I drink so many calories!

gel91

I may be asking the impossible as I know only I can stop/change myself & my life but, I drink mostly half of my daily calories each day.

Wether it's alcohol, red bull, pure juice, coffee, whatever, the calories add up so quickly.

I'm a total sucker for a starbucks skinny vanilla latte, and i'm even worse for vodka & diet coke!

Is there any tips at all to drink less, eat more. Alcohol tempts me into bad junk food which in turn makes me sleep less which means I drink energy drinks & coffee more.

It would be easier to completley cut them out I know, but I don't want too! I don't have a sweet tooth so these are my, treats, so to speak?

I'm struggling to lose weight these days and I think this may be why. Although I rarely drink water either. Maybe 2 cups a day?

Thanks!


..apologies for my spelling

melaniecheeks

Take it one day at a time. This week, try to have one day where you don't drink alcohol or Starbucks. next week, make it 2 days. And so on.

smokinjackd

I dont know, you are losing weight so it seems to be working for you. how about saving the drinking for the weekend only. And Starbucks is evil anyway, just pass them by and put the money you would have spent into your new clothing savings.

FrustratedYoYoer

I may be asking the impossible as I know only I can stop/change myself & my life but, I drink mostly half of my daily calories each day.

Wether it's alcohol, red bull, pure juice, coffee, whatever, the calories add up so quickly.

I'm a total sucker for a starbucks skinny vanilla latte, and i'm even worse for vodka & diet coke!

Is there any tips at all to drink less, eat more. Alcohol tempts me into bad junk food which in turn makes me sleep less which means I drink energy drinks & coffee more.

It would be easier to completley cut them out I know, but I don't want too! I don't have a sweet tooth so these are my, treats, so to speak?

I'm struggling to lose weight these days and I think this may be why. Although I rarely drink water either. Maybe 2 cups a day?

Thanks!


..apologies for my spelling

Why not save the alcohol for 1 night a week and treat yourself to the starbucks once a week? You've said the alcohol leads you to make bad food choices anyway so that's like a double whammy. If your weight loss has stalled the alcohol might be a sacrifice you'll have to make. I'm not saying giving up completely, just cut down x

amberlykay1014

Have a coffee in the morning that you make yourself that way you can still make it sweet or with vanilla flavoring.

Challenge yourself to drink water during the day.

Have your vodka soda at night.

Start with small goals and you'll see results. Good luck!

NyimaR

Try replacing some of your drinks with a dilute no-added-sugar cordial. They add sweetness and flavor to water and are very low calorie. Reduce the caffeinated drinks slowly and if you find yourself having withdrawal symptoms a small portion of diet cola can help a bit with this (giving you a little caffeine boost without the sugar)

gel91

I should add, that lately I've been getting an awful lot of headaches and i'm not sure if it's the lack of food or too much coffee.

Before I started here last year I used to drink maybe 10 cans of full fat coke every day, I cut down to just diet, then just water. But I guess I found it boring after a while, before I'd only ever drink coke, like ever. So I started exploring other drinks and fell in love with green tea, lattes, pure orange ect.

But since my weight loss has stalled I so know that I need to cut down again. But it seems harder now!

selig0730

i cant speak for you but for me, i drink lots of water and water only then i got lots of calories for food plus the sugar in the pop and juice isnt good, i do drink alcohol but keep it to special events or maybe 1 drink at a time. As far as coffee, i drink a sugar free van non fat latte at mcdonalds which is like 60 calories. the other drinks with whip cream is too many calories unless i know i will burn them off that day. At first it was really hard but i havent had any pop since Oct 2011 so now im used to it. hope this helps

bprague

I think you already know what you need to do. You need to cut it out. Whether you substitute it with a lower calorie option or remove it all together, you need to get rid of the c*ap. Time to buckle down. You can do it one step at a time, one day at a time. And for god's sake drink water. Over time you get used to it. Just drink it. Eventually you won't loathe it.

lizchristine

Why not try flavoring water with lime or lemon juice? Also, coffee with skim milk and sugar free syrups or splenda/stevia might be a good replacement for Starbucks. I used to drink a lot of wine and my weight loss efforts got a lot better when I saved the pinot noir for the weekends. Good luck!!!

trixiemou

Easy one with the water, have a glass as soon as you get up, then another as you are putting the kettle etc on. Its a habbit to get into.

Must admit tho when it comes to not having stuff, if I dont have it in then I cant consume. I seriousely cant have bread, biscuits and crisps in the house. Alcohol, I have if I have some calories to use, unless I am going out of course and even then I try to allocate part of my daily allowance or exercise allowance on those. Works sometimes.

It is unfortunately also down to will power and you have proven you have it by losing what you have to date,

kobashi

I may be asking the impossible as I know only I can stop/change myself & my life but, I drink mostly half of my daily calories each day.

Wether it's alcohol, red bull, pure juice, coffee, whatever, the calories add up so quickly.

I'm a total sucker for a starbucks skinny vanilla latte, and i'm even worse for vodka & diet coke!

