It should come as no surprise that my love of soda t-shirts translates to a general love of soda itself. I know it’s not good for me, but since I avoid other vices (alcohol, cigarettes, Honey Boo Boo) I usually give myself a pass on the soda thing. But not this month. Nope. For the month of October I’m swearing off all beverages except for good ol’ H2O. I actually started this tradition back in college in an effort to both detox myself for the month AND hopefully create a lasting healthier habit of choosing water over sugary drinks. Being the marketing student that I was at the time, I dubbed my little effort “Aquatober.”
This will be my 10th year of “celebrating” Aquatober. I’ve had varying success with it over the past decade. Most months I make it through – although I do allow another healthy option (milk) to sneak in there (can’t have cereal with water, right?). Some years it even carries far beyond October. In 2008 I actually attempted a whole year of water-only, but it fell apart when Sherry accidentally served me a Sprite at a wedding and things, well, went downhill from there. So I don’t beat myself up if I slip up because the spirit of the resolution is to try to drink better. And heck, I usually end up saving some money along the way.
So with all of that said. Who’s with me? Anyone else feel like taking the Aquatober challenge? May the odds be evah in your favor.
Kim says
My folks came to visit and we let Nana and Pop give ’em some sips of their Diet Coke. (We don’t have soda in the house and if we do, it’s usually orange or root beer.) My dad goes, “You never give these kids soda, do you? You should see their eyes light up!”
Yup. They’re gone, all soda’s gone too. :)
Kim says
Also, picture is still gone.
Katrina says
Here at the Gelino household we are embarking on a Juice Cleanse for the next two weeks. JUICEtober :)
We bought a killer juicer and will be juicing fruits and vegetable and snacking on beans and nuts. NOTHING ELSE! Crazy? yes. Excited? also yes.
Young House Life says
Next year might I suggest Juice-ly? :)
-John
Heather says
Not crazy! Awesome. We regualarly use our Vitamix to make smoothies. In fact, when we’re working on the house on the weekends we have 3:00 (more or less) smoothies. Tons of fruit thrown in, maybe a handful of spinach or kale, and whizzed up to smooth perfection.
Kasey M. says
This month I’m trying to do 31 Days of “tackle a nagging task.” Which means every day I do 1 thing that’s been lingering on my to-do list. The benefits are (hopefully) two fold. Less stress about things I’m putting off (which keep growing bigger in my mind). And a general feeling of accomplishment for getting something done every day.
Lydia Di Francesco says
John,
AWESOME idea!!
I’m totally joining in. In fact, I’ve written up my own post on my fitness site/blog about the Challenge (of course, I give you props). You can check it out here: http://www.fithealthy365.com/31-day-challenge-aquatober
Just gotta say that I LOVE you and Sherry. I read you guys every day and it’s the highlight for sure! Keep doing what you’re doing.
Cheers!
Lydia
Young House Life says
Thanks for the mention!
-John
Sarah says
Oh, the agony! As a restaurant manager, I get free soda all the time and the fact that we have a Coke Freestyle machine is more tempting! I’m trying to work my way down to only one Coke a day (it actually helps with allergies/mucus!), water, and unsweet tea. Here goes after I get back from vacation!
Young House Life says
Last Aquatober fell just as they added a Coke Freestyle to one of the restaurants near us. And Jeremy Bower was in town. It was hard to stay committed then!
-John
Hillary says
Oh man, I wish I could! I just started to wean myself off of Diet Dr. Pepper by drinking less and drinking the caffeine-free version. NOT a smart idea when you have a 2.5 month old who wakes you up for fun at night (or to eat or whatever). I lasted about 4 days on the cf version when I realized I was drinking more coffee–didn’t drink that too much before the baby either–haha. I would love to stop drinking so much soda. I do drink a lot more water now though but only because my husband brought home a Bobble (much more “green” than throw away bottles and takes way less time to use than the filtered water on the freezer door). Here’s the link if you’ve never heard of it:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004O8QULM/ref=asc_df_B004O8QULM2206686?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B004O8QULM&hvpos=1o4&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1168669978490207410&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=.
