Drinking that much puts enough caffine into your system so that weaning your self from it will be just like kicking the coffee habit.

If you really want to cut down on your consumption, drink a can of some no-caffine soda like Sprite. Gradually drink more other things and less caffine drinks. Doing without suddenly will be just like doing without that morning cup of coffee. You will have a head ache.

I think soda should be outlawed! I'm not really serious, but I think it's a big health issue in this country.
For one thing, the amount of sugar is just incredible......possibly the cause of our children in this country developing Type 2 diabetes more often and at a younger age.
Caffeine is very addictive.
The acidity of the drinks can disolve the enamal on your teeth. My dentist says that he sees this all the time....especially when kids drink alot of Mountain Dew.
What I've read about soft drinks too, is that the phosphoric acid in it can cause a leaching of calcium from your bones.
I honestly think that soft drinks are really bad for us.
I'm addicted to a glass of coke in the mornings. If I would quit it, I would get headaches and exceptionally tired for about a week.....and then I would feel better. But I choose not to quit it just now. But I truly think I would be healthier without it.
Our bodies become lazy when we feed it sugar all the time. It doesn't have to break down any fat stores we have to convert it to glucose. When we quit eating so much sugar, I think it takes our bodies a few days to kick into gear.......and we feel like poop until it does. Many people take this as a sign that they just can't live without the sugar and caffeine. But they have to be patient, and know that they WILL feel better.
With the caffeine, I can think more clearly and have lots more energy........but at what cost??
I also wouldn't try to substitute sugar-free sodas for the high sugar ones either, since I think sugar substitutes have their own set of problems.
I know you don't want to hear this, but it probably would be good for you to learn not to have to be putting something in your mouth all day long.......other than good water. Its a behavior modification thing.
And please trust me.......I know exactly how hard it is to give up some of these things. We get very psychologically addicted to them.
And like I always say "carbs beget carbs". What I mean by that is the more carbs/sugar we eat/drink, the more our bodies want.
I think you're going to have to slowly wean down on this stuff, and really try to give it up, or limit it to 1 a day. It really is like any other addiction......the sugar and the caffeine.
I've always thought that if another country wanted to take us over, all they would need to do is remove the caffeine from our soft drinks and coffee, and we'd be an easy victory for them!
Good luck to you. I know it won't be easy, but I think its really important for your health.

Well is a can of soda for each meal all that unreasonable?

What is everyone else drinking and don't tell me green tea.
Because there's an entire aisle at the grocery store devoted to soda and only one teeny-tiny shelf for tea.

I could do sprite or 7-up. I usually don't finish a can of those but I find them refreshing. I could also do caffine free coke and the rootbeer. Then once I get off the caffine addiction I could probably find it easier to transition to something else entirely. Thank goodness I never really developed a big coffee habit.

I can see now why it is important never to get kids started on this stuff and also fast food and junk because once you have it you get hooked so easily.

A can at each meal would be like a cup of coffee or a couple of glasses of iced tea. It's your choice. A lot of people drink that much. The problem is that you seem to be drinking enough that you have a headache when you don't get your "caffine fix." That's a good sign that you have developed an addiction. Think about whether or not it's something that you want to do. The can should tell you the amount of caffine in the drink.

My "soda pop" of choice is Caffeine-Free Diet Coke. I could (and used to) easily drink 4-6 cans of it a day. But I only drink soda now if we're eating lunch or dinner out, and if I don't order iced tea I'll order whatever soda they have (Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper).

But, my overall drink of choice these days is Propel Water. I absolutely LOVE that stuff! All of the flavors are great. Just a subtle hint of flavor. Not sickeningly sweet, either. The Peach flavor is exactly like taking a bite out of a perfectly ripened juicy peach... Vitamins added, too, so it's good for you. And, it ensures I'm drinking enough water each day. Normally it's about $1.65 for a 23.7 oz bottle, but I can often find it on sale for $1 each.

