When it comes to the battle of the bulge, you have a better shot of winning if you make this simple switch: Drink water instead of soda and plain tea instead of sweet coffees.
The results can be dramatic. In fact, research shows that cutting beverage calories resulted in more weight loss than cutting food calories. Suddenly, water sounds grand!
Stop Downing the Soda
People in a study who cut back on sugar-laden beverages like soda, fruit punch, and other sweetened drinks shed more pounds than the folks who kept sipping the sweet stuff during their dieting efforts. Researchers suspect that cutting back on beverage calories does even more good than cutting back on food calories because solid food does a better job of satisfying hunger than liquids do. Plus, it’s possible that the fructose in sugary drinks may boost fat storage and lead to hormone changes that increase overall food intake. Here’s how much H2O you need to drink to melt away an extra 2 1/2 pounds.
Reasons to Sip Less
Of course, this doesn’t mean you can eat what you want as long as you ditch the soda and fruit punch. The best weight loss diets are heart-healthy ones that cut overall calories in a way you can sustain long term. Try these other weight loss tips to top off your efforts:
Set goals. Whether you want to lose 10 pounds or 50, setting and tracking your weight loss goals can keep you motivated. Use these goal-tracking tools to get you started.
Forget the smorgasbord. Learn why reducing variety in your diet can squash cravings better than willpower can.
Walk this way. To boost weight loss, all you gotta do is walk. Use this tracking tool to keep tabs on every pound-shedding step you take.
