Soda pop and drinking calories

kittyfarmer1988
kittyfarmer1988 Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, I've always thought I was a pretty thin girl, but I've always drank a large amount of pop. I can't remember a time when I didn't drink it. I remember sharing cans with my grandfather as soon as I was old enough to walk to the fridge and bring one to him. Recently I caught a glimpse of myself in a full length mirror in a department store. I almost cried and I wanted to leave and go home immediately. It's not even that I weigh a lot, but it's ALL in my stomach and I'm short and it just looks so terrible. Except for the pop I eat pretty well, so I don't think the rest of my diet was the problem.

For the past 9 days I haven't bought any pop, and instead have been drinking a lot of homemade coffee drinks to get my sugar (hopefully less) fix and my caffeine fix. I've essentially substituted a 2-liter bottle (sometimes more) of pop for six cups of cold coffee with probably 2 cups of chocolate milk a day. I've been reading a lot about milk and even chocolate milk being okay or even good for you to drink. Then I see a lot of advice that says don't drink calories period. Is there an exception if I'm also not eating anything else and the milk makes me feel full? Also is the coffee dehydrating me if I only drink about 20oz of water a day? I add ice cubes to it to try and get more water, but I'm not coming anywhere near the recommended 8 glasses a day.

Replies

  • CCSavage88
    CCSavage88 Posts: 191
    I don't drink calories, except for the occasional alcoholic drink in which I burn extra before in the day to balance it...The whole idea of doing coffee substitute instead of soda would be ok except that's WAY too much coffee in a day caffeine wise and unless it's black coffee the amount of sugar and carbs in those would be CRAZY with 6 cups a day.
  • CookNLift
    CookNLift Posts: 3,660 Member
    You could limit your soda intake, but any water weight that you're getting and gaining a belly is from the sugar...just like with alcohol....alcohol comes from sugar being fermented, hence the beer bellies and too much sugar can sometimes inhibit weight loss due to water being retained.

    Drinking that much coffee is a lot, which is something you may want to monitor. I was personally drinking about 2-3 monsters a day and 2 large cups of coffee from Dunkin which I had to cut back to avoid any serious heart problems. Try getting a soda stream...I have on at home, and although I don't drink a lot of soda, it's a nice alternative to regular soda bc you can choose how much syrup you put in.
  • MaryJane_8810002
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
    There are more options outside of soda and coffee. Try coconut water, sugar free beverages, and natural fruit juices.
  • marissanik
    marissanik Posts: 344 Member
    If you still want to drink soda and are conscious of your weight, I would suggest diet pops or coke zero. There is a natural soda called Zevia that I drink (but I live in Canada so you may not have it available to you). Another option is drinking carbonated water mixed with 100% fruit juice.

    My advice: cut the pop. I can't understand the ingredients listed so I probably wouldn't want it in my body.

    EDIT: Try water with lemon juice. Water with a tea bag, ice, and a sweetener. There are endless options and alternatives.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Honestly, I doubt these changes are going to help much for weight loss. You are still drinking close to 2 liters of sugary drinks per day, you just changed from soda to sugary coffee and milk.

    What is the difference in total calories between the coffee and milk vs. the soda?
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Hi, I've always thought I was a pretty thin girl, but I've always drank a large amount of pop. I can't remember a time when I didn't drink it. I remember sharing cans with my grandfather as soon as I was old enough to walk to the fridge and bring one to him. Recently I caught a glimpse of myself in a full length mirror in a department store. I almost cried and I wanted to leave and go home immediately. It's not even that I weigh a lot, but it's ALL in my stomach and I'm short and it just looks so terrible. Except for the pop I eat pretty well, so I don't think the rest of my diet was the problem.

    For the past 9 days I haven't bought any pop, and instead have been drinking a lot of homemade coffee drinks to get my sugar (hopefully less) fix and my caffeine fix. I've essentially substituted a 2-liter bottle (sometimes more) of pop for six cups of cold coffee with probably 2 cups of chocolate milk a day. I've been reading a lot about milk and even chocolate milk being okay or even good for you to drink. Then I see a lot of advice that says don't drink calories period. Is there an exception if I'm also not eating anything else and the milk makes me feel full? Also is the coffee dehydrating me if I only drink about 20oz of water a day? I add ice cubes to it to try and get more water, but I'm not coming anywhere near the recommended 8 glasses a day.

    1st: Weight loss will occur if you eat at a calorie deficit. It doesn't matter if those calories come in liquid form or solid form. If you drink nothing but sweetened coffee/soda/chocolate milk/insert any other beverage but still consume fewer calories in a day than you expend, you will lose weight.

    2nd: The coffee is not dehydrating you. Think of it this way, the caffeine in 8 oz of coffee will dehydrate you by .5 oz. You're still ahead by 7.5 oz in the hydration equation.

