Confused. Soda and Weight Loss

matchbox_girl

I drink (drank) a ton of soda. We are talking 3-4 dr peppers a day. Sometimes more. Not to mention the one or two green monsters i would drink a day (i know they are bad for you). I always hear "oh when i came off sodas i dropped 20 pounds just like that). I haven't had one single regular soda or monster in 2.5 weeks and i have NOT seen the dramatic weight loss i expected. I know it's only been two weeks but going from so much a day to nothing for two weeks i should see SOMETHING..wouldn't you think?? I have only drank diet and water. No sweet tea, no chocolate milk, nothing like that. Only diet and water.

Anyone have any inspiring words? I'm getting bummed out about it and am really starting to think I should just go ahead and drink a regular Dr. Pepper. I wouldn't do that...bc i've gotten used to diet now so it would just be a dumb health decision, but you get the point.

Words of encouragement please??? I just don't understand why nothing is fallling off

I'm the same way. Drank soda religiously until someone told me, "you'll lose sooo much weight if you drop soda." So, I did. For a whole summer. Didn't even drink diet soda....and not one pound was lost because of it. After that I said screw it.....I like my soda, and it clearly doesn't make a difference either way.

HOWEVER, with that being said, I have switched mainly to diet soda just so I don't have to add the calories.....it's fine by me.

1917Ashley

Ugh! I know what you mean! A regular customer at my past job said she lost 18 pounds in 2 weeks by cutting out soda! I was off soda for a month and didn't see any results!

Now I have stopped drinking soda for about 4 months now and am down 36 pounds. But that includes eating better and regular exercise.

Crying_In_Color

Sadly, I didn't see a difference when I switched from drinks with calories to only zero calorie drinks either.

lhergenr

congrats on cutting out most soda and those nasty energy drinks. man those things mess with my body so much! if i were you i'd allow myself 8-12 oz of regular soda every now and then if you want it (i'm talking like once or twice a week). only if you can keep it moderate though.

Sarauk2sf

OP - you should open up your diary for more helpful input

I don't really ever use it. I kept up with it a few times when i was doing the dukan but that was it. Maybe i should start using it.

How are you tracking your food intake?

bcf7683

Soda doesn't cause weight loss or weight gain. Calories do.

I agree.

I don't understand this thought process....sodas have tons of calories in them...?

^They're referencing DIET soda.

kevin3344

OP - you should open up your diary for more helpful input

I don't really ever use it. I kept up with it a few times when i was doing the dukan but that was it. Maybe i should start using it.

How are you tracking your food intake?

OP you need to start tracking everything, EVERYTHING, in your diary....then you can come back and say "why am I not losing"? Just giving up soda isn't going to get it done...you could still be over in other areas, and things like sodium play a part as well. What is your exercise like? Weight loss is calories in vs. calories out....create a deficit and you will lose....the Success Stories prove this to be true. If you're not tracking food and exercise, there is no way to see where you need to make improvements..

RunIntheMud

OP - you should open up your diary for more helpful input

I don't really ever use it. I kept up with it a few times when i was doing the dukan but that was it. Maybe i should start using it.

You really need to use the diary to get a good idea of what calories you're taking in, good and bad. When I first started on here, I didn't think I needed it (my goal was to learn more on the fitness vs nutrition side). However, as soon as I started posting my diary, I realized that the calories added up a lot quicker than I thought. And, not only the calories, but the sugar content. By actually writing down what I eat/drink every day, I am able to see what areas I need to focus more on (fruits/veggies) and what areas I need to stay away from (sugars). I have motivating friends that will remind me of this as well. I know it's a little weird at first, but it does help and it helps you in establishing better choices.

mllst18

I'm sure that is frustrating! Are you drinking just as much diet soda as you did regular soda? If so, you could be retaining water due to the high amounts of sodium in diet soda. Hope this helps! Feel free to add me :-)

mygrl4meee

I was drinking 5 to 6 liters a day of diet soda and now am down to about a 2 liter a day and quite a bit of water and I haven't noticed a change in the weight loss. When I first cut back. I had heaches, tired and really hungry. Its not so bad now. I am not sure if I will press cutting back anymore.