Young House Life says
Oh yeah, my niece has one and love it!
-John
Maggie says
Hey, good timing! After realizing I’ve gained a whopping 10lbs since drinking pop again in the last couple months (no other changes, so that’s gotta be it after being pop-free for almost a year), I started my own water chugging. Except I didn’t have a cute name, unless you count the names I call my new 10lb soda baby. Keep posting so I stay motivated :)
Anna says
A little off-topic comment:
I’m quite surprised of reading comments about how drinking water is boring and it has no taste, and how some moms-to-be gave up drinking soda because they are pregnants.
Does that means that these persons drink soft drikns as “main liquid” in a daily basis? What does you drink when you are really thirsty? And… the flavours of soft drinks don’t change the taste of meals? I’m not being sarcastic or something, I’m only feeling really curious about these soda habit.
Perhaps I should say I live in Europe (south Europe) and here the main drink for the most part of people is water…
Young House Life says
I can answer for myself, at least. I actually enjoy soda as a flavor itself. Like I love trying out new and weird soda just for the fun of it. And they do make nice meal companions – like one of my favorite meals is the combo of a Chipotle burrito and a coke with lemon in it. So it’s almost like it’s a side dish to the meal or something. That’s not to say soda was ever my primary drink of the day, but Aquatober is proof that I have to consciously NOT order a soda with a meal. It’s just second nature.
-John
MJB says
I swore off diet pop (that’s what we call it here in MN) a few months ago and feel so much better.
I drink hot water with lemon now that the temps have gotten cooler. (But I still want/need my morning coffee.)
PS Are you dressing differently to reflect your resolution? :) I noticed a plain T-shirt in this morning’s post instead of the usual ones with pop-inspired logos.
Young House Life says
Ha! Can’t say I’m gonna swear off my soda t-shirt. They’re just so comfy…
-John
Rebecca says
I would love to join you, but unfortunately it’s football season and it’s impossible to tailgate without drinking. Trust me, I’ve tried. :-) Have fun!
Marina says
Okay, You’ll probably think I’m weird (just for the record that is nothing new for me) but I gave up sodas 32 years ago. I now try and drink 2 a year, probably less than 8oz at a go, just to remind myself why I don’t drink (or like it) anymore. They make me thirsty for water. :o)
Julia says
Good for you! I’m attempting a year of no processed sugar!
Amber says
My only source of caffeine is through diet soda (don’t like tea or coffee) and given that I have to get up in front of 20 cranky adults working in a job that they don’t want to need and train them on how to do it…I need to be caffeinated, LOL.
I WILL join you in a modified version of Aquatober by increasing my water intake!
Rebecca A says
A few months ago I have tried to cut sodas out mainly because the carbonation seemed to make my stomach hurt. I have been pretty successful but I have had a few ginger ales.
Stephanie Ann says
I could NEVER go without Coffee. Soda yes. I think I have had one fountain soda in the past 6 months. Other than coffee, the only other thing I really drink is water. I think some of that comes from growing up in the country and if you were thirsty while playing, you went and slurped out of the hose. :) MMmmmmm, warm hose water! Brings back memories!
Enjoy your H2O!
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I’m totally on board with Aquatober! I quit Diet Coke last Wednesday and have only had water and mineral wataer with cordial (real cordial not the sugar stuff at the grocery store) or lime since. Day 7 and going strong!
Maybe I could get my soda-loving husband on board too!
Michelle says
Well being that I did not see this until now, the night of October 1st, I feel that I may as well not even start this challenge since I have already failed! I have consumed an orange juice, apple juice, AND diet coke today.
..now how’s that for a lousy excuse!
Good luck John! I gave up pop (almost entirely) for 10 months in 2011 and it felt great :)
Brandan WH says
Totally down for the daylight hours but I need my glass of wine with dinner! Thank you for giving me a good reason to get back on the ‘water train’. I’m sure my skin will thank you!
