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So you’re trying to lose some weight… actually you are trying to lose some fat. Why the heck would you want to put useless calories in your body that do not make you feel full, spike your blood sugar, and go straight to your waistline? The following list is the average amount of calories in some of our favorite beverages (calorie king).
- Fruit juice (8oz.): 115 calories, 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 27 grams of sugar
- Soda (12oz.): 140 calories, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 39 grams of sugar
- Vitamin Water (20oz.): 125 calories, 33 grams of sugar
- Beer: 153 calories, 12 grams of carbohydrate
- Coffee w/cream & sugar: 120 calories, 19 grams of carbohydrate, 17 grams of sugar
Guess what has 0 calories, 0 carbohydrates, and 0 grams of sugar….. say it loud and say it proud WATER WATER everywhere so let’s all have a drink!
If you consume only two of these drinks every day you are adding 250-300 calories, 30-80 grams of carbohydrates, and 20-80 grams of sugar. Over the course of a week, we are looking at an extra 2,100 calories and over the course of a year we are talking about 109,200 extra useless calories added to your waste line. You have to burn 3,500 calories to burn a pound of fat. Just to put that in perspective you would have to run for 4 hours, strength train for 9 hours, or play tennis for 6 hours. Dear lord! (Calories burned)
So lets do the math here: 109,200 calories/3,500 calories=31 extra pounds of blubber you would have to burn off just to stay at your current weight.
Save your liver and increase fat burning
I could get all into why alcohol is bad for you right here and explain why essentially you are putting poison into your body but I will save that for a later post. I just want to touch on the effects that soda has on your liver. The sugar found in soda is often fructose. This sugar will not only increase your insulin levels but also fill your liver glycogen levels. In order to maximize your fat-burning potential, those glycogen levels need to be emptied or extremely limited. Be very careful with fruit juices, additions to coffee (creamer, milk, sugar), and caloric beverages like gatorade and vitamin water.
Yo… how much H20 should I drink?
According to many doctors, strength coaches, fitness gurus, and specifically a coach I really respect (Charles Poliquin) the recommended daily amount is about 0.6-0.7 ounces per pound of body weight. A 200-pound man should then roughly be drinking 120-140 ounces per day. Damn! That’s a shit ton of water. I agree, so start small. Replace that cup of OJ in the morning with a glass of water, that latte in the afternoon with a glass of water or if you still need the pick me up, maybe just a shot of espresso with small water.
Top 7 reasons to only drink water.
- Helps fight cancer… say word! Drinking a healthy amount of water every day has been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer by up to 45%
- Natural Cleanser Good ol’ h20 is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body.
- Improve your pooping… or digestive health Enough water is needed by our digestive system in order to process foods properly. If you have stomach acid problems or digestive issues start immediately. It can elevate constipation as well.
- Healthy skin It will not happen over night but if you start drinking enough water on a daily basis and eliminating elements that dehydrate you (caffeine, diet drinks, to much salt, alcohol) you will start to notice a healthy glow and increased buoyancy in your skin.
- The real Advil Water is a great way to reduce headaches. Dehydration is one of the leading causes of headaches. Start pounding some water and eliminate those darn things.
- Energy feel like a raging 7 year old again with non-stop energy. Being de-hydrated can suck the life out of you…. literally. Even mild dehydration can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness, and even feelings of sickness.
And #1. Drum roll, please…….
WEIGHT LOSS
As mentioned before, if you replace some of your daily caloric beverages every day with water you can save yourself on average 200-300 calories every day. If you consume some of the Starbucks signatures or various smoothies, you can save yourself anywhere from 400-800 calories. Also, often times when you are hungry you are actually just in need of a drink. Try drinking a glass of water before eating and see how you feel.
So I will leave you with this. Carry around bottled water, jug, thermos, or whatever you need in order to have water with you at all times. Leave a case in your car, at work, and for heaven’s sake have it at home.
Chug-a-lug