I went to bed at 8pm last night and slept until 6am today – guess I needed sleep! I’m hoping to stay on an early schedule because I start teaching the 5:30am boot camp next week and don’t want to be a zombie again.
I had a speed work run on the schedule – 1 mile repeats, but I realize I need to drive to a track or other neighborhood to do speed work. I live in a ditch. My place is at the bottom of a few surrounding hilly areas so it’s really hard to go speedy.
But, I did hang on to some Florida fast-ness because I busted out 6 quick miles!
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Mile 1: 8:36 (swore I was going slow here)
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Mile 2: 8:38
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Mile 3: 8:50
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Mile 4: 8:07 (turned around to come back home to the ditch)
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Mile 5: 8:08
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Mile 6: 8:58
It’s gorgeous today!
I ate some watermelon while cooking up French Toast for breakfast. I think the fake syrup makes me want to keep eating because I always follow this meal up with a piece of PB&J.
I just noticed favorite plate is chipped 
See it’s near the brown polka dot on the left side. This is why I can’t have nice things.
I am open and honest with way too much on RER. One of my open flaws is my addiction to diet soda. Today Show R.D. Joy Bauer suggested you limit your diet soda intake to 1 every afternoon for a few weeks before assessing if you want to cut it out completely or wean off the stuff.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
If you need some inspiration to drink water (and not diet soda!) here’s a perfect contest. Bamboo Bottle will send one lucky RER reader a very cool Bamboo reusable water bottle! (Technically you can still fill it with Diet Dr. Pepper.)
You can buy one on their website Bamboo Bottle for 20% off if you enter the word “Health” in the coupon code box.
To Enter answer the question: How do you kick a bad habit – cold turkey or gradually?
*Open to US and Canada residents only. Contest ends 1/6/12 at 6am PST
{ 273 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmm, I think cold-turkey is the way to go. Unless, of course, you’re a raging drug addict who will go into withdrawal. That would be bad.
I have to go cold turkey! Moderation isn’t exactly in my vocabulary..
I think it depends on the habit. I don’t smoke, but I have heard from successful quitters that it’s best to go cold turkey. But if I were to try to give up my addiction, dessert, I think I would have to wean myself off it by, say, starting with hot chocolate, then sugar free hot chocolate, then mochas and then lattes or something like that. It would give me the time I need to mourn the loss of my favorite vice.
Definitely cold turkey for me…if I know its still around I can’t gradually stop…
Cold turkey!! If it’s hanging around I am more likely to forget my promise to gradually give it up.
I’d agree with cold turkey…sucks for awhile but then it gets better. I have to say though diet soda is one of my weaknesses too. I never have more than one a day but I haven’t been able to kick that one (likely because I haven’t really been committed to it!).
I have to quit cold turkey – it’s black or white with me!
Cold turkey. I’m not very good at the whole moderation thing.
Cold Turkey, I seem to do better with quitting than with moderation.
I have to go gradually. Every time I’ve quit something cold turkey (I’m looking at you, Diet Coke) I end up going to back to it later. Weaning myself off things gradually seems to work better.
Cold Turkey has worked best for me – rip off the band-aid and get it over with.
Gradually for me.. sames goes for increasing a good habit — like flossing my teeth. If I say I’m going to do it every day, that’s too ambitious at first. But if I do it 3 days a week, then 5 days.. eventually it turns into every day
Cold Turkey! I can’t deal with the temptations of moderation
I used to chew ice like it was my job…I had to cold turkey that for obvious dental reasons.
Generally cold turkey. Easier that way for me.
Gradually… def. it took me a year to quit smoking, but i did it!
Gradually… def. it took me 6 mothns to quit smoking, but i did it!
Cold Turkey works best for me. But I HATE it for like the first 3-4 days, then it gets better! Doing that with caffeine right now. On day 5 and I’m feeling awesome!
COld turkey! i can’t gradually but life is short and you need to die for something, so enjoy live is short
Gradually is what works best for me, If I try cold turkey then I always end up giving in again and then it is just a waste of time and energy.
Depends on the habit
When I quit smoking, I quit cold turkey
When I cut back on soda, I cut back gradually. But I can’t seem to quit – it’s just too good
I’m all about gradual… when I first gave up meat, I went vegan cold turkey. Since there was so much to learn, I didn’t quite get it “right” (hair and teeth were showing signs of wear) and went veg instead. Giving stuff up gradually helps me face my habit head-on and allows me to really see the changes over time.
