Yahoo Lifestyle 
This is what happens to your body if you ditch fizzy drinks for good
Regardless of whether it’s sugar free or glorious full-fat, there’s been evidence for years against some of the world’s most sugary drinks.
Now one fitness journalist, who used to keep a fizzy drink bottle at his desk at all times, claims ditching the habit changed his life.
“Everyone wants that one life-changing moment. I had mine three years ago,” Michael Freidson wrote for Men’s Health.
“Giving up [fizzy drinks] changed my life. In fact, I’m convinced that quitting pop extended my life, shrank my waistline, and made me happier. You maybe already know soda is bad for you, but you might not know just how bad.”
Surrendering the sugary drink forever, Michael credits a 2014 study headline: ‘Soda May Age You as Much as Smoking’, as the inspiration to give up soda for good.
According to the writer, quitting almost had immediate effects.
“I instantly began to think more clearly and have more energy,” he wrote. “One month in, I noticed I could ‘cheat’ more at mealtime and still lose weight. I realised my abs were more defined.”
Michael used to drink multiple cans of Diet Coke a day – and claimed the introduction of Coke Zero marked one of his ‘happiest days’.
Weighing 9kg more and living with chronic high blood pressure, Michael admitted soft drinks were affecting him in more ways than one.
“I felt unfocused, sluggish, bloated and depressed,” the 41-year-old wrote.
The idea that fizzy drinks may cause premature ageing gave Michael the push he needed to quit it once and for all.
Further research revealed that fizzy drinks – ‘diet’ included – are directly connected to a risk of obesity, according to a study by the University of Texas Health Science Centre at San Antonio.
Regular consumers were also found to have their waist circumference increased by eight centimetres over eight years.
Also potentially causing infertility, increasing the risk of cancer, and supporting diabetes and high blood pressure, the case against sugary beverages is strong.
The idea of introducing a sugar tax is back on the agenda for the Australian Government this year, which would see us follow the UKs lead.
When it comes to quitting for good, Michael recommends following the five-step plan he compiled alongside the National Institutes of Health, Emory University and Tufts University:
Find a replacement
Make a habit
Reward yourself right
Resist the marketing
Take a sip, avoid a slip
According to Michael, among the other notable affects of ditching fizzy drinks, he is now often told he looks good for his age – the initial inspiration for quitting for good.
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