[Dimentio]

Hey, I recently joined and i was wondering if anyone could answer any questions I've been having?

I am a soda addict.. Mountain dew is my favorite. I could drink it all day really. I hear most people say if you cut soda entirely from your diet you will lose up to 30 pounds. is this true? I had a friend who cut herself down to one soda a day and I haven't seen her lose any weight at all. What are your opinions on Diet soda? coke zero? Are those any better? basically what I'm asking is how effective is cutting soda because if it is very much so then I will cut it.

also, does anyone have any information on Water flavors? I mean the weird to go packs that you dump into water bottles to make them flavored. Are those as bad for you? has anyone lost weight drinking those?

Does anyone have any suggestions to boost my metabolism?

I'm 265 ish pounds and I'd like to be about 150 in the shortest possible time while not stressing my body entirely.

[scarletmeshell]

Welcome! I'm sure that there are others here that will give you some really good advice on your question. I was just wondering how much you drink in an average day?

[JessLess]

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet like cutting all soda to make you lose weight. Weight loss is pretty complicated for a lot of people while also being really simple. If you take in less calories than you expend, you will most likely lose weight. I used to drink a lot of beer which is high calorie and high in carbs and when I stopped drinking above a drink or two a week, I thought I would lose a lot of weight but I didn't. It's been a much more involved process of smaller portions, less fat and carbs, and weight training and cardio exercise.

That being said, soda is very high calorie and I never drink it. Fortunately I don't like it. Water is best, and I think flavored water is OK if it helps you drink more. Many other people think artificial sweeteners are really not good for you, so I don't think there is consensus on this issue.

[lovemyboy]

Cutting sugar soda will reduce calories as long as it isn't replaced with other liquid or food calories.

[Michou]

Soda is something that is high in calorie and brins absolutely nothing to your body, even the kind with artificial sweetener will make you want to eat more sweet. Water is what your body needs to function properly and the sodas that you drink prevents you from drinking enough water. I do not know about the flavor packet for the water so I cannot comment.

I do not think you would loose 30 pounds by stopping the sodas but you certainly won t gain an additional 30 pounds if you stop drinking them. Think about the weight it Will make you gain, that is the best motivation to stop and dont forge t it does no good to your body, pure chemical and no nutrition.

Good luck

[sept15lija]

Originally Posted by lovemyboy

Cutting sugar soda will reduce calories as long as it isn't replaced with other liquid or food calories.

Yup!

I love diet soda, so drink that regularly (like 2-3 cans per day). I also use crystal lite to flavour water, although it is 10 calories so I watch how many (10 isn't much, but I could probably use 4-5 in a day, so it can add up). I also like coke zero, which for me is fine. I've heard some people say that sweeteners cause them problems with weight loss (gives them cravings, their bodies don't do well on them etc) but I have no problem with them and they haven't hindered my loss....if anything it has helped me.

[rachael]

I used to drink those flavored waters, but now they just taste like chemicals to me. I just drink water about 99% of the time.

[Shmead]

If you quit drinking soda and start eating candy to get your "sweet" fix, you'll likely gain weight. It's surprisingly easy to do this without realizing it, if you don't pay attention to anything other than not drinking soda.

If you quit drinking soda and don't replace the calories with anything else, you may lose weight. However, if you are currently slowing gaining (which many, many people are), you may just stop gaining. This is an important step, but it's not satisfying.

Basically, you have to take in less than you burn. The good news about starting at a high weight is that you burn quite a bit just existing, so you can lose on a fairly high amount.

I find reducing everything to numbers (total calories) is the easiest way to make sure I am taking in less than I am burning. Others find it easier to just make every meal smaller and snacks less frequent. It's just about how your brain works.

[Jen516]

Here's what worked for me, though all body chemistries are different... I stopped drinking soda altogether. I used to drink 3-4 cans of Diet pepsi every day. Now, I've had 3-4 in the last 6 months. And now, it doesn't even taste good to me! When I got serious about losing weight, I started drinking more water and as a result just didn't drink as much soda. I think the key for me was getting hydrated. I wasn't getting enough water ever and I was constantly dehydrated. It just wasn't healthy. Also, a diet soda triggers me to eat more unhealthy foods. Cutting out soda was definitely part of what helped me lose 55 pounds, but it wasn't the only thing. If you're serious about losing weight, try cutting them out. You can always add them back later... Besides, it'll be healthier and cheaper to drink water! Good luck!

