Don’t Drink Your Calories

By: Erica Wells, RD

If you are having trouble losing weight, it may be time to take a look at your beverage choices. This is actually the first thing I recommend to anyone I talk to who is trying to lose weight. You may not realize but a large chunk of your calorie intake may be coming not from the foods you eat but rather what you drink. You may actually be eating a relatively decent diet that is within your calorie range but your beverage choices are pushing you over the edge, resulting in weight gain. The purpose of this article is to evaluate what you are drinking and how this may be standing between you and your weight loss goals. I am going to relay this in terms of calories since most people understand calories as a part of their total needs rather than grams of sugar.

Soda
There are roughly 100 calories in an 8-ounce can of soda. This means when you pick up a 12-ounce bottle from the gas station you will drink 150 calories; order a 24-ounce fountain drink and you are sucking down 300 calories. This is 300 calories worth of sugar that isn’t going to do anything for you nutritionally.

Sports Drinks
Think you are doing yourself good because you read somewhere that electrolytes are important and that they are lost during a workout? Think again. Unless you are a professional/endurance athlete or working out in the extreme heat with large sweat losses, your body does not need more than water to replenish itself. Sports drinks lead you to think that you are giving your body what “it needs” when in reality they are providing you unnecessary calories, at a whopping 200 calories per 32 ounce bottle.

Juice
Another misconception many people have is that by drinking juice they are being healthy. The fact is that juice provides a lot of calories without the beneficial fiber that you get from eating real fruit. While, one 4-ounce, 60 calorie serving of freshly squeezed juice can be counted toward your daily fruit intake goals, the problem is that people typically far exceed this, drinking closer to 120-240 calories worth of juice/day depending on the glass size.

Coffee
Frappuccino, macchiato, cappuccino, latte…they all translate to one thing…calories. Up to 500 calories for a 20-ounce frappucino (with whipped cream and drizzle)!! That alone equates to a pound a week if you were to drink this once every day. To eliminate a significant amount of calories from your daily caffeine habit, switch to plain coffee (hot or iced). Use skim or soy milk instead of cream and sugar substitutes (like Splenda or Stevia) to sweeten and your daily coffee will only cost you around 25 calories (using 2 ounces of milk).

Smoothies/Shakes
Homemade smoothies can be a great way to help you meet your fruit and vegetable goals when done right. Store bought smoothies are another story. There are two problems with store bought smoothies: they are made with a lot of added sugar and usually only come in very large sizes (20-ounces or larger…there is actually a restaurant that offers a 40-ounce smoothie…that’s right: F-O-R-T-Y-diabetes-inducing-ounces). These smoothies clock in anywhere between 300 and 1000 calories!!! (ahhhh!!). 40-ounce smoothies aside, if you are hankering for a smoothie you can make a 20-ounce smoothie a little healthier by having it be made without sugar and choose one with healthy ingredients like berries, spinach, kale, carrots, etc (skip the peanut butter, chocolate or other more indulgent types).

Alcohol
A standard sized drink can run you anywhere between 100-300 calories (or more) per drink depending on what you have and how it’s prepared. And that is just for ONE drink. You can see how a night out with multiple drinks can really end up costing you a lot in excessive calories…particularly if this night includes mixed drinks.

The moral is that what you drink can really do a number on your total calorie intake. Wouldn’t you rather eat your calories? Your best drink options include water and milk (skim/soy/almond), plain coffee and unsweetened tea. Make smoothies at home. If you must have soda, choose diet. If you need juice, limit yourself to 4-ounces a day (1/2 cup). Skip the sports drinks. Go easy on the alcohol. These simple changes could significantly impact your weight loss journey or may be what you need to get rid of those last few pounds you have been struggling with.