You probably saw that instead of drinking soda, I was hoping to switch to caffeine mints.
Well, it's been eight days since I've gotten the mints.
(Thats me in the photo above :) )
For those of you who didn't see that post, It's a new product called Essential Mints Their goal appears to help people quit energy drinks, Soda, and other caffeinated products by having mints you can take every day. The mints are really good and give you a burst of energy; They also work great for those who need some extra caffeine each day.
My Addiction To Mountain Dew
I've been addicted to mountain dew for about 11 years now. Many people don't see that as such a big deal.
But I realize that drinking soda none stop is a big reason I struggle with my weight (Obviously). Throughout the years I've been trying to lose weight, And I consider myself pretty active overall.
I go running every day; I Love hiking. And I eat pretty healthily most of the time.
I eat homecooked meals. And yet, here I am overweight.
My Progress thus Far
Over the last week, I have successfully cut my soda drinking in half. And I'm working towards cutting it back even more. While I avoid those awful caffeine withdrawals, I haven't been able to escape the sugar withdrawals!
I've never imagined less sugar than I'm used to could make me feel so sick. I feel tired all day, and I don't seem to have any energy. I'm hoping by drinking water eventually this will go away and I'll be more energized.
Even though I've been tired and gross feeling, I managed to run 2.2 miles last night at a much faster speed than normal. Which was awesome!
Still keeping my head up!
While I haven't been able to cut back more, I've successfully maintained the half each day. So I'm proud of that! Hopefully, this is an addiction I can get rid of permanently! I may start eating more fresh fruits as a way to combat my sugar cravings! I hope it helps!
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Love it :)
Awesome!
I drink about a 2 liter of dew a day.
I tried quitting once, but I couldn't do it!
So I quit smoking instead.
A pack of newports a day for 14 years was easier to give up than my mountain dew...
I'll get there one day xD
Keep up the good work!
Wow!! Good job! Thats amazing! I actually read somewhere that smoking is supposed to be easier to give up than sugar!
I am at 2 liters a day too. I used to drink 4 a day. Which is quite scary!
Hopefully I can cut it back to 1 per day.
Sugar is proven to be more addicting than cocaine! You will cut back and you will quit! This is the only mindset you need to keep. Otherwise you will not get to that goal. You can do it.
From personal experience, quitting either sucks! haha
The most important thing is to have the resilient and unwavering desire to quit.
I'm sure you'll get there. :)
Soda is terrible, its awesome that you're trying to kick it. I'm sure you could compensate with other sugars and still come out ahead to ease the transition. Honey roasted almonds or something, it'll still be less sugar and some good stuff along with it.
Exactly! It is terrible! It makes me sad that I allowed myself to become so addicted in the first place. Im still looking for the perfect substitute.
Try carbonated water. it'll take awhile to get used to but I love it, nothing but water and it feels like soda going down when it's super cold.
I drink 2 cups of coffee per day due to work stress, is it too much? What do you think?
Maybe you should try more by doing the running exercise that way it'll reduce a little
I Should! I'll have to run more that way I'll drink more water and be too full for soda.
You give the Pavlok a go! I used it to quit smoking. (I do content for them now)
Just head to www.pavlok.com :)
Thank you :) I"ll check that out! Congratulations on quitting smoking!
Honey & real maple syrup can help you get that sweet hit when trying to break the sugar & HFCS addiction. Both actually have some health positive attributes & yes, fruit will definitely help!
I'll have to check out the mints. I'm addicted to the True Lemon flavorings when I need a taste with my water. They have a few calories work of sugar (I think 10 in 32 ounces) but they're mostly sweetened with stevia. I haven't had soda in so long that I miss it.
May have to keep an eye out for a real ginger ale or rootbeer, then it's medicinal, or so I tell myself. :P
Great job cutting back, that withdrawal process is no joke!
That is great @kaylinart! Never drink soda, it is horrible for you. Not only your health but your mind also. When you change your diet it is surprising how many wonderful things happen.
Anything sold to you processed is not good. Quit all and go all naturelle!
I gave up caffeine this summer, hoping to cut down on my migraines. I never really drank very much soda, but some days the longing for caffeine is intense. Wishing you the best in your endeavor!
Wow ! Good job Caffeine is hard stop!
