Diet & Fitness Blog
Tweak of the Week: Drink to Weight Loss
Email PageStaff Writer
The slogan "think before you drink" doesn't just apply to alcohol.
One way that excess calories slip into your daily life is through sneaky soft drinks and juices. Most people don't even consider how many calories are in what they drink, and they don't eat less to adjust.
Consider this: You're at a restaurant and eating a salad so you go ahead and have a soda. No big deal, right? Wrong. You get free refills and so you double up -- you've just added roughly 300 calories to an otherwise healthy lunch -- assuming the salad isn't loaded with fatty dressing, bacon bits and cheese.
Hidden calories lurk around every crouton and under pop tops everywhere.
A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola packs 140 calories and 39 grams of carbs. If you have one can a day, as an afternoon pick-me-up, with dinner or any other time, over the course of the year that adds up to over 51,000 calories -- that's roughly 14 pounds!
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There is a conspicuous correlation between U.S. soft drink consumption increasing simultaneously with the U.S. obesity epidemic. Americans drank 22 gallons of non-diet soft drinks per person in 1970, and by 1997, that number nearly doubled to 41 gallons per person -- and obesity ballooned 112 percent.
If you need a caffeine fix, your best bet is to switch to coffee or tea to save calories and carbs. However, stay away from too much sugar and creamer to keep the calorie count down as each teaspoon of sugar will add about 16 calories.
Sports drinks are another unnecessary source of calories in your diet. The casual exerciser does not need them. If you are exercising for 45 minutes or less, water will be just fine to replenish your fluids. Most of these drinks pack over 100 calories per serving and can undo a lot of the exercise you just did.
If you still need flavors in your fluid, a lot of new sports drinks pack little or no calories and are pretty tasty. But just like diet sodas, you'll see a lot of unpronounceable ingredients listed on the package which may be a cause for concern in the long run.
The best thing to do is stick with that fantastic weight loss miracle drink of the stars -- water. No secret there -- and no calories either. Drinking a glass of water before meals will help prevent overeating and drinking it with your meal will save you calories and money. It's a win, win.
Our experts can offer a lot of other small changes you can do right now. Send your questions to our nutritional experts today!
Check out last week's tweak about breakfast and come back next week for Healthy Sandwich Switches.
Do you have a simple switch, tip or trick for losing weight and living healthy? Post it below to potentially be featured in an upcoming Tweak of the Week.
Labels: breakfast tips, drinks, fast-food, juice, weight loss
Comment by 
BigEater said... - Tuesday, September 09, 2008 8:26:00 AM
Comment by said... - Friday, September 12, 2008 12:36:00 PM
I used to be a big fan of diet soda, but found that even though it didn't put on weight, it did make me bloated. Now when I get the urge for bubbles I stick to club soda either with flavor or add a slice of lemon/lime.
Comment by said... - Monday, September 15, 2008 11:01:00 AM
I recently bought a sports water bottle to try to drink more water. However.... I HATE drinking plain water. The life-saver for me has been adding a small slice of fruit like grapefruit or orange or even a slice of cucumber. So much better for you than Crystal Light type flavorings. Now I have been drinking about a gallon of water every day without difficulty.
Comment by said... - Tuesday, September 16, 2008 10:23:00 AM
How can an Atkins dieter drink an occasional cup of coffee. Is there a no/low carb coffee lightner without a lot of calories?
Comment by Weight Loss said... - Wednesday, September 17, 2008 5:06:00 PM
Comment by said... - Sunday, September 21, 2008 11:20:00 PM
Anonymous Atkins Dieter, I may be able to help:
Hood Calorie Countdown 2% Reduced Fat Dairy Beverage wtih Splenda has 90 calories per CUP with only 3 grams of carbs. It is has proven to be a lifesaver for me. In addition, Hood Calorie Countdown also comes in Chocolate and Fat Free. The only place I can find it is WalMart and it flies off the shelves. Hope this helps and good luck.
Comment by 
Baileytjuice56 said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 6:21:00 AM
Whats wrong with not using crystal light in your water bottles? Thats what I use, and there are many different flavours too. With the many flavours, you won't get bored, by having the same thing all the time.
