You need a reason to quit. You need to think of your own personal reason to quit soft drink. To lose weight, because the dentist advised you to, because you could be spending that money on something else. Whatever the reason it needs to be your choice so you can fall back on it when you feel like giving up. Be Accountable. Take a piece of paper write on it I Am Quitting Soft Drink Because……….. stick it on the fridge. Now everyone knows.
OPTION ONE CUTTING BACK – This is an option, cutting back instead of cutting out but you really need to be strong here.
1. Stop Buying It. Don’t bring it in to your home. If you used to buy a 1.25lt bottle, now buy a 600ml or a can. Down size slowly.
2. Find a replacement. Try swapping for water, water with lemon, fruit juice, tea, milk, protein shake, sparkling water, just have something ready for when you feel the urge.
3. Make a note of your consumption. The only way to know if you’re having less is to record it. Note down how many you have had that day as you have them. See if you are having less, try and cut back to 50% by a weeks time.
4. Water Water Water. You need to buy a water bottle, and you need to have it with you all the time. Sip on water all day and you may find you don’t even get to the point where you are thirsty for a different drink.
5. Stick at it. To get rid of this habit you need to find new habits. You need to plan, you need to know what you will do when you crave it, you need to tell others not to buy it for you anymore. Do not quit, stick at it and watch it become less of an addiction.
OPTION TWO – Cold Turkey
1. This is an option. Make a date, tell everyone, stop buying it, stop drinking it and stick at it. Same things apply as above you will need a plan in place for when you crave it. Because you will crave it and the cravings will be strong after all you are addicted to it.
2. Have ibuprofen ready for the withdrawal headaches. You can get past it you just have to exercise some will power. These will fade as you overcome it, be the boss of your body no longer be a slave to these chemicals.
3. Make new habits. You need to find something else you enjoy, something else you can drink. I recommend water of course but you can drink anything just to get you off the soft drink at first.
Set a day you will quit, have things in place to make it easier, tell people, stick at it, deal with withdrawals as they happen. You may even be surprised how easy it is. Once you have cut back or quit the cravings will stop. You just need to reprogram yourself.
It Can Be Done. My husband was in the Police for five years most of that was spent drinking coke to stay awake for shift work. Over time it started to dissolve his teeth. This was picked up by the dentist before he turned into a feral ! But that was reason enough for him to quit cold turkey. So he switched to lemonade for the cold bubbly taste then slowly cut that away too. Since he cut soft drink away and really not changing too much else he now has abs that he loves flexing in the mirror!!! Ha ha!! You’ve been outed. Point is cut soft drink away your health will improve with less sugar cravings, less highs with bigger lows, less heart burn, and you will enjoy some weight loss without having to do too much else. This sh*t is nasty please please please do yourself a favor and stop putting it in your body.
Renee
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The first 2 weeks are hard (that’s when you realise you are actually addicted to it!) after that you don’t think of it….and after that…..it is harder to have a drink of coke/cola than giving it upin the first place. The benefits are great and the difference it makes stopping is unreal. Three and a half years and counting 🙂 As stated above water with lemon, or soda water with lemon…then I was eating fruit and drinking water to get the sugar hit…..the just the water. I do have the odd lemonade very rarely. Just do it….. give it up…you don’t need it!!
Great tips. I’m a shift worker and consumer WAYYYY too much soft drink. I drink the diet ones and worry a lot about what the artificial sweeteners are doing to me. Fingers cross this time it lasts when i give it up.