Cutting Soda

[ggardnerply]

Hello,

Girlfriend and I just started getting into trying to be a bit more healthy. First thing she does is try to cut Soda as she used to drink it frequently. I currently never had a problem as I mostly like diet soda anyways and I don't drink it often. Anyways, since she has cut it she has been feeling very weak and not well. I assume this is normal and I'm guessing it has to do with the lack of sugar that her body is used to.

Any suggestions on healthier ways for her too substitute the sugar so she doesn't feel so weak? I suggested fruits such as apples and grapes but I don't know a whole lot when it comes to nutrition other than the basics. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[SunsetRunner]

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@ggardnerply wrote:

Hello,

Girlfriend and I just started getting into trying to be a bit more healthy. First thing she does is try to cut Soda as she used to drink it frequently. I currently never had a problem as I mostly like diet soda anyways and I don't drink it often. Anyways, since she has cut it she has been feeling very weak and not well. I assume this is normal and I'm guessing it has to do with the lack of sugar that her body is used to.

Any suggestions on healthier ways for her too substitute the sugar so she doesn't feel so weak? I suggested fruits such as apples and grapes but I don't know a whole lot when it comes to nutrition other than the basics. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Diet soda is just as bad as a regular soda, so cut that out of your diet, too.    If your girl is feeling weak she needs healthy carbs for energy.   Sugar is not the best source for energy.  

[divedragon]

She could be suffering sugar withdrawal.  This site explains a little about it:  http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/07/19/sugar-withdrawal-symptoms-list-of-possibilities/

She should concentrate on adding proteins and vegetables to help with the withdrawal.  High fiber veggine that are grown above ground are best, but tossing in some roasted beets soaked in vinegar would be good too.

[JohnRi]

That actually sounds like Caffiene withdrawel to me.  I used to drink 4-6 cans of diet coke a day, and if I didn't have one by 9:00 AM the next day, I was a wreck.  Felt bad, had a headache, etc.

When I quit drinking diet coke, I started swaping out sodas for water, first dinner, then my morning soda...  Then lunch was my only soda.  Then I swapped that out a few weeks ago.

I didn't have much withdrawel by doing it slow. Cold turkey is going to be hell, especially if she's been a soda drinker for years.

There are a lot of bad things in diet sodas, and you should quit those too.  But do it slow. 

There are studies out that show that diet drinks actually mess with bodies ability to manage your sugar level, and can lead to weight gain. 

When I finally quit all soda, my resting heartbeat went down 10 beats per minute.  Caffeine will send you to a early grave...  All the soda I drank, had my resting heart beat above 100 bpm.  I probably took 10-20 years off my life by drinking diet sodas and regular sodas for over 30 years... 

My suggestion, quit, but do it slowly...

[iMike]

If she's been a heavy soda drinker for years then going cold turkey is going to be painful for a few weeks.  Headaches, feelings of nausea ... If she has the resolve to get through it then good for her.  Soda (including diet soda) is loaded not only with sugar (or artificial sweetener) but other chemicals as well.  If it's the caffeine she's missing she could try adding some unsweetened iced tea with lemon.  While I occasionally have a diet soda here and there I remember cutting out 'real soda' years ago and the first few weeks were absolute hell.  If she's not able to stick it out, then I would suggest starting small ... for example if she currently drinks five cans per day, cut back to three for a couple weeks, and keep slowly cutting down. 

[I-train-hard]

One you stop drinking this crap your taste of food will change. Your body will change; your life will change for better.

I only drink water + black coffee- b/c of all the benefits it has.

To stop it completely won’t be easy but achievable.

You will understand the “power of sugar”

[MrOkieMud]

 A Little over 2 years ago I quit drinking Caffenated Sodas and switched to ones without. (ex: Sprite, Orange Crush, Root Beer)... Then as of January 20 I cut those out as well. It was a easier transition and I definately feel better for it. The amount of sugar in all of those is crazy high. When I want something different I use the flavored water packets (usually made by Wylers Light). This seems to help. Increasing the amount of water you are drinking also helps because the more you drink, the less cravings you get for the soda. Atleast for me it did. Hope this Helps.

