What you Sip can Stick to Your Hips

You eat sensibly, exercise consistently, and enjoy healthy drinks. Yet you are still not losing weight. Read the sneaky reason why!

The cause of this frustrating weight loss plateau may not be what you think. It’s not because you ate that one piece of chocolate after lunch or because you had mayonnaise on your tuna sandwich. The cause might be what you are sipping between your meals.

When was the last time you ate something without drinking a calorie-laden beverage? From a mocha-lotta-venta-ya-ya-ya in the morning, to a soda with lunch, and a glass (or two) of wine with dinner, your day might be filled with sneaky sources of liquid calories!

Sure, most of us are aware that a Unicorn Frappuccino from Starbucks may not be the healthiest drink, yet any beverage other than water may also be sabotaging you!

First of all, drinks are sabotaging your wallet. Money spent on beverages almost rivals the money spent on food. Coffee is a $164.7 million industry, alcohol is a $113.5 billion industry, and soda is a $60 billion industry. Even energy drinks and juicing/smoothie drinks are gaining in popularity, with $12.5 billion and $10.7 billion consumption by 2015.

[bctt tweet=”I bet you didn’t know that your #soda or #juice may be sabotaging your #weightloss.” username=”forbes”]

Second, drinks are sabotaging your health. Here’s how I  know.

Back in 2002, I decided to cut out all beverages aside from coffee and water. That means, I wasn’t drinking 2-3 glasses of Kool-aid every day in the summer, hot chocolate in the winter, or a full pack of diet soda every week.

Within just one month, I was down 20 pounds! I have helped some of my clients reduce either their soda or alcohol consumption as well, and they have lost anywhere from 5-10 pounds in just a few months. More than that, they no longer experience the infamous afternoon slump that drags many people to a quick pick-me-up of caffeine.

[bctt tweet=”The most important daily habit I conquered when I lost 100 pounds was THIS [Tweet “@jegoswam”].” username=”@greatist”]

That’s ok, you might be thinking. I’ll just switch to calorie-free  or healthy drinks. No more calories equals no more weight gain, right? This approach will save you the calories, but this study from Forbes show it may increase your appetite.

Plus, who knows what is in that can of diet soda? If you wouldn’t give it to your kid, then don’t choose it for yourself!

Some of you might say that juices are a healthy beverage choice. While it is true that you are benefiting from the nutrients in the fruit or vegetables, you lose something even more precious in the process.

You lose fiber. Without the fiber in the produce, your body feels the effects of the natural sugars even more. Sugar rush, anyone?

Here are some more myths you may have heard about the benefits of a juice cleanse from LiveScience, and why it might not help with long-term weight loss.

You may suspect that I have never done a cleanse, and you would be right! Call me old-fashoined, but I believe in eating real food, and not going on some spiritual detox experience. Yet, even folks who have experienced the highs and lows of a cleanse are sharing why it’s not the best route. Here is one experience from Greatist.

I know the temptation to eat more food when you stop drinking your favorite drinks will come into play, so here are 3 techniques to wean yourself slowly off the straw without overeating.

Don’t Multitask

Drink before or after you eat, but never during your meal. This is a trick I picked up from a friend who had weight loss surgery. Drinking during a meal flushes out your stomach, which allows you to eat more than you would have otherwise.

Drink More Water

You know that hydration is key to better health, right? Drinking more water can take away your opportunities to drink wine, juice, or soda.

Replace just ONE DRINK a day with a full glass of cold water. Add some lemon or fruit to it to make it tastier! Here is one place that a straw might actually serve you well. Drinking from a straw makes you more likely to drink up. Use a fun, colorful straw and get sipping!

This is one of many techniques I support my health coaching clients with. Water is the only healthy drink you should indulge in!

Choose Wisely

Especially when you are eating out, one of the hardest decisions (other than taking away the breadbasket) is whether you should indulge in a sweet drink or dessert.

When you are focusing on your health, you get to choose exactly what you eat and drink. Personally, I prefer to use my teeth instead of my lips to enjoy my calories, but everyone is different. If you don’t care about a slice of cheesecake to cleanse your palate, then choose a glass of your favorite Pinot Noir instead.

Or, if you die a little bit inside at the thought of eliminating that fruity cocktail from your meal, then skip the chocolate cake afterwards.

You CAN have it all- just not in the same meal 🙂 Choose wisely.

Hot Drinks

For those of you who cannot survive without a daily cup of coffee or tea, take heart. There are many benefits to drinking coffee or tea, as shown in this infographic from Lifehacker.

I’m a hardcore coffee drinker, but I married an Indian man, so we always have tea AND coffee in my home. My teen even enjoys some loose leaf fruit teas with a bit of honey.

Just be mindful of how much cream or sugar you add to your cup. If your coffee/tea is the color of sand instead of coal, you might want to try reducing the sugar or cream one teaspoon at a time until you have adjusted to the taste.

Share your favorite beverage in the comments, and share your biggest challenge around reducing your consumption of it!

If you run out of time for real breakfast food, and are tired of sipping those smoothies, download my FREE Breakfast Blueprint for real food to support your real weight loss.