Beating my coke habit

[CommonCents]

Coca Cola, that is...

Only a prior coke addict may be able to fully appreciate this change.

When I was 19, my mom came in after a dental cleaning to say something along these lines, "I don't think it's the case, but the dentist wants me to ask if you are bullemic."  (I told her that was disgusting and if I was going to be anything, I'd be anorexic before bullemic.)

See, the acid from coke apparently eats away at the enamel on your teeth in a similar way as a bullemic's teeth would show signs of decay.  Yet, I continued chugging 1-3 cokes a day (generally 2) for years, with increasingly higher dental bills until age 34.

I've been waiting to post to make sure I was going to stick to my changes.  In mid-March, I stopped drinking coke at the office, cutting 5 sugary calorie ladden and teeth damaging beverages from my diet in an attempt to help my teeth and part of a global attempt to improve my diet.  As a result of cutting it out at the office, I've also started drinking fewer at home (and pouring smaller glasses) as a side effect as I find myself happier with fresh cold water.  Due to those small changes, I've lost 6 lbs of a 13 lb goal by July 4th.

It's not a perfect cold turkey and I'm not intending it to be, but I'm pretty darned happy I've established this habit. 

Today's my next dental checkup.  I've got terrible teeth for numerous reasons (genetics, probably no fluoride where I grew up, prior dental work performed poorly), but I'm working on beating one of those reasons, with hopefully a fatter wallet to boot.

[AMustachianMurse]

As someone who has and continues to burn through pallets of soda from costco bi-weekly...I feel your pain brotha.  and wish to share in your triumph!  Any one who drinks soda or has children that drinks soda should watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM.

It's long and can be pretty dry at some points if you're not in the medical field, but the TL;DR is that with regular soda, (and juices, and anything with high fructose corn syrup), the liver metabolizes it exactly the same as alcohol.  In other words, for you, me, and children...drinking an 8oz. can of regular soda, has the same effect on our bodies (long term) as an 8oz. can of beer.  The only difference is that there are no acute effects of drinking soda (vs being drunk with alcohol).  That is why people have beer guts, and kids have soda guts.  The even more disturbing thing is that pediatricians/endocrinologists are starting to see children with Type-2 Diabetes, formerly known as ADULT ONSET DIABETES as early as the 1980s-90s, and even more disturbing still is that kids are showing up with fatty liver cirrhosis (that's the one that chronic alcoholics have that puts them in the grave).  Once you hammer those facts home in your head, you will think twice before you pick up a can of regular soda.

To those wondering why I keep saying regular soda, yes I am addicted (psychologically hopefully) to diet soda.  The perception that it increases cancer risk has been largely debunked by science, but still persists through society via urban legend.  Though we can all safely agree that putting stuff in your body manufactured in a lab is probably not super fantastic for you no matter what...I was thinking of some day using those home soda makers?  Have you had any experience with those?  It's going to be really hard for me to kick this habit.

[Ottawa]

Whoah!  That's a serious accomplishment, because that shit is super addictive...and usually people just make excuses and continue drinking it.
Awesome side-benefits for your health (not just weight that that shit can cause) and your 'stash!
 
Next stop - NO COKE ANYWHERE or ANYTIME - Throwdown a gauntlet on that!

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

Way to go! I was a diet coke (coke zero to be precise) addict and I've kicked it by substituting seltzer water. I figured out what I was in love with was the CARBONATION, not the taste! So, we got a sodastream seltzer maker and it's great to be just drinking water with bubbles! I know it's obviously more frugal to drink plain water, but I couldn't kick the soda habit without the seltzer substitute. And, the sodastream is much less expensive than buying seltzer at the grocery store or soda for that matter.
Good luck!

[electriceagle]

It's long and can be pretty dry at some points if you're not in the medical field, but the TL;DR is that with regular soda, (and juices, and anything with high fructose corn syrup), the liver metabolizes it exactly the same as alcohol.  In other words, for you, me, and children...drinking an 8oz. can of regular soda, has the same effect on our bodies (long term) as an 8oz. can of beer.  The only difference is that there are no acute effects of drinking soda (vs being drunk with alcohol).  That is why people have beer guts, and kids have soda guts.  The even more disturbing thing is that pediatricians/endocrinologists are starting to see children with Type-2 Diabetes, formerly known as ADULT ONSET DIABETES as early as the 1980s-90s, and even more disturbing still is that kids are showing up with fatty liver cirrhosis (that's the one that chronic alcoholics have that puts them in the grave).  Once you hammer those facts home in your head, you will think twice before you pick up a can of regular soda.