I always start with giving up something for 1 week. Seems pretty simple. After the first week, I add a 2nd week, etc. It worked for me last year with kicking the soda habit – now I have been soda-free for 10 months. Good Luck!
COLD TURKEY! otherwise, ill find reasons i can justify my limited amount to just a little bit more…and a little bit more….and more. until OOF im full and mad and the gym is closed so I cant go back. cant workout in the apt either because everyones sleeping and the walls/floors are super thin. and now im ranting about all my potential problems that arise when i try to cut something out of my diet.
I always tend to go cold turkey!
Cold turkey is the only way that actually works for me
Cold turkey. I find abstinence much easier than parsimony.
Cold turkey really works for me when it comes to food and drinks. Sparingly only increases my desire for that particular item.
I always try to go cold turkey but it often backfires!
Cold turkey baby!
When I initially gave up diet coke, I weaned myself off. Now I have one about once a week, when my lunch is making me sad. (I hate leftovers, and normally that is what’s for lunch.)
I would have to go Cold Turkey!! If i tried to ween myself off of something, I don’t think I’d ever stop! it would always be there to haunt!!! haha
Cold turkey which worked for a while for diet pop (I’m from the midwest, we don’t say soda, haha) but I always end up going back to it so maybe I should try gradually.
Cold turkey. If I did it a little bit at a time it’d never get done!
For myself it’s easier to just wean myself off. If I try to go cold turkey there’s a good chance I’ll pick up the habit again, or just want to binge!
I always have to go cold turkey! E.g. this JAnuary it is no alcohol or white flour since I ate and drank enough of that in decmeber to both make me an elephant and kill my liver
I have to get rid of it cold turkey. Like chocolate, if it is available I eat it. If its gone I just know I can’t have it.
How do you kick a bad habit – cold turkey or gradually?
Cold turkey- it’s the only thing that works for me. I also need to find something to immediately replace it, so I don’t go back. (I say this, but am currently trying to wean myself off coffee slowly, and it’s not working so well….)
For smoking, I quit cold turkey – no problem. I was never a very “active” smoker so giving it up didn’t bother me at all.
Soda however is another problem. This year I’m cutting back to only having it when I eat out or go to the movies. Not completely cold turkey but definately a big reduction in my consumption level – I normally have one a day.
Cold Turkey. It’s either all or nothing for me. If I am quitting something, like I quit smoking 6 months ago, It has to be cold turkey. Go me!
I’m a cold turkey kind of gal – and diet soda is something me and my hunny are trying to kick in the new year. I got a SodaStream for Christmas, so I’ll be using that a lot, even their regular syrup is made with splenda though. They have “sparkling naturals” and “my essence” flavors that are not fakey stuff, and low cal, so those are an option too… but I just love plain soda water!
PS, I’m in love with that water bottle. We have bamboo floors in our house, and since we bought the house, I have been on a bamboo kick with everything!
I have to go cold turkey otherwise I can find way too many excuses, loopholes, etc!
I try to find something else to fill my time with instead of doing the bad habit. Like try to quit soda. I switched our soda for carbonated water, which helped me.
I’m an all or nothing kinda person, so cold turkey is best for me
Cold Turkey. Although maybe I should try gradually, since I still can’t kick my Diet Coke habit.
Depends on the goal… as with Diet soda I went cold turkey!
Typically, cold turkey is the only way that works for me. I’m not so good at moderation! However, my diet coke addiction is one thing that I have not been able to quit cold turkey ;P
Cold turkey for sure! I gave up diet soda like that 2 years ago.
cold turkey. i kicked my artificial sweetener habit (diet sodas, sweet n low, artificially sweetened 0 cal drinks) on 8/3/10 and still going strong! i think you can’t let yourself think about it too much once you’ve decided “no more”, otherwise you start doubting you can continue without it.
Cold turkey is the best way for me! I switched over from my unhealthy eating habits that appeared in December to my healthy eating agin yesterday and it felt great to know at the end of the day that everything I ate was good for me!
I quite cold turkey and I don’t look back!
Cold turkey! Otherwise I’m doomed!
I have to do it gradually, if I try cold turkey I obsess over whaterver it is I cut out.
