Are you addicted to Soda? Do you guzzle diet sodas daily? If so, read on to see how I am battling my soda habit!
Hello everyone, welcome back to my weekly series about my healthy lifestyle journey. This week’s post is going to be all about my self-admitted addiction to soda. Soda is one thing that I have learned over time to give up, but it has not been an easy journey.
Looking for minimalism content? I am working on a weekly post all about my minimalism journey and hope to get that out to all of you soon! Until then, check out all my previous minimalism posts!
My Story
When I was growing up I did not grow up in a house that had soda regularly. My parents did/do not drink it, so it we never had it in the house, unless it was a special occasion. When I became old enough to have an allowance, I would often spend my allowance on candy and soda. Yes, the sugar dragon started early with me! When I got into high school I was regularly using my lunch money to survive on bagels and coke for my lunches.
As I said in my previous post, I was lucky that I was so busy with sports at that age that even though I was not skinny, I was in pretty good shape and didn’t think too much about what I ate. I was able to drink my daily sodas and not notice any kind of major effect. Though now I know that was the beginning of my soda addiction.
Is it Really an Addiction?
I know a lot of people see the word addiction and think of the major ones, drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. But it is very possible to be addicted to other addictive products. I know many people who are considered food addicts or sugar addicts or even exercise addicts.
For myself I judge soda as an addiction as opposed to just a weakness because it is not something I can really control. moderation is not a possibility for me when it comes to soda. I can completely abstain from soda for years and years and I have one for a special occasion or trip and next thing I know it is 6 months later and I am still drinking at least 12 ounces a day. I can rarely just have one.
My Journey to Giving Up Soda
I have started and relapsed into soda drinking many of times in my life. I originally gave up soda while I was playing college soccer. We didn’t have a lot of nutritional restrictions back then, but our conditioning coach had two hard rules, no alcohol or soda during the season. I was in college, so I am sure not everyone adhered to these rules, but I really did try to. Luckily, I have never really been a big alcohol drinker, so that was never as hard for me as giving up soda.
I think my first stint without soda lasted about 3 years, all the time I was playing in college. I was strict with myself and learned to replace it with iced tea or even lemonade. Looking back lemonade probably wasn’t a much better option, but it was something regularly available in my college cafeteria.
When I stopped playing soccer I started to drink soda again, especially during my law school days. I wasn’t a coffee drinker, so I used soda a lot to get all my hours of studying in. This was the beginning of the cycle. Knowing that soda wasn’t good for me, neither regular or diet. I went through many cycles of giving it up and then getting back into the habit of drinking it.
Soda During My Weight Loss Journey
When I started my weight loss journey about 20 months ago, I knew the first thing that had to go was the soda. I was really good about it during my major weight loss months. I didn’t have any soda for about 13 months. Then I went on a vacation where we were not able to drink the water and they didn’t really have any of my normal alternatives. So, I justified allowing myself to drink coke which was readily available and bottled water.
This was the start of a six-month journey back to trying to give it up completely. During this time, I finally realized that soda was more than just a habit for me. It was an addiction. I have slipped on a lot of my weaknesses (including fast food, chips, dairy, etc.), but with everything else I am able to have it once and a while and not slip back into a daily routine. Soda is different for me.
Where I am Now
I have been soda free for about a month now. And before that I was soda free for about 3 months, with one night of soda drinking which set me off for about a week. It has not been easy. There have been days when I crave it bad. Days when I would gladly give up the calories of food, so I could somehow justify to myself having a soda. I know that the longer I go the easier it gets, but I have learned over the years that for me, it never completely goes away.
I know that for my long-term health it is something that will have to be taken out of my diet completely. It is also something that will never be something I can have on a cheat day. Vacations do not mean I can slip back into my habit. For me, it will have to be something that should never be a part of my diet again.
My Tips and Tricks
Luckily, right now we have a ton of healthy options that help to kick the soda habit. I have learned for me my hardest time to resist is during meal times. I have this weird mental block that I prefer something besides plain water while I am eating a meal. It has been something I have had to learn to work around.
First, I have a ton of water throughout the day. I feel like I am more likely to slip and grab anything when I am dehydrated. I am looking for that instant refreshing lift that I can get from soda, but I know in truth, my body is usually craving water, not soda!
Second, I keep a lot of other options around. I love La Croix, or Spindrift, or any flavored sparkling water. Grapefruit is always my favorite flavor in any of the ones I try! I have even come to appreciate plain sparkling or mineral water, which most restaurants will have. Another great alternative is unsweetened iced tea. Be careful of bottled or sweet tea. Those options are usually not much better for you. Usually everywhere you go, from fast food to fancy restaurants, will all have unsweetened iced tea. (Though I do have an aunt who lives in South Carolina who says it is harder to find unsweetened there, so make sure you ask!)
Third, I try to avoid the foods that I know trigger my desire to have soda. You know, those ones that always go together. Fast food, Chips, Pizza. Those things that will trigger a strong craving for you, just might need to be cut out as well.
Fourth, I simply do not buy it and have it in the house. If you have a shared house with a soda drinker, you might want to ask them to give it up with you. Ask them if they would be willing to support you on your journey with this small sacrifice. I can’t imagine trying to give it up if it was staring at me every time I opened my refrigerator. The less you have it around, the less chances you have of slipping!
It is not an easy process, but I know you can start your soda free lifestyle just like I have. And if you slip up, don’t be too hard on yourself. Just get back into your groove right away. Try not to let it spiral you into weeks or months of soda drinking. We got this, we can beat this habit!.
Stats:
In true accountability fashion, I will add in a couple stats at the end of each of my posts.
Starting weight – 288.4
Current weight – 239.8 (down .4 pounds this week)
Exercise – 3 time this week
Fast Food (my weakness) – 3 times this week (not a good week for me and my weight loss reflects this!)
Current helpful favorite – Spindrift; La Croix
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