Comment by Juanita said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 7:46:00 AM
for the atkins dieter, or not, use half and half cream, a few drops of your favorite flavor extract (I love vanilla and almond) and to really sweeten it up, you can add some stevia to your coffee! Not only is it delicious but you'll find the very low carbs fit right into your atkins diet regement!
Comment by said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 7:46:00 AM
i think the best choice for drink is Green tea in lemon flavore thats so helpfull 4 weight loss.
Comment by Juanita said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 7:48:00 AM
for the atkins dieter, or not, use half and half cream, a few drops of your favorite flavor extract (I love vanilla and almond) and to really sweeten it up, you can add some stevia to your coffee! Not only is it delicious but you'll find the very low carbs fit right into your atkins diet regement!
Comment by said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 8:34:00 AM
To the atkins question - can't you use coffee cream? It has no carbs.
Comment by said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 12:04:00 PM
For a "cocktail" with dinner, I have seltzer water with cranberry juice (light) and a twist of lemon.
Comment by said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 12:40:00 PM
Use avocado on sandwiches instead of mayo. You get to add healthy fats and loose the calories of the mayo.
Comment by said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 4:05:00 PM
I was 40 pounds over weight. I started seeing a deep tissue massage therapist. She kept telling me that the reason I don't lose wt. even though I am not an overeater is because I don't eat breakfast. Breakfast has always made me nauseous. She insisted that I could overcome this problem. She recommended 1 hardboiled egg and half a grapefruit. I love grapefruit so I tried it. For about the first two weeks it was hard to eat, especially the egg. Now I eat every morning and voila, I have lost 35 pounds in 4 and 1/2 months.
Hooray!!!!!!!!! Eat Breakfast. Deborah-
Comment by said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 4:20:00 PM
its completely true, during the summer i worked at 8 every morning for the first time in my life, and i couldnt seem to stay up and i cant stand coffee, so i drank 2 bottles of mountain dew in the morning which woke me up, but i gained back the 20 pds i had just lost, in only a couple weeks!
Comment by said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 9:00:00 PM
I drink lots of coffee and I have to add something will splenda make much of a difference, and I like lemon water with splenda
Comment by said... - Thursday, October 02, 2008 7:57:00 AM
I was a big soda drinker too.Now I only drink water and use flavored stevia. You can get stevia sweetner in rootbeer, vanilla creme, chocolate, grape, lemon drop, valencia orange, and many others. The chocolate and vanilla creme would probably work with coffee. I have found the best deals on stevia on ebay.
Comment by said... - Monday, January 05, 2009 2:19:00 AM
What about the diet sodas...like
DIET RITE (ZERO DOWN THE WHOLE BOARD)
and they drink it on Biggest Looser, or is that just a big misconception that they are ok? or do you have to drink in moderation for them to be ok?
Please if anyone out there knows please tell me!!!!!
Comment by rama said... - Monday, January 05, 2009 4:15:00 AM
Making a habit of having a glass of warm water with lemon and honey, ( first thing in the morning) not only helps u lose weight, but also detoxifies you and also gives you a wonderful skin.
Comment by said... - Monday, January 05, 2009 11:46:00 AM
Don't forget the crystal light single pacs, as they are only 5 calories a glass. I put 2 in my water bottle. (32oz)
Comment by said... - Monday, January 05, 2009 12:12:00 PM
To whoever was asking about a low-cal creamer .... yes, there are a few. Check for fat free or sugar free offered by International Delight and Coffemate. Also Kroger brand non-dairy creamers come in fat free. Calories vary but most are about 20 cal/ TBSP. Make sure you measure for a while so you get the sense of how much 1 TBSP translates to.
Comment by said... - Monday, January 05, 2009 1:00:00 PM
I like those "true Lime" and "true Lemon" packets (found with the lemon juice concentrate or on the spice isle). . . a few crystals to a whole packet depending on your taste preference and no artifical ingredients . . . just like a slice of friut without the need of a knife.