Is there any tips at all to drink less, eat more. Alcohol tempts me into bad junk food which in turn makes me sleep less which means I drink energy drinks & coffee more.

It would be easier to completley cut them out I know, but I don't want too! I don't have a sweet tooth so these are my, treats, so to speak?

I'm struggling to lose weight these days and I think this may be why. Although I rarely drink water either. Maybe 2 cups a day?

Thanks!


..apologies for my spelling

You know your problems, now work on the solutions. Drink more water, drink less junk. Don't drink alcohol. Either your goal is to lose weight or it's to get drunk. Make your decision.

Glasgow_Vegan

You say you don't have a sweet tooth but the skinny latte probably contains sugar (it's just lower in fat) and the Red Bull is full of it. Switch to the diet version of red bull and get a plain tea in Starbucks and you'll be on to a good start.

bradphil87

I think you already know what you need to do. You need to cut it out. Whether you substitute it with a lower calorie option or remove it all together, you need to get rid of the c*ap. Time to buckle down. You can do it one step at a time, one day at a time. And for god's sake drink water. Over time you get used to it. Just drink it. Eventually you won't loathe it.

I agree with this poster^ right to the point. If these drinks mean more to you than your weight loss or fitness goals. You may not be ready to start the journey. But the disire is there, so maybe someday down the line when you are willing to get serious you can make great progress

KyleB65

I would suggest you tackle on at a time.
For me, when started on MFP, it was coke & beer! Mostly coke!
I kicked both cold turkey!!
I still have a diet coke from time to time. Usually with popcorn when I go to a movie. But my main beverage is water.
As you tackle the next hurdle, I would suggest the juices. Better to eat a piece of fruit than drink a container of juice.
Last is coffee! I have not conquered this yet! :-)
I am slowly going over to tea but I still love my morning coffee. I have adapted though, I use almond milk and a little maple syrup or honey as sweetener.
Best of luck!

ticklishstorm

You sound alot like me.

leeanneowens

It looks like you are losing weight but if you really feel like the Starbucks and the alcohol are hindering your progress you might just have to decide which is more important to you. I love Pepsi and my favorite drink in the world is sweet tea. I finally had to make a decision to drink water with my meals and snacks and now i drink a Pepsi about once a week. I only have tea occasionally and I am learning to drink it half sweet half unsweet. You don't have to completely stop having the things you love but you may have to drastically cut back.

Glasgow_Vegan

The recommended amount of fruit juice is 200ml, which is about a small teacup full. Definitely not a mug or glass full. You get all your vitamin c in that and if you drink more you're just upping calories and sugar. Same for smoothies.

lamilli09

When I first started losing weight, I too was drinking boatloads of calories and not drinking nearly enough water.

Initially, I did a 1:1 ratio for water to other drinks. Make yourself a Diet Coke with Vanilla Vodka? Pour yourself a glass of water too. For me, this helped increase my water intake as well as slow down my other beverage intake. Plus, the more water you drink, the more you will crave the water over other beverages.

I will tell you that ultimately, I ended up cutting out alcohol entirely and cut out 75% of my coffee/juice/teas in favor of waters and unsweetened teas.

Best of luck!

mfpcopine

Can you switch to a SB latte with nonfat milk? I find that the espresso has natural, sweet, chocolatey flavor even unsweetened. Doesn't SB have artificially sweetened drinks, if you must have something sweet/

As for alcohol, consider switching to a beer like Amstel Light. 95 calories, and beer is more filling than wine or mixed drinks.

starrlette

Try sparkling water! You can add cut strawberries or any sliced fruit really, just to give it some flavor if you like. It's satisfying, refreshing and a whole lot better for you than soda! Just watch out for the sodium content when choosing your sparkling water. Gl!

Nerdy_Rose

Diet soda. Trop50 juices. Limit drinking alcohol to once a week. Flavored seltzer waters.

I make my coffee with no sugar and 2 tablespoons of flavored creamer so it's under 100 calories, and it's my one daily coffee. Tea with caffeine and honey or artificial sweetener can serve as extra caffeine, and so can diet soda.

Edit: Additionally, a friend of mine who used to drink Redbull every day once told me, "My kidneys stopped hurting!" after she switched to coffee. So... just say no to Redbull. That stuff is scary.

DoOrDoNotThereIsNoTry1

You can drink your calories and lose weight too. Believe me, every weekend I enjoy my beers and shots of jagermeister. I often get asked how I lose weight when I still drink. It can be done.

As for coffee-stay away from the lattes and all that other fu fu stuff. Coffee with milk or half and half (which I drink). I don't use any sweetener but if you do, go out and buy some stevia packets.

Fruit juices- Try to eliminate altogether. Just added wasted sugar that jacks up your insulin levels. Try to avoid and drink water or water with lemon juice. If you must have the juice, then water it down. Half juice half water.