To those wondering why I keep saying regular soda, yes I am addicted (psychologically hopefully) to diet soda.  The perception that it increases cancer risk has been largely debunked by science, but still persists through society via urban legend.  Though we can all safely agree that putting stuff in your body manufactured in a lab is probably not super fantastic for you no matter what...I was thinking of some day using those home soda makers?  Have you had any experience with those?  It's going to be really hard for me to kick this habit.

Wow, I hadnt realized that the stuff is this bad. Ive gone from 1 coke per day to one per approx 2 weeks, but now I'm tempted to ban it from my body entirely. No point in getting fatty liver disease if you aren't at least going to get drunk.

Check out the following link to an academic paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2880768/

[frugalman]

I beat my coke habit. And my alcohol habit. And my gambling habit.
I did have a coke this month with my onion rings after a round of golf. It just felt like it would hit the spot (and it did). I would say this happens once a month, or less. And zero alcohol and zero gambling.

After I quit gambling, I found myself day trading stocks/options/futures. Lost a lot of money doing that, until I figured out it was just another form of gambling. I'm now 60/40 stocks/bonds at Betterment and Vanguard.

I lost 70 pounds in the past 3 years, was 270, now 200. At 64 years old, still as a desk worker, I can run an 8 minute mile (I work out 5 days a week too).

It is all about mindset, choosing right, and doing the right thing. Good luck to all "quitters".

[skunkfunk]

Does beer do this too? I like to brew beer and have probably 5 per week. I don't want to stop but if it is this bad for you I might. Other than beer I only drink water, unsweetened teas, and black coffee.

It's long and can be pretty dry at some points if you're not in the medical field, but the TL;DR is that with regular soda, (and juices, and anything with high fructose corn syrup), the liver metabolizes it exactly the same as alcohol.  In other words, for you, me, and children...drinking an 8oz. can of regular soda, has the same effect on our bodies (long term) as an 8oz. can of beer.  The only difference is that there are no acute effects of drinking soda (vs being drunk with alcohol).  That is why people have beer guts, and kids have soda guts.  The even more disturbing thing is that pediatricians/endocrinologists are starting to see children with Type-2 Diabetes, formerly known as ADULT ONSET DIABETES as early as the 1980s-90s, and even more disturbing still is that kids are showing up with fatty liver cirrhosis (that's the one that chronic alcoholics have that puts them in the grave).  Once you hammer those facts home in your head, you will think twice before you pick up a can of regular soda.

To those wondering why I keep saying regular soda, yes I am addicted (psychologically hopefully) to diet soda.  The perception that it increases cancer risk has been largely debunked by science, but still persists through society via urban legend.  Though we can all safely agree that putting stuff in your body manufactured in a lab is probably not super fantastic for you no matter what...I was thinking of some day using those home soda makers?  Have you had any experience with those?  It's going to be really hard for me to kick this habit.

Wow, I hadnt realized that the stuff is this bad. Ive gone from 1 coke per day to one per approx 2 weeks, but now I'm tempted to ban it from my body entirely. No point in getting fatty liver disease if you aren't at least going to get drunk.

Check out the following link to an academic paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2880768/

[Rube]

My wife goes through phases with it. My dentist as a piece of general advice told me to avoid soda. I said it's ok, I drink diet. His response...it's much worse. I've pretty much cut it out completely unless I want a mixed drink. That's pretty rare too.

[Vorpal]

I stopped drinking soda (Diet Coke, in my case) cold turkey late last year, due to suspected ties to angina that I was having (FYI, many people report angina in association with intake of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame). Seems to have worked. I was drinking 1-2 per day, so it was not that hard to quit. Replaced it with water, and that made me feel even better :)

I may have a soda once per month now, usually associated with eating lunch out, and when I do I have "regular" soda to avoid the aspartame. I mostly choose iced tea, though.

[shotgunwilly]

I've pretty much cut it out completely unless I want a mixed drink. That's pretty rare too.

I completely cut sodas too, unless I'm wanting a mix drink.  Unfortunately, that means I'm still drinking about 20 sodas each weekend.... 

[SisterX]

Congratulations!  I used to be a soda a day drinker (thankfully, only for a period of about a year--the carbonation does not agree with me!) and it's wonderful to "quit" it.  I also used to drink lots of juice as a kid.  When I moved out on my own, I stopped buying soda and juice because it's just so expensive.  I started drinking water, which until that point I'd considered boring and awful tasting, with about 1-2 mugs of tea in the morning and, somewhat frequently, a big glass of milk with dinner.  That's all.  I don't feel a lack of soda, or juice.  It was actually kind of amazing to me how quickly I acclimated to this.
Good luck!

[Greg]

Congratulations on cutting back.  It's nothing but good for you.

