Coke

Hello all im new and this is my first post. I am tired of being fat, the thing that really made me decide to do something is that after I went on a vacation with my partner  to the USVI and we got back and looked at the pictures I was amazed about how big I was. It made me ashamed that I let myself get this big!

Well my question is, I drink about 4 - 5 cans of regualr coke a day, if I cut this out of my diet will I see a dramatic weight loss or no. I try to cut it out by drinking tea, i need flavor not just water! But ill do good for a week and not notice a change so I go right back to it.

Thanks!

5 Cokes a day for a week is 5700 calories!   It takes 3500 deficit to lose a pound.   That will add up in time.    Have you tried Pepsi One?   It's not too bad. 

I dont like the taste of any diet pops! I have been able to get by on Tea with Eqale to make it sweet or splenda. I guess this is better than Coke. Im really going to try and stop drinking soda and see if I lose a few pounds as well as following my cal calc.

Original Post by novacheck:

I dont like the taste of any diet pops! I have been able to get by on Tea with Eqale to make it sweet or splenda. I guess this is better than Coke. Im really going to try and stop drinking soda and see if I lose a few pounds as well as following my cal calc.

 novacheck-- I was in the same boat as you, drinking 2-3 Cokes a day, then I cut down and still didn't see any difference in anything. I stayed off of them just for the reason that I knew they were unhealthy, whether or not I saw any change in my weight,etc. I also said I'd rather not drink anything if I had to drink diet sodas! I still maintain that Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Diet Rite, all of those taste bad. But if you like Sprite, you can drink Diet Sprite and it tastes EXACTLY the same as the regular!! And it's caffeine free! Thats what I drink when I gotta have a taste of something other than water, and I also drink it with Captain Morgan on those days when I feel the urge for a drink or two. (I've been doing this before I even started CC or any diet)

Have you tried Coke Zero?  It tastes a lot like Coke Classic, just not as sweet.  A lot of people don't think diet drinks are healthy, either, but if you are using Equal and Splenda, I'm guessing you aren't of that mindset so much.  And, 5 diet drinks a day has to be better than 5 regular, pure sugar drinks per day.  As said, this is over 5000 calories a week, just over 700 calories a DAY in drinks with no nutritional value whatsoever. 

No, you likely will not notice a "dramatic" weight loss.  In theory, on paper, if you cut out the Cokes, and keep every single other thing in your diet/exercise program the same, you should see anywhere from a 1-1/2- to 2-pound loss, tops.  However, there is no way to track this precisely as far as cals in/cals out, and if you are female, you also have to factor in hormonal shifts/weight fluctuations/water retention, etc., which can all cause periodic weight fluctuations of this same amount.

In other words, you should notice some loss if you cut the sugar drinks entirely and don't just replace those calories with something else (keeping in mind that you should be eating your required daily cals, whatever those are, and if you are currently doing that including the Cokes, then you HAVE to eat to replace those calories, and SHOULD eat something good to replace those calories).  No, any initial loss won't be monster huge, and it won't be every week, but the long-term health benefits of stopping the real Cokes WILL BE monster huge.   Please try and give it a real chance to work. 

Original Post by must_lose20:

Original Post by novacheck:

I have been able to get by on Tea with Eqale to make it sweet or splenda. 

 

I also wanted to add that I've always thought things like Sweet N Low, SPlenda, etc are REALLY horrible for you. You're better to buy that Natural Sugar (its brownish) because it's alot better for you, and better than white granulated sugar. I don't believe in anything like artificial sweeteners, which is why I try avoid soda altogether. Try Crystal Light, or iced tea with just a little natural sugar if you need ''taste'' LOL. I'm sure even Gatorade would be healthier than Coke! 

I used to be a Coke addict (not a coke addict, lol) and yes, you will lose weight for several reasons.  Drinking soda is mindless eating, you don't notice that you're eating empty calories.  You're probably eating other stuff while drinking Cokes and not really thinking of it. 

600-750 calories a day is quite a bit, it's a large meal for me! 

If you have a really serious problem with cutting Coke, then try to drink one a day for a while.  I find abstaining is counter-productive. 