Alcohol- Vodka is good choice for hard liquor. You can try vodka water or vodka and club soda. I don't know if you like beer but I drink Becks Light- Only 64 calories which leaves room for Jagermeister

Avoid the snacking. Eat dinner either before you drink or while you are drinking. Protein works best. I you are having a high carb meal while drinking, you will not feel satisfied and would be inclined to snack later.

I also estimate what my dinner and drinks will be so I know how many drinks I am allowed without going over my calorie count.
Days I drink I often try to have a good workout to burn extra calories.
Also, drink water in between drinks to keep you full, hydrated to reduce or avoid the hangover and to help keep you from snacking.

The beauty of this site is to encourage you to change your lifestyle...not dramatically but to make wiser more informed decisions. You don't have to give up things you enjoy, but you have to just be conscious of their effects on your overall health. Checking your daily and weekly consumption, especially heading towards the weekend is very helpful in knowing how hard you can "have fun".

Just my two cents, hope this helps.

gel91

Thanks for all the replys I've taken it all on board.

I know I just need to cut down, and I guess I just needed others to tell me too aswell. Makes it all the more obvious and clearer in my head. Tomorrows a monday, and it's the start of the working week that I usually OD on redbull & starbucks. So tomorrow i'll try go without completely. Won't cold turkey on the alcohol just yet but, i'm gonna try cut down.

I wonder what vanilla tea would taste like?

thrillpop

stop drinking that and learn to drink water

Glasgow_Vegan

Thanks for all the replys I've taken it all on board.

I know I just need to cut down, and I guess I just needed others to tell me too aswell. Makes it all the more obvious and clearer in my head. Tomorrows a monday, and it's the start of the working week that I usually OD on redbull & starbucks. So tomorrow i'll try go without completely. Won't cold turkey on the alcohol just yet but, i'm gonna try cut down.

I wonder what vanilla tea would taste like?

There was a stage when I used to drink 7 diet energy drinks a day, so no judgement here! That was only over a year ago. I cut them out completely and switched to one or two diet colas a day. That was after a doctor was horrified when she found out. It hasn't affected my weight loss and just stops me getting too hyper and nervous. Once you cut down on the energy drinks you'll realise that weirdly they actually make you tired. Then you feel like you 'need' to keep taking them, so it's a bad cycle.

I put a teaspoon of artificial sweetener in my tea at first, then when I got used to the taste of it, cut it out. You could also try cinnamon or honey.

codapea

I love red wine, but I have found that I lose so much more quickly when I don't drink. I've allotted my self 2 nights a month to enjoy my red wine, or whatever... but the 1-2 lb. gain, puffy face and pooched out tummy that follows really reinforces why it's better to avoid alcohol for the most part. Plus it makes me want to snack, too. I haven't had a problem with coffee, and I think if you try to give up all of those drinks you enjoy, it will be too hard to maintain. My husband is like you, he love's to drink everything but water all day long. He hates anything diet (it gives him a bad headache, maybe that is what is causing yours), but he cuts calories by mixing his juice with sparkling water or lemonade with unsweetened iced tea.

gel91

Honey sounds good in tea, might try that tomorrow before work!

I think the big struggle will be less alcohol, it's always around, it seems its more social than food is!

& with my lattes, I think i'll just save them for the odd occasion, I have a particular friend who I see around once a week who loves coffee shops. So maybe just the 1 a week!

Tixxie

I wonder what vanilla tea would taste like?

Pukka does a nice vanilla chai teabag (though unfortunately not many places seem to stock it). Some of their detox ones with liquorice/aniseed have quite a sweet aftertaste too.

But like others have said, I'd tackle one at a time - try listing them all with pros and cons, see which one is worst for you in terms of health/weight (suspect the Red Bull but don't know for sure) and work on cutting that one down first.

xXKatrinaXx

Personally I would slowly start cutting them out. I used to drink starbucks every single day but I totally cut that habbit. Its grossed me out when I realized how many calories their drinks had. Now I make my own coffee at home, and I also have an expresso machine so sometimes Ill make cappacinos with sugar free syrups. If you dont want to cut alcohol out completly, maybe start making it a goal to drink a lot less or give yourself one night a week or something where you can drink.

Its gonna be hard but just take it one day at a time and you will get there.

charl2712

See I love an alcoholic drink (not that I'm an alcoholic or anything lol) but I would be having a glass or wine during the weekdays. Even though sometimes after a stressful day at work I really crave a drink, I make sure that as soon as I get through the door from work I have a pint of cold water. Then have my dinner and to be honest by this time I usually feel quite full that I don't want anything else for the evening. At the weekend is another thing, I do allow myself the odd treat of a bottle of cider from Fri-Sun eve, usually trying to stick to 1-2 bottles of alcohol an evening ( I try and eat carefully during the day to save my calories for later in the evening for the alcohol). I haven't done this for that long, but in 2 weekends of doing this and just watching what I eat, with no exercise I've lost 4-5lbs. That's actually more weigtloss achieved that I did in the 2 weeks of staying away from alcohol and working out 5 times a week for 2 hours each time. So you can still have your alcoholic treat, eat healthy and loose weight.