Health, Weight Loss & Diet Plans General Blog: Lose 14% More Weight With This Simple Beverage Swap

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                                <section class="field-body">Get this: You could be on the same weight loss 
diet as your friend, eating the exact same foods and number of calories,
 but if she's drinking water with lunch while you're downing a diet soda, she could lose more weight than you.<br />
<section class="field-body">Get this: You could be on the same weight loss 
diet as your friend, eating the exact same foods and number of calories,
 but if she's drinking water with lunch while you're downing a diet soda, she could lose more weight than you.<br />

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Those were the surprising new findings from a study in the <em>American Journal of Clinical Nutrition</em> that discovered that obese or overweight women who drank a glass of water after lunch while on a diet for 6 months lost 14% more weight—about 3 more pounds—than those who drank a diet soda after lunch. (Take back control of your eating—and lose weight in the process—with our 21-Day Challenge!) <br />
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It's not so big a surprise when you consider previous research on 
diet drinks: Just last year, a study of more than 460 adults found that 
drinking just one can of diet soda daily significantly increased belly fat. In a different study, each can of diet soda consumed was linked to a 41% greater chance of being overweight. (Check out all the other nasty things diet soda is doing to your body.)<br />

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<img alt="water" class="media-element file-default" src="http://www.prevention.com/sites/prevention.com/files/styles/article_main_image_2200px/public/gettyimages-477702183-water-vladimirfloyd_0.jpg?itok=9qVz6mSJ" title="water" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div>
<span class="photo-cred">Photograph by Vladimir FLoyd/getty images</span></div>
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We don't yet know why diet soda has this effect, though researchers 
speculate its extreme sweetness could cause us to crave more sugary 
foods over time. Diet drinks may also stimulate appetite: Its sweet 
taste tricks the body by delivering sweetness but no calories, which 
could leave us hungry to get those missing calories from somewhere else.
 Diet soda's renown as a "free food" could play a factor, too: One study
 suggests that people who drink diet sodas end up eating more calories 
throughout the day, most likely because they think they've "saved" 
calories and can afford a treat or two.<br />

So how can you ditch the diet drink habit for good? Start with small 
steps. "I recommend water over diet drinks whenever possible. Water is 
pure hydration, and when you drink water, your body doesn't need to 
filter out any additional chemicals," says Lauren Harris-Pincus, RDN, 
owner of Nutrition Starring You. (Try one of these 25 sassy water recipes to take your water up a notch.) "If you are really trying to kick the diet soda 
habit, try diluting it with plain seltzer at a 1:1 ratio, then work your
 way down to seltzer only. You can also try seltzer with a splash of 
juice—you get to keep the bubbles and a bit of flavor, too." Or try 
these expert-approved ways to kick a diet soda addiction in just 1 week.<br />

Whatever you do, don't rely on diet soda as a weight loss strategy. The evidence shows it just won't work.</section></section></section></div>
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Lose 14% More Weight With This Simple Beverage Swap

Get this: You could be on the same weight loss diet as your friend, eating the exact same foods an...