I live in Southern Arizona and we have 12 oz bottles of Mexican Coke (still made with sugar, not corn syrup) and I buy those at 1.39 for a treat, like once a month. 

Tea is a good idea and try adding ice water to it to stretch it out.  My husband lost tons of weight switching to iced tea, I think a lot of it was water retention. 

yeah, you definitely need to get rid of that. I suggest you try coke zero.

Hey i know it sounds drastic, but i use to weigh 270 and i drank soda probably more then you do. When i cut that out i lost weight and just felt better over-all. I weigh 175 now and that was a great step for me.

I suggest switching to water and juices. You will feel better and lose a little weight, but excercise and a good diet is the only way to see significant weight loss.

A 12oz can of Coke contains about 12 teaspoons or 40g of sugar.  If you get your total daily added sugar consumption (i.e. from food and drinks) down below 50g you would start to notice a difference to health and energy levels in about 3 weeks.  But you have to reduce your total calorie intake to the right level in order to lose weight.  Calories aside, excessive sugar consumption sets up a vicious circle of hunger pangs and sugar cravings which makes it very easy to gain weight and very difficult to lose weight.  And if you're badly overweight, eating a lot of sugar and don't do much exercise you're a very strong candidate for developing Diabetes.  Fizzy drinks are also a factor in bloating and water retention.  Cola... even the diet ones.... is highly acidic and this destroys tooth enamel.   Drinking too much caffeine also has implications.  All great reasons to find other drinks to enjoy

As well as cutting out the colas, make the other side of the challenge to eat 5-a-day fruit and vegetables and to get half an hour of exercise a day.  Best of luck

If you still want something sweet and fizzy and don't like Coke Zero, you can add a tablespoon of orange juice concentrate to about 12 oz. of sparkling water (club soda works fine, no need to buy expensive stuff) for about 30 calories.  Use less water if you want a stronger orange flavour.

Lipton Iced Tea to Go (I like it better than Crystal light, sucralose vs. aspartame) is also nice in sparkling or plain water, and lemon juice with a little sugar free vanilla syrup is also great.

I know people who have lost 10 pounds over a few weeks just by eliminating regular sodas. its very possible and is the first step in maintaining a new lifestyle. I recently cut out all sodas, even diet, and it wasnt hard. in fact, i prefer it.

Good luck!

too much coke well definitely add up. my fiancee switched to diet once he met me (thats what i drink) and he drinks massive amounts of soda. He got used to the taste- once he switched he must have lost 15 lbs

Original Post by must_lose20:

I don't believe in anything like artificial sweeteners, which is why I try avoid soda altogether. Try Crystal Light, or iced tea with just a little natural sugar if you need ''taste'' LOL.

Keep in mind that Crystal Light also has artificial sweeteners (just to clarify).

Original Post by yiscah:

Original Post by must_lose20:

I don't believe in anything like artificial sweeteners, which is why I try avoid soda altogether. Try Crystal Light, or iced tea with just a little natural sugar if you need ''taste'' LOL.

Keep in mind that Crystal Light also has artificial sweeteners (just to clarify).

 HA, I was thinking this, too, and was going to say, but I couldn't think of a way to say it that wouldn't sound snotty (as you so tactfully did), so I didn't.  I also noted that that person didn't say she herself drinks it, only recommended that someone else try it, and that she personally avoids artificial sweeteners.  I do, also, which is why I don't touch Crystal Light or any of the SF tea/drink "go" mixes.  But, for some people, they are like liquid gold, and they do not mind AS at all.  Anyway, good on you for finding a way to say something I couldn't, but also agreed that it needed to be clarified. 

I was trying to figure out how to say the same thing about the Crystal Light.  I used to drink it a lot, until I figured out that that's what was giving me an upset stomach all the time.  I try to do just sugar sweetened stuff now. 

If you need something fizzy, an alternative to water during the day, try an Izze - it's fruit juice with carbonated water.  No artificial sweetners, etc.  I really like them! 

