How To Stop Drinking Soda & Other Sugary Drinks

When I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, there was no turning back. All the bad diet habits I refused to address now had to be. I knew it was going to be a long road because I have a lethal sweet tooth. It’s not rocket science when it comes to dealing with these sort of things. Cut the carbs and sugar, control portion sizes, and exercise. But for me, I had to find real alternatives and solutions to address my cravings, and that’s where this blog post comes in. If you’re wondering how to stop drinking soda and other sugary drinks, you’re not alone.

You’ll find hundreds if not thousands of articles that all spew the same shit. I felt compelled to share some very specific solutions around my biggest vice, sugary drinks. These alone have made a monumental shift in my health by practically eliminating drinking calories. I lost 20 lbs. in the first 3 months of making these changes alone.

1. New habits take time. Commit to at least a month to get used to the new normal. When I had to flip the switch and remove sugary drinks from my diet, it was painful. Diet sodas and drinks tasted..well…diet. Going cold turkey and just drinking water wasn’t going to work for me. My palate DEMANDED something sweet to drink paired with savory meals. I knew it was going to take time to get used to accepting the artificial taste. Power through those first few weeks, and you’ll start to get used to that being the norm.
2. No drinking calories. This is a lot tougher for folks than me as I’m not a big drinker of alcohol or coffee, so it was slightly easier for me, so results may vary. But what I can tell you is you would be SHOCKED how many calories you actually take in just from liquids. If you can do this step alone, you will shed pounds just from this.
3. Figure out what tastes good to you. Everyone’s palate is different and you’re going to find you like certain versions better than others. After trying a variety of different versions between “diet”, “zero-sugar”, etc. I’ve been able to narrow down about 5-7 go to beverages that I really like and it’s kept me on track.
4. Citrus is your friend. Results may vary, but I find citrus flavored beverages are the holy grail. Just about every version of a sugar free beverage that has citrus in it I find to be much more enjoyable. In my opinion, the citrus somehow cuts through some of the artificial taste in these drinks making them taste less artificial. And on that note…
5. Lemons & limes are your friend. When eating out, you’re usually limited to Diet Coke or Pepsi. I always ask for a few lemon or lime wedges to squeeze in them. Game changer in transforming them into tasting like their full sugar counterparts.
6. Progress not perfection. Take all of these suggestions with the caveat that you’re allowed to splurge. Treating yourself makes all the hard work worth it.
7. My personal list of favorite sugar free drinks:
   • Diet Cherry Pepsi
   • Zero Sugar Orange Crush
   • Zero Sugar Squirt
   • Zero Sugar Gatorade
   • Ocean Spray Diet 5 Cran-Pineapple
   • Zero Sugar Minute Maid Lemonade

In my opinion, this is how to stop drinking soda and other sugary drinks. If you follow these steps above alone, you’ll shed weight, improve your health, and if your’e on the diabetes spectrum, numbers will go down.

Good luck!