I really don't know where to post this .. sorry!

My mother in law once told me that If I stopped drinking so much coke I'd probably lose like 5 pounds. Is that really true? Does switching from Coke to Diet coke make a large difference? Is drinking one can of coke at 140 calories 0 fat the equivalent of EATING something 140 calories 0 fat?
Also .. I haven't had a glass of water in over a year .. all I drink is coke .. I don't think I've ever been dehyrated .. would I notice any differences if I started drinking water here and there?

Thanks for answering my silly questions .. if anyone does!

Amber,
The answers to your questions is YES. 140 calories is 140 calories. Coke calories are the same as any other calories. The big question is if you want to spend them that way.

If you only drink one coke, and never drink water what do you do for liquid? Or only drink caloric drinks including soda, and juice, It all adds up. So even 2 or 3 sodas a day is 240-360 calories on basicly nothing. you could eat those calories and at lease feel full.

Swiching to diet is a better idea, but the best is to drink PLENTY of water. Not only does Coke contain a lot of suger but it also has caffine. all of which takes the body time to detox. Water is what our bodies are made up of and need to stay healthy. I think a soda now and then is fine. It just can't be a staple to your diet.

So the answer to your question? Yes your MIL is right! It may take time as 1 lb is aproximately 3,500 calories.

be well,
-L

I firmly agree with L144S on everything she has posted about getting away from Coke and drinking water.

I want to add that, by drinking 8 glasses of water or more, your complexion will glow, your eyes will sparkle and your breath will be more pleasant!

I agree with the others .... but it will be difficult. I have had several friends over the years who were "addicted" to coke and it took a lot of willpower to give it up ... and YES, ALL of those people lost weight without changing anything else in their diet - add water! It's really necessary not just for complexion, teeth, etc but for overall health! Start slow and you'll be surprised at how easy it is to drink lots! I keep a large thermos mug of water and ice at my desk at work and refill it at least three times during the day (and it's big) - I have another thermal cup at home and carry that around everywhere too - it doesn't take much of an effort after you get accustoned to it - also, guess what, I would bet you don't know what dehydrated feels like! I only found out AFTEr I got used to drinking lots of water and now if I don't, then I feel like what it is to be dehydrayted!

Good luck!

Amber,

Check out this website for more info on the benefits of water.

http://www.watercure2.com/

The one thing I will comment on here (I am new to the boards, but have been lurking a little while...) is that DIET COKE is one of the many diet products that has Aspartame, more commonly known as Nutrasweet. This sugar substitute is controversial in nature, especially pertaining to weight loss and problems with blood sugar control (PCOS, diabetes, etc.) It has been linked by some scientific studies to various health problems from chronic headaches to multiple sclerosis. Then why has it not been taken off the market, you may ask? Well, the answer sounds a little like conspiracy theory, but Monsanto, the company that makes it, has a lot of friends in the government and there has been a lot of lobbying among very influential (read: WEALTHY) food companies to keep Aspartame on the FDA list of approved food additives.

That being said, there is a lot of info about it out on the web, some for and some against. Read up on it.

Here is a link to an ANTI-aspartame site (VERY ANTI, so be forewarned). Just scroll down the page to get to the information.

http://aspartamekills.com/

In the meantime, try switching to a less caloric alternative and wean yourself on to drinking more water. I drink a lot of water, but also I drink fruit juice - if it is 100% juice (read the labels!!) it counts as a serving of fruit. But most of the time I cut it with flavored seltzer, making sort of a fruit flavored spritzer or soda. It is sweet, but has less calories and a little more nutritional value than soda. The best idea is to drink mostly water and only have other beverages on occassion.

Just something to think about. Everyone should be well informed! :-)

-Linda

Amber: You got great advice from everyone. Just think of it this way. If you drink 3 cokes a day at 140 calories, this is 520 calories a day. 420 calories a day time 365 days a year is 153,300 calories a year.

Broken down into pounds, 3,500 calories is one pound. You could lose 43 pounds in a year just quitting regular coke. hmmmm. So, whaddya think about that?

It's better if you try to stop drinking soda on a regular basis in general. It's a lot easier than it sounds. If you can't quit right off the bat try drinking just a half a can a day (this is if you drink one can of soda a day). Then go to every other day and then pretty soon you'll realize that you don't even crave soda. Soda is very sugary and causes you to bloat

I used to drink as much as a whole 2 liter botle in one day. When I decided to loose weight it was the first thing I stopped. I never have Pop in the house now and only about once a month or so do I get just one 16 ounce bottle. Even when I go out I usually have tea, unsweetened. Believe it or not you actually get to like it that way. Also after a while you don't miss or even realy want the coke. I did loose a lot of water weight too when I quit drinking it. I have made other changes too so I don't know how much I have lost from just cutting the pop out but I have lost about 60 pounds in the past two years.

I have the same problem too. I am always drinking cokes. I know when I drink them and nothing else for a few days it starts to make me feel run-down. Like I have no energy. I know I'd begin to lose some weight if I cut-down on them. I really drink way too many. Try diet. I'm working on that too. It just takes a little while to get used to the taste.

Good lucK!

Cutting out pop from my diet (with doing nothing else) let me lose 8 pound in one month. I swiched to Cascadia drinks and water.
I also lost alot of my mood swings also. Now my body has ajusted so I have to workout to keep losing. but it was a great start.
Good luck

Tina

My husband recently switched from Coke to diet sodas and Crystal Light and he lost about five pounds in two weeks. I switched from about 2 liters of Diet Coke (which I love and adore!) a day, to caffine free herbal iced tea (Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Green Tea with the panda on the box, LOVE it) and Splenda. I sleep SO much better and I have a lot more energy. I'm down to one Diet Coke a day because I don't think you should have to totally go witout anything you love.

Anyway, as everyone has said...calories are calories and they all count. If you drink Coke like I used to drink Diet Coke (I hate to think how many calories in 2 liters of Coke) you'll probably notice a significant difference fairly fast.

Water does wonders for your body. Not only does it keep you dehydrated but it allows you to digest food easier and quicker. It allows clears your complexion. There is no wrong way when you choose water. As for the soda, yes, it carries alot of sugar so naturally it as if you are eating 2 or 3 candy bars. You don't have to cut out soda all together but maybe take away 1 drink a week. What I would do is everytime you have a soda jot it down and by the end of the week you will realize how many sodas you are really drinking....or even for the day. Then see if you can drink water instead of soda on some of those instances where you have had a soda. Water has zero calories as opposeed to 140 calories in soda...hmmmm...my choice without a doubt would be water.

Good Luck! I have to run my workout just started.

I am amazed at how much weight you can lose if you just cut out the pop! I mean really blown away! Someone above said that if you drink 3-4 cokes/day everyday and decided to cut it completely out of your diet, you could lose around 43# in a year!!! That is incredible - I had never realized how much the coke I drink everyday is adding to my weight problem. It makes complete sense and I feel like a complete dork for never really giving much thought before. I will definitely be cutting down (and eventually out) the coke in my day and replacing with good old fashioned water!

So even if you are drinking diet soda and stop drinking it all together you can lose weight? Why is this? I drink like 3 or 4 diet soda in a day along with my water..........would I lose? I have been thinking about kickin that habit, but know how Ugly I get when it isn't in the house.