This Woman Gave Up Coke And Lost 112 Pounds
Want to lose weight? Maybe you should try giving up Coca-Cola. That’s what Sarah Turner, 27, of Kingstanding, Birmingham, England did.
She went from drinking four liters of it a day to none as part of her Slimming World diet. Turner went from weighing 245 pounds to 126.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola Great Britain said: “All of our drinks can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle.” https://nydn.us/1VhuHfM
Posted by New York Daily News on Friday, August 28, 2015
The program had her cut out sugar, starting with Coca-Cola, and eat more protein-rich foods (like beans). Before omitting Coca-Cola, Turner was consuming about a pound of sugar a day.
“I was most definitely addicted to Coke,” Turner said. “I could just drink it all day and not think about the effect it has on my body.” Well, The Renegade Pharmacist, a blog by a former pharmacist in the UK, Niraj Naik, broke down what Coca-Cola does do to one’s body.
First Ten Minutes
10 teaspoons of sugar (100% of the recommended daily intake) enter your system.
20 minutes
Your blood sugar level goes way up and your liver converts the sugar to fat.
40 minutes
Your body has now absorbed the caffeine from the drink (higher blood pressure, bigger pupils, and more sugar goes into your bloodstream thanks to your liver).
45 minutes
More dopamine is produced, which affects the “pleasure centers” of your brain. (Naik notes that this is how heroin works also.)
60 minutes
Another boost in metabolism occurs when the phosphoric acid melds the magnesium, calcium and zinc together in your lower intestine. The high levels of sugar and artificial sweeteners cause more calcium to leave your body through urination (instead of going to your bones), in addition to electrolytes, sodium and water. The caffeine will also make you use the bathroom more at this point. All this will lead to a sugar crash and leave you feeling more tired than when you started. :/
And we all may remember doing the penny-in-the-Coke test when we were kids, dropping a dirty, non-shiny penny into a cup of Coke and seeing it turn bright and shiny before our very eyes.
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But, shiny penny test withstanding, I think Coca-Cola is quite tasty. However, too much of anything doesn’t seem healthy.
Turner began her Coke-free (and Slimming World) diet a year ago and said, “Not being able to play with my children [2, 7, and 8] was the worst thing to me—that look of disappointment in their eyes when I said I couldn’t go to the park upset me so much.”
I believe that alone seems like motivation enough to change one’s diet.
Turner said, “I was always tired and had no energy to do anything, but now I can take my children out and run round in the park with them. I have loads of energy. I love going out walking anywhere, whereas before I never did. I also enjoy actually going clothes shopping—now I can fit in normal-size clothes.”
I am sure many of us who chug sodas, like Coca-Cola, can relate. I know I love the beverage, full sugar and all, but I’ll make sure I don’t get addicted to it and let my love for it spiral out of control.
A Coca-Cola spokesman told Caters News, “all of our drinks can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle” and mentioned Coca-Cola Zero and Diet Coke. I’d have to agree.
Everything in moderation seems key, and kudos to Turner for her discipline.
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