I Like Coke, Diet Coke and Candy-Help!

Hi--
The coke thing was easy for me to walk away from when I read about how it can rust through a nail and it's a great toilet bowl cleaner--I don't really want that in my stomach!!
I chew xylitol sweetened gum because it eases the craving for something sweet. I eat very dark chocolate because it has health benefits as well as tasting great. I don't buy sweet things so we don't have the in the house. I eat fruit smoothies really thick so it's almost like ice cream.
Hope some of those ideas work for you!
J.

I, too, do battle with the sugar monster. Here's what has helped me. I eliminated soft drinks entirely. Not easy, but if you put the money you're spending on sugary drinks in a jar for a week, you'll notice how much the convenience store stops are really costing you, and it'll help you stay strong. When I'm thirsty, I drink water. If I want flavor, I drink herb tea with a bit of honey. Peppermint tea is quite good iced.

Candy is tougher for me to avoid - I love the stuff. I've had some success with substituting dried fruit, such as blueberries or apricots, because they are nice and sweet and chewy. Still not great for you if you eat too much of it, but at least they have good vitamins and antioxidants. I also allow myself a few squares of good chocolate each day.

Good luck.

I didn't read all the answers, so I hope I'm not repeating too much. I used to drink a couple Diet Cokes a day. My old boss would lecture me on what was in them (formaldehyde), but I didn't care. Then, the older I got, I started to care. With all the toxins and stuff you hear about everywhere, I thought I should pay more attention to what I put in my body! I wouldn't let my kids drink pop like that, so why would I? I started by cutting down to one a day, then one every other day. Eventually, I wasn't craving them at all. In fact, if I try to drink a diet Coke now, it doesn't settle right in my stomach. But, drinking water gets boring, so occasionally, I will drink VitaminSMartWaterZero. I really don't like the fruity, sugar drinks like that, but the ones with zero calories, will hit the spot if I'm tired of water-especially in the summer. I will also drink water with lemon, cucumber or berries in it, just to change things up a bit. In the winter, I drink a lot of tea. There are so many different teas out there! I know, because I have about 12 boxes in my pantry. LOL!I think a flavor sounds good, but end up not liking it so much. I always go back to green, Earl Grey, or honey. Anyway, for me, it was just a matter of slowly weaning. You may just get to the point, where your body not only doesn't crave the pop, but revolts if you do drink it. Same with candy. Slowly wean it out and your body no longer craves it after awhile.
I wish you luck!!!!!

I am also a Coke addict (that sounds bad!) and what I've done is cut down to 1 can per day at lunchtime. Occasionally during tax season (I'm an admin for a CPA) I'll need an extra rush around 3PM and I'll get one, but only once in a while. And I've taken to buying the dollar snack size candies, like a pack of kit kats or twix, and having 1 of them a day around 2. Limiting myself and scheduling when I get my treats makes me appreciate them more and also not overindulge as much.

Used to be addicted to coke and chocolate. Quit cold turkey. Actually, my pregnancy made me quit cold turkey. I was extremely ill with HG, and pretty much had a water, brown rice diet.
I had headaches at first, but do not miss them now. In fact, coke tastes weird now, if I do get one.
I suggest eliminating them cold turkey. :)
For me, I'd say my addiction was similar to someone who smokes. I HAD to have one, it was the only thing I drank actually. Very sad. No sodas at the grocery store is a big savings on groceries though!

I also like sweets and do treat myself once in a while. I can't stand how many liquid calories are in soda and would rather eat something to get them, so that is a deterrent for me. I also have a hard time drinking a whole Coke if I haven't had any soda for a while, so sometimes forcing yourself to stop for a while helps get things started.

I like fruits a lot because they are naturally sweet. You could try bringing something like canned Mandarin oranges to work with you for lunch or snack--they are very sweet and tasted like candy to me as a kid. I like to bring Granny Smith apples, kiwi, strawberries, anything like that to work or to have at home to snack on. I still buy Smarties once in a while, but I buy them in the bulk section of the grocery store, line 8 rolls up on the scale, and instead of using a bag stick the price sticker right on the row of them. That is my limit.