I used to be a big Coke drinker and one day I just switched to Diet Coke out of the blue and have never gone back. Like you I had tried it before and hated it but for some reason that one magical day the switch worked. Now I drink Diet Coke with Splenda instead of NutriSweet or whatever fake sugar they use. It has really helped my blood sugar problem. Splenda evidentally doesn't affect your insulin production like real sugar and most fake sugars (possibly why overweight diet soda drinkers can't seem to lose weight). I have cut back to two cans per day, any more than that and I feel jumpy and nervous. An easy way to cut back consumption is to open a can when you feel you really need to drink some and only drink SOME of it, throw the rest of it out = never drink the whole can. Eventually you will get to where you only need a sip or two of your favorite beverage. It worked for me.

I also like de caffienated iced tea sweetened with Splenda.

I am so sensitive to caffeine that even a single serving is enough to put me through hell when I don't repeat it the next day. I don't drink coffee and I gave up Coke a long time ago, but I was drinking a Zip Fizz (Costco) after my daily exercise session. I loved it and felt I had way more energy and was way more alert afterwards, but If I didn't repeat it the next day I had a major headache. I don't like that kind of dependency so I picked a weekend when I didn't have to do much and went cold turkey and lived with the pain. I only drink water now - but I am diabetic so my choices were limited anyway.

Nutrasweet is a neurotoxin, and I don't feel real comfortable with Splenda either. I guess I'd rather take my chances with sugar in moderation, than these artificial things.
I try not to drink water in small bottles, as I feel it isn't good for the environment to have all those bottles.......even if they are recycled.
I feel that in the U.S. we are just too rich for our own good. Water is what we need.....not all these other things.
Don't get me wrong......I struggle with this stuff too.
I tend to be easily dependent on things, and I guess I have had to really think alot more things through.
I have big concerns over the drinks that contain vitamins too. You can easily overdose on vitamins (especially the fat-soluble ones.....DEA and K).
I found a can of some drink that my son brought home once, and I couldn't believe the stuff in it......all sorts of amino acids, vitamins, etc. We're supposed to eat good nutritious foods and get our vitamins that way, and not gulp them down, drink after drink.
To me, less is more.
I think good tap water with a little lemon is good.

I used to be addicted to sugary, caffeinated soda as well. I just made the decision to stop one day. I switched to diet A&W, because it has no caffeine, and of all the diet sodas, it tastes the most like "normal" soda.

It took me about a week to stop getting caffeine withdrawal headaches. I decided that when it comes down to it, headaches are nothing...just suck it up, take a few tylenol, and get over it. Eventually, they will stop coming as your body adjusts.

I can't drink caffeine at all now, though, as my body over-reacts to it. I get jittery, and have trouble sleeping at night.

Caffine does a really weird thing to me. It makes me wake up early the next day......even if I've had it in the morning the day before. By early I mean 4a.m., and I can't get back to sleep. I think its real possible that it messes alot of peoples' sleep up.....and they are chronically tired because of it. More caffeine gives a quick fix, but adds to the problem at the same time.

There are other teas besides green tea, and all of them are better than any soda. As for your argument about there being more soda on the shelves than tea, remember that soda comes already prepared in large bottles, but just one large box of tea bags can create an amount equal to that same aisle of soda, it just hasn't had water added yet.

I hate the taste of green tea, but I make a cup of hot green tea at work and add some lemonade from the soda machine. It is delicious. I don't know why the green tea would harm your stomach, but I would definitely find an alternative to soda. The amount you are drinking is not as much as some people I have seen, but since you are worried about it you know that you are overdoing it for you body. Water is the very best, but you already knew that, try adding a lemon, orange or lime slice.

You do need to ween yourself off the caffeine slowly, cut down each day, drink half a can instead of a whole one, then cut it out completely. I got myself off of Diet Coke that way, and I don't get the caffeine headaches anymore and I feel much better.

Best of luck finding a solution, and keep us updated.

