21 day challenge · Diet

No Soda

Three weeks without soda, diet or regular. Sparkling water with lemon scratches the same itch.

The calendar

Every day: No soda today

What's changing in you

At 24 hours

since your last soda, on average

Gut
20m1d1w1mo1y

Just happened

About 150 calories skipped per can

A 12 ounce can of regular soda has about 150 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar. Each one you skip is that much less, with nothing lost.

By about 24 hours, for many people

Next up

In 24 hours

Caffeine withdrawal fades

If you had withdrawal, it fades over 2 to 9 days. For many people it is gone within a week.

The first 36 hours, hour by hour

Each line shows how much is left, compared with where it started.

You
Start6h12h18h24h
  • Caffeine from your last soda

    4% left

    If your soda had caffeine, about half of it is gone every 5 hours. For most adults that is somewhere between 3 and 7 hours.

Every change, step by step

By about 1 hour

Reached

No sugar slump

A regular soda feels like a lift, but sugar does not actually boost your mood. Skipping it means one less tired dip after.

Good evidence

By about 1 hour

Reached

A break for your teeth

Soda bathes your teeth in acid, and regular soda adds sugar that germs turn into more acid. Every soda you skip is one less acid bath.

Well established

Between 5 and 7 hours

Reached

Half the caffeine is gone

If your soda had caffeine, your body has cleared about half of it by now. By tomorrow, almost none is left.

Well established

By about 5 hours

Reached

Your germ-fighting cells get a break

In an old study, a big dose of sugar made some white blood cells slower at eating germs for a few hours. Less sugar may let your defenses work at full speed.

Early or approximate

Between 12 and 24 hours

Reached

A caffeine headache, if it comes

If you drank a lot of caffeinated soda, you might get a headache or feel tired and foggy. It usually starts 12 to 24 hours in. It is temporary.

Well established

Between 20 hours and 2 days

Reached

The hardest stretch

If you have withdrawal, it is usually strongest somewhere between the end of day one and day two. After that it eases.

Well established

By about 24 hours

Reached

About 150 calories skipped per can

A 12 ounce can of regular soda has about 150 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar. Each one you skip is that much less, with nothing lost.

Well established

Between 2 and 9 days

In 24 hours

Caffeine withdrawal fades

If you had withdrawal, it fades over 2 to 9 days. For many people it is gone within a week.

Well established

Between 9 and 10 days

In 8 days

Your liver may make less fat

Your liver turns extra sugar, especially fructose, into fat. In one study, kids who cut sugar had about half as much liver fat after 9 days.

Early or approximate

Between 3 and 6 weeks

In 3 weeks

Inflammation may settle

Drinking sugary drinks every day can raise a blood marker of inflammation. Going without for a few weeks may let it settle back down.

Early or approximate

Between 4 weeks and 6 months

In 4 weeks

Weight can come down

Sugary drinks add calories without filling you up. Cutting them helps weight drift down slowly, over weeks to months.

Good evidence

By about 12 months

In 12 months

Lower long-term risk

Over the years, drinking less sugary soda is linked to lower chances of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, gout, and cavities.

Good evidence

Share your progress

A snapshot for your friends, or just for you.

WHAT'S CHANGING IN ME24 hourssoda-free.A day without soda: one lesscan of sugar.7changes so farDailyPracticedailypractice.ai

Everyone's body is different. If you have a health condition, like diabetes, talk to your doctor about changes to what you drink.