Does quitting soda actually help with fat/weight loss?

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  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    It has to help in the weight loss process. FIrst, sodas are empty calories. Just think about it, an 8 oz serving is the equivalent of a morning or afternoon snack! So if you keep consuming the same amount of food calories and only drink calorie free beverages, you are cutting hundreds of calories. Just one 20 oz soda is around 250 calories (1750/ week which is .5lbs).

    Also, you can see a quick poundage loss at first, because sodas have a lot of sodium and chemicals that cause you to retain fluid. My opinion is getting off soda has a lot of great health implications.

    Soda has no nutritional redeeming factors and should be a treat just like ice cream, chocolate pie or cake. It isn't meant for daily consumption. In fact it can hurt your body. Did you know that the carbonation prevents or reduces calcium absorption? That means you can put yourself at a greater risk of the loss of bone density. yikes.
    Carbonation does not reduce calcium absorption. Caffeine does. Better not drink any coffee or tea, or eat any chocolate, either. Oh, and then there's the fact that the increase in calcium loss while caffeine is in your system is balanced by a decrease in calcium loss when caffeine isn't in your system, leading to a net difference of zero compared to someone who doesn't consume it at all.

    Someone else mentioned soda wrecking oral health. That will only happen if you don't take proper care, and if you aren't brushing your teeth regularly, then you have bigger issues than whether to drink soda or not.
  • pichurria
    pichurria Posts: 11
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    i've read that drinking 1 soda per day can add 10-15lb in 1 year.

    this makes sense: 3500 calories= 1lb; soda: 120cal; 120cal * 365= 43,800 calories in 1 year; which is about 12lb in 1 year.
  • Armyantzzz
    Armyantzzz Posts: 214 Member
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    The answer to you question is YES:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • MeadowSong
    MeadowSong Posts: 171 Member
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    I have a friend who gave up Dr. Pepper and lost 30 lbs doing nothing else. Just empty calories. I'm assuming you're meaning regular sodas, but I started drinking coffee in the morning and quit, just because I don't really want it anymore, my Diet Coke addiction--I had been trying to cut back for years and would be successful until a stressful period. Well, and I get out in good weather and get thirsty, then I want iced tea (unsweetened) but in the winter or anytime I'm cooped up I drink more Coke. But the artificial stuff does contribute to just a general feeling of ick when you drink too much. I don't figure an occasional one hurts anyone, but at the quantities that many of us down it, it sure does. The sugared stuff is pretty bad in that hitting yourself with that much just plain sugar is tough on your system--tending to raise and then dump your blood sugar, causing hunger so that you eat even more. My nephew dropped probably 80 lbs, whole lifestyle change (he's had it off for 6 or 8 years now)-but the biggest thing he said that made a difference was cutting out pop and sugary snacks. He said the difference in how he felt (less hunger and feeling better generally) made it easier to be smart about other choices.

    P.S. I'd worry less about caffeine. Drink a little coffee in the morning and perhaps a cup after lunch (don't drink it late--sleep is important too!). Study after study after study show no problems with less than 7 cups (6 oz coffee cups) a day. And of the studies that look for benefits, there are many benefits that, while not conclusively proven to be brought on by coffee are connected with coffee drinking--like less Alzheimer's and better performance through the day on regular stuff. Put milk in it to keep it from taking calcium from your system (and make it yummy).
  • c_faulkenburg
    c_faulkenburg Posts: 158 Member
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    I quit drinking soda at the end of 2012. I was using it as a crutch to "pep" me up throughout the day. I went cold turkey. Honestly, it was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. I don't get it.. soda has absolutely NO redeeming nutritional value. And I didn't want to drink my calories away. I think of my daily calories as a budget, and I'd rather not "spend" them on soda. I don't drink juice either. I refuse to give up my daily coffee..
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I quit drinking soda at the end of 2012. I was using it as a crutch to "pep" me up throughout the day. I went cold turkey. Honestly, it was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. I don't get it.. soda has absolutely NO redeeming nutritional value. And I didn't want to drink my calories away. I think of my daily calories as a budget, and I'd rather not "spend" them on soda. I don't drink juice either. I refuse to give up my daily coffee..
    But... Coffee has no redeeming nutritional value, either. How can you drink coffee but not get why other people may want soda?
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    I quit drinking soda at the end of 2012. I was using it as a crutch to "pep" me up throughout the day. I went cold turkey. Honestly, it was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. I don't get it.. soda has absolutely NO redeeming nutritional value. And I didn't want to drink my calories away. I think of my daily calories as a budget, and I'd rather not "spend" them on soda. I don't drink juice either. I refuse to give up my daily coffee..
    But... Coffee has no redeeming nutritional value, either. How can you drink coffee but not get why other people may want soda?

    Do you work for a soda company? Im not trying to be obtuse, just wondering why you seem to defend it so highly?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I'm a proponent of information and facts. I'm not defending soda specifically, just pointing out false arguments.

    Losing weight is hard enough. It takes a ton of discipline, patience, and planning. When people become overwhelmed by all these false "rules" that they then believe they have to follow (eliminating specific foods, eating at certain times, eating x number of meals a day, etc,) they get frustrated, they lose focus, they lose the willpower, and they quit. At the same time, if someone hears that all they have to do is quit drinking soda to lose weight, so they stop drinking soda (and possibly become a little sadder if it's something they enjoy) but end up not losing weight (due to eating more calories of something else,) they again get frustrated and quit.
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    I'm a proponent of information and facts. I'm not defending soda specifically, just pointing out false arguments.

