Drinking lots of soda every day used to be one of the worst parts of my diet, and was definitely one of the major contributing factors to my weight gain. At my heaviest and most unhealthy, I drank at least 2 sodas per day, but often more than that. There were likely days that soda was the only beverage I drank, and there were many times that I couldn’t remember the last time I drank plain water. I was addicted to the taste, the fizz, and the caffeine.

Soda was just a piece of my unhealthy diet though… almost everything I ate was junk.

I knew that quitting soda would help me lose weight since it was adding tons of refined sugar and empty calories every day, but actually sticking to it was a whole other story. Quitting soda is an exciting thought because so much impact can be made on your waistline and your internal health, all by making a single, “simple” change.

But I came to find that giving up soda, just like every other unhealthy piece of my diet at the time, wasn’t as simple as just deciding to stop. I realized that:

#1, if I kept trying to change overnight I was never going to stick to it.

#2 (and most importantly), if I was going to quit my unhealthy eating and beverage habits, I had to bring healthy habits into my life first.

Eventually I learned how to stop drinking soda and lose weight in a very stress-free, super effective way, which was by gradually changing my entire diet.

By adding healthy foods and drinks into my diet, soda was gradually pushed out of my daily life without all the stress of trying to focus on “quitting.” When you fill your belly and your mind with healthy things, junk is naturally replaced both on a physical and mental level.

Quitting soda wasn’t as simple as just giving it up in a single day… it was something that happened over time, and more importantly required adding healthy foods and drinks into my life to replace it. If quitting soda were as simple as just not buying it at the store, then lots of people would give it up in an instant an never look back. But soda is incredibly tasty, and very addicting in more than one way.

I knew how powerful it would be to give it up, but like everything else I did to lose weight… I quit drinking soda one step at a time, rather than overnight.

I knew that drinking less, would be better than trying to cut it out completely and then give up later, as I had done many times before.

Quitting soda doesn’t have to be a big struggle against your cravings… and it can actually be more exciting than expected, because it leads to other even more important healthy habits that get to the core of healthy weight loss.

If you gradually replace it with other healthy habits, eventually soda (as well as other junk foods), will simply fall out of your life and your thoughts.

Replacing soda with plain water and other healthy drinks is something that will help you cut lots of empty calories out of your diet, and therefore lose lots of weight.

Moderation makes a huge difference

Just like with junk food, a lot of people take an all-or-nothing approach to quitting soda. Nobody would argue that drinking absolutely no soda is technically “better,” however I think it’s best to quit gradually, at a pace which allows you to have complete confidence that you won’t give up.

What’s the point of quitting soda cold turkey if you just revert back to old habits anyways?

This is where you can practice moderation, which is an extremely powerful concept, both for great results and sticking to healthy habits.

If you normally drinking multiple sodas every day, this gives you the opportunity to cut back to one per day, which would be a huge reduction in bad calories and insulin spiking chemicals, without having to quit all at once.

Once you get used to this initial change, then cut back to even smaller sizes of cans, or get soda with a cap on it so that you can have even less than one per day.

This is exactly what I did to stop drinking soda one step at a time.

As I filled my diet with healthy foods and drank much more water, it was easy to taper off of soda, and eventually my addiction to it broke completely and I decided to stop buying it altogether.

After a while not only did I not crave it… I didn’t even like it anymore.

Why soda cravings are so powerful

Cravings for soda, just like any other unhealthy food, come from more than just taste, and have multiple aspects that add up to intensify the craving.

In addition to the craving/addiction to the taste of junk food, there is also the actual hunger and the need for nutrients that makes the craving even stronger.

With soda, there are two more reasons that make you want it even more… which are thirst and caffeine.

The addiction to caffeine is yet another reason to quit slowly, so that you give your body time to adjust.

But caffeine aside… If you are hungry, and thirsty, AND in the mood for the taste of something sweet, then soda cravings will hold lots of power over you.

All three of these needs should be satisfied to truly replace your desire for soda.

-Drink water regularly so that you don’t get too thirsty

-Eat healthy food so your blood sugar stays stable

-Preferably, find a healthy replacement that is similar to your craving

Finding another go-to drink that is both sweet-tasting and healthy is the perfect way to fill up on good nutrients and to get the taste of soda off your mind.

The impact that quitting soda will make

You may be wondering, “Will it make that big of a difference? Will I lose weight if I stop drinking soda?”

