Brand new study says that diet soda may help with weight loss
Written By Karli Moats | Healthy-Mag.com
When most people want to shed some pounds they also frequently commit to shedding their diet soda addiction. These artificially sweetened drinks have often been said to increase the desire for sweets and halt the process of weight loss.
However, brand new research may bring the best news diet soda lovers have heard in a long time. A study, conducted by Dr. Jim Hill from the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, sought to find out if diet soda really affects losing weight.
Funded by the American Beverage Association, the study divided 300 adults into two groups—the first being the diet soda drinkers, and the second being the water only group.
Participants on average weighed barely over 200 pounds at the start of the study, and were given coaching on weight loss techniques, feedback, and food log journals.
The results were pretty shocking. On average, the diet soda drinkers lost 13 pounds, trumping the strictly water group who averaged 9 pounds. Although these results seem odd, researchers stated that many people successfully lose weight why still consuming diet sodas.
So what made the diet soda drinkers more successful? The answer may lie in willpower.
Weight loss is hard because it requires a lot of change. Whether that be the number of calories you eat, or your exercise schedule, dropping down a size is not an easy task. Adding to those efforts by giving up something like diet soda may just be too much. Psychologists have said that willpower is a limited resource and therefore if there is too much on your plate (or in the case of weight loss too little), people may relapse back into old behavior.
The study explained that the diet soda drinkers were overall more likely to adhere to the behavioral change program. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that diet soda doesn’t enhance weight loss, it may just aid in keeping you on track with your weight loss goals.
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