Quit plan
How to cut back on soda gradually
Cutting back means going from your usual number of sodas to zero in steps instead of all at once. Here is a simple taper plan you can start today.
Not medical advice. QuitSoda is habit support for adults. If caffeine, sugar, pregnancy, medicines, or a health condition affect your plan, ask your clinician.
Short answer: Count how many sodas you drink in a normal day, then drop one serving at a time, holding each new level for a few days before the next cut. Fill each dropped slot with an unsweetened drink such as water, plain sparkling water, or unsweetened tea. If your soda has caffeine, the FDA says it is best to cut back gradually.
Step 1: Get an honest count
You cannot taper from a number you do not know. For three normal days, write down every soda: the time, where you were, and the size. A 20 oz bottle is a bit more than one and a half 12 oz cans, so count it that way.
The free 30-day worksheet has space for this. By the end you will have two things: your daily total and a short list of the moments when you reach for a can.
Step 2: Drop one soda at a time
Pick a starting level one serving below your current daily total, hold it for a few days, then drop one more. Here is an example for someone who drinks four 12 oz cans a day.
| Days | Sodas per day | Which one to drop |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 4 | 3 cans | The one you will miss least |
| Days 5 to 8 | 2 cans | The next easiest |
| Days 9 to 12 | 1 can | Keep the one you care about most |
| Days 13 to 16 | 0 cans | The last one |
| Days 17 to 30 | 0 cans | Practice the new routine |
Go slower if you need to. Holding a level for a week is still progress. The goal is to reach zero and then spend the rest of your 30 days getting used to the new routine.
Drop the easiest soda first. If the lunch can is easy to skip but the mid-afternoon one is hard, cut lunch first and save the hard one for last. For the hard one, see the afternoon slump without soda.
Step 3: Fill every dropped slot
Each soda you drop leaves a gap at a specific time. Put an unsweetened drink in that gap before you get there.
- Plain sparkling water or seltzer, very cold, with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime at home if you like.
- Unsweetened iced or hot tea, black or green.
- Unsweetened coffee, if the can was mostly about caffeine.
- Still water in a bottle you like, kept where the can used to sit.
The CDC has a few tips that fit a taper well:
- Do not stock up on sugary drinks. Keep a jug or reusable bottles of cold water in the fridge instead.
- Carry a reusable water bottle and refill it during the day.
- If you want more flavor, the CDC suggests slices of lemon or lime in water.
For the QuitSoda challenge, the on-plan drinks are unsweetened water, plain unsweetened sparkling water (a squeeze of fresh citrus at home is fine), and unsweetened tea or coffee. More ideas are in soda alternatives.
Step 4: Plan for the caffeine
If your soda has caffeine, tapering the soda also tapers the caffeine. The FDA says that if you are used to drinking caffeine every day and want to cut back, it is best to do so gradually. MedlinePlus gives the same advice: reduce your intake slowly to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
| Soda | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| Mountain Dew | 54 mg |
| Diet Coke | 46 mg |
| Pepsi | 38 mg |
| Coca-Cola Original | 34 mg |
You also have a choice to make. You can drop the soda and keep some caffeine from unsweetened tea or coffee, then decide about caffeine later. Or you can let the caffeine go down with the soda. Both fit the challenge. Brand numbers for more sodas are in caffeine in soda.
MedlinePlus lists headaches, drowsiness, irritability, nausea, and trouble concentrating as possible caffeine withdrawal symptoms and says they usually go away after a couple of days.
What does not count as cutting back
Switching from regular soda to diet or zero-sugar soda cuts the sugar on the label, but it is still soda on the QuitSoda challenge. The same goes for flavored sparkling water, even with 0 calories. Counting those as soda keeps the plan simple: you are tapering toward no soda, not toward a different can.
If you would rather pick a quit date and stop all at once, compare the two paths in cold turkey vs cutting back.
Step 5: Watch the numbers go down
The CDC says a 12 oz regular soda has about 150 calories from sugar, and that cutting out two regular sodas a day would reduce total calories by 2,100 in a week. QuitSoda does not promise weight loss, but it helps to see what each dropped can adds up to.
Put your price and count into the soda cost calculator or the soda calorie calculator at each new level of your taper.
Sources
- FDA: Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?: the 400 mg figure for most adults and the advice to cut back gradually.
- MedlinePlus (NIH): Caffeine in the diet: if you are trying to cut back on caffeine, reduce your intake slowly.
- MedlinePlus (NIH): Caffeine: withdrawal symptoms and how long they usually last.
- CDC: Rethink Your Drink: tips for sugary drinks, 150 calories from sugar per 12 oz soda, 2,100 calories a week for two sodas a day.
- PepsiCo product facts: Mountain Dew 12 fl oz and Pepsi 12 fl oz: caffeine per can.
- Coca-Cola US: Coca-Cola Original and Diet Coke: caffeine per 12 fl oz.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I cut back on soda gradually?
Count how many sodas you drink in a normal day, then drop one serving at a time and hold each new level for a few days before the next cut. Put an unsweetened drink, such as water, plain sparkling water, or unsweetened tea, in each slot you drop.
How long should a soda taper take?
There is no official schedule. In the example plan on this page, someone at four cans a day reaches zero in about two weeks and spends the rest of the 30 days practicing the new routine. You can go slower.
Is it better to cut back on soda or quit cold turkey?
If your soda has caffeine, the FDA says it is best to cut back on caffeine gradually. The QuitSoda challenge lets you choose gradual reduction or a quit date, and the cold turkey vs cutting back page compares both.
Does switching to diet soda count as cutting back?
Not on the QuitSoda challenge. Diet and zero-sugar sodas still count as soda, and so does flavored sparkling water. The taper goes toward unsweetened drinks.
What should I drink instead while I cut back?
Unsweetened still water, plain unsweetened sparkling water, and unsweetened tea or coffee. A squeeze of fresh lemon or lime at home is fine.