More than a third of Americans are considered obese.
On Thursday, New York City passed a ban on large sugary drinks in hopes of trimming people's waistlines.
The ban has sparked a lot of criticism and concern that other cities may follow suit.
"I'm 70 years old," says Pat Smith in Roanoke, "I've been around here for a long time and this is the first time I've ever in my life heard about anything like this."
It's the first such ban in the U.S.
Large sugary drinks are now capped at 16 ounces in New York City. The ban targets every place these drinks are sold except grocery stores and convenience stores.
Health experts applaud the ban saying something needs to be done to lower obesity rates in America.
"People really don't have an idea of what portion size they're drinking with these sodas and a 30-ounce soda it has over 500 calories," says local dietitian Kathy Shaw.
The ban covers not only soda but also sweet tea and other high calories drinks.
"A lot of times they assume that tea is better for you and that the lemonades and different things are lower in sugar and better for you but they're actually often times higher," says Shaw.
But many people say the government has gone too far this time.
"I think it's kinda crazy that they would actually tell you what to do considering that people should make their own decisions," says Ashleigh Stearns in Roanoke.
The ban will face challenges. The soft drink industry has vowed to fight the ban and a group of citizens in New York has threatened to file a lawsuit.
