Drink Less, Lose More

How many of your total daily calories per day would you say came from the beverages you drink each day?

According to a recent study by the Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that about 37% of our total daily liquid calories came from sugar-sweetened drinks. And shockingly enough, those beverages have a bigger impact on your waistline than anything else you eat. Typically, we don’t reduce food intake when we indulge in a 2-liter of Coke, a delicious Starbucks frappucino or chocolate milkshake. A great way to kick-start your weight loss is to reduce your daily calorie intake from sweetened beverages.

Drink These Freely

TEA. In most of the world, tea is the second beverage behind water. Not only is tea calorie-free, certain kinds of tea, like green tea, can pack a powerful health punch. However, if you load this up with sugar, you detract from the health benefits so make sure to keep your tea unsweetened.

WATER. Water should be your number-one go-to drink. Indulge in a healthy amount of water daily. And if you’re looking for a flavor boost, try adding lemon, lime or cucumber to your water.

Indulge With Limitations

JUICE. Just because juices originate from fruit does not make them a free-for-all beverage choice. Many juices have added sugars that detract from the health benefits. Additionally, you’re always better off eating the fruit instead of drinking the juice. For example, a typical 8-oz glass of OJ has 110 calories which is twice as much sugar as the fruit.

DIET SODA. While diet soda doesn’t pack the caloric and sugar punch that regular soda does, new research from Purdue University suggests that drinking these artificially sweetened beverages may impact the brain’s ability to measure caloric intake. If you drink them often enough, you may start to crave sweets more.

In general, your best option is always water. But if you must indulge in a different beverage, try to limit it to one of the above. By skipping the sugar-laden drinks, you’ll found that you have more success with your weight loss endeavors.

And, if you’re interested in losing weight with a diet program that has proven success, contact Calla Slimspa Medical Weight Loss Center in Winter Park today.

We’ve helped thousands of local Orlando residents lose weight and keep it off with our medically supervised weight loss program. But don’t take our word, check out our real patient weight loss success stories.