Thanks for all the new replies.

Just an update. I'm now down to one caffinated soft drink a day and that's for lunch. I just finished my lunch and had a mellow yellow (Coke's version of Mtn Dew) and only drank half the can.

I stocked up on soda without caffine such as Fresca (Splenda), a&w, 7-up with fruit juice (Splenda), and sprite. I too am concerned about the splenda sweetener and wonder if it's another Dow Chemical introduction LOL.
Fresca tastes horrible. I remember trying it when it first came out years ago and thought it was good but didn't have any since but tried to have it with dinner last night and couldn't even get through half the can. It tastes too diety. So I'm doubtful my palatte has matured to the point where I can have diet coke but so much for that. I'm sure the flavored 7-up will also taste nasty but haven't tried it yet. I actually think the decaf. coke tastes better than the caffinated coke.

So far no bad withdrawal symptoms.... yet.
Although I did have a caffinated soda the other night before I went to bed... normally this wouldn't keep me awake but I couldn't go to sleep for hours this time.
And now I'm actually waking up earlier without the caffine. Strange, I know.

My plan is to migrate totally to decaf, low sugar, low cal drinks and possibly water but in the mean time I'll get off the caffine then maybe one day in the near future I can say I'm only down to one can of decaf soda a day. Wouldn't that be great.

Sounds wonderful!! As you know, the question is not so much how much is too much, but rather what is the best for yourself. Keep up the good work. It will be easy to slip back into old habits.

I have a blog just for you:
www.healthydrinkreviews.com
You don't have to sacrifice flavor for health! (And I hate artificially sweetened diet drinks, too, I never touch them).

Here is a link that might be useful: Better Libations - Healthier Drink Reviews

As a teenager, I drank pop ALL THE TIME. I so wish my parents would have been a little more observant...but parents aren't perfect people.

In my 30's, I quit coffee and pop. It wasn't easy. 9 years later, I drink coffee (black only) but can't stand the taste of pop. It taste too sweet and makes me feel icky.

Try adding lemon to your water (drink filtered tap so you get the flouride). Also, freeze wedges of lemon and use them as ice cubes. It adds such good flavor (I've also frozen pineapple chunks and add to water. yummmm)

You will have to be strong to break the addiction and it will take time before you notice the "this doesn't taste right" feeling. Try a little dark chocolate when you feel the caffeine with drawal.

Good luck!

I NEVER drink anything that comes in a can - especially coke or pepsi. Bad for the teeth, etc., etc. Sooooo, I am basically stuck with Gatorade, but only when I am on the treadmill for over half and hour.
I realize that this is pretty hyprocritical, as I used to eat gummy worms and candy bars until I decided to lose some weight. Therefore; I am a fairly "cheap" date, as I only order the house salad. LOL. Sad but true.

I drink about 6-9 12oz Cans of Mountain Dew about 5 days a week. On the other 2 days, I drink about 2-4 cans. I have been drinking Mtn Dew like this for at least 6 years (about 4-5 a day for the first couple years, and more in the more recent years). I have no health issues, I am not overweight, In fact I've been the same weight for about 12 years. Im 5' 8", 155 lbs, 30 years old. My blood sugar level is normal, my cholesterol is normal, etc. I usually only eat about 1 1/2 meals a day. Sometimes only one. I usually never eat breakfast, I usually skip lunch as well, then Ill have a decent dinner. Or, if I have lunch (usually a foot long subway sandwich), I'll have a small dinner later.

Louish, you seem happy with your diet, but truly it contains way too much sugar and is lacking in essential nutrients.

louish
Your body is running on sugar and caffiene all day. If you drink your low estimate of 6 cans of pop you are in fact drinking over 1 1/4 cups of sugar or 937 calories. more calories than is in the food you eat.

You may be in good health now, but it will catch up to you. You are a prime candidate for heart disease, diabeties and Osteoporosis.

