Drinking to Much Soda/pop/caffeine

Those who are lactose intolerant have serveral other options to take in more calcium....you can take a pill that helps with the symptoms, you can drink calcium fortified OJ, you can drink calcium fortified Soy Milk, Almond Milk or Rice Milk. Or you can just take calcium pills. I think a form of chromium also is good for bone maintenance. Any extra vitamins should be Dr. approved.
If find if I'm over tired I either have 1) not drank enough water or 2) have a low iron level. I try to have 1 egg in the morning a few days a week to keep up the iron levels. A spinach salad can work too.
I can't imagine what having 5 kids, working full time and starting a college class is like, but I know even with 1 child, I'm sleep deprived. Smaller amounts of caffeine have a harder time pepping up. We think that we need to have more to keep us awake, when we really need to have a better nights sleep more regularly....easier said than done! :)

Good Luck!

I just discovered brocolli slaw as a way to get more calcium. YUM! It's in the section of the grocery store with salads. It sounds weird, but it's the stems of the brocolli cut-up - and it looks like cole slaw. It's soooo healthy for you. I mix it with a package of crushed up ramen noodles (flavor packet also) and about a half a cup of tarragon-flavored vinegar. However, there are many variations.

As far as the pop, I can understand why you'd be addicted. Caffiene is addictive, as is high-fructose corn syrup. I'd say drink water. You'll be surprised how energized you'll feel if you're well-hydrated.

I will agree with the WATER WATER WATER statement. Caffeine and soda in general acctually dehydrate you. It is a hard habit to break but just start chugging around a big sports bottle full of Water. Ad lemon or something if you have to but don't get into the crystal light thing (aspertame or nutri sweet) and any "energy drink" including vitamin boosters still give you the up and down when you need a constant. If you are craving the fizz for a bit treat yourself with a flvored water but a lot of those have artificial sweetners as well. They arent good for you at all! You will be amazed how good you feel when you just get all the water you need in a day! Take vitamins and calcium suppliments as well. good luck

BABY STEPS!!! I was drinking 3-4 cups of coffee a day, drinking cherry coke like it was going out of style till I came down and "crashed" (passed out)-I was in the Army and needed a boost constantly. My body actually developed a "need" for caffeine! I had to slowly down my intake of the bad, and up the good. Set small goals. "Today I'm going to drink two 10-oz glasses of water." Buy a special water bottle for just you to use, and as soon as it is empty re-fill it. Get crystal light on-the-go packages if water is too hard yet. Also, go get Viactiv Calcium chews. They come in a wide range of flavors (chocolate, mocha, raspberry...), and are an excellent way to up your calcium intake. But baby steps are important. Don't set enormous goals right now. Make them do-able, write them down and put them where you can see them on a daily basis. You can do this! I've been there....

Hi B.~

Zip Fizz! I'm not sure if you're near a Costco but that's where I get a box of them. A bit on the pricey side but if you're purchasing pop in the afternoon anyway, it ends up costing the same. It's basically a vitamin drink in powder form (looks like a little yellow vial) and you mix it with 16-20 oz. of bottled water. It's a shot of B-12 which gives you energy and there's also other vitamins in there as well (sorry, no calcium, or very little of it). As far as Calcium, have you ever tried Viactiv? They're not bad.

Hope this helps!

Aloha ~
S.

Everyone has had great responses to your request--another I would add is getting those who care about you the most on your side. Willpower is often the greatest defeat in changing bad habits. Do you have friends or family that would be willing to help? Call them, email, complain when it's tough--find some external encouragement! When you have someone else to be responsible to (besides yourself), it often makes changing those habits easier! Good luck and reward yourself when you reach your goals! C.

Its hard to get yourself off of an addiction to caffeine. My suggestion is to ween yourself off of caffeine slowly, some people actually go through withdrawls. Of course we all know that the best source of fluids is water. Ice tea, crystal light, even an occasional diet soda or caffeine free coffee. As far as the osteoporosis goes drink more milk and eat more dairy products. If you are not a dairy person then you can always substitute with a calcium supplement. Remember, mind over matter, you can do it.

Water! Water! Water!
When I drink caffeine repeatedly, it makes me feel more tired than if I didn't drink it! If you can , try to give it up - it will be tough, but after about 5 days, you'll probably be off of it. I pretty much stay away from it , but when I do get addicted (about 2-3 weeks/year), I try to give it up on a Friday, so I'm tired that day and thru the weekend, them I'm off of it by Monday.
If you MUST have caffeine, I would suggest black tea - either hot or iced. Black tea has lots of health benefits and you'll get some caffeine.
In my opinion soda is one of the worst things you can put in your body. If you want something sweet to drink w/o 25 tsp of sugar, try Crystal Light or those flavored waters by Propel.
Good Luck!

Had an elementary teacher who was allergic to cow's milk. I would recommend goat's milk- the proteins are a little more digestable if you like milk. Otherwise get your calcium from other sources.