Comment by said... - Tuesday, January 06, 2009 5:35:00 PM
I'm one of those people that dislike plain water. It can even make me a bit nauseous if I force myself to drink a lot. The only exception is during exercise, when my body craves pure water (2 bottles per workout). The rest of the time I drink PROPEL Fit Water. It has vitamins and just 25 calories per 18.8 fl.ounce bottle.
Unfortunately I hate coffee, so for a caffeine fix I drink Coke Zero....preferably Vanilla Coke Zero. It is a good idea to keep it to a minimum though, because the carbonation causes bloating.....even seltzer will cause bloating.
Comment by said... - Saturday, January 10, 2009 10:06:00 PM
One person gave me a phrase that makes so much sense, "Nothing tastes as good being thin feels".
Comment by said... - Wednesday, January 14, 2009 2:04:00 AM
I am 5 feet and a half an inch tall. I am 30 years old and have 5kids. I have weighed myself in at 160 lbs. Here are the type of drinks I consume: WATER, V8, chocolate milk (once in a while), packaged juice (big consumer), pop.
Comment by said... - Wednesday, January 14, 2009 7:07:00 AM
I can agree with the change. For many years most of my liquids came from juices and sodas - now all I drink is water and tea (no milk or sugar). The first 30 pounds I lost I directly give credit to this change. Now I have about that much more to loose and I can't seem to find another miracle to make it easy.
Comment by said... - Wednesday, February 25, 2009 1:23:00 PM
In the morning I steap a water jug full of water with green tea with honey and lemon flavoring.It helps me keep track of the water I am drinking ,also green tea is a good metabolic booster. I am hoping all this will help out in my weight loss challenge. I have 30 pounds to lose and it seems so hard to lose just one pound.
Comment by said... - Wednesday, February 25, 2009 3:21:00 PM
Diet Green Tea is all I have to say. Its filling and it helps speed up the meatbolism and has a ton of antioxidants!
Comment by Chris said... - Tuesday, March 24, 2009 12:55:00 PM
Even Diet Soda will put weight on you - just not as fast but anything that contains High-fructose corn syrup is BAD. I also started to see labels saying "No Sugar" but they add more sodium which holds more water in your body.
I had to change the way I eat (No High Fructose Corn, No Added Sugar and anything I found on a label that was bad) and I lost 20lbs.
I started cooking my own food and eating fish was better (Note: Tuna is good but does contain levels of mercury stick to Salmon if you can).
Today's meals and drinks contain awful things for your body and it just makes me sick to think I used to eat fatten foods.
Comment by Robbie said... - Monday, April 13, 2009 1:34:00 PM
After years of drinking LOTS of Diet Coke every day, without any side effects that I could see, I went in for a regular check-up. My kidney function numbers were not good, but with no other obvious problems, the doctor asked if I could be dehydrated - did I drink enough water? There is no drug or surgery to repair bad kidneys - dialysis and an organ donor are your ultimate choices. Two weeks of laying off the diet coke and my numbers were back in the normal range. Other bonuses - my aching back is better and we discovered that I really have high blood pressure and needed to be on medication. I was so dehydrated that there was not enough liquid in my blood to give an accurate reading. Diet sodas are diuretics. They pull liquid out of your tissues and you go to the bathroom more often. However, they do not replace as much liquid as they drain from you, so you are ultimately losing hydration. You are thirsty from the dehydration so you drink more soda. It is a long, slow downhill spiral. The solution -- don't drink so much soda and DRINK WATER. I don't like it either but after 3 weeks of forcing it, I have discovered if I drink a 12 oz. bottle of Diet Coke in the morning and keep filling the bottle with water I can keep track of my consumption. You get used to the taste - or the lack of it. The other bonus -- I am losing weight. Water makes you feel full. So - toughen up and hit the H20.
Comment by weight loss pills said... - Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:34:00 AM
drinking water is the best way to loss weight very fast. one of the actor lost nearly 28 kg by drinking the very hot water. but it is dangerous.