[iMike]

I've heard plenty of soda drinkers dismiss water because of lack of taste.  I prefer straight up water,  but for the sake of variety I purchased a water pitcher that has an infuser ... I can fill that with sliced citrus fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, limes, and lemons ... even cucumber.  Sometimes I throw frozen berries in it.  There are plenty of ways to make water enjoyable.

[I-train-hard]

I prefer cold water, not from the plastic bottles.

[iMike]

Same here @I-train-hard ... I got the pitcher for the infuser but I don't like plastic bottles because they're wasteful.  If I'm out and about I carry a reusable water bottle.

[I-train-hard]

Me too man. 

[tamado]

Most of the points to be made already have been.  I quit drinking soda at the end of September and have lost a lot of weight and increased my energy since then.  I still drink a good strong coffee in the morning so I get a bit of caffeine but without the sugar, my energy level stays consistent throughout the day.  I am eating a nice healthy balance of protein, tons of fresh produce and a moderate amount of healthier carbs (from fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, etc).  I run around 30% protein, 30% carb, 40% fat level lately and feel great.  I hope she balances out soon, she will feel so much better in the long run.

[Cali13]

Not even going to pretend that it may be withdrawal since I have no idea what she was drinking or how much.   Also, when did the weakness and not feeling well start?   I'd see a doctor and have a blood glucose level done and possibly an A1C.  Make sure it's nothing more serious.  Diet or not, soda is not good.  Sugar vs artificial sweeteners?  Both bad! Carbonation bloats and stretches your stomach so over time you need more to feel full.  Proud to say I am soda free since December 2nd!

[Mehi]

Hi!

So glad you are on the right track.  First I would like to point out that I too, am a soda addict.  I typically go a month or so without them, and then start up again.  For some reason, I can't get over how much I really like them.  I know exactly how she feels with feeling sort of whoozie after not drinking soda.  It can wreak havoc on a person who is used to drinking them daily.

I hope she appreciates the fact that you are reaching out for help on her behalf.  You must care about her a lot.  Pat yourself on the back for putting her needs first! 🙂

What is happening are probably three different things, the first one could be  low blood sugar, the second is the sugar addiction, and the 3rd one is caffiene withdrawals.  Sugar has been noted to be the equivalent of a drug addiction when a person is used to having it every day.  Your body/brain craves it without you knowing it.  Read the article I found and see if that sheds some light on the subject:  http://www.healthambition.com/what-is-in-soda-why-so-addictive/.

If she arms herself with some necessary tools, I think she will be ok and better in the long run since it will save her up to 150 calories per can, not to mention letting go of some dangerous substances she (we) is (are) voluntarily putting in her (our) system (I am writing this to myself as well since I am also a soda offender).  That's almost an extra 2 lbs lost per month if you only drink one can per day.  Let's be honest, not many of us out there buy cans anymore when it's cheaper to buy 20oz or 1 liters.

First, I would take a hard look at when she craves soda the most.  Before lunch?  After lunch?  Dinner?  She may be hungry and instead of eating real food, she grabs a soda instead.  That is where I typically fall short.  If she enjoys having soda with a meal, I would tell her to try to refrain as I read that carbonated water actually stretches the stomach.  This causes a person to over-eat.  I would go back to the age old, "drink a glass a water before a meal."  If she plans her meals and snacks, she can have pre-made meals at her disposal so as to not reach for soda.  I would try to eat a handful of trail mix.  Healthy fats make a person feel satiated.  This will cause her to feel full and over time, reduce cravings for soda.

Second, she is craving sugar.  Which can do a wonder on mood swings, irratibility, and overall feeling lackluster.  This is typically why so many people end up going back to soda (me included).  I do not like the way I feel the first week after not drinking soda.  This should be resolved by pre-planned meals/snacks and ensuring that she is drinking her recommended daily water intake.  If she concentrates on meeting that goal, there will barely be enough time to drink anything else.  If she is not a fan of water, she can try flavoring the water (I put fresh mint in mine).  Ensure that she is replacing sugar with healthy options.  This can be fruit (but not too much), yogurt, cottage cheese, or any other snack that has a little bit of fat/protein in it.  So many people are scared that eating fat will make you fat.  This is not the case.  She can also buy healthy pre-portioned snacks that have a little bit of sugar in them to help curb the cravings - some companies do make healthy snacks that actually taste good.