I was drinking 2 liters of Mountain Dew a night at work when I found out I was pregnant. I knew that was not good for my baby, so I stopped drinking caffeine, cold turkey. Not a good idea if you're used to that much, because you're body thinks it needs that. I called my Dr because I was having HORRIBLE headaches. She told me to drink a Pepsi! lol I did that every time I got a headache, and was able to wean myself off of it. Now, my son will be 7 years old in December, and I still prefer Sprite to anything else. I think it's also harder if you step down to pop with no caffeine, because then, you're still getting pop, so you're not craving that at the same time. Sprite, 7-Up, Orange and Grape, and some Root Beer are all caffeine free. You can also buy Pepsi, and maybe Coke (not sure) in caffeine free versions. For Calcium, Tums has a lot of it, and they're a lot cheaper than some of the Vitamin supplements you can find that taste horrible, but do the same thing for you.

Two years ago my doctor told me I was getting osteoporosis too and had a terrible caffiene addiction. I haven't gotten rid of caffiene entirely but there are lots of of other things to drink. I agree you have to up your water intake. I also have started buying green tea and making it iced to take to work. I'm also lactose intolerant and Lactaid has worked wonders for me. That and a Viactiv Chocolate Chew every day. It sounds corny but make sure you are eating breakfast. It really helped me to cut down on the amount of coffee I felt I needed. At my last checkup my doctor said I was on the right track so good luck!

Well I use to have the same problem, my boyfriend is a really heavy soda drinker that is about all he drinks. I went to my sister in laws house a few months ago and she served me some crystal light. I thought that it was going to be gross cause I have never tryed it before but it was very good and it is good for you like on the commercial. They have lots of flavors and I love the iced tea one. There is no caffeine in it and only 5 calories. So you might just try it hope the advice is good...

Wow, you need to stop! Just don't buy it anymore and drink water, juice, soy milk, whatever you can get. The caffeine and carbonation will only deplete your bones even more. If that isn't motivation enough, I don't know what to tell you. Caffeine can be addictive, but you just have to be stronger than the craving. It's not that hard, but you have to want it and just do it.

another water addict here. The caffeine is dehydrating.... which increases your fatigue. The more water you drink, the more energy you have and the less need you have for the "lift" from caffeine.

It's tough in the beginning though. I recommend slowly weaning down to avoid the headaches.

Hi B.,
I got alot of insight from my Naturopathic doctor when I went in yesterday. He did a saliva hormone test and we were going over the results. My progesterone is super low. My doctor told me that progesterone is the building blocks of all of the other hormones. So if you are stressed, your body makes more cortisol(adrenaline) to cope with the stress. This wipes out the progesterone in your body. Progesterone also makes the "feel good" hormones which keep your mood elevated. I imagine that after having five children, your body is probably kinda low on progesterone. Add a full time job, family responsabilities, marriage, and college on top of that and your adrenaline is wiping out your "feel good" hormones. Your body is craving caffine as a way to cope with the stress. I do the same thing. I drink LOTS of coffee. I crave it to keep coping. Another thing that my doctor did was direct me towards an eating plan called Eat Right For Your Type. It is based on your blood type (mine is O). I have been on it for about a month and a half. I have felt a significant decrease in pain(endometriosis) and a decrease in mood swings. The progesterone supplements should even everything out for me. Perhaps these things could help you too. When doctors say that stress can wreck havoc on your body, they are not kidding!

More water as everyone said. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that caffeine can actually contribute to the osteoporosis so another reason to avoid it.

But I'd also say eat a small healthy snack if you're really hungry. Almonds are good for high calcium and just enough fat (though the good kind) to make you feel full. A handful of them is very good for you.

My husband gets his one cup of tea with milk in it at the start of the day in a travel mug and then just keeps adding hot water to it throughout the day. Not my choice, but it works for him. Also, herb tea, hot or iced can give you something flavorful but not sugary or caffeine to get you through the day. I find the cinnamony/spice ones more satisfying when I really want coffee than mint/chamomile more traditional ones.

Oh, and for a tasty, milk alternative I really like Blue Diamond Almond milk as the only one that tastes vaguely tolerable and a cup has 20% of your RDA of calcium.

Hi B.,

Consider this, caffine is not doing you any favors. Feeling healthier all around will make you feel more energetic. Try this hint that worked for me when breaking the caffine addiction. First of all, that sugar may be making you feel worse as you get a sugar high and then a bit later you get the sugar low making you feel like you need more. If you still want to treat yourself to coffee and soda, drink 16oz of water BEFORE you have that first cup of caffinated coffee. Then make sure you have 16oz again after the coffee but before the soda. In the afternoon if you can take a brisk 10 minute walk just as you start to feel the craving for soda it might help. I have also heard, though not tried it YET, that sniffing vanilla at about 3:00 in the afternoon curbs those sugar cravings as it releases seratonin, the happy horomone. Watch that Zip Fizz, it is not good for you though it does have vitamins it also has a natural drug that they use in Brazil to stay up all night at concerts etc. If you are pregnant, considering becoming pregnant of have any health problems you need to consult a care provier with information about the guarana that is in the "healthy alternative" drink.

Good luck!