Getting off soda

[dreamer60411]

I have been eating paleo AIP for 5 weeks now and the one thing I am having trouble with is getting off soda and drinking water. I have had great success with weight loss but not with my psoriasis and since I follow aaIP except still drinking soda my guess is that maybe that is the problem. I drink caffeine free diet Pepsi about 12 cans a day and drink only about 2 12 ounce glasses of water. I have tried only drinking water and after a few days I go back to soda. An suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

[localkaty]

Have you tried replacing the soda with something else flavored and fizzy? Sparkling/mineral water, kombucha, and water kefir are all good options if you're just after a little flavored carbonation. Unsweetened iced tea is a good option that's also pretty easy to grab and go.

[salixisme]

12 cans of soda a day is a HUGE amount - all the artificial additives and sweeteners in it are horrible for your system!

Have you tried finding an alternative beverage - one that will give you the fizz and slight sweetness? I would suggest something like kombucha as it also contains some caffeine, which will help with the caffeine withdrawal symptoms you will go through if you cut out your pepsi. You can then gradually scale down the kombucha consumption and increase the water consumption. you could also try unsweetened iced tea to get the caffeine kick that you will probably need. Water Kefir is another suggestion.

Also, try flavouring your water with something so that you are not just drinking water. I drink a ton of water flavoured with lemon juice, but I have also added berries to water to flavour it:
salixisme.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/strawberry-and-mint-refresher-recipe/

[dreamer60411]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have seen a lot of posts about kombucha and have been thinking about trying it so maybe now is the best time. The soda I drink is caffeine free so I really don't want anything with caffeine in it. I think my addiction is to the fizz and flavor. Maybe sparkling water with a little fruit in it could be an option.

[_hashimom_]

I used to love drinking Diet Coke. If I drove by a McDonald's, more often than not, I would pull over and get a LARGE $1 Diet Coke. I would also love to have cans of Diet Coke at home to drink. It started to become a terrible habit.

The way I overcame it was by switching over to mineral waters like Perrier. When the desire for a fizzy drink hits me, I buy one at my local AM/PM. There's not much you can buy at a gas station that is Paleo/AIP friendly, but some do sell sparkling mineral water like Perrier. :-)

I hope you are able to find a replacement soon...I feel your pain and know how difficult it is to break the habit. Just know that there are others (like me) that once thought I couldn't get through a day without at least one can of Diet Coke...and now I don't even think about it. (Well, maybe I think about it a little when I drive by a McDonald's.

[basilicious]

I LOVE my Sodastream (at home water carbonater). Cheaper (approx $0.20/L) than buying fizzy water at the store and you can add whatever you like. Splash of juice, kombucha even. As a limited time crutch you could maybe water down your soda with the fizzy water. Say one part soda, 3 parts carbonated water just to give you that Pepsi taste while you ween yourself off. And like many ppl have already said though YOU MUST get off the soda. The health benefits will be unbelievable!

[lindseyk]

I gave up diet soda a year and a half ago. Sodastream has been my go to as well. It's affordable and really helped me in the transition. It was very hard to break the pattern but after the first couple of weeks it gets much easier. Unsweetened ice tea is also a great alternative. I feel much better since giving it up but I know it's not easy. Stick with it, you can do it.

[mrsjrhowe]

I have had the same issue. I am weaning myself off slowly. I am down to one coke a day and by the end of this month I will be off completely. I have been drinking Cokes most of my life and I literally go through withdrawals if I go cold turkey. Which is why I am weaning myself down to nothing.

[harley13]

Drinking Kombucha has helped with my cravings. I like Synergy. I was a huge Diet Pepsi drinker before starting AIP.

[harley13]

Drinking Kombucha has helped with my cravings. I like Synergy. I was a huge Diet Pepsi drinker before starting AIP.

[beachfrontaz]

Okay. I am going to project onto you my own soda addiction. No amount of anything else non-carbonated would do. I was at the same level as you in June. It was awful.I wasn't even enjoying the drinks. They made me cramp and I STILL drank them. I have no other addictions in my life. I also have insulin resistance, which I am sure was the result of decades of gulping Diet Pepsi. IR made it nearly impossible for me to lose weight. I would max out at 20 pounds lost and then crumble because I could not convert my food to energy. I was eating and yet starving without carbs.

I asked my doctor for a medication, Topamax. This medication was for migraine and nerve pain, but it had been used as a diet aid and was known for making the taste of carbonated drinks unbearable. We justified the medication for the nerve pain (it helped) but I was really looking forward to getting off the "sauce". Three days into the Topamax and drinking soda was like licking the grill of a car. Or at least what i assume it would be like (ahem). I haven't had more than a test sip of soda since June. Addiction over like THAT. I weaned myself off Topamax and tasted DP again. The med is out of my system, but my taste buds have changed and they no longer desire soda.

People take meds to stop smoking. They take them for obsessive behaviors. They take them for mood disorders. I had an actual addiction that was affecting my health and this worked for me.

[g4ransom]

I never told myself I was giving up soda but I did promised myself that I would drink a gallon of water before I would treat myself to a can of soda.....I typically I'm still working on my water during dinner
I've never wanted the soda after drinking a gallon of water,
Good luck!

[mastermesh]

try mint water... it soothes the stomach a bit, so settles down the hunger for soda. May not be the best thing in the world for you because of that, but it helps.