Say goodbye to super-sized drinks, New York City's Board of Health has officially approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg's ban on beverages more than 16 ounces.

The ban, which can go into effect as early as March of next year, will apply to fast-food restaurants, theaters, workplace cafeterias and a slew of other places that prepare food. However, it does not apply to supermarkets or convenience stores.

Many New Yorkers are opposed to the ban and more than a quarter of a million individuals have signed a petition stating their opposition. Additionally, soft drink companies, vendors and community organizers have assembled together forming New Yorkers for Beverage Choices Coalition. The funding for the group comes from the American Beverage Association.

The ban on beverages larger than 16 ounces is one of the many strict strategies Bloomberg has implemented for New York City. The city, under Bloomberg, has also prohibited artificial trans-fat from restaurant food and has taken fierce steps to persuade New Yorkers to stop smoking.

Dr. Jeffrey Mechanick, a Mount Sinai School of Medicine professor who has studied the effect of government regulation on the obesity epidemic, believes the proposal may be successful in curbing obesity by changing an individual's attitude towards overeating.

The proposal may be a groundbreaking step for public health. A non-diet soda a day can amount to 14,600 calories a year, adding nearly four pounds of fat to an individual's body.

Eliot Hoff, a spokesman for the group, said in a written statement. "We will continue to voice our opposition to this ban and fight for the right of New Yorkers to make their own choices. And we will stand with the business owners who will be hurt by these arbitrary limitations."

Bloomberg's official Twitter feed tweeted: "NYC's new sugary drink policy is the single biggest step any gov't has taken to curb (hashtag) obesity. It will help save lives."