Another yummy and healthy sweet treat I like (started for my kids) is mixing a bit of vanilla yogurt with some orange juice and freezing it in small paper cups. I also mix frozen blueberries in my yogurt in the morning. If water is really boring to me, I might add True Lemon to it or a splash of lime juice and cranberry juice just to flavor it a bit. I drink between 60 and 80 ounces of water most days so it can get kinda boring.

I have to admit, I love Coke/Pepsi with ice too. But I try to just stick with water, or if I do end having one, it's the zero-calorie ones (Coke Zero or Pepsi Max) and then it is just ONE - and that might be once a week. And I love chocolate. And I love any of the gummy-type or sour-gummy candies, including Swedish Fish.

Honestly, the only thing that has worked for me is sheer will-power, and knowing all the downfalls (unhealthy, empty calories, money spent) keeps me from indulging that much. I actually have not had any candy in months. I had a fair amount of chocolate around Christmas because well, it was everywhere, but that's over now. Soda tends to be more at work, when I need a little caffeine boost.

The stress thing makes sense in a way - it's a known fact that in times of stress, your body may sense that you need more energy, and then the sugar is a quick easy source. Since you know stress is a trigger, I would find healthier ways to deal with the stress. Such as exercise, like going out for a brisk walk in fresh air. If you feel the need to nosh on something sweet, switch to fruit, like pineapple chunks or the little clementine oranges that are small and easy to peel.

I have to agree with everyone else who suggested to quit cold-turkey. I, too, am a sugar addict. I was drinking between 3-5 diet sodas a day back in November (I thought that it would actually hep me lose weight because they would satisfy the sweet craving without adding calories). However, now I believe that the more sweets you have, the more you crave. I quit drinking soda completely in December. It was hard if I saw other people drinking it, and I would have to walk away. Make sure you clear soda/candy out of your house if you are going cold turkey. The other thing that helped was knowing how bad it was for me. On Jan 2 I switched to a no-processed foods diet, which means no candy! After a week of eating only fruits, vegetables, seeds, and no refined sugars or flours, I "cheated" and had a tiny piece of cake.. and got an immediate headache! I had a little treat last week as well and got a headache and felt sick the rest of the day. This has made it a lot easier to not "cheat" and I am rarely craving candy anymore. When I want a treat, I eat dehydrated apples because they are soooooo yummy! Good luck, whatever you decide! You can do it!! (PS - changing what I am eating has helped so much in only 3 weeks. No more fatigue, kicked a major funk I was in, lots and lots of energy, no more sleep problems, lost 11 lbs!)

A lot of times the cravings are due to your body's sugar levels dropping. It can also be from a candida overgrowth. Candida is a natural fungus that we have in our bodies but when it grows out of control it can cause sugar cravings because Candida feeds on sugar. The more you cut sugar out of your diet, the more you'll crave it. You really can't help craving it!

If I were you, I'd start with a visit to a natural doctor. I had intense sugar cravings and mine were due to adrenal exhaustion. I took adrenal supplement and the cravings disappeared! I went from loving candies and pop to not even interested in it when offered.

You probably have something off in your body. Correct that and the cravings will disappear.

Also, don't be afraid to eat six small meals a day. Eating less more frequently is healthier for you. It evens out your metabolism and stablizes your sugar levels so you don't get sugar cravings.

Good luck!

Do some reseach on genetically modified high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, aspartame, and their links to cancer, diabetes, mental health problems and obesity. That oughta cure you right away. If you can't find anything on Google (kinda hard not to find stuff there) go to the Dr. Mercola website and do a search there. You'll be horrified.

www.mercola.com

Have your thyroid checked. When I took Thyroid medication in the 80's I stopped wanting sugary things completely. Other wise stay away from artificial sweeteners. They are really bad for you and can cause you to crave sugar.

