Diet Tip #3 How I Lost 90 Pounds!

Soda Makes You Fat!

I think I can attribute a large portion of the 60 pounds I lost between March and August of 2007 to finally breaking my addiction to Coca Cola. I drank it every day, loved it, needed it, even worshiped it. I thought I could never give it up. "I need my fizz" I would say. But we all know it isn't good for you and it makes you fat.

So slowly I started weaning off of it. It was so hard to do! I began limiting myself to only one can a day (as opposed to it being my only fluid during the day), then every other day, etc. Finally I cut it out completely. But I still missed it! When I needed a fizz fix I drank La Croix mineral water, with lemon, so it didn't taste so bland. They also make a berry flavored version. Eventually the cravings went away! I don't recommend switching to diet soda, it isn't good for you, many artificial sweeteners are know to cause cancer. Don't drink it.

I'm not going to lie, I do have soda once in a while, an occasional sprite or ginger ale, but no more than one a week. The last time I tasted a Coke, I really didn't like it, it was so syrupy and sweet! I no longer keep soda in the house because I know if its there I will probably drink it. If I'm at a Walgreens I buy the black cherry soda (Orchard Farms I think is the brand) as a special treat, only one. It doesn't have high fructose corn syrup in it.

Now I drink mostly water, lots and lots of water! First I got a water cooler service, then later cancelled that (budget constraints) and bought a filter for my faucet. I always have some water chillin in the fridge. I also bought a reusable water bottle to fill and take with me when I go to work. I can't advocate buying water bottles every where you go because the empty bottles are no longer recyclable. I heard we throw away about 25 million bottles a day, but I do buy them occasionally, then try and reuse the bottles for a while.

I only drink water with meals especially when dining out. Why add another 150+ calories? For variety I pour some cranberry juice in the water to give it flavor, or add lemon.

So hang in there! The cravings do really go away and if you are a heavy user you will begin to see some weight loss almost immediately!