Lastly, she may need to replace the caffiene she was ingesting from soda with tea.  I prefer unsweetened and sometimes opt for green tea.  They make many different flavors.  This should help with any caffiene related headaches and irriatability.

Cutting soda out of a daily diet is a difficult but not impossible thing to do.  Please know that it may take up to a week for the new habits to stick.  Encourage her to keep trying.  When she fails, be supportive and tell her you understand how hard it is.  Make it a game.  Offer to quit something that you shouldn't be doing and see who can quit longer.  The person that wins gets to pick the next movie, restaurant, or...(be creative here).  

Best of luck to you!

[USAF-Larry]

I am trying to think when I had the last pop (soda), but I can't think that far back.  Quite a while back, I had a good friend that drank Coke continuously all day, every day. Don't think she ever drank anything else, in fact. Until she ended up in the hospital with kidney failure.  I quickly learned about the benefits of water and fruit juice over soda.

[Myfatbgone]

Good job for you for trying to cut out side! I cut soda as well, I will have flavored seltzer or add some seltzer to juice. Also add fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and whatever else you like. I'm a snacked so I had to change what I snack on. Yogurt, I make my own trail mix with almond, pecans, walnuts, cashews , dried cranberries and dark chocolate. It hits the spot for something sweet and salty. Also try cutting down on sugar intake when and if you drink coffee or tea. If you use two spoons, try 1. If you use flavored creamer, use recommend serving size. Don't beat yourself up if u have an occasional soda, just be mindful to double up on water intake, vegetables and push yourself to take a few hundred more steps. Whatever calories you just put in, dance them off 😺. Do a little bit more each day. I did all that I suggested to you with just a little jog when going up stairs, parking in the back of the store and I lost 15 pounds over a few months time

[SunsetRunner]

it is like going cold turkey and stopping smoking or drinking alcohol, it is hard at first, but will get easier as time goes by

but the hardest part is staying stopped, again at first it will be hard, but as time goes by it will get easier

[USAF-Larry]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

it is like going cold turkey and stopping smoking or drinking alcohol, it is hard at first, but will get easier as time goes by

but the hardest part is staying stopped, again at first it will be hard, but as time goes by it will get easier

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Me, too!  I stopped smoking cold turkey on June 1st, 1970, and haven't had a smoke since. And, when the doctor told me that if I kept it up with the highly processed junk foods and sugars, the Diabetes was going to kill me, I quit. My Type 2 Diabetes is now under tight control.

[MattB159]

Soda is one of the worst things you can put into your body. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams a day for a woman. The average soda has roughly double that amount. When you intake sugar insulin is secreted, his insulin helps your body convert the sugar into glycogen which is stored for later use. When your stores of glycogen are full your body will start storing excess sugar as fat. I would recommend cutting soda out all together, she is feeling weak because she has an addiction to sugar. Sugar has been shown to be highly addictive in studies, compare it to nicotine! 

As for you.. DO NOT drink diet soda, ever! Diet soda used artificial sweeteners that could cause long term health problems for you. Many artificial sweeteners have been links to cancer!

Another note, don't substitute soda for fruit juice. Fruit juice contains almost as much sugar as a typical soda. Fruit juice is marketed as "healthy" when in reality it is not.

To put it in perspective, my brother cut out fast food and soda and lost over 100 lbs. He didn't exercise, all he did was alter his eating habits.

Best of luck to y'all!

[USAF-Larry]

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@MattB159 wrote:

Another note, don't substitute soda for fruit juice. Fruit juice contains almost as much sugar as a typical soda. Fruit juice is marketed as "healthy" when in reality it is not.

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This is not true of ALL fruit juices - you have to read the labels.  Many fruit jucies are really only 10% fruit juice with the rest being water & sugar - some even have High Fructose Corn Syrup.  But, if you look at some brands, they are 100% pure fruit juice with no added sugar. Especially avoid any listed as "Fruite Juice Contail", though.