What you Should Know about...LIQUID CALORIES
"Save 17,528 calories per month--just by doing this one thing!"
That's what the advertisement could say, and the one thing would be CUT BACK ON LIQUID CALORIES--CALORIES YOU DRINK.
No chewing required.
Don't get me wrong; I can enjoy an occasional yummy cafe mocha just as much as the next gal, it's just that what we drink on a day-to-day basis counts, in a big way, especially as we get older.
Case in point is that Starbucks Cafe Mocha I was just talking about? On a daily basis it would add 300 calories (whole milk, no whip) or 400 calories (with whip) per 16-ounce beverage. Adding the word "white" adds even more calories - ordering a White Chocolate Mocha totals 410 calories (whole milk, no whip) or 510 calories (with whip).
In my world, 510 calories is an entire meal. Order the mocha with nonfat milk or soymilk and this will bring it down to 220 calories (nonfat milk, no whip). But even then, if we do this every day, we are tallying up a total of 1540 calories a week (with nonfat milk) or 6,160 calories per month. And, this 6,160 calories per month total is only considering that habitual morning coffee run. What about drinks during the rest of the day?
Doing the Drink Math
If we are drinking the mocha in the morning and a couple of sodas or
sweetened bottled tea drinks in the afternoon and a glass of wine in the
evening as well, we are really in the beverage calorie business then! Let¹s do
some math, shall we?
Cafe mocha, 16 oz, (nonfat milk, no whip) 220
12 ounce soda 140
12 ounce sweetened bottled tea 116
8 ounces white wine or 12 ounces of beer 150
Total: 626 calories
626 liquid calories per day =
4,382 liquid calories per week =
17,528 liquid calories per month!
That's a truckload of calories saved. And calories saved translate into
potential pounds lost; approximately 5 pounds per month (using the 17,528
calories per month calculation from above).
Now do I have your attention?
Here are a few fun facts that might help dissuade you from drinking a whole
bunch of calories:
* Liquid calories may not be a wise investment of your calories.
Liquid calories don't seem to register in our stomach like food calories
do - they don't fill up and satisfy our hunger as well as solid food calories.
Next time you do drink a high calorie beverage, just check in with your
stomach and hunger an hour later. How do you feel? Are you still satisfied?
What might be going on here? A group of researchers from Pennington
Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University and the University
of North Carolina, Chapel Hill explain in a recent journal article that fructose (the chief component in high fructose corn syrup) is different from glucose in that it does NOT stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. And higher levels of insulin and leptin in the blood stream help regulate body weight by serving as signals that food has been eaten.
* Beware of high-fructose corn syrup. Some experts say part of the rise in obesity in the U.S. is due to rising consumption of high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in many soft drinks, fruit juices, and sports drinks. One study found that rats fed a high-fructose diet were more likely to develop features of metabolic syndrome, says researcher Richard J. Johnson, MD, of the University of Florida College of Medicine. (Metabolic syndrome is a group of symptoms linked to a high risk of diabetes and heart disease.)
* It's better to eat your carbohydrates than to drink them! A Purdue University study found that significant weight gain might occur when carbohydrates are consumed as liquids rather than as solid food. In their study, 15 men and women consumed a supplemental amount of carbohydrates each day as either a liquid (soda) or a solid (jelly beans) each for a 4-week period. The rest of their day's intake was up to them. While the study participants didn't decrease their intake to compensate for
the added soda calories, they were able to compensate naturally for the additional jellybean calories.
Are you still planning on drinking your calories today?
~Elaine
Related Topics: WebMD Daily Video: The Truth About Coffee, Teenage Girls Replacing Milk With Soda
Technorati Tags: diet, obesity, weightloss, calories, liquidcalories, starbucks, soda
That's what the advertisement could say, and the one thing would be CUT BACK ON LIQUID CALORIES--CALORIES YOU DRINK.
No chewing required.
Don't get me wrong; I can enjoy an occasional yummy cafe mocha just as much as the next gal, it's just that what we drink on a day-to-day basis counts, in a big way, especially as we get older.
Case in point is that Starbucks Cafe Mocha I was just talking about? On a daily basis it would add 300 calories (whole milk, no whip) or 400 calories (with whip) per 16-ounce beverage. Adding the word "white" adds even more calories - ordering a White Chocolate Mocha totals 410 calories (whole milk, no whip) or 510 calories (with whip).
In my world, 510 calories is an entire meal. Order the mocha with nonfat milk or soymilk and this will bring it down to 220 calories (nonfat milk, no whip). But even then, if we do this every day, we are tallying up a total of 1540 calories a week (with nonfat milk) or 6,160 calories per month. And, this 6,160 calories per month total is only considering that habitual morning coffee run. What about drinks during the rest of the day?
Doing the Drink Math
If we are drinking the mocha in the morning and a couple of sodas or
sweetened bottled tea drinks in the afternoon and a glass of wine in the
evening as well, we are really in the beverage calorie business then! Let¹s do
some math, shall we?
Cafe mocha, 16 oz, (nonfat milk, no whip) 220
12 ounce soda 140
12 ounce sweetened bottled tea 116
8 ounces white wine or 12 ounces of beer 150
Total: 626 calories
626 liquid calories per day =
4,382 liquid calories per week =
17,528 liquid calories per month!
That's a truckload of calories saved. And calories saved translate into
potential pounds lost; approximately 5 pounds per month (using the 17,528
calories per month calculation from above).