Gradually…unfortunately, I think.
usually I go cold turkey but it also usually takes a couple of attempts!
Cold-Turkey. But I find it easier to replace the habit with another, more positive habit.
Cold Turkey! Only way to go!
Cold turkey is the way to go for me. I will procrastinate and may not start it on the day I had planned, but once my mind get used to the idea of it I embrace my cause and dedicate myself to it and cold turkey I go. It is hard at first, but after a few days I feel so proud of myself for sticking to it and that is enough to keep me motivated to go all the way through! Not to mention the feeling of feeling amazingly better after you stop something that wasn’t good for you, it is priceless!
Ana
I’m a cold turkey gal. It’s easier to drop it and move on!
Cold turkey for me. Gradual is a tease for me and I fall into old habits quickly!
Definitely cold turkey!
I’m definitely a cold turkey person – moderation isn’t my strength!
Cold turkey – but replaced immediately with a healthy alternative (drinking water instead of pop or juice/running instead of having cable).
I’m 100% cold turkey kinda person. The gradual is more tortuous to me!
I try and kick a bad habit cold turkey! whatever it is, just completely get it out of my life!
I tend to kick any bad habits right away, because if I do it gradually..it will just never happen. I’ll forget why I was getting rid of it in the first place.
I kick it cold turkey! It’s worked for pretty much everything so far except candy (I’m just doomed to eat it forever, I think.)
I try to keep it up for 28 days straight!
You gotta go cold turkey – otherwise it’s wayyy too easy to make a handful of chips turn into 20.
I’m not very good at kicking bad habits, but the ones I have successfully gotten rid of, I kicked cold turkey. No gray area that way!
I say go cold turkey… but easier said than done!
For the first few days I take it gradually, and then when I feel I’m ready I go cold turkey.
Cold turkey… I’ll just make excuses to have “just a little bit, one more time” if I try to go about it gradually. Not fun either way
Cold turkey – but I usually allow myself a few slip ups.
I often try cold turkey but it never works. I think that gradually is a most sustainable way of doing it.
Cold turkey. I recently quit refined sugar!
Cold turkey definately works best but man, it’s hard!
Cold turkey works really well for me, but that’s just my personality type i think. I know a bunch of people who have tried to quit things cold turkey and it’s not fun for them (or anyone around them :P), so I’d recommend gradually for others.
Cold turkey. It’s easier to be honest with myself about how I’m doing, instead of making excuses for the slip-ups.
freeeezing cold turkey. then i thaw out and am right back at it. hmmm…maybe there’s something to that gradual approach.
i’m so glad you added that last little tidbit, or i wouldn’t be able to comment…i definitely need a pepsi max every now and then….okay one a day.
and i think the best way to go if you’re looking to cut it completely, is to go cold turkey. if i allow myself too much leeway, i get carried away…i think it depends on your willpower…for me, i’ve gotta be extreme.
xo.
I have to just do it cold turkey, or I make too many excuses!
I think the best way to quite a bad habit is gradually.
Cold turkey! It’s like ripping off a band aid! Painful but you get over it faster.
gradually for me.
I think it depends on the habit. Sugar- gradual. Putting off grading papers- cold turkey.
I quit cold turkey. Of course I’ve only successfully done this twice: 1. No more checking up on my ex via facebook, twitter, etc. That was a really bad habit! and 2. I gave up pork as a Jewish new years resolution one year and I have slipped up only a few times, mostly by accident (pork fat is sneaky).
I am a major diet coke addict, by the way. I work shifts so I literally need caffeine to function sometime (like that first overnight shift- 11pm to 8am- after several weeks of working days). I hate coffee, and don’t want to drink sugary drinks, so I turn to diet coke. Unfortunately, this leads to a caffeine dependence even when not on the overnight shift. The closest I’ve gotten to quitting is that I only have 1 a day when not on console.
I thankfully don’t have an addictive personality, so cold turkey is the way for me!
I don’t think I’ve ever really quit anything completely. Like I don’t restrict anything COMPLETELY from my diet. And I’ve never smoked or done anything that I needed to totally quit. BUT, if I were going to “quit” something I would do it gradually. I’m not very hardcore and I am cool with that.
cold turkey, definitely. otherwise it’s too easy to backslide!
