If you've been unsuccessful in your diet lately, liquid calories could be the culprit. Reduce daily calories through smart and nutritional beverage choices.
There are an astounding 60 million people dieting today in the United States. If you have been unsuccessful with your diet, liquid calories could be the culprit. Since liquids do not make us feel full like solid foods, we drink away all day, not thinking about how the calories add up. What if you could reduce your caloric intake by about 400 calories a day through smart beverage choices?
Let’s say for example, your day of liquid consumption amounted to this:
Beverage Calories
12 ounce glass of orange juice
150
Cereal with 4 ounces of milk
75
2 cups of coffee with fancy cream
Read on
How Does the Medi Weight Loss Program Work?
Medi Weight Loss Clinic is great for people who want to lose weight and learn to eat and live healthier. If someone is considering the program, here's the scoop! 80
20 ounces of soda
250
2 glasses of wine
200
1 cocktail or beer
150
Total
905
Beverages can contain far more calories than you think. If you are on a 1,600-calorie a day diet, you have already consumed more than half of those in drinks. And you didn’t even satisfy your hunger.
Healthier Beverage Choices
Liquid calories sneak into your diet but if you pay closer attention, you can reduce these calories. To start with, drink water. Water will fill you up sufficiently and make you crave other liquids less. Flavored waters or a lemon slice can add variety.
Fruit juices are high in sugar and calories but they do have nutritional value. If you like juices, try some of the diet juices on the market now and you will cut almost half the calories per serving.
Coffee and tea are typically low-calorie beverages but the problem is that we dump in the high-calorie additives. Adding cream and sugar will add up to 60 calories per cup. A daily Starbucks Latte addiction will cost you at least 165 calories per cup. Avoid or go light on the additives.
Milk is a good source of calcium but you will get as much from 1% as you will from whole milk. Try the lighter version and you’ll save 45 calories per eight-ounce glass.
Soft drinks may be responsible for the doubling of obesity in children in the United States over the last 15 years. Avoid the empty calories and try diet soda. If you eliminated one 12-ounce can of soda per day out of your diet, you would save 1,050 calories per week.
Milkshakes do not belong on a diet plan and can weigh in at over 600 calories for a 16-ounce chocolate shake or malt. Save them for a special treat only, such as a reward for meeting your diet goals.
Alcohol can be a big culprit in your diet. For the adult imbibers, this may be the most difficult category to eliminate. Especially when you have that wedding to go to this weekend, or you are throwing a barbeque party to greet the new neighbors. We tend to add high calorie mixers to our liquor and then gulp down two or three drinks. To reduce some of the calories try diet tonic, soda water or diet juice as a mixer. If you are a beer drinker, there are many good light and beers on the market now so you can have a couple without feeling as guilty.
Raising that shot glass for a celebratory toast? That's 150 calories in that little glass, so hopefully one provides enough celebrating. A glass of wine will give you the most bang and for only around 100 calories, depending on the size of your glass.
Reduce Calories By Example
If you are more aware of the beverages you consume, you can reduce your caloric intake by as much as 410 calories per day.
For example,
· substitute 1% milk instead of 2% for breakfast, save 50 calories
· use fat free cream in coffee, save 30 calories
· drink water instead of cola for lunch, save 150 calories
· drink water all afternoon
· substitute diet cranberry juice in your evening vodka cocktails, save 180 calories
· drink more water before bed
The total calorie reduction in this example is equal to 410. Do this everyday for a week and you could reduce your caloric intake by 2,870 calories. Remain on a dedicated diet for a month and reduce your caloric intake by 12,321 calories! Then celebrate your accomplishment at the end of the week with an extra full-bodied lager beer.
So, don't drink all your calories for the day. Be aware of what is in your glass. Diet juice, diet soda, low fat milk and wine instead of beer are good examples to help you reduce your daily calorie intake and avoid nutritional emptiness. And remember, calorie counting only works up to a point. Nutrition is also important.
Please use the reported calories in this article as estimates. Try different sources to gather nutritional data and watch serving sizes. For additional information, there are many free general calorie counters and beverage calorie counters on the internet today.
First published Jul 23, 2010 Lynn Bojinoff
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