Excess gain of weight or obesity has now become a major health concern all over the world. Other than being an unhealthy way of life, it could also bring various health-related problems to persons having excessive weight. Obesity is a disease-causing medical problems such as heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.
Now when you have finally decided on losing weight, quitting soda becomes a must as the sugar and calorie content in a soda can is a friend of weight gain. A 330ml soda can may contain around 30 to 45 grams of sugar (depending on the product). So if you have a habit of drinking soda on regular basis then you have to quit your soda habit as soon as possible in order to lose weight.
Ideal Sugar Intake
AHA states that the everyday maximum sugar that men should consume is 9 teaspoons(36 grams) and for women, it is 6 teaspoons(25 grams). So by consuming only a single can of soda we fulfill our maximum levels without knowing and without drinking and eating sugar from any other item.
The quality of sugar that a can contains is high-fructose corn syrup, although it’s economic for manufacturing companies, it might negatively affect the health of a person and cause a severe health hazard.
Importance Of Quitting soda
If you are drinking a single can of soda per day and thinking it’s healthy and you will be able to lose weight then you are absolutely wrong. The amount of sugar and calories that soda can contain is greatly unhealthy for a person and its sugar won’t let you lose any weight.
As a single can of soda contains more than 30 grams of sugar, if you are consuming 30 grams of sugar each day then you can assume how much sugar you are consuming in a month or a year.
Consuming such high levels of sugar and calories from soda may vastly affect your health in a negative way and could cause many health problems for you like the storage of layers of fat as a result of excess intake of sugar.
To lose weight, a person must burn more calories than he/she consumes. However, that won’t be happening with the intake of soda every day throughout the year. So if you are really determined to lose weight then quitting soda is probably the ideal solution.
What If You Consume One Soda Can Every Day?
If you are consuming a can of coke every day then you are consuming 35 grams of sugar and 139 kcal every day. Moreover, if you drink it for 30 days a month then the total calories will be 4,170 and 1,050 grams of sugar which would be equal to 270 teaspoons of sugar in a month.
So just by consuming a single can of coke, you are consuming more than 1kg sugar and 4000 calories in just a month and it is really not acceptable in case of losing weight.
Consuming such high levels of sugar and calories may cause various health hazards no matter if you are trying to lose weight or not. If you continue consuming soda every day then within a year you are consuming more than 50,000 calories and 12kg of sugar.
Different soda cans contain different quantities of sugar and calories in them so the amount of sugar and calorie you consume may vary from product to product.
Weight Gain By Consuming Soda Cans Each Day In A Year
If a person consumes a can of soda every day then he/she may gain around 6.5 to 7 kgs of weight in a year keeping in mind that weight is not being increased by consuming any other product. Meaning that your weight is constant neither in a calorie deficit nor in a calorie surplus.
Now if you add a can of soda in this condition then it means that you are adding more than 50,000 calories to your weight in a year. To gain 1 pound or 0.45 kg of weight 3,500 calories are required.
Assuming the constant weight condition, you are adding more than 50,000 calories which will result in a gain of 6.5 to 7 kgs of weight in a year. If you want to lose this weight then you may have to do a minimum of 10 to 30 minutes of exercise (depending on the exercise). The exercises may include walking, skipping, cycling etc.
Soda Withdrawal Symptoms
After finally quitting the habit of soda consumption, you may experience some withdrawal effects, especially if you consume it on a daily basis and in a large quantity.
These symptoms could include sugar cravings and caffeine withdrawal symptom, which is mostly experienced by those who used to consume caffeine on regular basis and in a large quantity.
It may cause anxiety, headache, and tiredness but need not worry as these could be dealt with easily and may stop within a week.
For minimising these withdrawal effects, you may slowly give up on your soda-consuming habit rather than stopping it in one go. Moreover, ensure to drink a lot of water to prevent yourself from dehydrating.
Conclusion
By quitting soda you quit the intake of more than 50,000 calories and 12 kg of sugar in a year. This is a very healthy step not only for weight loss but for daily life too as you prevent yourself from catching the harmful health hazards that come along with soda consumption.
Additionally, by doing so you are not only saving your health but saving yourself from gaining 6.5 to 7 kgs of weight each year.
At first, it may seem difficult to do so but after some time you will get used to it. Also, you might drink a lot of water in place of soda to evade dehydration.
If you are looking for something else to drink then you can go for sparkling water, coconut water, fruit juice, herbal tea etc. These all are great alternatives that may help you in case you are looking for alternatives to replace them with soda.
