Okay so you’re counting calories and trying hard to stick to the average daily intake, but are you including all those liquid calories? Many people forget that each time they gulp down a root beer or a coca-cola they’re adding a heap of extra calories. Those added calories may be what’s keeping you from losing those few extra pounds.

Recent findings from researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University suggest that people just don’t compensate for extra liquid calories. They have found a “clear association between soft-drink intake and taking in more calories," and that “on days when people drink soft drinks, they consumed more calories than on the days when they did not have soft drinks."

If you’re eating the same amount and still drinking soda on top of it all, just remember that liquid calories add up fast. The best thing would be to save sugary drinks for special occasions. If you want to change your diet and focus on losing a little weight, cutting out soft drinks and other high-cal beverages is a good place to start!