Berry berry good job! :D
Speaking of fruit, I need sugar too, and I get it from dried fruit - raisins, cherries, cranberries, even 1 or 2 prunes a day. Lotsa honey in my hot drinks and oatmeal too!
Soda is not an issue for me, I drink it maybe once a month. I really think you will see great health benefits from cutting way back on it!
Good for you @kalinart! It's a long battle, but starting is better than just giving in!
I found that using the Crystal Light energy drink packets helps me a lot. One of those in a bottle of water in the morning gives me that little bit of caffeine I need to avoid those caffeine withdrawal headaches.
I keep those at work. At home I still allow myself a diet mountain dew on the weekends. But those are going to have to go soon too.
I need to look up these mints. Hadn't heard of them before.
Thanks for sharing!!
Good for you, drastically reducing your soda consumption will do wonders for your health! Having the caffeinated mints on hands sounds like a great plan.
I can definitely relate to experiencing sugar withdrawals - it sounds a bit crazy but it really can happen. Have you tried eating dried fruit as a snack while withdrawing? I love some organic dried mango when I'm craving something sweet.
Good luck kicking your habit, keep us posted. :)
After reading your post about the mints I actually ordered some, although I opted for the Viter Energy brand based off price/reviews. I was anxious to get started but Amazon delivery lost/damaged the package... (I'd ordered a figure drawing book I was excited about too!)
I was kind of surprised they don't just re-ship... I have to wait for a refund and order all over... sigh... I guess one more week of soda won't kill me!
Congratulations on your journey, keep up the effort and you will be rewarded. In regard to weight as I understand it in simple terms, you have to burn more calories than you consume and it is much easier to put in on than take it off. I don't know the answer, but I was wondering if sparkling water with fresh lemon juice would help. I don't like drinking plain water, but I do like cold water with fresh lemon, just enough to give it flavor.
As to fruit in general, it also contains a lot of sugar, so do some research if you think it will help. It may be more natural sugar, but it is still sugar and still generates energy that you need to use. Good luck and well done.
I stopped soda long ago. I am a fizzy water addict. No calories and no fake sugar but lots of bubbles.
When people are trying to quit smoking they use alternatives like nicotine patches to help them. Just keep using the mints to help your journey and before you realise you would have gone better, I used to smoke and the patches helped me quit. I hope these mints help you in the same way!
I used to drink dr pepper, until my teeth start to move, when i stop drinking soda it stop moving, rot out teeth is another problem when drinking soda. I mostly drink water or tea now, every once in a while ill drink soda.
A good method for dealing with addictive substances is the Allen Carr "Easy Way".
This helps to free us from the underlying culture which feeds the addictive cycles. (His books are cheap on the Kindle)
The more advanced shure cure is the Ancient medicine of "Shivambu", also known as the "Water of Life" this one is entirely free.
But much more difficult to wrap your mind around, a true test of how deep/strong your cultural conditioning go.
Many of our addictive behaviors are learned cultural indoctrinations (ie. Brainwashing)
Raw fruits, veggies and distilled waters are also an important part of the cure.
Cheers A.
I've never been a big fan of soda but still used drink it some days. All of it ended when i was diagnosed with kidney stones (they were calcium stones, nit because of soda) and decided to quit it. I just stopped drinking it, don't miss it at all. Now when I even it or take a sip i find it disgusting.
Good luck with your journey, your body will be better after this, i assure you.
Soda's a tough one to kick. You've got the caffeine, the sugar, the bubbles, the energy rush, and the ritual of opening the can or bottle... and it's in liquid form, so you're not getting the physical cue you get from solid food that you don't need more calories. I don't doubt it's harder to kick than booze or smokes.
Stick with it, though. You've come so far already!
Oh my goodness sweetheart.....no bueno with the Mountain Dew. There is also the development of diabetes as a big concern on top of the dehydration factor.
I was a big soda drinker up until I was 24 years old. It impacted my stomach the most, once I switch to water instead of soda I noticed I barely ever had a stomachache any more.
You are a determined young woman. Before you know it you will look at soda like, "meh...I'm really not a fan."
Water is the most natural liquid to drink. To help with the sugar withdrawal, try reading this:
Sugar Blues https://g.co/kgs/xRa87S
I just got in some viter every mints toady and they pack a huge punch.
