Oftentimes, the easier way to approach weight loss is to add—not take away. Start exercising (even a walk a day will do it); add healthy fruit, vegetables, and whole grains; drink more water… Eventually, by starting these healthy habits, you’ll start to displace the less-than-good-for-you things you’ve been doing and eating. However, there is one drink to consider cutting out of your diet immediately when you commit to losing weight, as it’s the beverage most closely linked to weight gain in America: soda.
According to a study published in the journal BMC Public Health, 20% of the total calories you consume in a day come entirely from beverages. For the average person consuming 2,000 calories a day, that’s about 400 calories added to your diet from beverages alone. So what exactly makes up those 400 calories? The BMC study found that it was a combination of coffee and tea (with the add-ins), energy drinks, fruit juice and drinks, milk, and alcohol. But these energy-dense beverages pale in comparison to the drink that ties for contributing the most calories to your diet: soda.