I was a coke and snapple drinker and realized it was making it hard to sleep and adding extra calories.  I stopped drinking these two beverages fro the most part and man, what a difference.  Sleeping was easier and I lost 10 lbs. in a couple of weeks without trying.

I drink more espresso now, but still don't sweeten it so now it's more the sugar.  Having access to a steady stream of plain soda water helps.

One of the yucky side effects of some sodas is the phosphoric acid dissolves your bones and suspends in in your bloodstream, where it can cause buildup in your blood vessels leading to all sort of problems.

[CommonCents]

Wow, all of your horror stories about the health implications of drinking coke are helping to keep me on the straight and narrow.  I've learned there are certain foods I associate with coke and find it harder to resist and drink water (e.g. pizza, fried foods).  So it's easier to resist the foods in the first place (which aren't so great for me anyhow).

I'm solidly within the healthy weight range right now, but I'm enjoying eating healthier and getting back a bit of my younger, more active and somewhat trimmer self.

[libertarian4321]

I used to buy sodas by the rack.  Mountain Dew, Coke, Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, generics, whatever, I drank 'em all.  Between home and work, I probably finished 6-8 per day.  Not only was it not healthy, it was pretty expensive, too.

I just went cold turkey.  I missed them for a few weeks maybe, but now, I drink maybe 1 can per month.

I replaced it with filtered tap water and coffee (also probably not all that healthy, but I'm pretty ineffective at work in the morning without a couple of cups of caffeine).

[eil]

I used to be addicted to cereal.

Sounds weird, doesn't it?

Every night between 10 p.m. and midnight, I poured myself a big ol' bowl of sugary cereal and covered it with cool full-flavor vitamin D milk. It was something like my end-of-day treat. I knew it wasn't really very good for me, but I had no idea how actively bad it was. It was soooo delicious, though.

Around the same time I started reading MMM, I had also started researching the high-fat low-carb diet. I decided to try an experiement: one month of no cereal at night, and avoid as many other sugary things as possible. It ended up being quite the eye-opener... I slept better, had more energy, and lost about 15 pounds without even trying. After that, I upped the ante and cut out nearly all carbs from my diet and ended up losing 45 pounds in nine months. Now my wife is on board and we're eating healthier than ever. (Although we do need to cut waaay back on the meat consumption.)

So yeah, pretty happy I gave up cereal. :)

[Shor]

Challenge Accepted!
Whatdya mean this isn't a Gauntlet Challenge??
Soda has to be the easiest, most accessible, most affordable addiction available.
I would typically drink in the ballpark of 1 L any time the option was available.

Every restaurant, at any hour of the day,
$1 Large cup? Free refills? One more for the road?
Yes Please! I mean No! No more! I'm done with it!

There isn't so much of a withdrawal, as there is a desperate thirst, driving you mad...

[MgoSam]

I've heard that SodaStream has been helpful for some that want a caffeinated beverage to cut back on other sodas. This is at least cheaper (I think?) and since you control it you can reduce crap.

[Mr. Frugalwoods]

I've heard that SodaStream has been helpful for some that want a caffeinated beverage to cut back on other sodas. This is at least cheaper (I think?) and since you control it you can reduce crap.

I kept track of how many liters we get out of a single sodastream CO2 canister: 62.  You can swap the canister for $14.  So that works out to a 2 liter seltzer equivalent of $0.45.  Better than we can consistently find at stores.  Plus lugging home 2 liters is a drag when you walk or bike to the store :-)

I'm actively looking into rigging up a system to still use the sodastream machine and bottles, but instead use a bulk C02 tank.  The adapters are kinda pricey, but would pay for themselves quickly.  Just need to figure out the mechanics of how it will fit into our kitchen!

[Greg]

I've heard that SodaStream has been helpful for some that want a caffeinated beverage to cut back on other sodas. This is at least cheaper (I think?) and since you control it you can reduce crap.

Sure works for me.  I use 1 of the soda stream canisters per month, and make about 1 liter of soda water per day.  Also planning to go the larger welding tank route later.  I have the room in the adjacent pantry and just need to get to it.

[Nickyd£g]

I'm currently reading "Salt, Sugar, Fat"* and the author describes how Coca Cola execs describe consumers as "users" and love "heavy users" - as if they are drug addicts (which, in essence, they are).  Well done on kicking the habit!

*Fantastic book, talks to execs from lots of food and beverage companies, charts their marketing strategies and the fight back against the FDA/concerned consumers about the levels of fat, salt and sugar that is in fast/convenience foods and sodas.  Coke has 9 teaspoons of sugar in a regular can!

