This sounds familiar: "Trying to lose weight? Watch what you drink"

[Ryan]

For as long as I can remember, whenever someone has told me they are trying to lose weight, I told them to look at what they drink. There are so many calories in what most people drink without even thinking of those calories that they are astonished when they step back for a moment and think about those calories. Simple replacing one 20 ounce soft drink a day with water would do a lot for many people and most people aren't having just one 20 ounce soft drink a day.

Well, sometimes science lags common sense. Not surprising as common sense doesn't require the same stringent testing and peer review as science. Now, science has my back on this concept (emphasis added).

CNN:

75 percent of U.S. adults are projected to be overweight or obese by 2015, according to researchers. Americans consume anywhere from 150 to 300 more calories than they did three decades ago and half of those calories come from liquid. A new study out of John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that reducing liquid calories, especially from sugar-sweetened drinks such as punches, fruit juices and sodas, helps people lose weight and keep it off.

So I'll continue to say it: trying to lose a few (or many) pounds? Sure, it doesn't hurt to look at what you eat but don't forget to look at what you drink. Often, that's the biggest problem, not to mention the easiest solution.

Food (drink?) for thought: The average non-diet soft drink has 11 calories per ounce. That's 220 calories in a 20 ounce bottle. One pound of fat is roughly 3500 calories. If you're currently maintaining your weight, cutting out one 20 ounce bottle a day will allow you to drop almost a pound every two weeks or roughly 23 pounds in a year.

[Andrew A.]

http://zentofitness.com/how-to-ditch-artificial-sweeteners/

[happyfeet]

It seems so obvious to me! You drink a couple sodas or energy drinks during the day and thats almost 500 calories right there. Good common sense approach. It'd be great if everyone thought that way consistently

[Ryan]

This just hit my inbox. I'd be curious if they tracked the calorie consumption of water drinkers vs. non-water drinkers. I'd be willing to bet those who drank 16 ounces of water before meals consumed fewer calories at those meals and possibly found themselves less thirsty and less likely to drink sugar sweetened drinks overall.

In fact, it looks like I'm not the only one thinking that (emphasis added):

Davy and her colleagues aren't sure why drinking water before meals encourages weight loss, but the main reason appears to be that it helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat.

In addition, drinking more water may discourage you from guzzling soda and other calorie-laden beverages. (The study included only plain water, not mineral, flavored, or vitamin waters.) Even the routine of drinking water before meals may have a beneficial effect because it's a reminder that you're trying to lose weight, the researchers suggest.