A sugar addiction is so difficult. There is much even hidden where we think there is none. I have almost completely beaten it, but it has taken a long time. Now I don't drink any kind of soda and nothing canned or processed. It is a bit easier to control the weight, but I still have to watch what I eat. It's never ending battle but one you can win...
My partner has been battling the sugary energy drinks on and off for a while. Red Bull and V are his demons. I drink coffee, if I miss my morning coffee my brain is screaming by lunch time.
Remember to be kind to yourself, make sustainable small changes that compliment your life balance.
Run only if you like running. I like it, love it! But can't do it at the moment, I know a lot of people who hate it and continually smash themselves because they think they should run for health and fitness.
Keep check on what you say to yourself, our inner dialogue is a sneaky negative voice sometimes.
Thanks for always sharing your experiences, you are a talented communicator.
Keep Steeming 😊
Also, try to think of all the money you'll be saving. Soda is so overpriced, especially if you live in Philly:
Report: Soda tax decreased sales in Philly, boosted sales beyond border
This is excellent. It sounds like you might not be aware of the massive damage soda is causing to you, besides the weight issue. It literally is feeding cancer all throughout your body and weakening your joints. If you keep weaning yourself off of it, you will have a prolonged suffering. Just go cold turkey on all sugar, suffer through 5 days of hell, then boom hard reset. You really want to look into its cancer causing nature. Unfortunatly, Im speaking from experience. Good luk!
Cancer feeds on sugar, so your desire to stop drinking those drinks loaded with sugar is a good thing.
There are a number of bacteria that reside in your gut and help you to digest your food. The bad bacteria have overgrown your good bacteria and are telling your brain that they want more sugar. One way to combat that message (craving) is to replenish your good gut bacteria by eating fermented vegetables (such as sauerkraut), yogurt and drinking kombucha. Those contain the good bacteria your body needs. It is important to have a balance of flora in your gut for good health. Good luck with quitting.
Could you swap it for water? I find the camelback water bottles make me drink more water. You can sip away at it through the day. Also have you studied individual ingredients? Here is one - Yellow #5
http://www.livestrong.com/article/370945-health-effects-of-yellow-5-food-coloring/
And what is is made out of -
Well done for cutting it out of your diet. I really applaud you! You got this. These kinds of drinks stop you from properly absorbing the right nutrients.
I am trying to give up coffee - so I know the feels.
Congrats so far. I quit drinking a lot of soda because it gave me heartburn. I was drinking 4-5 cans a day sometimes. I had quit drinking Mt. Dew because it contains brominated vegetable oil. Mt. Dew is one of the only sodas left on the market to contain it. In larger amounts it can cause some nasty health issues.
I still drink soda, but its very few and far between. I'm lucky if I have 1 a week now. I wish you much success on quitting. It helped me a lot!
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I am so glad you are working at stopping your soda habits. I have seen a young man have a hip replacement cause of too much soda. It steals your calcium. My dad used to be a sodaholic. Me too. I learned to drink water and save money. Good luck with wiping out your need to drink soda completely. Is that you in the picture? You are very beautiful.
Fighting addictions is always very hard, the most important part is creating defenses so we don't go back to the same.
I really wish you good luck!!!
I found the easiest way for me was to get caffeinated drink mixes like Mio Energy or there's a Crystal Light that has caffeine in it and just have no sodas near me lol. When I start drinking diet sodas it replaces my water intake rapidly. When I drink nothing but water I can usually get up to a couple hundred ounces a day no problem. You can do anything you set your mind to! You are beautiful, screw the stock photos!
Getting over any addiction is hard. Back-breaking, head-splitting, heart-achingly bad.
So I absolutely take my hat off to you for this.
Stick at it. You're doing great and it will get a little easier every day x
I have gave up drinking Coke and Pepsi, Its now been a good year, I hate the taste now but I drink a lot of volvic juiced, I daren't check as I think there may be quite a lot of sugar as well but its water so got to be better for you... hopefully lol Good luck :)
ahhh I struggle with sweets too. I don't drink soda but I love cake. It's hard to resist things that taste so good, but are yet sooo bad for you. Good for you for continuing to stick to it. Every step no matter what is in the step towards the right direction!
Have you tried Kombucha? I mean real, naturally made (best to make it yourself) Kombucha? I kicked my Coka-cola addiction that way and my digestion was great!