How to Stop Your Craving for Soda

Do you want to cut soda out of your diet completely? Or will it be something you have as a treat once or twice a week? Think about what will work best for you. If you’re not sure how much soda you want to cut out, use a calorie counter to figure out how much you are consuming. You will probably discover that you’re taking in hundreds of empty calories in the form of soda.

Decide what your ultimate goal is.

Determine why you crave soda.

Try alternatives for the caffeine in soda.

Explore sweet drink alternatives.

For many people, the sweetness and carbonation of soda are what make it most appealing. There are many alternatives that can help satisfy your craving. There are even water bottles and pitchers that you can fill with herbs or fruits to make your own infused waters.

Drink a glass of water before soda.

By drinking a glass of water before you drink soda, you’re not thirsty by the time you get to the soda. This will help slow down your soda consumption.

Start small.

Replace one of your daily 8 oz servings of soda with water. That way you hydrate and get fewer calories. Do that for one week and then decrease your intake again.

Find a replacement.

Hopefully you’ve found some drink that’s not soda that can be your daily drink -- coffee, tea, flavored water. Try to replace one of your servings of soda with your new drink and one serving of soda replaced by water. Do this for a week.

Keep cutting down the soda.

Find out a combination that works for you -- water, some soda, some of your new drink -- and keep drinking less and less soda. This process might take a few weeks, or even a month. By doing it slowly, you’re allowing your body to get used to the lower levels of soda it’s taking in.__

Try cutting soda out completely.

Now that you have water and some other beverage to hydrate you and satisfy some of what soda gave you, hopefully you will be able to stop drinking soda. It might be difficult at first, but by working up to it slowly, your body has gotten used to progressively lower levels of soda.

Treat yourself sometimes.

Just because soda is no longer as central to your diet doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it occasionally. One serving of soda a week may be an acceptable amount.__

Stay committed.

Don’t let yourself fall back into bad habits because you’re tired or wanting a sugar fix. If you are tempted by the vending machine at work, bring your own beverages. Keep water as your main beverage -- don’t let yourself be sucked into craving your new beverage choice (coffee, tea, flavored water).

Find new treats.

Even though you’re not drinking soda, you can consume or do other things that can satisfy your cravings that are healthier. When you start to crave soda, do something enjoyable that can take the place of the soda craving. In addition to the drinks mentioned earlier, some options might be:__

Make a list of the reasons you want to quit drinking soda.

Be prepared for lower levels of caffeine.

Large quantities of soda typically keep you highly caffeinated. Even though the levels of caffeine in coffee are higher, if you have a serious soda habit you’re probably drinking a lot of caffeine. Think carefully about how you’re going to deal with the reduced caffeine. You’re going to feel more tired and less alert than usual, and this could last weeks as your body adjusts.

Deal with the <a href="/Avoid-Caffeine-Withdrawal-Headaches" title="Avoid Caffeine Withdrawal Headaches">caffeine headache</a>.

Serious caffeine withdrawal will typically involve a headache. Your body has been so used to the elevated levels of caffeine, it’s going to take your body a while to adjust back to functioning normally without the high levels of caffeine. Try using over-the-counter headache remedies containing acetaminophen, which does not contain caffeine.

Stay hydrated.

Even though it’s not caffeine, drinking water can help keep you full of (healthier) liquids. It can also help combat the caffeine headaches and get your body used to water as your drink of choice, rather than soda.__

Sleep when you need to.

Chances are, without caffeine you are going to feel much sleepier than usual. Go to bed earlier to get more sleep. Nap when you can. These extended periods of sleep can help you get through the withdrawal and alleviate the headaches.