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How Many Pounds Can One Lose by Not Drinking Soda?

If you are consuming soda or sweetened drinks every day, you are adding a significant amount of calories to your diet that you may not be aware of. If you are trying to lose weight, eliminating soda and sweetened drinks can be a great step to achieving a healthy diet. Because most sodas and sweetened drinks contain a similar calorie count, you can even calculate roughly how many pounds soda is adding to your diet.

  1. History

    • The U.S. claims the dubious distinction of having the highest soda consumption in the world. Though it has only 5% of the world's population, it consumes nearly 33% of the world's soda or 13 to 15 billion gallons of soda a year.

    Considerations

    • Sodas and sweetened beverages contain around 150 calories per 12 oz. serving size. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration classifies foods that contain over 100 calories per serving as "moderate" calorie content foods. If you drink four 12 oz. sodas over the course of a day, you are adding around 600 calories to your diet. These extra calories are nutritionally empty, and will be a barrier to anyone trying to lose weight.

    Expert Insight

    • A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that two thirds of Americans adults drink an average of 2.6 cups of soda a day, comprising 14% of their total caloric intake. The study also found that American adults obtained higher caloric intake from sodas and sweetened drinks than from white bread, which used to be the primary source of energy intake in the American diet.

    Potential

    • Every pound of fat in the human body contains around 3500 calories. You can reduce your weekly caloric intake by that amount to start shedding pounds and achieve your diet goals. If you cut out four 12 oz. sodas or sweetened drinks a day, that will subtract roughly 4200 calories per week from your diet, and you will start to lose weight at a rate of a little more than a pound every week.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Switching to diet sodas, seltzer, unsweetened teas, or water is a great way to cut down your calorie intake, keep a healthier diet, and lose weight. If you start your soda and sweetened drink ban today, you should start to lose weight by the end of the week. Avoiding the empty calories from soda is a simple and easy start to achieving a healthier diet.

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