I love it all too. One small thing that I have done that helps me drink less Pepsi and Dr. Pepper is I started taking Spark. It is an energy drink, it does have caffeine in it and gives you a boost, if that is what you are looking for in energy. It is a dry mix that you mix with water, easy to make. It is made by Advocare. I love the Mandarin Orange, it isn't cheap, so I don't drink it very often. I do like hot tea and tea and that helps. I'm Hypoglycemic, which is low blood sugar and it is daily struggle, cause I crave sugar. I do eat 6 small meals a day, drink water instead of juice. Can't do juice or cake or pies with cream on top or merigue on it. When I eat or drink too much sugar, I get a headache, dizzy and can't think straight, I get confused. I try to remember that it makes me feel bad and I don't want to feel bad. I avoid cake, that is the worse food for me. I have my bad days when I get my Dr. Pepper, but I drink it slowly and not all at one sitting. I enjoyed reading all the posts as this helped me also. Thanks for posting this!

One more thing, my trainer has suggested that I take a protein shake. It is called Body Fortress and you can buy it at Wal-Mart. I've only tried the Cookies and Cream-Chocolate one and it is delicious. It does have real cocoa in it, but very little sugar. I make mine in the blender, but you can shake it in a cup in you prefer. It is a mix and you mix it with water. I do it 3 times a day, so that has definitely helped my cravings for a Pepsi or a Dr. Pepper. I am working on losing weight and I have a personal trainer at LA fitness and she is studying to be a Nutrionist and has suggested a high protein diet for me. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

You just have to go cold turkey with the sodas. make sure you have access to a lot of water and if you need more flavor add lemon (unsweetened tea is also good). The cravings will get worse before they get better, but in about 3 weeks you should be fine. As far as sweets go, I find choosing quality over quantity works - one Godiva Dark truffle over a king sized bag of M&M's.

Dilute your coke with half cold water and then begin weaning yourself. Remind yourself of the dangers every time you take one to drink and then tell yourself it is eating away at your liver, kidney, reduces your calcium intake and is addictive.

Eventually substitute with water, drink tea sweetened maple syrup or honey for your sweet tooth. Good luck!

i loooooooooove chocolate. If you cut me open, pretty sure a fountain of nesquik would pour out of me!

really, the only way I curb that stuff is to indulge now and then but alter the ways I do it. Instead of chocolate bar I'll put nutella on top of an organic rice cake. Or instead of my favorite shake from chick fil a, I make my own protien smoothie at home from chocolate whey powder, rice milk, ice and banana (sounds awful, but I swear it's good and hits the spot!!)

Also, if you need something to keep you busy but won't bust your waistline chew on some gum or get a blowpop!

Or make some toast, put natural PB on it and drizzle with honey!

If you love a good soda with crushed ice, get those yummy flavored waters at Walmart! They are ridiculously good! The lime one is like drinking a sprite and its fizzy. It fulfills my need to fizz+ice.

Replace it with something better for you! Water is the best drink, and fruit can often satisfy your sweet tooth.

Then make a personal rule - no trips to convenience store! Soda and candy are ok in moderation (like a Coke when you're out to eat) but not good as a staple of your diet.

Also, start exercising a few times a week. I find that when I work out regularly, I actually have less appetite for sweets, and crave healthy carbs and protein a lot more. And I have a horrible sweet tooth!

Hi K.,

Please be aware a few things: Just like beer can be addictive, so can soda.
Also know that soda and Diet Soda increases the for more, especially sugary treats and beverages shortly after that bottle/can is empty---which is part of the reason why women and men who try to loose weight, while continuing to drink soda, have such a hard time with it.
With this said, also know that I have many recipes in my cookbook Love More Feed Less for replacing manufacturered foods, candies and beverages (soda) to those more healthful and affordable. Yet for an immediate soda fix, go right to my website, and click on the recipe link, as there lies a recipe for homemade soda in flavors of choice. www.lovemorefeedless.com

I have found the best way is to just cut down. I try to only have one Diet Coke in the afternoon and then not again til the next afternoon. If you buy the large size refill, try going down to the next smaller size. Just giving up all at once is pretty difficult and just makes you think you are depriving yourself.

I have always LOVED sweets! I recently started reading a book called "Intuitive Eating" which has really helped A LOT. It deals with being "addicted" to these kinds of things and has some very interesting ideas. I have just started trying it. I have even started losing weight and I love the ideas! You might try it! Good Luck!