    Losing weight is hard enough. It takes a ton of discipline, patience, and planning. When people become overwhelmed by all these false "rules" that they then believe they have to follow (eliminating specific foods, eating at certain times, eating x number of meals a day, etc,) they get frustrated, they lose focus, they lose the willpower, and they quit. At the same time, if someone hears that all they have to do is quit drinking soda to lose weight, so they stop drinking soda (and possibly become a little sadder if it's something they enjoy) but end up not losing weight (due to eating more calories of something else,) they again get frustrated and quit.

    Thanks for reply, and fair enough.

    I dont disagree with you :) I have a bit of a personal bee in my bonnet about soda (my mum used to drink 2L of coke a day, and eventually developed a reaction to the aspartame that the doctor thought was some kind of rare autoimmune disease. She's fine now, just has to avoid products with aspartame added) and have never personally been a big fan of fizzy drinks.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    Cutting down was one of the first things I did and it helped a lot. Then again, I was guzzling a 2 liter a day before I decided to lose weight. Then I cut them completely out for awhile. Now I rarely have even one a month and I'm good with that. If I'm going to have some tasty sweet calories (and lately there are days when I do) I'd rather chew than sip them most of the time. Or get a milkshake. I'm sure my bones are thanking me.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
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    I quit a nasty diet soda addiction in 2005, and lost 13 pounds the first month doing nothing else. fast forward to December 2011, I managed to be about 46 pounds above where I should be. I lost that weight in 2012, and now I really pay attention to what my weight does on maintenance when i eat certain foods. The good news I don't have the diet coke habit any more, and am actually about 15 pounds below where I was in 2005 AFTER the 13 pound loss.

    If you want to be incredible, eat incredible. I am not adding diet soda back into my diet. But keeping the weight off - for me, another story
  • sherrybaby81
    sherrybaby81 Posts: 257 Member
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    I am trying to get myself off diet coke. I am slowly weaning myself, by only drinking it to use as a source of caffeine on off days (like the day I had to go in for a 12 hour shift unexpectedly from 5 am, after getting only 3 hours sleep). On normal days (which is most days) I will drink only water or low calorie juice (I get a 15 calorie lemonade by minute maid...I think...to drink for a change in taste once in a while).
  • lahlstephens
    lahlstephens Posts: 28 Member
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    I gave up Pepsi one month ago and feel fantastic!!! I was drinking about 4 a day. I have lost 31 pounds through giving them up, drinking lots of water, eating right and exercising regularly. (I started my weight loss journey prior to giving them up) They are so loaded with sugar!!! There have been studies that links drinking too much of these drinks to a higher rate of depression. So if that concerns you, that should be enough to steer you away. It has worked for me!

    Please don't start drinking diet sodas to replace them. Diet sodas as so bad for you! Your body wants water, not artificial sweetener loaded junk. Sorry to all you diet soda drinkers, but it's true. Replace with water, water, water!!!
  • AmyMgetsfit
    AmyMgetsfit Posts: 636 Member
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    I quit drinking regular coke on Feb 1, 2013 after years and years of drinking it. Besides my morning coffee, coke is all I drank. I never drank water, juice, milk or anything else. I am surprised coke stock hasn't plummeted since I quit, I drank so much. While I am not a very big eater, I did also have a poor diet and was pretty sedentary. I would rather have a donut for breakfast, lunch and dinner than anything healthy. Anyway I totally changed my eating habits including going cold turkey on the coke. It was probably a combination of food, drink and exercise that has all played a part in my 26lb weight loss in 3 months. The first month was 12lbs. I think the extra 600 calories a day worth of coke certainly was the reason for the big loss the first month.
  • ladylu11
    ladylu11 Posts: 631 Member
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    water is what you need. It has so many benefits. Soda has none, I've also heard that carbonated drinks cause cellulite.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    water is what you need. It has so many benefits. Soda has none, I've also heard that carbonated drinks cause cellulite.

    Agreed, water and red wine is what is needed.
  • donald149
    donald149 Posts: 211 Member
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    I gave it up and lost about 10 pounds. At first I switched to diet and was literally addicted. Somehow quit that also and now no longer miss it.
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
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    I was drinking 500 calories a day in soda. So switching to diet has cut my diary by 500 calories a day without changing anything. That is 2lb a week without trying.

    BTW... I only drink the diet soda then I'm congested because the carbonation helps break it up. I drink mostly water.
  • BobOki
    BobOki Posts: 245 Member
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    Without reading ANY of the replies, I'll just throw my 2 c in.
    Stop drinking sodas (specially those with calories and HCF) and watch how many extra calories you get back. Yes, I think MOST people I know drink their daily cal limit alone in soda.
  • amanda8o
    amanda8o Posts: 352 Member
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    I drink Coke Zero daily. I drink Pepsi Max daily.... I can put away 2ltrs a day....... I still lose weight.

    ^^ This I've been drinking coke zero almost everyday and it hasn't stopped me from losing!

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