In March I started having problems with sores in my mouth. I had been drinking Ginger Ale instead of Coke, all diet, but with the sores, the carbonation made them worse. So I had to go cold turkey and give it all up.

I still have the sores on and off, haven't found a definite diagonsis but, I do feel better without the soda. I have lost weight, don't have the acid indigestion that bothered me (my husband has also gotten rid of his since stopping soda). Besides the caffeine there is also alot of sodium in sodas and that is not good for your heart.

Do I miss it? Yes, at times. I do have a glass or two if I eat Pizza - got have it then but actually find it too sweet to drink too much. The rest of the time I drink Crystal Light. There are some new ones that do not have artifical sweetners and are for Hydration. I only use half the amount in my water container and with lots of ice, its refreshing. I do drink teas - like them hot and cold (most herbal.) Water with lemon and a little bit of sugar for when I want something sweet.

I have seen enough benefit from not drinking it to go back to having it all the time. Its like anything else sweet - if I get back to having a little, I will eventually want more so its best to not go there at all.

Haven't seen you posting on Pet Forum in a long time, in fact that forum has gone downhill the last year or so.

louish, soda is not showing its effect right away, but by taking so much of it you are inviting unwanted guests like heart disease, diabetes, kidney infection and many more to your body.
Here is an interesting article I would like to share with you all: http://www.corrections.com/news/article/26010-soda-how-much-is-too-much.
Now itâÂÂs your decision how much is too much? LOL!

Here is a link that might be useful: how much is too much?

Honestly, soda has no nutritional value, so although you might enjoy it, there's no real reason to drink it. You are drinking a lot of empty calories in the form of refined sugar which will have the effect of giving you a temporary sugar-high before you crash and crave more sugar. Soda also delivers quite a bit of sodium (which most people consume too much of as it is). All you really should drink for thirst is water. Unsweetened tea and seltzer are healthful alternatives. Natural juice, unsweatened coffee, milk, and almond milk can be consumed with moderation. You need to train your body to find satisfaction in these things. To answer your question, a soda once a week or a few times a month might be considered reasonable. Daily consumption of soda is a problem.

This is an old post but for those still drinking lots of sodas I'll weigh in! I had migraines for over 30 yrs. The medicine often didn't help them as much as I would like so I tried Pepsi, it helped some & before long I drank 2-3 a day. I never liked coffee or tea & never drank sodas until I went to college & then just occasionally(no money) So then I started getting this nagging pain on each side of my back, like I had a small bag of rocks tied around my kidneys, Soon I noticed blood on the tissue from urine. I stopped with the Pepsi after I also went to dentist & had developed several cavities since last visit & all were at base of the teeth by gums. So I tried Lipton decaf, weak. Bring 2 qts water to boil turn off & add 2 tea bags & let sit for quite awhile. Bro. told me he had a serious problem- I asked what & he said blood, I said what does dr. say & he said they can't figure it out, I asked it he was still drinking pop like it was going out of style, he said he was, so he stopped, problem disappeared , 2nd bro had endoscope(what Joan Rivers had & died from) maybe wrong word, tube down throat into his stomach & further) I asked why, blood in urine, I said we should tell each other before all the testing. Again they couldn't give him an answer, I said you still drink a lot of Coke,yes, well stop & never touch it again because 10 yrs after I quit I could smell the Pepsi as someone was pouring some in a glass & I poured about 2 oz in a little cup & in minutes the dragging down feeling was back & blood in urine. So I think that sodas do permanent damage to your insides. I can't have anything carbonated except Sparkling Martinelli's apple juice which it used to say was "naturally carbonated" but now says "carbonated apple juice" so I may not be able to drink it either. Knott's came out with 1 & it caused me problems. I've learned to drink the weak tea, add ice to it & after 3-4 months got to like it. I get gal size of Crystal Geyser water & just wash & refill smaller bottle to take with me. Our tap water looks awful in a clean clear glass held up to sunlight, won't drink unless it's boiled!