Nutrition Hacks: Don't drink your calories

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another edition of "Nutrition Hacks", an ongoing series where I discuss some techniques one could use to help them get a better hold on their nutrition and accomplish their fitness goals.

This week, I'd like to talk about a nutrition hack I was introduced to early on in my bodybuilding career. It's a concept that revolves around the idea that someone shouldn't drink their calories. And it's a technique that works really well for initial fat loss.

It's important to eat whole foods for many reasons when it comes to body transformation. One of those reasons is that the act of chewing and eating requires you to invest time and energy. And if you're eating the right foods, you'll get tired of eating and become full before you eat a crazy amount of calories. Also, whole foods are significantly more filling than liquid substances, further decreasing the chances of overeating.

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Both of these concepts help in stopping the act of consuming a large amount of calories within a super short time frame without getting full, which can throw caloric responsibilities out of whack.

We all know that super-sugary cola beverages and alcoholic beverages can be very bad for you as far as weight gain is concerned. But it's also important to note that drinks marketed as "healthy" or "nutritious", such as fruit juices and skim milk, can also be detrimental to a weight-loss program. All of said beverages contain hundreds of calories within a small quantity that can be consumed in no time at all and not give your body enough time to give you the feeling of being full....thus leading to overeating.

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Here are some examples of how many calories can be consumed by commonly ingested beverages:

*Sodas vary, but can contain around 130+ calories per can.

*Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. One can of beer can be 150+ calories (check how diluted your alcohol drink is for calorie calculations).

*Orange juice contains around 110-120 calories in 8fl. oz, or 1 cup!! A lot of fruit juices are like this and are loaded with sugar.

*Skim milk contains around 80 calories in one cup, so it's easy to jack up the calories if you're using it for protein shakes, cereal, or before bed.

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So it's easy to see just how quickly one can pile on those calories simply by drinking something. If you're trying to lose weight, I recommend drinking almost exclusively water, with the occasional zero-calorie drink / unsweet tea as a snack, and black coffee for energy. You can drink as much water as you want and it will fill you up without having any major impact on your caloric goals.

If you're having trouble losing weight after implementing a solid nutritional and exercise routine, try maybe looking at the beverages you are consuming and see if eliminating them from your diet and substituting them with better choices like water helps you to lose more weight!

-Jtrain

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