[FitGirlyGirl]

Yes, if you are drinking regular (non-diet) mountain dew and you stop drinking them (without replacing the calories) it will help you lose weight. How much benefit you will get from it depends on a lot of things including what you drink instead, your body chemistry, how much soda you're drinking, etc. When I started this I was a dew person too. I was drinking close to a 12 pack a day. When I dropped them, I dropped pounds. However, I watched my food and didn't just eat the calories I got rid of by getting rid of the dew. I know that I would not have continued losing weight if that was the only change I had made, but it did help.

As for the flavors for your water - I'm not sure exactly which ones you mean, but I use crystal light. It is all I drink. I can't stand plain water and have to be extremely thirsty to drink it. I lose weight even though I drink the crystal light and my docs have all said it was fine. One of my docs is the same as me, she only drinks crystal light too. Some people have issues with artificial sweeteners though (headaches, cravings, muscle cramps, slowed weight loss), and if you are one of those it may cause you problems. Some people will have problems with one type of sweetener, but be just fine with another kind. The only thing you can really do is experiment and find what works for you.

[anmitche]

I have a Mt. Dew habit, too. I have been trying to cut it out for years, and have cut down from a case every two to three days to one or two cans a day. In this time, I have lost over 40 pounds, but it was not just from the soda. Like everyone else said, there are many factors that go into weight loss, and while doing one thing may help, it is not going to allow you to lose all of the weight. In fact, by reducing your soda intake, or eliminating it, you may lose initially, but once this becomes your new normal, and as your body adjusts to your new weight, it will no longer be a factor in your weight loss.

[SweetyKins]

The average regular soda is 200 calories each and if you are having 5 a day that is 1000 calories, empty calories that you don't need. I would suggest to first just cut back to maybe two a day and replace the rest with water. As long as you don't replace it with a different sugary drink you will probably lose weight. Try a lemon lime flavor powder for your water, it will give you that similar tartness that Mt. Dew has. I used to drink 4 -5 sodas a day and I pretty much don't have it at all anymore and I feel so much better.

[KatMarie]

Switch to diet Mountain Dew. I drink diet sodas, one a day, and it hasn't hindered my weight loss. Drink plenty of water, too.

[goal4agirl]

Originally Posted by Dimentio

Hey, I recently joined and i was wondering if anyone could answer any questions I've been having?

I am a soda addict.. Mountain dew is my favorite. I could drink it all day really. I hear most people say if you cut soda entirely from your diet you will lose up to 30 pounds. is this true? I had a friend who cut herself down to one soda a day and I haven't seen her lose any weight at all. What are your opinions on Diet soda? coke zero? Are those any better? basically what I'm asking is how effective is cutting soda because if it is very much so then I will cut it.

also, does anyone have any information on Water flavors? I mean the weird to go packs that you dump into water bottles to make them flavored. Are those as bad for you? has anyone lost weight drinking those?

Does anyone have any suggestions to boost my metabolism?

I'm 265 ish pounds and I'd like to be about 150 in the shortest possible time while not stressing my body entirely.

Hi Dimentio ~ to 3FC!! You will find lots of encouragement and motivation here to help you with your weight loss goals.
I was an 8 can a day mountain dew drinker 8 months ago. When I started my weight loss journey I had no idea how I was going to give up my beloved passion for mountain dews. I did the math one day...
8 cans a day @ 170 calories each= 1,360 calories daily I was consuming. Along with all the milk, milk shakes, sweet tea, etc. You get the picture- I had a real drinking problem.
After saying all that I must mention each of us has to work it out in our own way- the way we eat, exercise and function daily in our weight loss plan. For me I had this all or none mentality. That's just me and the way I am. I completely quit all mountain dews. I bought a water purifier pitcher for 29.99 (I have saved a ton of $$ not buying MD's) and I also drink 1- 8 oz. glass of welches light grape juice daily (yum) it contains some splenda. And I drink coffee and skim milk. I add all those calories into my daily calorie allowance.
The first 2 weeks after dropping the MD's I did have to take some tylenol to help with the headache from the slight withdrawl. I used to never touch water...blahh
Now I love water! And for a treat I buy a coke zero when we go to the store for our weekly veggie, chicken, fish buying.
I hope you have a great new year!

[Trazey34]

Any drink, whether it's soda or even juice or cafe lattes, that has a ton of calories but no real nutritional bang for those calories, were fairly easy to give up for me -- because i love FOOD so much lol.... i had so many calories per day to work with, and if it came down to have 1/2 pork chop extra OR a soda, it was a no brainer for me! Drink a glass of juice or EAT a nice big ripe orange, easy peasy choice!

I know a lot of people brand diet sodas as evil and chemical suicide, but I think having them on occasion is no big deal. I reserve it for a treat to have when i'm out for dinner or something and enjoy it very much!

If it's possible to switch to Diet Dew I'd recommend that and gradually reduce the intake altogether perhaps....