When it comes to losing weight and fitting into smaller sized clothes, there’s a ton of good diet advice available. Mainly it centers on eating smaller portions, choosing healthier foods, and adding more natural, unprocessed foods to your menu. Do this and you’ll likely start dropping the pounds. However, amidst all of these words of wisdom, there is one effective weight loss trick that is often ignored and it involves paying attention to the things that you drink.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that roughly one-half of all Americans over the age of 2 (yes, 2) drink at least one sugary drink per day. Additionally, roughly 5 percent admit to consuming more than four servings per day. Worse yet, this amount appears to be rising year after year.
Not only does this contribute to the obesity issue that too many people face, but it also adds to an increased risk of potentially life-threatening diseases as well. For instance, some of the conditions that can be worsened by excessive sugar intake include type 2 diabetes and heart disease, just to name a couple.
Drinking excess calories in the form of alcoholic beverages is another concern that is especially problematic for college-aged students. As College News points out, “drinking alcohol is part of the college culture, so it’s pretty difficult to avoid completely.” That can really add up if you prefer Long Island iced teas, for example, as you’re going to consume roughly 780 calories apiece. (Source: WebMD)
Therefore, if your goal is to lose weight and get into shape, you want to pay attention to the beverages you consume, because they can often make or break your weight loss efforts. Here are some tips to consider:
- Drink more water than any other beverage. Water is by far the best beverage you can consume. If straight-up water sounds boring to you, add some lemon, lime, or orange slices to it to incorporate flavor without the extra calories. Mint, watermelon, and cantaloupe are other great options as well.
- Limit your intake of sugary drinks. In addition to sugary drinks being bad for your waistline and your health, they also tend to make your cravings worse. In fact, the next time you drink a soda or other sugary beverage, pay attention to the types of foods you want 30 to 60 minutes later. You’ll likely notice that you crave sugary foods, making it hard to avoid them so you can reach your goals. Limit these drinks and you’ll feel better all the way around.
- Pay attention to your alcohol intake. While a number of health experts indicate that one alcoholic beverage a day can actually be beneficial to you (especially if that beverage is red wine), just remember that these don’t come calorie free. Therefore, if you’re going to drink, at least choose options that are lower in calorie.
If your goal is to lose weight, watching your beverage intake is just as important as watching your food intake. Put them both together, and you’ll reach your goals for sure!