I cannot have nice things either because I am a glass and dish breaker by trade. As for habits, I usually go cold turkey. Like this month, I am not eating any sweets in order to cure myself of my sugar addiction.
I am gradual all the way! If I do anything cold turkey then all I do is obsess over it!
It has to be cold turkey otherwise I just keep putting it off.
It depends but usually I go cold turkey!
I am typically a cold turkey girl. I am an all or nothing sort of person.
Definitely cold turkey. Usually, I start by picturing whatever I want to kick in really gross circumstances….like for soda, picture soda in a pool full of worms and gross things, then picture that the bottle in front of you was filled from that pool…super weird and gross, but super successful for me. I can trick myself into quitting almost anything!
I’ve gotta go cold turkey. A gradual progression always makes me want more.
Like a band-aid-RIGHT OFF!! I do it cold turkey-It’s the only way to go-All off at once!
Cold turkey- I am so competitive with myself that I need to “win.”
I have to go cold turkey all the way!
I quit pop cold turkey two years ago. Other things, like candy and sugar, I just cut back on.
cold turkey!
if it’s something like quitting soda or coffee, i do it gradually…otherwise i get an AWFUL caffeine headache. otherwise, i usually try to go cold turkey… it’s too tempting if i can still have or do the habit every now and then…
I guess gradual. I used to drink 3 or 4 cans of coke a day and now I drink maybe 2 or 3 cans a month. When I decided to stop I didn’t want to completely deprive myself or feel like a failure if I really wanted one. I always try to stick to healthier choices, but there are times when a cold soda just tastes soooo good.
cold turkey! that’s what works for me.
Cute water bottle- I prefer cold turkey, but sometimes you can’t do that for certain things so weaning is better. I am addicted to gum!!
I’m a cold turkey gal! If I try to do things gradually, I always revert back to my bad ways!
Cold turkey but then I fall off the wagon several times
gradually
The bad habit I quit was not being active enough. Got to go at it gradually. I am a father of 11 (6 adopted special needs kids) and knew I needed to get in better shape so I took up running last June. I crave running now and miss it when I can’t go. If I had tried to do too much too fast I would still be doing it.
I have to go cold turkey and make sure whatever it is is nowhere in the house or I will be tempted to (and will) eat it!
Every time I’ve tried to go off pop/soda–it’s been cold turkey. I’ll be really good about it for 3-4 months, and somehow, I always start drinking it again!
I think weaning yourself off of something you’re trying to eliminate will make it less likely that you get COMPLETELY DESPERATE and binge on whatever it is!
gradually – i need time to transition!
Cold turkey!
Cold turkey! I am an all or nothing kind of gal. It works for me!
That bottle is AWESOME. I usually try and kick a habit cold turkey! I’m on day 5 of no-candy January!
I say gradual is the way to go for me, or I get cranky and stomp my feet
I wish I was tough enough for cold turkey, but I definitely have to cut back sloooooowwwly.
i guess gradually…bad habits are hard to break!
cold turkey….it’s all or nothing for this girl!
When I quit soda years ago, I had to do it gradually because of the withdrawl headaches. With everything else, it’s cold turkey. It’s all or nothing for me!!!
it depends. waking up earlier happens gradually. giving up sugar (or dramatically cutting back) must be done cold turkey… just a taste of sugar is enough to set an addict (me) off!
Cold Turkey. The longer I go without pop, the more I don’t want it. That’s just the way it works for me
I’m much better at kicking habits cold turkey…the first time I tried to quit smoking I tried the gradual downswing and it never worked. But when I threw out my last pack and decided I was done once and for, though not always easy, I never went back and I’m almost 2 years smoke free!
Now on to conquer the diet coke addiction…..
Girl, definitely cold turkey. I need to get drop the habit altogether or I’ll never be able to stop!
I try to cut things cold turkey, but if it’s something I’m seriously addicted to (like diet coke!), then it has to be a little more gradual! Looks like a cool water bottle.
Cold turkey is the way to go, personally. It’s much easier for me to resist temptation that way.
I think cold turkey is best. I’ve been trying to quit sugar cold turkey. So far, I haven’t succeeded! ;-/
Cold turkey if it really needs to go. Otherwise if I have a little I end up having a lot.
I tend to wean myself off of things slowly, though I suspect the results would be better with cold turkey. Less gray area to allow myself to keep indulging…
I’d say cold turkey!
