Lose the Liquid Calories and Lose Weight

Lose the Liquid Calories and Lose Weight
FREE DAILY DIET TIP
By Jennifer Gruenemay, ACE-Certified, LifeScript Staff Writer
Saturday, June 7, 2008

Humans have an obsession with chewing – if we’re not chomping on a snack, we’re biting our nails, gnawing down pencil tips, or chewing on the inside of our cheeks. With all of this focus on chewing, why waste your calories on liquids? A small amount of liquid can deceivingly hold a staggering amount of calories. Worse, you’re likely to forget how many liquid calories you’ve consumed at the end of the day.

Did you know there are 150 calories in just one can of soda? How many sodas do you drink on an average day? Do you count this as part of your total caloric intake? And soda isn’t the only culprit – juice can pack a calorie punch, too. When you drink fruit juice, make sure it’s 100% juice, so you don’t end up drinking a bunch of sugar water. A lot of beverages with the words “fruit” or “all-natural” on the package contain a large percentage of colored sugar water, so be careful.

To maximize the nutritional benefits of juice, you only need 4-8 ounces a day, and then you should stick with water. Is plain old H2O too boring for you? Take water from bland to grand by squeezing a wedge of lemon into ice-cold water for a refreshing twist on this tried-and-true, good-for-you beverage, and get rid of unwanted liquid calories that could be ruining your diet.