Even if your eating habits are good you could be drinking away your results. There are many factors when it comes to appetite and calories when consuming liquids. Knowing about liquid calories and weight loss will help you understand what may be stopping you from losing weight.
Why Drinks Are Easy to Overlook
Drinks don't seem to play a major role in our minds when it comes to calories. When you consume a drink your body doesn't seem to perceive it as much of a factor.
Smoothies, lattes, juice, water with flavors all seem to be healthy options. You drink them in a short amount of time and it doesn't leave too much on your stomach.
So we tend to forget about what we drink when trying to stay within a certain amount of calories per day. It can add up very fast without us noticing. This can lead to us not losing any weight or even gaining if you're not aware.
What Makes Liquid Calories Different?
There are a few reasons why liquids may cause you to gain weight. One being they tend to move through your stomach quicker. Because of this you will feel fuller for a shorter period of time compared to eating the same amount of calories.
This has to do with why liquid calories affect your ability to lose weight. Just because a drink has less calories then food does not mean you will eat less. You will most likely just eat your regular meal and have that drink as well.
- Liquid's take less time to digest and you feel hungry sooner
- Sugary drinks make you want to drink more of them
- Its easier to over consume liquid calories
- They don't require you to chew so you don't feel as full
- You usually have more calories in a drink then you think
As you can see there are many reasons why you should be careful of what you drink. If these are in your diet on a daily basis they will start to have an effect on your hunger and overall calorie intake.
Which Healthy Habits Hide Extra Calories?
There are plenty of drinks you can have that you may not realize you are drinking on a daily basis while eating healthy. Here are some common ones.
Smoothies, Protein Shakes, Coffee Drinks, Kombucha and many Vitamin Water options.
These aren't bad in itself but what I want you to understand is that there are so many calories in these drinks that you could easily be drinking a meal worth of calories.
- Latte's
- Smoothies (juice, peanut butter, yogurt etc.)
- Gatorade or other sports drinks
- Alcohol with your healthy meal choices
- Juice and Tea bottles
Some of these will fall under the radar but if you continue to have them day after day you may notice you are not losing weight as fast as you would like.
How Do Low Calorie Drinks Help?
Drinks that are lower in calories can help when your looking for something that will taste good but not pack as many calories into your body. Water with flavor, tea, black coffee and no sugar drinks are all great options.
Low calorie drinks are also a good alternative when trying to cut out habits that contain higher amounts of calories. Just cutting one drink a day can help with staying consistent and not consuming as many calories during the day.
Using low calorie drinks as a go to is not recommended. If you pair these drinks with healthy meals that have plenty of protein they will allow you to feel fuller and less likely to overconsume.
Why Liquid Calories Undermine Fullness
When eating solid food we chew. Our bodies tend to get full after chewing enough times which allows us to stop when we reach our desired amount.
Liquids do not require chewing and may not contain any nutrients that can make you feel full. So if you drink a beverage with 300 calories you may not feel any fuller than you did before you started. But if you eat 300 calories worth of solid food you may feel quite full.
So this is why many people who focus on liquid calories when trying to lose weight fail. Your consuming less calories during the day but will overconsume later on if your not filling up.
Where Hidden Calories Add up Fast
Usually its not just one glass of soda that you are consuming. Its all of the little things that you consume throughout the day that add up over a week or month.
You may be surprised at how much calories you consume from liquid. It could be your coffee, a protein shake after your workout, maybe you drink with friends. All of these can have a significant impact on your calorie intake.
- Having a flavored coffee each day during the week.
- Smoothies after your workouts multiple times a week.
- Drinking juice with your lunch.
- Having a glass of wine at the end of the night instead of dessert.
- Flavor water while sitting around at work.
As you can see if you combine all of these you will struggle to lose weight. Knowing what your body needs and where you can improve on will help you reach your goal faster.
When Should You Track Beverage Intake?
There are some instances where you should be monitoring what you're drinking. If you have reached a plateau in your weight loss journey and your food seems under control its a good idea to look at your drinks.
You don't have to do this all the time just know when you may want to look closer. For a few days log everything you drink and see if there's something standing out. Maybe its your cocktail on the weekends or you upgraded your coffee to have more calories in it then you realized.
If your trying to cut out liquid calories and lose weight its always good to know where your getting them. Once you know where your getting most of your drink calories you can choose to cut back or allow them in your diet.
Practical Ways to Cut Back Without Feeling Deprived
Just like with your food try to find ways to enjoy your drinks without over consuming. Look at what drinks you love and what you just got used to having over time.
Once you know what you love and what you don't change those you don't love to something that may have less calories in it. Don't force yourself to only drink things you don't enjoy because you will stop after a few days.
- Drink water before your drink something with sugar in it
- Get your drinks from coffee shops in smaller sizes
- Mix juice with soda water or ice
- Have your high caloric drinks only on certain days
- Always have low caloric drinks around your house
These small changes can help you continue to enjoy your favorite drinks but in moderation. Once you get use to these habits you won't miss them.
Building a Smarter Beverage Strategy
Knowing what you drink can be very beneficial. Some beverages will help your body more then others. They may be worth including in your diet some just shouldn't be.
When you learn about calories from drinks you can learn how to keep yourself healthier by drinking less calories from drinks. Allowing you to cut calories from your diet with out noticing.
Once you know this you can start to benefit from low calorie drinks as well. Because you will know what your body needs and want. Which will allow you to stay on track with your nutrition.
