How much weight can you lose by ending your pop addiction?
Jodi Davis
| 3 min read
“I couldn’t believe that I would lose this much weight just from ending my pop addiction. I’ve lost almost 35 pounds over the last six months and honestly, I don’t even want to drink it anymore, tea is my “pop” now. A little honey with some fresh lemon in my tea and that’s it; I get my caffeine without all that sugar. I lost weight without even trying, it’s unreal! I’m exercising now because I figured why not? I feel better and I’m looking better, I’m even eating better these days because I realized how bad I was eating before. Diets never worked for me in the weight-loss department but this ending the pop habit definitely did. I just wish I would have done it years ago!”
That’s one of those my favorite conversations to have with someone because kicking the pop addiction is a really healthy lifestyle change, no question about it. Just one simple adjustment to an unhealthy habit and the rest of habit changes seem to follow in sync without you even realizing it. What you may find surprising is that weight-loss success stories like these are not unusual.
I’ve heard similar comments from many individuals who have also lost weight because they stopped drinking regular pop. It makes sense once you learn the calorie content of an average bottle of pop:
- A 20 oz. bottle of regular pop contains 250-275 calories
- A 1 liter bottle of regular pop contains 400-500 calories
- A 2 liter bottle of regular pop contains 800-1000 calories
Observing that many of these people happen to be men who were drinking pop all day long while on the job, I asked them why pop was their beverage of choice? They claimed that they needed the caffeine and sugar to stay awake. But when they switch to water, coffee, tea or a zero-calorie flavored beverage and the weight drops off without any added effort. Exercise and healthier eating follows since the person realizes that they’re feeling better by the day and suddenly it hits that their health is more important to them than they realized in the past.
Now I realize that for many people, water instead of pop just isn’t going to cut it, especially if you’re looking for a cold beverage that provides some caffeine to keep you going during the latter part of the workday. There are some tasty options out there.
If you are looking for an afternoon caffeine fix there is a green tea pop (or soda) called Steaz. This green tea beverage is loaded with antioxidants and is sweetened with natural sweeteners. This no-calorie pop is also fortified with vitamin B12, which helps improve your mood, your energy levels as well as helping alleviate that “afternoon mental fog.”
If you’re looking for an organic beverage that tastes like a popular soda brand, there is one I enjoy called Oogave. They have a variety of flavors besides cola, such as strawberry-rhubarb and mandarin-key lime. None of these pop alternatives exceed 100 calories per bottle.
Recently I’ve learned of a green tea that not only gives you an energy boost, but this tea does NOT require a tea bag. You simply take a spoonful of Matcha tea and mix it into hot water. The high antioxidant levels in Matcha make it a great cancer fighter too.
Of course any flavored tea that you can make at home is a great alternative and are quite inexpensive as well. The list of tea flavors are endless, but we all have our favorites. My most recent ones are: Pumpkin Spice, Eggnog, Citrus and Ginger. Simply place a single teabag into one of your favorite water bottles and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning you’ll have a beverage full of flavor and caffeine, and a healthier habit that can create a weight-loss that can, in turn, create another!
How are you saying ‘No’ to soda pop this month?