Kelly.R says
I used to NEVER drink water. Then I went to college. Water = FREE.
Leah says
I did this once for Lent. It was actually really awesome! I try to enjoy soda as just an occasional treat. I typically have perhaps 3 sodas a month at the very most.
jenn aka the picky girl says
So weird that you say this because I had already decided to ward off soda this month. Day at a time. I don’t drink coffee or really anything else other than water anyway, and I certainly don’t buy sodas to keep at the house.
BUT, I do buy sodas from Dunkin Donuts a few blocks away, and I need to stop. I’m with ya!
Aly says
Im all for the only water thing, but I couldn’t give up espresso! I work ful time at an espresso bar. I’d go nuts! But besides water and espresso all I ever drink is soy milk. I don’t eat meat so I need it for the protein. But that’s healthy and I drink it for a healthy reason so I vote excluding that :-) even though I usually add chocolate sauce to it. That’ll be our secret. ;-) This is a wonderul idea though. You do it alone?
Young House Life says
Usually, but it sounds like lots of folks are joining me this year!
-John
Kim S says
I really like this idea! My sister (who apparently inherited my mom’s love of drinking water, which I did not!) laughs at me because I have made up “drinking games” to make myself drink more water as I work at my desk throughout the day. If I’m waiting for my computer to open a program, calculate formulas in a spreadsheet, etc. I have to be sipping my water. Of course, that means I have to remember to bring my water bottle to work, which doesn’t always happen. That will be how I celebrate Aquatober…I’ll try and bring my water every day so I can play my (water) drinking game while I work!
Kasey M. says
I do this too! I take a sip everytime someone badges in the door behind my desk. I thought I was the only one that did this!
Julia says
John – have you heard of La Croix water? It is carbonated water in a can, and it comes in all sorts of yummy flavors, and best of all it has no artificial sweeteners or flavors, no calories, no sodium, no caffeine, no nothing! They are sooooo delicious – just a hit of fruit flavor, with the fizz of a soda.
Young House Life says
Sherry loves that stuff, actually. I can’t get on the bandwagon though. Something about seltzer and fizzy water that runs me the wrong way.
-John
Heather says
Haha! I LOVE the stuff. Except I have one thing, I like most of my liquids room temperature. This means I keep my seltzer on top of the fridge, not in it, even after opened. My husband looked at me in confused horror about a month ago when I served him room temperature selzter. He was like “why is this warm?! Where’s the ice?! What’s wrong with you…” It was hilarious. Apparently, this makes me disgusting. I’m pretty sure a lot of people would agree, but I love it.
Emilymarion says
Yayyyyyy! I haven’t had a soda in over 10 years & I haven’t looked back. It’s a HUGE money saver. Although, restaurants get confused when a beverage comes with a meal & you ask for water. Good Luck & stay hydrated!
Julie Pecinovsky says
I can SO relate to this. I don’t drink or smoke either, but an icy cold Coca-Cola is my vice. I always gave myself a pass saying, “Hey, if this is my worst habit, I’m okay.” But alas, sugar water isn’t so great. The proof for me, as I’m now in my 30’s (ahem!), is that I can genuinely say I feel a lot better when I minimize the soda and bring on the water. It’s almost a necessity to feel “on” now. How’s that for motivation? I once quit drinking any form of soda for 2-yrs. If only…
Kathleen says
About 8-10 years ago I kicked the Pepsi habit of several 2 liters a week. I’ve been a water drinker since – except for the last 2 months or so where I’ve been addicted to Dr. Pepper. I can’t seem to get enough. It all started with a terrible stomach/flu episode and it soothed my upset stomach and perked me up. Now when I drink it I feel physically awful after an hour or two – yet it tastes so good! I was just thinking today that the 2 liter in the refrigerator was my last one. So I join you in Aquatober!