Usually cold turkey. But with the Diet Coke habit — weaning. I love it too much!
For me, it’s cold turkey–all or nothing. When I wean myself off of something, it’s hard for me to keep a limit on the amount I can have. When I drop the habit completely, it allows me to ignore it easier. Also, if I don’t go cold turkey, having say one diet soda, usually turns into two, then three…so on.
I am usually a cold turkey person, but when it comes to Diet Coke, I am much more “attached” and I am not 100% sure that I am ready to give it up yet!
I am so cold turkey. I gave up pop 5 years ago and have not looked back!
For diet soda, cold turkey!
Usually I quit a bad habit cold turkey but also remember that slip ups may occur (and to not beat myself up about it).
Only have really kicked the soda habit completely, but I replaced it with beer one summer in Brazil. The soda was expensive and there was no free refills (total sucker for free refills), and water was more expensive than the cheap, watery local beer. Too bad that now I love beer and need to kick that habit.
Definitely gradually for me! I’ve successfully quit fast food this way and am in the process with soda.
Cold turkey with most things. Diet coke I haven’t tried to stop I just limit my self so I don’t get out of control with it. I never have it in my house.
Cold turkey. If I attempt to do gradual I always slide back and won’t stop.
Cold turkey! I am an “all or nothing” kind of gal, so it’s gotta be cold turkey.
Cold turkey. I quit using equal in my coffee 3 years ago and haven’t looked back. At first, I thought it was gross, but overtime I’ve gotten used to drinking it unsweetened. I used to use 3 in a medium iced coffee!
I occasionally drink a diet soda, like a rum & coke zero at a friends house. I try to bring my own seltzer when I think of it. It kinda sucks so many of the beverage options are full of fake sugar or HFCS.
I would say gradually. I tried to stop eating potato chips cold turkey once and it wasn’t pretty. Now I pull out a bag, grab a handful and put the bag back in the cupboard. It’s still not eliminating my addiction completely but I feel like I’ve grown in some respects.
Cold turkey is the way to go for me!
has to be cold turkey…i’m one of those “all or nothing” kind of people!
I was able to quit soda cold turkey when I was in high school and have been pretty successful over the years and only recently started drinking a little ginger ale when I need some fizz. BUT trying to cut out sweets/candy or coffee does not work for me, I just try to scale back, but that usually is a on-going battle. I really could use a new water bottle, I dropped, and broke mine last week holding the door open for someone at the gym!
I think gradual is best for real lasting change!
definitely cold turkey. I don’t have enough self-control to just have a little bit
I generally attempt to kick the bad habit cold turkey- and then end up falling back into the habit. Perhaps gradual may be the way to go for me..
I actually quit drinking Diet Coke at the end of October!! I quit cold turkey and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I actually feel so much better. I’d been drinking multiple cans of Diet Coke every day for almost 10 years. Now I drink green tea and water (flavored with something like Mio, of course). I’ve taken sips of Diet Coke since I quit, and it just tastes so gross to me now!
always cold turkey! I don’t have the patience for quitting gradually!
Oooh that bottle looks awesome! I would say that each method has worked for me in the past for different things. Although lately, I haven’t had much luck with either method! LOL!
actually last week i just stopped drinking caffeinated coffee. i kinda stopped cold turkey-switched to decaf. i think the smartest route would be slowly weening yourself off though ( i clearly dont take my own advice). love the bottle!
I’ve tried both methods of breaking bad habits but erm, I am still picking off my cuticles so maybe I’m just not committed enough.
I’m too forgetful to quit gradually. I have to kick bad habit’s cold turkey or it just won’t happen. I just decided one day to stop drinking soda and went months (maybe a year?) without having one. Now I can have one once every a couple of months as a treat and be satisfied. Usually I don’t even finish a whole one because they’re not thirst-quenching like water or tea.
That water bottle is cooool. I usually go cold turkey but I’ve been trying to cut back on artificial sweeteners and going cold turkey has been hard. I’m trying to wean myself, we’ll see how that goes!
Cold Turkey!
I kicked a serious diet mt. dew addiction cold turkey in 2009 and haven’t had a drop of diet soda since then. It was awful for the first few weeks, but I honestly don’t miss it now.
cold turkey! gradual leads to gradually getting back to too much.
