[Goldm00n]

Well I need opinions here... I had plateaued back in November and I just kinda let it go threw the holidays becuase well you know how the holidays get.

Now that the holidays are over i stuck back to the original plan (which is very strict 1200 calories a day and working out 3 to 5 times a week) But I still wasn't losing anything...

So I finally decided to try the whole tea thing. I am an avid diet coke drinker I would drink anywhere from 4 to 6 cans a day. But little to no calories right? So I decided to cut my soda intake down to 1 can a day and switch the rest to Tea... now I dont take change well so I got Tea that I could actually enjoy.... white, green, chai and black tea and I would add splenda and milk or creamer to my tea as well. Now you wouldn't think this is that big of a change you know? WRONG! I have lost 4 pounds since I started with the Tea!

Now my question is,,,, what caused it! Was it the switch to Tea and the loss of all those chemicals and sodium in the soda or did my body just finally kick the plateau?

[Guest]

It could be either. More than likely it's cutting back on the soda, though. Ever notice how after drinking a ton of soda you look and feel bloated? The sodium and carbonation in the soda causes water retention, so by cutting those out of your diet may have allowed you to lose the extra water weight you were holding on to (it has also probably made you look leaner in your midsection, as well).

[Guest]

Good Job switching to Tea. It is a more natural substance with less chemicals. The artifical sweeteners in diet drinks may not have any calories, but they cause you to become even hungrier. Which means that you eat more and gain more weight.
It really is a dirty trick to those who are unaware.

[Light]

The "light" version of diet sodas have indeed low calories but a high content of chemicals. On the long run even if you cut down the calories you will mess up your metabolism due to the artificial sweeteners. Some people say that light drinks are worst them regular ones.

Its a good thing to switch on tee.

[healthy_drinker]

Tea has a lot of substances that are classified as antioxidants. The most commonly known is EGCG (please don't ask me what it stands for...but it is a member of a group of natural plant chemicals called polyphenols).

EGCG has been known to assist your cells in energy production - metabolism.

Tea also contains caffeine, also a natural substance. While some people may argue that caffeine is unhealthy, my opinion is that it is only bad when COMBINED with other BAD substances.

Caffeine acts as a catalyst. It magnifies or accelerates the effects of whatever chemical you're having it with.

For example - Coke (regular or diet) has caffeine. It will rapidly dump loads of high fructose corn syrup or aspartame into your bloodstream. Both of these chemicals are man-made synthetics.

The bottomline effect is a spike in your blood sugar = potential weight gain.

On the other hand, caffeine with EGCG, is a good thing. It helps your cells burn fuel. If you don't have too much blood sugar, your body will use the fat in your belly, or things, or butt, as the fuel source. Fat burning is good.

Just make sure that your tea drink is not mixed with the "bad guys" just like the sodas.

If you want a sweetener, try experimenting by mixing it with other fruit juices such as grapes or apples. Don't buy the bottled commercial concentrates. Juice it yourself from fresh fruits. Alternatively, there are already some commercial brands of freshly-juiced
beverages.

[Goldm00n]

So Coffee wouldn't be a bad thing to drink either?

I am not a juice drinker, i eat my fruit. I do use alittle sugar (real sugar or honey or even some splenda) and milk in my coffee and tea.

But i only eat 1200 calories a day and that includes anything I might add to my tea or coffee. I still drink 1 can of diet soda a day which i think is pretty good considering i used to drink 5 or 6 cans a day.

I drink all kinds of tea,, lots of chi and green tea but mostly all hot tea. That one can of soda gives me something cool to drink and a break from all the hot beverages i normally drink.

[healthy_drinker]

Great job in reducing your consumption from 6 cans down to 1!

I mentioned caffeine, not necessarily coffee...but I might be biased since I'm not a coffee drinker.

Personally, I just don't see any health benefits of coffee, that I could not find elsewhere.

My friends tell me about the taste and aroma - but I know from personal experience that our tongues and noses can be readjusted from one substance to another.

Honey is good (especially if it's pure and natural), but I now stay away from any of the artificial sweeteners, as much as I can.

It's an individual's choice. You just decide between "good taste" or good health. Do you want to "enjoy the drink" vs. racking up medical bills from the complications of being overweight?

When I feel like having a soda, I now get a natural fruit juice and mix it with pure sparkling water. It's just as refreshingly cold, and far more healthy.

Eating fruit is better than drinking, especially if you eat the skins with it. Obviously it's very difficult to chew on banana peels or honeydew "shells", so I skip that.

In general, the most nutritious part of the fruit is right underneath the skin. It's where the antioxidants are concentrated in order to protect the fruit itself.

So juicing is the next step up - because you can grind the skins down to an edible pulp - which includes all the best nutrients and enzymes.

[Katsnip]

I have been a Dr. Pepper drinker for years. Not even diet though. People say they can't tell the difference between regular sodas and diet sodas but I can. Recently, however, I have tried Lipton Diet Green Tea. I had put on some weight, not much, and decided it was my 2-3 cans of Dr. Pepper a day that was doing it. I do try to eat healthy meals, but couldn't kick the Dr. Pepper. After trying the Lipton's Diet Green Tea, I now have finally found a diet drink that I actually love. It gives me something besides water to drink during the day (although I still drink some water too). As far as weight....I'll have to back with you on that later, as this is something I've just started.