Drinking Your Calories

Image via Wiki Commons

So, I have been a fan of Jillian Michaels for some time. I have a few of her workout DVDs and absoulutely loved her show Losing It.

 A couple of months back I purchased her Master Your Metabolisim books in an attempt to find a way of eating that would work for me. One of the things that she stresses in the book is "not to drink your calories."

I will be honest, I didn't really give it much thought at first. I figured as long as I was eating better all the way across the board then it really wouldn't matter if I drank my calories.

When I began watching Biggest Loser this season, one of the first things they said to the contestants was that they were to avoid drinking their calories because it could sabatoge their weight loss.

That got me thinking. A typical 20 oz bottle of Coke has 240 calories, 75 mg of sodium and a whopping 65g of sugar.(Nutritional information taken from the back of a Coke bottle). 240 Calories. When you are limiting your calories, that 240 calories are calories that you have wasted. Which means, at the end of the day, you are missing out on nutrients that are vital to your health and your weight loss.

Not to mention that those "large" sized soft drinks that you purchase with your meals are almost twice the size of a 20oz bottle of Coke. Which means, in one meal, you have the potential to drink nearly 400 calories.

One of the things that I have noticed is that it isn't so much what you eat, though eating the right stuff does have an effect, it is how you eat. So if you are filling your body with bottles of Coke and Pepsi, you are setting yourself up for an extremely hard time losing that weight.

Diet pop, while it doesn't have calories, can be just as bad for your body. Because it doesn't have calories, people tend to think that they can drink more of it. It still has sugar and sodium in it. You are still adding those to your body.

I hate plain water. I like something that has a little taste to it. So you can buy water that is flavored with lemon, berries, grapes, things like that. Or, you can add a wedge of lemon or lime to your glass of water.

Tea is also a good alternative. Tea bags usually carry between 0 to 5 calories per bag. Now, I like my tea sweetened just a little bit. So, instead of adding Splenda, I now use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar in the raw. I am especially fond of fresh brewed Green Tea with organic honey and lemon juice.

The point is, when it comes to meeting your calorie intake for the day, don't drink it. Instead focus on eating foods that are organic, fresh, and chocked full of nutrients your body needs.