Erika @ theLindenLife says
What an interesting idea! I’m totally addicted to coffee, so I don’t think it would be for me. But it would be neat to feel like the ONLY thing I am hydrating myself with is water… I’ll be looking forward to hearing how it goes! And see how many others you convince to jump on the bandwagon:)
Heather says
I thought I would never give up coffee, until I did almost 3 years ago. About once a year I have a small decaf flavored coffee from Dunkin Donuts (blueberry coconut) with a little milk, and a splenda and that is enough for me! It’s my special treat before the fair we go to each year. I have to admit, this day was yesterday and that coffee was amazing but I definitely couldn’t handle the caffeine anymore, especially daily. It’s amazing how much your body changes, and how it *can* wake up when you thought it couldn’t.
Kristen says
Good for you! I gave up soda about three years back, because I felt like a hypocrite telling my son no soda, and downing can after can of diet dr pepper. Now it’s just water, diet green tea, crystal light and milk…next is to wean myself off crystal light!
Have you ever done any of the water with fruit in it? Ive heard it makes you drink more, I’m curious to know if that’s worked for anyone?
Young House Life says
I haven’t but lots of folks have suggested it here!
-John
Steph says
An October without apple cider?!? Blasphemy! :)
Young House Life says
Hahah! Don’t worry, we load up in November!
xo
s
Krystal says
I actually joined you in your Aquatober challenge back in 2010, and I haven’t had soda since. That’s two years. Two years of temptation (oh how I crave a beer heavy on the root during those hot summer family picnics), but I’ve yet to cave in. I don’t stick to many diet changes, but it feels good to actually accomplish something!
Young House Life says
Wow- that’s amazing!
-John
Jessie W. says
My husband and I just 8 days ago decided to give up soda and sugar drinks as well. I couldn’t let go of coffee though….think my coworkers wouldn’t like that either. 8 days, so far so good. Good luck for your month!!!
Stacy M says
Way to go! I gave up soda when I was in college also. I had to write a persuasive speech about something and I chose giving up soda. I was drinking 3-4 mt. dews a day and couldn’t seem to kick the habit. After all of the research that I did it was easy to give it up. I still drink sweet tea every once in awhile but living in Kansas has helped that habit as well. I’m not sure how they drink unsweet tea up here, blah.
Maz says
In my family (or maybe a UK thing) this is called SoberTober and it’s to detox before christmas drinking season starts etc haha.
Such a good idea though, everyone should drink more water!!
xx
Young House Life says
Haha! So funny!
xo
s
Rachel says
If I can put a slice of lime in with the water, then I’m with you. Otherwise hale no, because the water here at work tastes like ick.
Young House Life says
Haha, adding fruit is allowed.
-John
Eleanor@SavingOurWay says
Great idea! I love water & drink upwards of 100ozs a day (was pregnant, now am nursing a 4 month old). I don’t think I can kick my coke with lunch & sometimes dinner habit! lol! It’s the only caffeine I drink & not much really, in comparison to coffee or tea. BUT there are those days where the baby slept well the night before & I think, “you should just do water”. Then there are those times where the baby was up a couple of times, or I went to bed too late – or both – where by lunch i’m all “Coooooookkkkkkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee”! lol! I’ll see how life with 2 is treating me next Aquatober!
:-)
Sara says
Good for you John! A few years ago I gave up soda for my new years resolution. I did really well for the most part, two years of no soda (except for if I was at a function where that was all the served). I kept with it and felt better. I fell off the wagon a bit and started drinking Seirra Mist… I think I’m going to do the Aquatober Challenge, Thanks John and good luck! Does Sherry participate?
Jessica says
I’ve already signed up for October Unprocessed – a whole month with varying levels of dedication toward not eating anything that is overly “processed”. I’ve also, already failed day one – but hey! the whole point is to bring awareness to yourself about what you eat, not starve to death. If you’re at granny’s and she’s serving processed foods…you sometimes just buck it up and eat like a good girl.