mdygirl2

yea i think diet pop is just like drinking the real thing so its not gonna work thats me , i was off pop all of it and lost after i had my sec, son ,so i know it works , but i ended up back up on pop and now i have my belly again and now trying to lose it again ive lost 2 pounds so im working on it .. it just takes time

SusanRN2b

A womans cycle can have a lot to do with how and when we lose weight. Stay your course and stay away from the sugar. You will lose weight as long as you are not eating more calories.

Congrats, by the way.

Add on edit:
By the way, you don't see many skinny people drinking diet soda do you? They are usually fat. I believe diet soda contributes to a large stomach.

So true!!! Most are fat!

Gallowmere1984

A womans cycle can have a lot to do with how and when we lose weight. Stay your course and stay away from the sugar. You will lose weight as long as you are not eating more calories.

Congrats, by the way.

Add on edit:
By the way, you don't see many skinny people drinking diet soda do you? They are usually fat. I believe diet soda contributes to a large stomach.

So true!!! Most are fat!

The reason you see fat people with diet soda was put very well by Gabriel Iglasias. "Why do you drink diet soda?" "So I can eat regular cake."

There's a lot more to it than the diet soda, I assure you. For example, I switched from coffee with fairly heavy creamer to Coke Zero, and my weight has been on a rapid downward spiral since. If you make that switch without adding calories from other sources, the weight will fall, especially for the people who were getting upward of 800 calories per day from regular soda.

dan_IRL

Regular soda isn't just calories. It is EMPTY calories with no nutritional value. You should try and fill your daily caloric intake with the most nutritious calories as you can.

Treat regular soda like a candy bar. They are okay every great once in awhile, but you shouldn't be eating a candy bar with every meal.

The high fructose corn syrup is a totally different subject as is the world of diet sodas (Aspartame).

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Have you tracked your calories? Did they decrease? Also, weight loss is not linear and can be impacted by water weight fluctuations, especially for women.

Yes, and they have. I started the dukan but wasn't seeing great results so i stopped. But since i stopped i have still been much more cautious of my sugar, fat and carb intake. My calories daily have dramatically decreased. I think my impatience is probably what's hurting me.

That is another puzzling thing though...i ate carbs like CRAZY. Several servings of bread daily, bread with pasta, etc. That has dramatically decreased as well.

Contrary to what everyone here keeps saying about the calories, the calories..............its not all about the calories.

There is so much more that goes into being able to lose weight such as sleep patterns, hormone levels (Leptin, grehlin, insulin, cortisol, female / male hormones, thyroid hormones, etc), stress, etc..........a LOT of things.

If you are being impatient, that can have a stressful effect on the body. If you are over exercising that can have an effect. Not enough sleep? Yep, can effect you being able to lose weight.

It is so much more than some simple calories in, calories out equation and you don't have to have medical conditions for the above mentioned things to have an effect on the body.

SideSteel

Have you tracked your calories? Did they decrease? Also, weight loss is not linear and can be impacted by water weight fluctuations, especially for women.

Yes, and they have. I started the dukan but wasn't seeing great results so i stopped. But since i stopped i have still been much more cautious of my sugar, fat and carb intake. My calories daily have dramatically decreased. I think my impatience is probably what's hurting me.

That is another puzzling thing though...i ate carbs like CRAZY. Several servings of bread daily, bread with pasta, etc. That has dramatically decreased as well.

Contrary to what everyone here keeps saying about the calories, the calories..............its not all about the calories.

There is so much more that goes into being able to lose weight such as sleep patterns, hormone levels (Leptin, grehlin, insulin, cortisol, female / male hormones, thyroid hormones, etc), stress, etc..........a LOT of things.