It absolutely will make a big difference, and it will lead to weight loss, but here is why, so you can be confident in making a change and sticking to it.

Let’s say that you start drinking 2 sodas less per day, and that what you replace it with is either water or something healthy that doesn’t result in an excess of empty calories.

So, you consume 400 fewer calories per day… calories that previously spiked your insulin while giving you no nutrition.

Just thinking of calories alone which is only part of the story… 400 fewer unneeded calories per day adds up to 146,000 calories in one year, which breaks down to about 41 pounds of potential fat loss, from soda alone.

(400 calories less per day x 365 days per year / 3,500 calories per pound = 41 pounds)

However, the healthy food and water that replaces your soda habit/cravings are what truly will allow you to lose a huge amount of weight.

What happens to your body when you stop drinking soda?

So, what happens when you stop drinking soda? Before we answer that, you have to understand what happens to your body when you DO drink a soda, so that you have a meaningful comparison to make.

When you drink a soda, your body immediately reacts to the refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, by releasing a lot of insulin very quickly.

Insulin is needed to store glucose in the blood as usable energy, in both muscles and fat, but when you drink soda and eat other junk foods, insulin is spiked beyond what is healthy, and does so without any nutritional benefit.

This means that you will still need to eat even though you just consumed a lot of calories, which sets you up for having your insulin be chronically high.

Fat cannot be used as energy i.e. “burned” when your insulin levels are high, and the likely excess of calories caused by drinking soda will cause you to gain weight.

But let’s turn things around, and see what happens when you stop drinking soda, and replace it with water instead.

So you drink a glass of water instead of soda, and your insulin does not raise, nor do your calories consumed for the day. Your thirst is quenched, and your hunger reduces as well since water aids in digestion and fills your belly with volume.

You are able to fill your diet with more filling and nutritious sources of calories, which will digest slowly and not spike your insulin so much, leaving your body in a fat burning state even though you are full and satisfied.

Replace soda, don’t just remove it

It’s important to not just focus on cutting things out of your diet. If all you eat is junk food, and then you cut out all the junk from your diet, then nothing will be left.

The key to both losing weight in a healthy and sustainable way, as well as overcoming your cravings, is filling your belly with healthy food and drinks.

But it’s not just about the method… the mindset of focusing on adding healthy food will also allow you to have a stress-free weight loss journey.

Drinking lots of water is the best action step you can take to naturally cut soda out, without having to actively focus on “quitting” so much. Drinking plenty of plain water every day will fill your belly with zero-calorie volume, satisfy your thirst, more efficiently digest your food and extract nutrients from it, and facilitate the fat burning process on a cellular level.

If you make drinking water a habit and don’t let yourself get super thirsty in the first place, it will go a long way towards getting rid of the very worst soda cravings that feel like you need to chug a whole can right now.

Eventually when you get thirsty you won’t associate the need with soda as much, and you’ll actually begin to crave water.

When you do get a craving for soda, challenge yourself to drink a glass of water first, to see if you’re just thirsty and can easily skip on the soda. Either way, you’ll have drank more water which will help you burn fat even if you give in and drink the soda after all (which is okay! Just try to drink less).

But if it’s something sweet you’re needing, then there are healthy soda alternatives for that as well. Here are some ideas for healthy drinks that are way better than soda, and therefore will work towards your weight loss efforts rather than against them.

-Smoothies

-Natural juice (homemade is best)

-Sparkling water with lemon/lime

-Natural fruit infused water

-Green tea.

But make sure that your method for quitting soda and losing weight in general, doesn’t just focus on drinks. The most important aspect of your healthy diet will be the food that you consume on a daily basis.

Eat whole, healthy, nutrient rich foods, both as a healthy and effective method for weight loss, as well as a way of reducing your cravings.

If you want to start eating healthier and lose weight with a defined diet you can follow, try the 8-week weight loss challenge. The plan will build your healthy habits gradually, so that you can stay on track for the long run.

It may sound strange that food could replace a craving for a sugary drink, but a healthy diet will actually keep your blood sugar stable (not crashing or spiking), and keep your body satisfied, so that you are not so trapped in the vicious cycle of always needing more calories, but never getting enough nutrients.

So when you stop drinking soda, do it as just a part of a healthy lifestyle that leads you to losing weight and ultimately being in the shape that you want to be.

See for yourself how powerful replacing soda with healthy foods and drinks is, and what an impact it will have on your fat loss results when you are consistent.