I kicked my diet soda habit cold turkey when I was 16 (probably also had something to do with my swim coach admonishing me). I kept it up for a year and a half but my mom drinks a Diet Coke every afternoon, and eventually I caved. I’m down to 3-4 per week, so maybe the water bottle will help me get down to 2!
When I kicked the Diet Coke habit I went cold turkey. It was hard at first, but now the thought of drinking it makes me shudder.
I’ve had success with both methods.
Cold turkey!
Most things I have to do cold turkey at least in the beginning until I can learn how to moderate myself. I went without diet sodas for a month or so and now I have maybe 1-3 per week and sometimes I don’t have any. I am able to control my portions now and I don’t have to put much thought in it any more. What I do have to monitor is how much water I drink and make sure that I have enough, especially when I am at work.
I’m at really all or nothing kind of person so cold turkey works better for me!
It’s gotta be cold turkey for me…that’s the only way I can do it!
I have to quit quit turkey or else I won’t quit at all…..right now I’m quitting fast food and sodas. Love the bottle!
Anytime I kick a bad habit, I immediately get the post-its out…and ensure I have enough friendly reminders around my house and office that I won’t revert back to my old ways!
I go cold turkey. Weaning means I have the chance to mentally slide down the ramp again, lol.
cold turkey! keep it out of sight and out of mind
Cold turkey seems to work best with me otherwise I’ll cheat and never get rid of the habit!
Cold turkey works best for me!
Ive done both before but i find gradually makes me keep the habit and cold turkey has generally workes out better for me!
I usually try the cold turkey method and end up having to switch to gradual. I just don’t like eliminating things, it makes me only want them more
I usually try to quit a bad habit by gradually weaning myself off of whatever it is I do, but like you I have a bad diet soda addiction/habit! But the question is…….do I really want to stop? hmm…..
When I stopped drinking pop, I had to go cold turkey. I have just started to a can every now and then when the craving strikes, but I definitely don’t drink nearly as much as I used to and know I’m no longer addicted to it!
It depends, I proudly quit smoking cold turkey 3.5 years ago!! But in terms of snacking… It’s a work in progress
For me, it’s gotta be cold turkey.
Otherwise, it’s just a trigger and makes me want more.
But I usually try to replace it with something healthier, but with the same eating/drinking “experience” (eg. soda for seltzer, chips for veggie stix, etc)
I usually do cold turkey. That works the best for me!
cold turkey! i stopped drinking soda about 5 years ago because i always felt so gassy and disgusting after having it. one day i was just like, “okay i’ll have lemonade and fruit punch.” now i’m trying to only get water, and honestly it’s not that hard. it’s cheap and better for you!
I usually start off by going cold turkey and seeing how that goes. I usually might relapse (usually when I try to cut something from my diet) where I’ll usually give in just a little to fulfill the desire–then try cold turkey again.
COLD TURKEY!!! It would be torture to quit gradually.
Cold turkey – I am either all in or all out!
I kick my habits cold turkey! 9 years ago on Jan 1st I gave up smoking and ever since then that’s how it’s been done. I find that by doing it gradually I just make excuses and fall back into the old habit.
cold turkey all the way–out of sight, out of mind!
If I really want to kick a habit, and not just cut back, I have to go with the cold turkey route!!
I always go cold turkey. That is how I quit my Diet Coke addiction last year.
Never been much of a soda person, but quitting things cold turkey always works best for me.
Cold turkey. It’s easier that way for me. I wouldn’t kick any habit gradually or by cutting back.
Cold turkey for sure!!! Gave up diet coke in June 2009 then ice cream in August 2009 and I have not looked back. Best thing I could do for my body/health!!
What an awesome bottle! I like to drop bad habits cold turkey — harder to ‘cheat’ if there’s no lenience. But I do like to build GOOD habits slowly, as that seems to make them stick around longer!
I know I may be in the minority here, but why not focus on improving some other component of yourself other than giving up the diet soda? So you like an ice cold diet dr pepper from time to time, big deal! We could all be dead tomorrow so I say live it up, and stop harping on yourself about it. You are a very healthy, well balanced individual, and each of us is entitled to the occassional vice. Makes it all worth doing!
I think it depends on the habit, but in most cases cold turkey is best for me.
