There is nothing worse than making a conscious effort to lower your caloric intake or simply eat healthier and find out you aren’t. I hated it when I found out those healthy granola bars I was eating were as many calories as a donut. Give me the donut then! Sure, the granola bar had more nutritional value, but some bars even have a not so pretty first ingredient (read your labels).
In addition to being dupped by “health” foods, there is the another trap folks fall into. Picture the sacrifices you make to eat healthier, thinking you are going to lose weight, but you miss one little thing – what you drink.
Here is some sobering math for you: 35 year old woman + lose weight + exercises regularly = around 2200 calories a day. 35 year old woman + lose weight + no exercise = around 1800 calories a day. 35 year old man who + lose weight + exercises regularly = around 2800 calories a day. 35 year old man who + lose weight + no exercise = around 2300 calories a day. 1 cup of mocha coffee in the morning = 200 calories 2 cans of pop = 300 calories 2 beers or 2 glasses of wine = 300 calories
So, let’s say you have to have your mocha in the morning on the way to work. Then you have a can of coke at lunch and maybe one in the afternoon to keep you going. Finally, after a long day, you only have 2 drinks. All of that seems reasonable, doesn’t it. Add it up though…you just drank 800 calories.
If you are an average woman of average age, average height, and average weight, and you don’t exercise much, you just drank almost half of your day’s calories! Good luck feeling full eating 1000 calories between all of your breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The point here is don’t fall into the trap of forgetting to pay attention to what you drink. If you want to drink your calories for the day, go ahead. However, if you are working hard to maintain your weight (or lose some) don’t take two steps forward and one step back each and every day without knowing it.
Something, somewhere, has to change. You decide what stays and what goes.
Very good advise. I’m not a pop drinker but I did like an ice coffee. One of my favorite drinks was around 600+calories. It’s no longer on my drink list. It’s just not worth it to give up so much for so little. It is so much about life changes but not giving everything up.
Good post Kemme. This is where a lot of people go wrong when trying to loose weight. They can’t put down the pop, juice or gatorade. The one’s that drink alcohol really have a hard time. WATER WATER WATER…especially if your trying to loose some pounds.
yes, yes, the ones who drink alcohol do have a hard time 🙂
A serious comment from me (for once): what about substituting w/ diet sodas? Things like diet coke, coke zero, ect… The can says no calories which leads to a woohoo, but what effect, good or bad, are we subjecting ourselves to by consuming such products? Simply put – I don’t know. I know I prefer the taste of Coke Zero to regular coke, so the calorie concern is taken care of. I just don’t know what other crappy consequence I’ve got b/c of that choice.
Coffee – thankfully is a no-brainer for me. I drink it black, the stronger the better – just like God intended. No 1,240 calorie mochas for me. But once again, for those who put in a sweetener – are you better off health wise putting in real sugar, or are you better off going the no calories sweetener version?? I just don’t know b/c I have done enough research on the subject.
Maybe someone who reads this blog has???
Great points. I would love to hear more from those who might have some more knowledge. I do know there is research out there (not sure how good) that indicates some negative health consequences with diet sodas. Many are convinced diet pop negatively affects our metabolism.
It can be argued to either drink your coke as a treat, but limit it to only rarely and never do diet pop. Personally, I fail miserable on the whole soda issue, but I can see the logic. Think of your regular coke as a piece of “liquid candy” and adjust your calorie intake for the day, but 10 cans of diet pop is not the solution.
Pingback: itemprop="name">How buying better beer might help you to lose weight | Kemme Fitness