FEED YOUR BODY RIGHT: COLA JUNKIE GOES COLD TURKEY AND DROPS 30 POUNDS
When Maria Padron moved from Venezuela to Indianapolis in 1993, eating became a whole new experience. So was the weight gain that eventually followed.
“Food was everywhere,” Maria recalls. “Fast food at every corner. Snacks anytime you wanted them. It was great.”
What Maria got hooked on was not burgers, however. It was soft drinks. She drank 10 cans of sugar-laden cola a day. She went from a trim 130 pounds to 162 pounds in a year. Then, she discovered that her cola habit was costing her 150 calories a can. At 10 sodas a day, that was 1,500 calories a day, or 10,500 calories a week!
Maria quit the colas cold turkey, trading them for calorie-free water. She also cut back on fried foods and started eating more fresh foods, especially fruits and vegetables, just like she used to do in
Venezuela. And she took a full-time job as a nanny for triplets, which gave her plenty of exercise.
In 2 years, she was back to her former weight.
“I still’drink at least eight glasses of water every day,” says Maria, now 28. “Soda doesn’t cross my lips.”
W INNING A C T I O N
Can the soda pop. One of the easiest ways to reduce your calorie intake is to substitute water or flavored water for sodas and sugary fruit juices. What about diet sodas? Researchers at the Centre for Human Nutrition in Sheffield, England, found that people who drink beverages loaded with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame actually eat more food.
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