Definitely cold turkey. That whole gradual thing doesn’t work well for me. Like how can I GRADUALLY eat ice-cream!?!? Lol.
i think it depends on the habit. When i became a vegetarian, i went cold turkey (no pun intended) on eating meat. When I quite smoking it was a gradual process. I think its necessary to be honest with yourself about what will work for you. I knew that if i went cold turkey with smoking that i wouldn’t make it.
I am trying to break my sugar/baked goods addiction so I packed up all my baking foods, chocolate chips, etc, and put it all in a Rubbermaid container. I plan to bake on the weekends and send whatever we don’t eat to work with my husband on the weekends
Cold turkey all the way!
I go cold turkey. But I’m a vegetarian so I go cold tofu.
I go cold turkey. If I try to cut back gradually there’s too much temptation. For diet soda I just said ‘that’s it’ one day and now drink seltzer in its place.
Weaning! It makes the transition easier.
Cold turkey all the way!
I always intend to gradually cut out the not so healthy things but usually end up going cold turkey, guess I am an all-or-nothing kinda gal.
I’m a total DC addict too! I probs should have named my blog Running off the Diet Coke but it just didn’t have the same ring to it. Once I go a couple of days without it, I don’t crave it as much but after one I can’t stop. I’m convinced they have some form of crack in them.
I wish I could kick it cold turkey but it usually ends up being a gradual process. I have noticed better results when I gradually kick the habit!
Oddly enough, cold turkey usually works best for me.
gotta go cold turkey!
Cold turkey! Weaning is a tease… you’ll just want more!
Cold Turkey….unless I am weaning myself from Diet Coke! I need this bottle to kick the habit for good!
I totally go with the cold turkey method!
I say do it gradually but at some point when you stop for good it’ll fell like cold turkey anyway! PS- this water bottle is pretty awesome.
I wish I could quit cold turkey but for me its a gradual process.
I always go cold turkey! Especially when it comes to things like sweets or junk food. It gets all the addictive feelings out, and I learn to replace the junk food with better things like fruit.
Agghh! I gave up soda (read: Diet Dr. Pepper), and it was super difficult! I suggest going cold turkey for two or three weeks and then having a soda test-case, e.g. try soda again, but drink it really slowly, thinking about how it tastes, how it makes you feel after you drink it, etc. I did something like this and when I drank soda again it tasted gross and made me feel kinda yucky! Good luck!
Gradually…..It takes time to convince myself I don’t need something. And, I have a slight addiction to diet soda too!
cold turkey…or as I like to refer to breaking a bad habit or doing something that I really don’t want to do…Rip it off quickly like a bandaid
Cold turkey. Otherwise I slowly just keep doing what I always have.
Love the bamboo bottle! I would say gradually is the easiest for me.
I usually try to do cold turkey!
cold turkey! out of sight, out of mind.
I kick them cold turkey
I like to go cold turkey.
I have to go cold turkey!!
Cold turkey! But I’m vegetarian so no turkeys were actually harmed in the kicking of any bad habits!
Cold turkey! I gave up diet soda 4 years ago. I had a sip a few months after i gave it up and it tasted like chemicals. After that, i never looked back.
I usually try to go cold turkey but end up doing it gradually.
If I go cold turkey (with food items) it usually makes me want it more. Start adding salt to you diet soda and then it will just be gross. It might help you slowly deter from it. I wish I could give up on chocolate, perhaps I should get hypnotized and have them ‘fix’ me like they do to smokers and nail bitters
I have to go cold-turkey or I just can’t do it! usually, I also set up some sort of reward system (like a star chart!) and give myself little prizes along the way for doing good.
I have to go cold turkey, with the odd treat after a reasonable amount of time. Knowing I can have it at some point in the future makes the right now okay, but knowing it is in the pantry or fridge is dangerous.
Just do it cold turkey!
Cold turkey all the way!
cold turkey for me…especially for something like diet coke. dragging it out just makes it worse for me!
Gradually…well, some things work better cold turkey, but wen i was cutting out dessert I had to go slowly…Not that I don’t eat dessert I just ate way too much before.
Cold turkey, it has to be completely off limits or else I keep toeing the line!
Cold turkey – It’s the only way it will work for me! That’s how I cut out diet soda!
cold turkey!
Cold Turkey!!!
