What to Drink to Maximize Weight Loss
Many people eat virtuously when on a diet but they forget one thing: what they’re drinking. Sodas, cocktails and fruit juices can pack up to 200 calories for a small 8 ounce drink! To diet successfully, you need to not only eat well, but drink well. Our guide will help you choose the right drinks to quench your thirst.
Water: The Best Drink For Your Body
Water is the best drink you can consume, period. It has no calories and will completely hydrate you. When you’re dehydrated, you can feel tired, grumpy, and light-headed. Drink water throughout the day to help you obtain your goal weight. Try carrying a big water bottle around with you so you’re never without something to sip!
Cocktails: Diet Danger!
Alcohol should always be enjoyed in moderation, but dieters should take special note of what alcoholic drinks they consume regularly. Alcohol tends to be stored as fat in the abdomen, infringing on those sit-up efforts at the gym! Many alcoholic drinks and cocktails contain many more calories than you thought: an eight ounce Pina Colada clocks in at about 297 calories, while a White Russian has an astonishing 360 calories!
If you choose to drink alcohol, make sure you drink no more than two drinks at one day, and avoid binge drinking at all costs. Try low-calorie options like a heart-healthy glass of red wine (about 83 calories in four ounces), champagne (96 calories per four ounces), or vodka with a splash of juice or with soda water (about 115 calories for two ounces). Try to drink your alcohol with a glass of water to keep alcohol’s diuretic effects at bay.
Coffee and Tea: The Buzz on Caffeine
There’s been lots of media coverage on how coffee affects our weight loss. While caffeinated drinks should not be consumed in excess, a cup of coffee or two a day should not hurt your weight loss efforts. Tea is a better option: green, black and white teas have been shown to boost your metabolism and also provide antioxidants. Just remember that all drinks with caffeine can cause you to lose fluids in your body. Up your water intake for every caffeinated drink you swallow.
Are Sports Drinks, Diet Sodas and Juices Good For Me?
Sports drinks and new flavored water products sound great, but the fact is they often pack in lots of sugar and as much as 50 calories per eight ounces. Always check the label before you buy a bottled drink. Try to stick to something with 25 calories or less per eight ounces and water as its first ingredient, not sugar. Diet sodas are usually calorie free, but there has been much speculation that they actually hurt weight loss. Keep diet drinks to a minimum; take notice of whether you find yourself craving sugar snacks after drinking them; and don’t overcompensate with calorie-laden foods later in the day. The only fruit juices that should be consumed when dieting are 100% juices. Avoid juice ‘cocktails’ and look out for high-fructose corn syrup on the label. Juices, while a healthy way to squeeze in a serving of fruit, are full of sugar and calories, so keep these to a minimum.