Now do I have your attention?
Here are a few fun facts that might help dissuade you from drinking a whole
bunch of calories:
* Liquid calories may not be a wise investment of your calories.
Liquid calories don't seem to register in our stomach like food calories
do - they don't fill up and satisfy our hunger as well as solid food calories.
Next time you do drink a high calorie beverage, just check in with your
stomach and hunger an hour later. How do you feel? Are you still satisfied?
What might be going on here? A group of researchers from Pennington
Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University and the University
of North Carolina, Chapel Hill explain in a recent journal article that fructose (the chief component in high fructose corn syrup) is different from glucose in that it does NOT stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. And higher levels of insulin and leptin in the blood stream help regulate body weight by serving as signals that food has been eaten.
* Beware of high-fructose corn syrup. Some experts say part of the rise in obesity in the U.S. is due to rising consumption of high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in many soft drinks, fruit juices, and sports drinks. One study found that rats fed a high-fructose diet were more likely to develop features of metabolic syndrome, says researcher Richard J. Johnson, MD, of the University of Florida College of Medicine. (Metabolic syndrome is a group of symptoms linked to a high risk of diabetes and heart disease.)
* It's better to eat your carbohydrates than to drink them! A Purdue University study found that significant weight gain might occur when carbohydrates are consumed as liquids rather than as solid food. In their study, 15 men and women consumed a supplemental amount of carbohydrates each day as either a liquid (soda) or a solid (jelly beans) each for a 4-week period. The rest of their day's intake was up to them. While the study participants didn't decrease their intake to compensate for
the added soda calories, they were able to compensate naturally for the additional jellybean calories.
Are you still planning on drinking your calories today?
~Elaine
Related Topics: WebMD Daily Video: The Truth About Coffee, Teenage Girls Replacing Milk With Soda
Technorati Tags: diet, obesity, weightloss, calories, liquidcalories, starbucks, soda
13 Comments:
Elaine,
I have just posted a link to this blog on my own blogsite advising my readers that it's a BEST READ.
Thanks for the good avice.
Fred
[Blogsite address provided with name above.]
Elaine,
For the exact reason you article mentions, huge calories, 30 years ago I switched to water with all my meals, including snacks (fruit or veggies). Seems water is not the in drink but best for your body and wallet.
Thank you for getting the word out.
What does it mean if you are thirsty all the time? At least it feels that way. I have never been feeling thirsty most of my life but now it is constant. I am a 53year woman in CA 5'3" 140lbs.
Being thirsty all the time could be several things..too much salt in your diet, not enough liquids in your diet or pre-diabetes..good idea to have your blood tested for sugar...
claudia k.
Interesting concept. What is the calorie count for red wine?
Banjo Bob
I think most of us know about cafe mochas, pops, wine...so how about me? I drink sugar-free soda, plain coffee, no sugar, fat-free milk...
low-sugar fruit juices...Crystal Lite, etc. I eat high-fiber, fruits, vegs, low-carb bread, everything I can think of to lose weight....no luck. I've cut my portion sizes...I don't snack. I'm 63, 5'4", have back(disc)trouble,
arthritis, stenosis, exercise is painful. I do some weight-lifting,
but that hurts too. I'm 220lbs, would like to get down to 175. Should I try South Beach? I've tried ALL the other plans...how about Lean Cuisine, other frozen
dinners? Signed,
Hopeless in Wis.
I have an elderly mother who needs more BTU's. Thanks for the advice to have her drink more.
Hopeless in Wisc sounds like ME! Same everything! I did try South Beach about 2 years ago and lost 20# but went off it during the holidays and now have gained it back. It was easy then but it is so hard to get motivated again! But Spring is here and we can get out and walk more and swim and drink more water and maybe this time it will be different ... I HOPE!
Hopeless in Wisc and Hopeful in Mn. I am there with you !! I have even gone to dietician . No good results! I have been very discouraged. I am happy SPring is coming to Maine . I am only 50 and feel much older some days. hoping to get out walking as soon as it warms up . Still hoping!!!
South Beach is a great diet. As long as you follow it correctly. It is about good carbs and proteins. It is the only diet I have ever stuck to - because it allows you to eat and is much less restrictive than an atkins type plan. If you do not want to try South Beach - then I would try the zone diet which blends carbs and proteins as well. I learned that I like so much more food and I enjoy eating healthy where I never have before. I hopes this helps the person asling about South Beach.
learn to only drink diet soda once a week, and water for the most part.
I enjoy my coffee in the morning and afternoon but there are very few calories when I get it "dark" with splenda as a sweetener. I can not bring myself to waste 350 calories for any drink, I don't care how good it is! I will admit they coolatta's look scrumptous and if I can't resist, a Kiddie size kills the craving and does the trick.
When is someone going to start a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of High Fructose Corn Syrup and aspartame? I cannot eat anything with them in it and most foods that were OK 30 years ago have been poisoned with those chemicals? Heroin is safer.
Warren
Elaine,
I was just about to get sidetracked from my new determination to eat healthier. I was looking for a mocha coolatta recipe. Your post reminded me that I am not limited to high fat smoothies or drinks. Emotional eating is no joke together with exhaustion/depression. Why I assume I craved chocolate-which is high in saturated fat,sugar, caffeine and water(hence a mocha coolatta).
I'll go drink some water, do something positive and get rest.
Thanks, Reina
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