[curlycue]

I also have had problems with Coke/Pepsi. Some people say this is related to a primal instinct, when most people drank things that were fermented and bubbly. That it actually is a good/natural craving for healthy fermented drinks. I've found that kombucha meets the same craving and can make it cheaply at home and carry it with me. If I'm out and can't buy it, but need a drink then mineral water or soda water does the trickl

[RealCanadianSavings]

I kicked a coke zero habit about 3 years ago. I loved the stuff. Any time of day. After work with a nice dark rum was the best (and I still crave it). Anyways I kicked the habit because of the aspartame. One Christmas I was getting heart palpitations and headaches at the same time. That stuff is evil.

Now I drink an absurd amount of decaf tea, often with non fat milk. Maybe not the best solution but it worked for me.

More recently I kicked the alcohol habit too. A few times a week I drink o'douls amber. I do miss dark beer though, and red wine, and rum.

[myfirstdollar]

haha...  I have a soda habit as well.  I love the bubbles,  good suggestion to get a  sodastream and make seltzer water.

[stripey]

I also have had problems with Coke/Pepsi. Some people say this is related to a primal instinct, when most people drank things that were fermented and bubbly. That it actually is a good/natural craving for healthy fermented drinks. I've found that kombucha meets the same craving and can make it cheaply at home and carry it with me. If I'm out and can't buy it, but need a drink then mineral water or soda water does the trickl

When I went to the US, the 'in laws' after a week asked me 'don't you drink pop?'. I said yes, but never for lunch and occasionally at dinner only- I considered it a dessert and a special treat. I think a lot of it has to do with the way one was brought up- juice was always diluted 50:50 and considered a treat, and carbonated drinks only for special occasions. I never formed the habit.

I usually have homemade ginger ale (beer) long-brewed so not too sweet, or long-brewed kombucha as a treat- helped the SO kick the habit. I think substitution is easier and more sustainable than complete abstinence, although perhaps abstinence is ultimately better for you... if it can be kept

[Eurotexan]

I gave up Diet Coke a few months ago. The first week was pretty bad, horrible headaches, but now I feel great and the cravings have totally gone. The biggest plus is the money I am saving at the grocery store! I used to drink around 3-4 a day, it was bad, and I dread to think what it has done to my body but no point on dwelling on that. If you can survive the first few days you'll be set, the easiest way for me was cold turkey. Good luck!

[aglassman]

Caffeine free tea, and decaff coffee is a savior.  I had a habit of drinking wayyy to much coffee.  It was to the point where I was drinking about 4 cups before noon, then a few in the afternoon.  My energy levels were a roller coaster throughout the day.  A few months back (probably 5 or so now), I quit caffeine.  I still drink it every once in a while.  If I do, it's only on the weekends, or if I have a long drive.  I always regret it that night, and the next day.  I can't sleep at night despite being super tired, and then the next day, I'm just dragging.

I've noticed that the caffeine free tea, and decaff coffee does still give me a minor energy boost, but no crash!  You can also get some killer tea flavors.  My favorite right now is this citrus one. 

[KLina]

Good for you, and I hope your dental checkup reflects your changes! I gave up soda and doughnuts for the new year and have, but for the occasional slip-up, stuck to it! I have noticed it saving me money on eating out (it turns out I used to go and get lunch more for the soda than anything else! We never keep it in the house.) I have lost maybe 4-5 pounds, and feel much better and less moody during the day.

I think, though, that it was easier for me to give up because I never had it as a kid. I don't think I even tasted coke until I was a teenager. My husband and sis-in-law were raised with it, and can have a very hard time avoiding it. Luckily, my husband pretty much goes along with what I do, so when I stopped, he stopped.

I will throw down the gauntlet, let's stick with it!!!

[Moonwaves]

Good for you. I used to drink far too much Diet Coke - several cans a day in work. Then I had my first migraine. So had to cut out coke and tea (never liked coffee), among other things, to see if that would help. Turns out my migraines were mostly caused by stress but that caffeinated drinks can also trigger migraine for me. Nothing like landing in bed for four days to focus you on to feeling it might not be so bad to not drink coke for a while! I used to try and save caffeine-free coke for those times when I felt really desperate. But then there was lots of talk about various human rights violations by coke at some of their overseas plants so it got easier and easier to say no. Mind you, it's such a huge company, with so many products you can't really boycott them.

I never used to like fizzy water but since I really did crave fizzy sometimes, I started drinking that mixed with some juice. Eventually, over the years I got used to it so that now I like it just on its own. Water is my drink of choice, fizzy sometimes is I want something bubbly. I'm very fond of a big glass of milk sometimes, too - especially with a bag of cheese and onion crisps.

[KLina]

I also enjoy the fizzy water! If I am craving some soda, it is nice to reach into the fridge and get an ice-cold can of flavored water. It works SUPER well for my husband. He's been drinking so much of it that I am going to have to cut back on how much I buy. It is nice to have an alternative!