I’m a recovering Pepsi addict – since ditching my 12-can-a-day habit I’ve had a major glow-up and lost 160lbs
A MAN has lost 160 pounds in just nine months after ditching his $2,442 a year Pepsi addiction.
The staggering drop in soda intake also inspired him to cook healthy meals by watching YouTube tutorials and begin working out while steering clear of other calorie-packed beverages.
Taylor Robertson, 27, used to guzzle 12 cans of soda every day at $6.53 a pack, spending $45.73 per week, $183 per month, and $2,378.12 every year.
At his heaviest, he tipped the scales at 324 pounds with a 46-inch waist and said the weight piled on due to his alcohol use problem.
Taylor found himself drinking every day and always waking up with a hangover.
After his fiancée, Hayleigh Cass, 24, had to shake him awake when he stopped breathing in his sleep, Taylor got sober in October 2021 and began to lose weight.
Wanting to “be a better person,” Taylor decided to use his newfound spare time to focus on his health and started eating one healthy meal a day instead of fast food
He also joined the gym.
Now Taylor has dropped to 200 pounds and has a waist size 32.
He is running 5k races and hopes to complete an Ironman challenge this year.
Taylor, who owns a plumbing company and lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said: “I used to wake up hungover every day.”
“I would talk to girls at a bar when I was drunk — I realized it was a detriment to my relationship,” he said. “I thought — I’m going to lose my fiancée.”
“I lost some weight after getting sober and had spare time that used to be spent drinking and started researching weight loss and healthy eating on YouTube,” Taylor revealed.
“I found a diet of one meal a day and decided to give it a go,” he said. “Before I was drinking about 12 cans of Pepsi a day — using it as a chaser after an alcoholic drink.”
“I started at the gym and the weight just fell off me,” he said. “I’m trying to be the best person I can be.”
Taylor had fallen into a cycle of drinking after finishing college and realized he had gone too far when it started to affect his relationship.
His habit had seen him adopt a “lazy” lifestyle where he ate fast food like KFC for lunch and dinner, instead of cooking healthy meals.
Taylor’s health was worrying — as he struggled breathing and even stopped in his sleep.
“My fiancée had to wake me up and say, ‘Hey you’re not breathing,'” he said.
Wanting to turn his life around, Taylor made the decision to go sober in October 2021 and started to see the difference immediately.
He decided to work on his diet after losing 18 pounds just by ditching drinking.
“I started doing one meal a day,” he said.
“At first I was having a Chinese for the meal which did work,” he revealed. “But I realized that wasn’t very healthy and now cook myself easy meals like chicken and rice.”
Taylor joined his gym and started by walking on the treadmill and now spends two hours working out each day.
He’s now dropped to a slender 172 pounds and a waist size of 32 inches and can’t believe the difference.
Taylor still sticks to one large meal a day — but makes sure it’s healthy and home-cooked.
“It’s happened so fast,” he said. “It’s crazy. I now want to do an Iron man.”
“It’s my life and I realize I can control it,” Taylor said.