Quick Tip: Don’t Drink Your Calories

If you want to lose some pounds, avoid drinking so many calories.  It is a very simple step.  Period. Now, reread that first sentence, and remember that the next time you are in line at the coffee shop waiting to get that extra-large mocha latte with 5 pumps of vanilla syrup.  We get a large portion of the calories from drinks that we would not expect.  You will be surprised to see how by just avoiding these drinks you can reduce your daily calorie count.

Why you shouldn’t drink your calories?

Why you shouldn’t drink your calories?  In short, because liquids do not stay in your stomach very long, your body digests them more quickly than other foods.  So you don’t end up feeling full on liquids.  And what makes it even worse is that many beverages (especially those that Americans may consider ‘tasty’) are high in calories. You can drink several cocktails and never feel full, but you might have consumed the caloric equivalent of two meals without ever knowing.  You may have heard that doctors recommend milkshakes for those people that need to put on weight. This is because they can pack a lot of calories, are easy to drink, and a single person can have multiple shakes in a day.  However, the rest of us should avoid such temptation, as we will end up putting on weight that we do not want or need.  Remember that a normal daily calorie count for a healthy adult male is 2,100 and for a healthy adult female 1,600 (This is highly subjective). Look at the following examples, and consider reducing the number of times you enjoy these drinks – to help avoid drinking your calories.

don't drink your calories

  • Sonic Medium Vanilla Milkshake: 820 calories
  • McDonald’s Medium Vanilla Milkshake: 590 calories
  • Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Grande: 380 calories
  • Jamba Juice Medium Strawberries Wild Smoothie: 380 calories
  • Frozen Margarita: 300 calories
  • Glass of Chardonnay: 150 calories
  • Budweiser Bottle: 145 calories

Other Drinking Options

Now, we don’t want to kill the joy in our lives completely.  The point is to moderate your intake of some of these drinks.  So look at the following tips that can help.

  • Consider enjoying lower calorie alcoholic drinks (like a low calorie beer) or ‘skinny’ cocktails.
  • For a night out, alternate a glass of water with alcoholic drinks to avoid drinking so many.
  • Order smaller sizes of your drinks.
  • Drinks sparkling water rather than sodas.
  • Use a lower calorie dairy substitute instead of milk (like almond milk or soy milk) in your coffee drinks.
  • If you are going to opt for a milkshake or smoothie treat, use them as a meal substitute and not as the beverage to accompany your meal.

These could be some good tips to consider when heading into the new year’s festivities, as well as the new year’s resolutions.  Just give that drink a second thought before you down it – you will be doing yourself and your body a favor.

-Stay Evolved
Mark

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