If you are being impatient, that can have a stressful effect on the body. If you are over exercising that can have an effect. Not enough sleep? Yep, can effect you being able to lose weight.

It is so much more than some simple calories in, calories out equation and you don't have to have medical conditions for the above mentioned things to have an effect on the body.

Most of the above mentioned things can have an effect the energy output side of the equation. They are represented on the "calories out" side of the equation.

It is still calories in calories out.

Sarauk2sf

A womans cycle can have a lot to do with how and when we lose weight. Stay your course and stay away from the sugar. You will lose weight as long as you are not eating more calories.

Congrats, by the way.

Add on edit:
By the way, you don't see many skinny people drinking diet soda do you? They are usually fat. I believe diet soda contributes to a large stomach.

So true!!! Most are fat!

Have you conducted, or have references to, a survey?

coloradodreaming

There is a LOT of misinformation here and it is really unfortunate for the OP. SODA diet or regular will cause you to gain weight. Even the zero calorie. Fact. There are plenty of studies to back this up. The caffeine in regular and diet soda promotes cortisol production which causes you to gain weight, especially in the belly area or prevents weight loss. Google that yourself and find tons of links backing it up. Also, stress produces cortisol, again causing weight gain or preventing weight loss.

Next, is the sodium in regular and diet soda is high which also contributes to weight gain or lack of weight loss.

Finally, there is a lot of other crap in sodas that will contribute to weight gain or lack of weight loss.

If you want to lose weight, drop ALL sodas, juice, processed foods and sugar..........drink only water. No juice. No milk. No faux drinks in a bottle. Water and water only. Also cut out breads, pastas and anything made with white flour. But most important is to drink only water. Your body will thank you for it, I promise!

I have been a soda addict for 20+ years. I gained a lot of weight from it. I decided to do lots of research and found that soda was bad news on so many levels. I quit cold turkey one day and never looked back. I am losing weight due to it.

If one truly wants to lose weight, they would eliminate ALL crap from the diet which includes diet soda/zero calorie soda. What is the point of even trying if you go at it half-assed and keeping some crap around? Go all or go home is what I say! Good luck OP..you can do it!!

SideSteel

There is a LOT of misinformation here and it is really unfortunate for the OP. SODA diet or regular will cause you to gain weight. Even the zero calorie. Fact. There are plenty of studies to back this up. The caffeine in regular and diet soda promotes cortisol production which causes you to gain weight, especially in the belly area or prevents weight loss. Google that yourself and find tons of links backing it up. Also, stress produces cortisol, again causing weight gain or preventing weight loss.

Next, is the sodium in regular and diet soda is high which also contributes to weight gain or lack of weight loss.

Finally, there is a lot of other crap in sodas that will contribute to weight gain or lack of weight loss.

If you want to lose weight, drop ALL sodas, juice, processed foods and sugar..........drink only water. No juice. No milk. No faux drinks in a bottle. Water and water only. Also cut out breads, pastas and anything made with white flour. But most important is to drink only water. Your body will thank you for it, I promise!

I have been a soda addict for 20+ years. I gained a lot of weight from it. I decided to do lots of research and found that soda was bad news on so many levels. I quit cold turkey one day and never looked back. I am losing weight due to it.

If one truly wants to lose weight, they would eliminate ALL crap from the diet which includes diet soda/zero calorie soda. What is the point of even trying if you go at it half-assed and keeping some crap around? Go all or go home is what I say! Good luck OP..you can do it!!

My favorite part was when you posted the studies showing that zero calorie beverages cause weight gain.

MLBuddecke

I had read a study that said that the body reacts to fake sugar suppliments in a similar way to how it reacts to real sugar, this had more to do with health issues, not dieting, as someone in the family was hypoglycymic (sorry about the spelling) and the pancreas will react. I am not a medical person, so do your own research, but it seems that the body could go into storeage mode because of false stimuli. So, I agree with the "no soda of any sort"