I go cold turkey. I can’t just do things half way!
i have to go cold turkey because 1.) i am way too type A and 2.) if i did it gradually i would make too many deals with myself and the gradual part would never become permanent
Cold turkey for sure!
Cold turkey. Though I do plan ahead when the “cold turkey” date will be and plan ahead by removing any temptations or anything distracting before cold turkey day.
I think its more beneficial to taper yourself from the bad habit. And then cut it out completely!
It depends on the addiction. Smoking – I did cold turkey 1-1/2 years
ago so the temptation to cheat was not available. Diet Soda – My current addiction is tough. I switch between methods over the years but it always sneaks back in. I have decided I can’t imagine certain foods without a diet coke. So cutting way back is the objective right now. I have only had two glasses this week which is huge for me. Hopefully I can continue it this time. *fingers crossed*
Depends on the habit, but gradually tends to work better for me.
Cold Turkey for me!
Cold turkey!
What bad habits?
I go gradual! I think I’m less likely to slip back if I go slowly!
I usually try to kick a bad habit gradually, like limiting my sugar intake. But for my past diet soda addiction, I needed to stop it cold turkey because my acid reflux had gotten so bad from drinking so much diet coke!
Cold turkey works for me….I also was a diet soda fanatic, but I kicked it for the New Year. So far so good!
gradually……i start with bingeing on a supersize bag of ruffles.. then went cold turkey, and now, i can safely be trusted with the bag, as i will take a handful and leave it at that !
That Bamboo water bottle is so pretty! I think if I put Diet Coke in there I would drink MORE. To kick a habit, i do cold turkey which has a .5% success rate for me. Maybe there’s something to this gradual thing…
I try to do cold turkey! But then again I’ve been trying to stop biting my nails for the past 10 years…so maybe I should try something else…
I typically try to gradually stop things, that way i don’t crave them desperately right off the bat. If I slowly stop something, then I’m allowing myself time to wean off!
Cold turkey, because just a little taste sometimes sends me off track and I have to start all over again.
Totally have to go cold turkey. Like with chocolate, Im an addict. If I have ONE bit I need more and worse I think ‘Well ive already had some today, already broken my rule so today is a write off and I may as well have more’
I know, Im a dangerous dangerous fiend. At least its not crack.
Cold turkey. I am 6 days clean from soda. Fingers crossed it sticks!
I’m all about going cold turkey…. but with a few allowances for bad days. Research has shown that going COLD TURKEY can set oneself up for failure as its human nature to cheat… so yes, cheating is allowed
I am a cold turkey replacer…..i replace the bad thing for a good or better one.
I have to get rid of bad habits cold-turkey. I kicked the diet drink hadit that way last year.
I have much more success when I cut things out gradually.
I quit smoking in February 2009 and quit soda 1 month after that, both cold turkey.
I know gradual is better, but unfortunately for me it’s all or nothing! I’m a cold turkey kinda girl
I have to cut things out gradually. If I go cold turkey and tell myself I can’t have any, then that’s ALL I will focus on and I’ll end up doing something destructive in the end. I actually keep chips, cookies and ice cream in my house on a regular basis – since it’s there all the time, it’s no big deal and I’m not as tempted. If I don’t let myself buy any for a few months, I’ll end up blowing through a whole package of something in a day or two. I know this may not work for a lot of people, but it’s what works for me.
I always read that you should do things gradually, but, man, give me a little and it’s a snap for me to justify taking a lot. I need to do cold turkey. Sigh. Glad I’m not the only one struggling with a diet soda addiction!
I would go cold turkey because it is so easy to get back to old habits otherwise!
Cold turkey!
Cold Turkey~~ Thats how I kicked cigarettes.
It was NOT easy, but gradually cutting back ( on anything ) just makes me think MORE about whatever habit I’m trying to break.
With “Cold Turkey” when I started to crave a cigarette, I couldnt have one and count it as a “taper” : I had to just tell myself “NO…NO….NO, We are now a non-smoker, so we do NOT smoke ” It was hard for my dense brain to get the message, but it worked!
Cold Turkey. If I wean myself it makes me obsess more over how I’m going to miss it.
I’ve been trying to gradually cut coffee/caffeine out, but it hasn’t worked so well for me. But I hate the feeling that I simpley can’t have something.
cold turkey!!!
I kick a habit cold turkey