When you are on the road to weight loss, you are presented with many options. Depending on the type of fitness regimen you are on, many ways, methods and strategies are given to you just to prevent yourself from snacking unnecessarily or ingesting what is more than necessary. The more sensible strategies include not skipping breakfast to stave off the need to eat empty calories during the day; eating smaller meals every two to three hours to keep you satiated and the metabolism humming and to drinking water first before eating solid food when hunger calls. The last one makes sense inasmuch as our body often mixes hunger and thirst signals and addressing the need for liquids first saves you the calories you would otherwise get from eating something solid.
However, not all dieters use water to meet their thirst requirement. Some drink milk to assuage dehydration, primarily because it's delicious. Others use soda or processed fruit juices that are chockfull of sugar because they are even more delicious. All these contain liquid calories and they count as much to your total caloric intake as those found in solid food.
When you're trying to lose weight, it is important to keep track of what you are drinking and how much calories you are taking in liquid form. Just because they smoothly go down your throat doesn't mean they can't contribute to the excess pounds in your belly. They are even more dangerous because they creep unsuspectingly. A bottle of creamy, delicious and frothy milk doesn't need to be chewed to be enjoyed. It's a comfort drink that reminds us of the warm and fuzzy feeling we had back in our childhood when drinking it before bedtime became a ritual worth looking forward to. As a rule, limiting your milk intake to only 4 ounces a day is enough. Choosing low-fat or non-fat varieties also helps keep the pounds in check.
On hot days, soda or some other sugared beverage may seem very tempting, but they set you back a few pounds in your quest to lose all the extra weight. Moreover, while the benefits of red wine for heart health may have been extolled, drinking a glass of wine during dinner may just be a bit too much. There are just too many calories in alcohol that making this a nightly ritual will definitely put more pounds to your frame in no time.
To prevent liquid calories from wrecking havoc on your weight loss program, try to stick with cool, clear water when thirst or hunger calls. Should you feel the need to drink something more delicious, don't go for sugared beverages or milk. Make your own from fresh fruit or vegetables so you know you're taking in complex sugars, not the refined ones that are usually present in ready-to-drink juices available in the grocery or the vending machines. As an alternative to reaching for high-calorie beverages, it's much better to snack on fresh fruit, vegetables or limited quantities of nuts. These choices contain lesser calories. They also let you avoid the pitfalls of blindly drinking liquid calories.
If you are serious about improving your wellness, be sure to have a look at a Vitamix blender, there are tons of great Vitamix recipes that are very healthy.
Proud mother of 2 lovely girls, world traveler, and natural health advocate.