I drank 4-8 cans of Mt. Dew a day in my prime.  I stopped cold turkey (2.5 days of withdraws) and I dropped 10lbs in less than 2 weeks.  I HATE plain water so I buy flavor packets and just put them in my water.  I bought a 24 pack of water and a couple 16oz cups and I just reuse them.  I have made it about a month now without anymore than 1 soda completely consumed.  I can't even finish a whole can of soda now (I got through half of one the other day, a treat to myself) and I'm happy about that.  Just switch to tea and flavored water.  Try anything, just drop the pop.

A low-glycemic sweetener that I like to use in place of sugar and honey is agave nectar. Its a bit expensive (~$7 for a 16 oz bottle?), and I've only found it at my local health food store, but I find I don't need to use a lot (maybe, a teaspoon?) to sweeten my tea and yogurt fruit parfaits.

EDIT:

I've written this before, but it bears repeating. The steel vats that are used to make Splenda have to be taken off of production for repair on a monthly basis because the chlorine that is used in the production process eats through the steel. Do I really want that in my body? No, thanks. Just like natural sugar, my eye...

...I've recently switched from Diet Coke or Coke Zero to regular Coke--I might have 3 or 4 regular sodas a week, whereas I was drinking 3 or 4 Diet Cokes a day.  I switched b/c of the study:

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/02/11/rats-a rtificial-sweeteners-lead-to-weight-gain/

Just something to think about.  This could be purely a psychosomatic result, but I feel more satisfied after drinking the "Real Thing" than the diet, and I don't crave it as much...

I think you wont notice much of a differance if you replace the coke with some of the suggestions, such as juice. It is healthier but basicaly all sugar, even if its 100% juice since it hasn't got the fiber in it its not a good replacement. Sorry about that rant. I'm a pediatric nurse, we don't encourage juice.

Good luck with kicking soda. I think if you really just give water a try you might like it. I can drink a gallon of water in a day, I love it. I have a friend that can only stand room temp water though, so maybe try it diffrent than what you usually do.

Hey All...

I've been a Diet Coke drinker since I was 13- can't drink regular soda... and always had to listen to how bad diet is for me and that if I should drink the normal stuff... but to me it tastes gross... so I can totally feel for you not being able to drink "diet" if your a "regular" fan.

thus being said... was wondering if anyone went through this as well...

I find Coke really addictive- I can't stop at one glass for lunch... and before I radically cut it from my diet I was drinking quite a bit of the stuff a day-  when I did finally decide to stop drinking it I felt like I went through some kind of withdrawl symptoms and it was really hard. Especially after two or three weeks... I craved it so badly... had headaches and was crabby and cranky...The first time I tried to cut it out I relapsed and started drinking it again.

However when I realized that I would never just be able to have one glass I felt even more detirmined to stopp drinking diet coke. I gave up about 6 months ago now- and if you can get through those first difficult weeks- you stop missing it so much... 
I had a glass of it not too long ago- I was craving sugar and caffeine so badly (very tired and at work...) and it was wierd I really didn't like it anymore.. I crave it from time to time now but I nolonger like the taste when I give in...

Does anyone else feel like that or am I just wierd? 

You said, "But I'll do good for a week and not notice a change so I go right back to it."

Take my comment with a grain of salt (because I have a hard time applying my own advice to my life), but I'm wondering if you are setting yourself up to fail?

What are you really expecting to happen in one week? 

And, if you don't give up Coke/soda, and you want to lose weight, what other strategy do you think will have the affect you want in one week?

I'm thinking if you take a long-range view of this, you might have more success over time.

Good luck to you.  I tend not to take the long-range view either!  But I do think it makes sense and is the only true way to lose weight and maintain good health.  Finding the tricks for sticking to it is the hard part... but the folks here on this forum do offer great support and ideas as you try to figure it out.

I say, cut soda consumption in half for one week, then in half again the next and so on.... after you get to no soda, maintain that for one month (without replacing the calories with something else), and see what happens.

P.S. My advice above is if you really want to cut out all coke.  If you don't just count the calories each day and allow for it in your calorie count.  You will still lose weight if you manage how much you consume.  Some have to give up things completely or they binge.  Others need a taste each day or they will binge.  You'll figure out what is best for you.