe bleach, but who drinks that?
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In the US, we all do (if you drink tap water).... http://c3.org/chlorines_everyday_uses/before.html

Today, all U.S. drinking water systems that disinfect use some type of chlorine-based process to keep their water clean and safe. More than 200 million Americans rely on chlorine every day to give them safe water for everything from brushing their teeth and making their morning orange juice and coffee to cooking, washing, cleaning, swimming and, of course, drinking.
Click to expand...

I agree with Mitth, florifee and jadekitty who suggest that quitting cold turkey you will most likely end up with nasty caffeine withdrawal headaches and worse. Try unsweetened black coffee (warm or iced) or iced tea, a decent fresh cup tastes great, though it takes a while to get used to the lack of sugar and/or milk. Then slowly replace the caffeinated beverage with water.

B
 
mad jew said:
Sports drinks are anything but sporty. After extreme exercise, they are a good way to replenish electrolytes. That's all. :eek:
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i will drink gatoraid only during a round of golf or right after a long bike ride in really hot temperatures. that seems to help a lot. that is about it though. i don't drink a lot of soda at all anymore. only when i have some fat free popcorn when i'm watching a movie or something.

i usually have a bottle of water when i wake up, then a few cups of coffee, then another bottle of water, then at lunch i have an iced tea. a cup of coffee or water during the afternoon then water or tea with dinner. sometimes a good cup of earl grey at night.

well that and beer!
 
I dropped Coke a few years ago too. Water was my replacement of choice and IMHO it's the only way to go. Cut Coke entirely, right away, not in stages. Put the money towards some bottled water that you can carry around with you to sip at and when you're at home drink as much water as you can bare so you have no desire to drink anything else.

After a year or two of no-Coke my tastes have changed. I can happily enjoy a glass, can or bottle of coke every now and then as part of a balanced, healthy diet. *polishes off a glass of yummy water*
 
mad jew said:
Try substituting it with something (healthy) like a glass of water. Each time you crave a Coke, grab some water instead. Good luck. :)
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Water is poison. Try coffee. Lots of coffee.
Seriously, the caffeine-free Pepsi isn't bad. Just substitute half if you can. Work your way through it, although personally you could do a lot worse. Nobody but NOBODY drank more soda than me... up to 15-20 a day while I was growing up, and I am fine. I can hardly get one down now.
Drink up, dude.
 
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