[ashark]

When (mostly) quitting soda I discovered my craving was actually 80/20 carbonation/sweetness, so I could almost totally satisfy it with club soda (cheap) or sparkling mineral water (pricier but generally better). Seltzer didn't work—I think it had too little salt, tasted weird. Lemons and limes are pretty cheap if you want a little flavor and a touch of sweetness, and they provide some vitamins so they're not a total waste of calories. Much better than various flavored sparkling waters, IMO. Mostly I drank it plain, though.

Of course I have a lot more fat on me now than back when I averaged (guessing) 1.5L/day of soda and probably 4000+ total calories a day, almost all junk food. Lots of effort just to slow the progression away from a fit (looking) body toward a middle-aged one. And I feel way, way less healthy and get sick all the time, as opposed to never. Man, being a teenager was great. :-/