Don’t Drink Your Calories
You know that you need to cut empty calories out of your diet to lose weight. One of the easiest ways is to avoid sugar-containing drinks like soda pop, punch and fruit-flavored drinks. Tea and coffee with added sugar, lemonade, and even fruit juice can also raise your blood sugar and hamper weight loss.
In the last 20 years, Americans have increased the amount of caloric beverages they drink by 20 ounces a day. That adds up to over 200 extra calories a day or 1400 calories a week! This may be a prime reason why the obesity rate is skyrocketing.
The most popular drinks, especially soda and fruit-flavored drinks, offer nothing but empty calories. They provide little in the way of nutrition. Although pure fruit juices do have some nutritional value, eating the whole fruit is a better choice when watching your weight.
What Should I Drink Instead?
Reach for a glass or bottle of water to quench your thirst. Or take up tea. Green and oolong teas boost metabolism yet have zero calories … as long as you don’t add sugar!
Researchers at the Oakland Research Institute in California found that women dieters who replaced sugary drinks with water lost an average of 5 pounds more in a year than dieters who didn’t. Previously, the average woman had been drinking 2 cans of soda or other sweetened beverage each day.
Over a lifetime, the calories that many consume through sugary drinks really add up.
The Fattening Effects of Sugary Drinks
These sweetened drinks can have a negative impact to your waistline in several ways. Not only do they pack a calorie punch (a 12 ounce can of cola contains about 150 calories). They have other fattening consequences as well.
When you drink a sugary drink, your blood sugar rises quickly. Then insulin levels go up as well. When insulin is elevated, the body cannot burn fat. It stores fat instead.
High insulin levels lead to abdominal fat, high cholesterol, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and many other health problems. So, if you have problems with insulin, you will need to cut out the soda and other sweetened drinks if you want to see weight loss results.
Should you switch to diet sodas?
Diet drinks don’t have the calories of their sugary counterparts. But there are several concerns about artificial sweeteners. What’s more, carbonated beverages weaken bones. You may be at higher risk for osteoporosis if you drink colas frequently.
For best weight loss results, drink water or green tea. You’ll save calories, control insulin levels, and may even boost your metabolism.