Peg says
Good for you! I, too, like the sugary stuff, but only Pepsi. Not cherry Pepsi, not lime Pepsi, not Pepsi One, just plain ol’ Pepsi. So, every year for Lent-even though I’m not of a religious persuasion that observes Lent-I give up Pepsi. Every year, I think it’s gonna kill me. And every year, I realize I could quit drinking it all together. But, like you, it’s my one truly serious vice (don’t drink, smoke, or eat many Krispy Kremes!).
Heather says
Go John! That’s awesome. I try and stick with allowing myself a few things: 1.) Water – I don’t drink enough liquids in general and definitely water is a big thing, so I keep a giant two liter in my purse at all times so it’s a quick grab. I count herbal tea in this category since I don’t drink it with any sugar or milk. 2.) Vegetable and fruit smoothies – I try and make them at home in the vitamix and don’t add any sugar to them. In a crunch I’ll grab a Naked or Bolthouse. 3.) Flavored seltzer. I don’t drink soda much but I love carbonation for selzter is my trick.
I definitely consume other liquids but these are the top choices. If I have cereal though, you know almond milk is going on it. No dry cereal for this lady. I don’t eat much cereal though either haha, so no biggie!
Sabrina says
G0 John! I am only drinking water because I’m on a diet. But I already feel healthier. Although I did get a pumpkin spice latte this morning! Naughty! i am so proud of you guys for not “redneckognizing” lol
Erica says
I used to drink tons of coffee and soda (got me through law school and the bar…) But now I am a water-only gal. My suggestion is to always have some water by your side. I have a mini water jug at my desk filled with water, so no excuses not to refill my cup when I’m done. Now, I never crave soda and head right for my glass of water when I walk into the office in the morning. Just a suggestion!
Melissa says
Good luck! Ok…one quick thought. Since you are a runner, make sure that you are getting enough electrolytes. Water is great, but be sure to drink something with electrolytes if you are doing long runs in this heat and humidity. I stopped drinking any sports drink with sugar, and I started using Nuun. Have your heard of it? They are just these tablets that you add to water. It says on the container “Nuun turns water into a refreshing sports hydration drink without sugar.” Anyway, I got some at REI, but they are at other running and sports stores in the area. I stopped drinking or eating added sugar about a month ago, and my running has improved!
Hope this helps…
Young House Life says
Thanks for the tip!
-John
Marchelle says
Gah! I wish I had read this two days ago! I too, am a soda buff, but have started giving it up once I get too addicted. This time I’m trying for 95 days (until Christmas vacation), and normally I’d allow myself juice, but maybe I’ll join you for October!
Good Luck! and Good for you!
rachael says
I’ll join! I’m pregnant so its a good way to kick my desire for a cold Pepsi poured over ice….yum
Ginger says
Oh man, I am feeling like such a loser reading these comments. I generally have coffee in the AM and wine at night, but from 9am to 9pm don’t have anything but water. The problem is that I hardly drink any water, so I’m chronically thirsty (and dehydrated and tired). I don’t dislike it; it’s just hard for me to remember when I’m at work.
Maybe I need a “9 between 9 & 9” plan – 9 glasses of water a day…. That’s a far cry from all you healthy people, but it’d be a big step for me.
marion says
Tap water is my beverage of choice.
FYI – since it’s on the subject – of DIY and also of beverages – http://www.sodastream.com
Kristin says
I’m SO in! I’ve gotten off diet cola recently. I would have one 16 oz. each day when I would get to work, to get me going (I’ve never liked coffee) But I have replaced it with a tasty fruit drink but they are so full of sugar. I have already lost weight in the 2 weeks I’ve been off diet. not a ton but enough to tell. This Auqatober is just what I need. Im excited, I just needed something to motivate me! Thanks
Kim says
Love this! I gave up chocolate for an entire year, and I made it the whole way.
Except, I had one sip from the poor lady at McDonalds that gave me a chocolate shake instead of vanilla.