Cutting Down on Soda is a Must to Lose Weight - NYHealthInsurer.com (2024)

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Do I need to cut soda to lose weight? ›

Cutting back on your favorite fizzy drink can help. “Cutting soda out of your diet not only lowers your risk for weight gain, but may help you actually lose weight as well,” says Dr. Rodriguez-Lopez. Opting out of that 12 ounce can of soda saves about 140 calories and 32 grams of sugar.

Most people start drinking diet soda to help lose weight. But you might lose more weight giving it up. A recent study found that older adults who drank diet soda continued to pack on belly fat. Research also found that each daily diet soda increases your chance of becoming obese in the next decade by 65%.

If you're drinking an average of 150 calories of soda every day, not drinking soda will save you 1,050 calories per week. Over a year's time, that translates to the equivalent of more than 15 pounds of fat — not including any weight you'd lose from other lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise.

Once you quit drinking soda, the benefits abound. You may notice weight loss, improved mood, better mental clarity, and better oral hygiene, among other things. The sugar and acids found in soft drinks can wreak havoc on your teeth. They can eat away at the enamel of your teeth, as well as cause cavities.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A MONTH OF QUITTING SODA? Around the one-month marker, the body has eliminated most traces of soda and restored a healthier biochemical balance. By this point, many people report notable weight loss, particularly around the mid-section where soda tends to deposit fat through abdominal visceral fat.

Water can help you lose or maintain your weight. Choosing to drink water instead of sodas, juices and other high-calorie drinks will lower your daily calorie intake and help you control your body weight. Water helps get rid of waste in your body through sweat, urination and bowel movements. Water prevents dehydration.

One study in 749 adults found that the waist circumference gain of people who consumed diet soda daily was nearly four times greater than non-consumers over a 10-year period. What's more, artificially sweetened beverage consumption has been significantly associated with overweight and obesity ( 2 , 3 ).

Kidney function improves.

One study looked at 11 years of data and found that women who drank two or more servings of diet soda doubled their chances of declining kidney function.

By quitting you may see your weight go down. A nine-year study found that older adults who drank diet soda kept packing on belly fat. A piggyback study found that having a daily diet soda increases your chance of obesity by 65% during the next 10 years.

How to lose 10 pounds in a month? ›

"If the sugar from the soda is not used for physical activity, the liver will turn sugar into fat (triglycerides)," says Cesar Sauza, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Healthcanal.com, "It is common to see fatty liver diagnosis in patients with years of regularly drinking soda."

Frequent dehydration and spikes in blood sugar can raise your A1C levels. Some sodas have caffeine, particularly energy drinks, and people with diabetes may find that their blood sugar is sensitive to caffeine. Caffeine may raise blood sugar levels, so ask your doctor if you should opt for caffeine-free diet soda.

If you're trying to lose weight, soda is not your best beverage choice. Regular soda is high in sugar and calories and studies show that diet soda might not be great to gulp down either, despite the fact that it has 0 calories.

Adding in the amount of calories in a drink, that results in a caloric increase of about 270 calories a day. That means that just drinking one soda a day could lead to a pound of weight gain every 13 days, or about 28 pounds a year of weight gain.

Several observational studies have found that using artificial sweeteners and drinking high amounts of diet soda is associated with an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome ( 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ).

You may reduce your overall weight by limiting ultra-processed foods and foods with added sugar. This can include foods with added sugar, processed meats, and sugary drinks.