Comment by said... - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 12:17:00 PM
To Chris, Only regular soda has high fructose corn syrup. Diet Sodas have only artificial sweeteners and the same low sodium. Zero Calories (listed if something has less than 5) will probably not make you put on weight. There has been some research into artificial sweetener causing people to overeat though. To Robbie, diet soda itself is not a diuretic, the caffiene is, so coffee and some tea has the same effect. To the woman who is 5 feet tall, that is good you drink water, but you should cut way down on the juice if you really drink alot. It has so many calories and maybe even added sugar, almost as bad as soda. Eat the fruit instead. You only need 3 dairy servings a day, including milk, and V8 is crazy high in sodium.
Comment by said... - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 1:45:00 PM
Drinking oolong tea is a great addition to helping curb your appetite and quench your thirst. You can have it hot or cold. It doesn't leave a funky aftertaste like alot of other teas. I would stay away from all sodas even diet, it just seems to spike your sugar cravings and eventually fall off the wagon.
Comment by said... - Monday, August 17, 2009 10:56:00 PM
I drink like 10 glasses of water every day. and i still gaining wait why????
Comment by martinpetersen said... - Tuesday, August 18, 2009 10:14:00 AM
Syngery Kabucha tea is a popular item in the store I work for. Its a natural raw (soda) fruit drink. Its low on calories , is also a raw drink. It helps support digestion,metabolism,immune system,appetite control,weight control,liver funtion,body alkalinity,anti-aging,cell integrity and healthy hair and skin. EVERYONE at work drinks it regularly and tell me all the time how its made such a hugh difference in the way they feel. If its available in your area you owe it to yourself to try it, it comes in like 12 flavors...yum! my favorite drink. Its costs about 3.00 a bottle but I figure I used to spend that at starbucks and I got nothing but chemicals and calories, so it wasn't a difficult choice.
Comment by said... - Friday, August 21, 2009 3:57:00 PM
I have 3 tips for weight loss, and keeping the pounds off for years:
1- Measure ALL of the food you put on your plate. You would be surprised to see how much you can fit on a "spoonful".
2- Use a small plate, not a dinner size, that way the smaller portions will fill it.
3- NEVER wear pants with an elastic waist, and if you must, don't wear them when you eat. The waist stretches and you don't get that full, uncomfortable feeling that signals you to stop eating. So stick to pants that have a zipper and waistband.
Comment by aasi said... - Thursday, October 15, 2009 8:48:00 AM
Acne Solution
You look great now...I also thought about posting a shot of myself...but will wait, because now I
realize that my weight and stress of it has caused a medical condition I have to take care
of...you have been inspiring to me with the post and all!
Comment by said... - Friday, November 20, 2009 12:10:00 PM
I was trying to curb miserable seasonal allergies and my acupuncturist told me to stay away from bread, proccessed food, high futrose corn syrup and food coloring, She said that it makes the body react to the pollen causing allergies. Well, I started eating corn tortillas and corn chips (fritos have 3 ingredients!) instead of bread and really read my labels. I dropped that last 10 lbs that was eluding me with this allergy diet and have kept it off for 4 years.
Comment by said... - Monday, February 01, 2010 11:18:00 AM
I drink water w/crytal light or some other brand in it, all no calorie sugarfree, some have other benefits like skin essentials or vitamins or energy.
Also, I recently discovered yerba mate tea- what an awesome find...packed with vitamins and minerals, naturally sweet with stevia, helps with elimination and weight loss, its the perfect diet drink! One cup compared to two cups of coffee give me all day energy which helps with workout etc.
Comment by said... - Monday, February 01, 2010 11:20:00 AM
You say stay away from soda, but what about diet coke, is it just as damaging?
Comment by said... - Monday, February 01, 2010 12:52:00 PM
Drinking water is the fluid of choice when it comes to avoiding dehydration and weight loss. Now having a soda in moderation (can a day or so) for most seems to also be safe - including Diet Coke as asked above. Regular soda has more calories/sugar; diet less calories but usually artificial sweeteners. Either way...studies have shown with soda that it can increase your risk of obesity and other health problems. My best advice is limit the soda as much as possible...drink more water (love the cucumber/lemon slice addition) - keeping the diet soda as an occasional thing.
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