    3rd: Drink as much as you like while staying under in calories but if health is a consideration, and it should be, you should be paying attention to your macros (personal physical goals) and micros (overall health). Without proper levels of those, you may lose the weight but you might not have the body (health or physique) that you're hoping for.
  • ddkphotos
    ddkphotos Posts: 304 Member
    I cut out my diet coke last July 1st. Had cut out most juices etc. before that... I drink only water (minimum 8 glasses a day), mint tea a few times a week and the occasional 67 calorie beer... Never drank coffee... I do "officially" drink calories in the morning - as I make a smoothie most mornings. The base is usually unsweetened almond milk or sugar free Danon drinkable yogurt... I add frozen fruits and veggies and voila - breakfast! Otherwise I do not drink my calories. Although I have to say a large glass of chocolate milk sure does sound good right now!!! I did used to drink that after big workouts back in the day when I could do big workouts... but if you give me chocolate milk - I'm going to want a cookie!
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    > even chocolate milk being okay or even good for you to drink

    Where were you reading this?

    It's a lot of fat & carbs in a small package, has high calorie density, and liquids in general rate as low satiety compared to solid foods. Plus there's the potential gut reaction/auto-immune stuff with dairy.
    The one study I know of referring to chocolate milk as a post-workout drink was compared to zero post-workout nutrition. So in that case, *any* carb would show benefit post-workout. It's not an excuse to drink chocolate milk.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    > even chocolate milk being okay or even good for you to drink

    Where were you reading this?

    It's a lot of fat & carbs in a small package, has high calorie density, and liquids in general rate as low satiety compared to solid foods. Plus there's the potential gut reaction/auto-immune stuff with dairy.
    The one study I know of referring to chocolate milk as a post-workout drink was compared to zero post-workout nutrition. So in that case, *any* carb would show benefit post-workout. It's not an excuse to drink chocolate milk.

    A lot of people use it for an after workout drink because it has a good carb/protein ratio. *Any* carb won't have that ratio.

    It's a great excuse to drink chocolate milk, though you don't need an excuse anyway.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Hi, I've always thought I was a pretty thin girl, but I've always drank a large amount of pop. I can't remember a time when I didn't drink it. I remember sharing cans with my grandfather as soon as I was old enough to walk to the fridge and bring one to him. Recently I caught a glimpse of myself in a full length mirror in a department store. I almost cried and I wanted to leave and go home immediately. It's not even that I weigh a lot, but it's ALL in my stomach and I'm short and it just looks so terrible. Except for the pop I eat pretty well, so I don't think the rest of my diet was the problem.

    For the past 9 days I haven't bought any pop, and instead have been drinking a lot of homemade coffee drinks to get my sugar (hopefully less) fix and my caffeine fix. I've essentially substituted a 2-liter bottle (sometimes more) of pop for six cups of cold coffee with probably 2 cups of chocolate milk a day. I've been reading a lot about milk and even chocolate milk being okay or even good for you to drink. Then I see a lot of advice that says don't drink calories period. Is there an exception if I'm also not eating anything else and the milk makes me feel full? Also is the coffee dehydrating me if I only drink about 20oz of water a day? I add ice cubes to it to try and get more water, but I'm not coming anywhere near the recommended 8 glasses a day.

    Girl...you are a mess! Pop, coffee with sugar, chocolate milk....all sugary drinks that CAN be consume but in MODERATION. Stop trying to cheat the calorie gods by swapping 6 pops a day with 6 coffees and chocolate milks a day. At the end of the day....it's still all too much!

    Step one - LOG EVERYTHING
    Step two - get the majority of your calories from healthy sources
    Step three - reserve 180 calories a day and drink ONE CAN OF SODA...and call it a day!
  • kittyfarmer1988
    kittyfarmer1988 Posts: 7
    Thanks for all of the responses!

    First of all, I could never in a million years drink diet pop or sugar free anything that is meant to have sugar in it. The taste of the artificial sweetener is just horrific to me. I've tried a lot of different ones, MT Dew, Dr. Pepper, Coke, Pepsi etc. None of them are even slightly okay tasting to me. I do drink herbal tea a lot though.


    I have DEFINITELY reduced the calories I take in. I was drinking 800+ calories a day. Coffee itself has no calories and that is the majority of what goes into my glass plus 3-4 ice cubes to cool it off. I put in about a 1/4 cup of 2% milk and a half tablespoon of Chocolate syrup per glass. All together the milk is about 220 calories and the syrup adds up to 150 a day. It's not ideal but it's better than what I was doing before, I think. I'm also not running to the vending machine to get snacks as often because the drink does make me feel full.

    It's too hard for me to have just one pop. Once I start buying it and having it too near me I'm drinking it all day long. I smoked for 12 years and had an easier time kicking that habit.

    Also I just weighed myself and I'm at 126lbs. I don't necessarily want to lose a bunch of weight. I think I look okay except for my tummy area.

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