20 May Don’t Drink Away Your Daily Calories

If you are trying to lose a few pounds, working out isn’t the only answer.  In fact, the answer to living a fit and healthy lifestyle is to combine a well-balanced diet with an active lifestyle.  When looking for ways to cut down on calorie intake, however, many people fail to realize just how many calories they drink on a regular basis.

If you are someone who enjoys drinking soda, you may be piling on more pounds with your drink than you realize.  Considering the fact that every 3,500 calories you consume beyond the calories your body burns will result in an extra pound of fat, you can’t afford to take in 200 extra calories with every soda you drink.  Try drinking diet soda or find other sugar-free alternatives that won’t back on the pounds.

While you might think you are safe with fruit drinks, these beverages are also filled with calories.  Of course, if you are going to consume 200 extra calories with a beverage, drinking fruit juice is a healthier alternative.  But, when it comes to getting your daily-recommended fruit intake, it is far better to eat fruit than to drink it.

Milk can also be your nemesis when it comes to taking in too many calories.  If you drink whole milk, your waistline and your arteries will thank you if you switch to 1% or skim milk.  If you don’t like the taste of these reduced fat milks, you might want to gradually make the switch.  For example, you can step down from whole milk to 2% before going down to 1%.  Or, you may even want to get 2% and mix it with whole milk so you step down even more gradually.

Finally, those holiday beverages and lattes you might like to drink on occasion are also filled with more calories than you may realize.  A 16 ounce Gingerbread Latte, for example, has well over 300 calories while the same sized eggnog latte comes in at close to 500 extra calories.  Peppermint mocha, pumpkin spice mocha and hot chocolate will generally come in at around 400 calories each.

So, while no one is saying that you have to completely deprive yourself of the beverages you love, try to consume them in moderation so you can keep your weight and your level of health under control.