So basically, no drinking calories

ivanhogsmybed
ivanhogsmybed Posts: 13 Member
edited January 2016 in Food and Nutrition
I've just plugged in the foods I've eaten and plan to eat for today, my first food diary day! It is very instructive. My carb count is a little on the high side but as it's mostly fruit and veggies I'm going to let it slide. BUT, looking over my problem spots for sugars, I see that even one cup of juice and one cup of milk takes up a lot of my daily allowance. Hm. Now I know how I gained 9 lbs in the last half of 2015 - lattes! Ugh.

Does anyone here really manage to keep their drinking calories very low? I like tea and water, not diet soda, but I really like juice and milk and would find it hard to give them up altogether.

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    You don't have to give them up. You just have to stay in a calorie deficit, so it might mean drinking a little LESS calories than you're used to. I personally only drink calories when I add cream and sugar to coffee, or have wine/whiskey.
  • novatri
    novatri Posts: 262 Member
    I drink 3-4 coke's a day cause I don't want to give them up. They're figured into my caloric allowance. When I'm at work it's straight black coffee or water.
  • ivanhogsmybed
    ivanhogsmybed Posts: 13 Member
    Yes, I will have to give that some thought, how to cut down without feeling too deprived. I think I rely on that morning sugar rush from juice to wake up.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I don't typically enjoy drinking (non-alcohol) calories, but I will sometimes have a plant milk (I don't do dairy). I do drink a small glass of V8 every morning because I find it very filling.

    If the calories from juice and milk are worth it to you, you can lose weight while drinking them. You'll just have to account for the calories. Over time, you may find that it's not worth it to you to drink these calories and you'd rather have food you can chew. Or you may still want the milk and juice and that's okay.
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
    If I want juice, it's usually cranberry juice, and instead of a whole glass of juice, I'll mix it 1/3 juice to 2/3 club soda. Cuts down the calories but I still get the nice flavour I'm looking for. As for milk, skim milk isn't bad, or you can switch to almond milk, which has way less calories but may taste just as good to you (as it does to me). Or, as others have stated, keep drinking the same stuff but just less of it.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2016
    Does anyone here really manage to keep their drinking calories very low? I like tea and water, not diet soda, but I really like juice and milk and would find it hard to give them up altogether.

    I do, because for me no calories I would drink are ones that are worth it to me. (I prefer black coffee, tea (including homemade iced without sweetener), water, some other no/low cal drinks, don't really drink milk or juice (I like whole fruit and other forms of dairy), etc.) BUT, if they are worth it to you, cut elsewhere.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    I Would never sit down and drink a large glass of fruit juice, its just pure sugar its like eating a chocolate cake. . The nutrients from Fruit are important for your health, i limit myself to 2 servings a day and i go for fresh fruit in its whole form. I also have 2 dairy servings, one of which is 1 cup non fat milk. Try drinking water to quench your thirst before you go for the fruit juice or milk. Lots of times we crave liquids because we are thirsty. Maybe you can add some of those little sugar free flavorings to your water. You can also dilute your juice half water half juice. IT takes time to adjust to changes, but its worth the time invested.
  • HurriCate
    HurriCate Posts: 9 Member
    Fruit juice is quite high in natural sugars. Some of my family are diabetic, and to cut fruit sugar intake, they avoid juice and opt for the whole fruit instead, which also gives your more fibre and other nutrients. Could smoothies instead of juice work for you some mornings? A kiwi with a chunk of banana or a couple of strawberries, with just a little added juice, for example?
  • Linzon
    Linzon Posts: 294 Member
    For the most part I drink water, unsweetened tea, and coffee with one sugar and 1/4 cup milk (about 50 calories/cup if I use whole milk, 25 calories/cup if I use unsweetened almond milk). I've never been a fruit juice person but sometimes I do get vegetable juice to make 'soup' with cottage cheese.

    However, 2 or 3 times a week I do make room in my day for an iced mocha! The calories are worth it for me because I keep it in the fridge and drink it over the course of the whole day rather than downing it in one go. I'm not planning on giving them up anytime soon so it's important for me to be able to fit them in with the rest of my intake rather than getting rid of them entirely.
  • KareninLux
    KareninLux Posts: 1,413 Member
    I opt for lots of water normally and the following: soy milk (not everyday), 1 cup coffee coffee (daily) and 1 cup cappucino (daily) and wine (daily)... sometimes on weekends I drink AJ or OJ about 150 mls.
  • a_j_paterson
    a_j_paterson Posts: 26 Member
    Cutting back on milk or fruit juice is simply the same as any of us cutting back on the things we enjoy. So whether that is a glass if juice, a slice of cake, or a piece of pizza, they all have calories and if we want to lose weight we will have to cut back somewhere. I'd rather eat my calories, so have cut out coffee, and after a few days didn't really miss it at all.
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
    If you don't want to give up your cup of milk and cup of juice and don't want to use as many calories you could go for skimmed milk (obviously not sure what fat percentage the milk is you drink so guesing semi skimmed) which would lower calories and with juice you could dilute it 25/75 or 50/50 with water.
  • SweetestLibby
    SweetestLibby Posts: 607 Member
    For the most part I drink water, tea, and coffee with the occasional diet soda or sparkling water...if I'm going to drink calories it's going to be things like wine. I have wine a few times a week. I still drink some calories but it helps that I'm not much of a juice or milk drinker (almond milk has fewer calories but I still only have it in protein shakes or cereal).

    My sister drinks juice but it's normally a half serving of it mixed with water or seltzer water.
  • jhall260
    jhall260 Posts: 111 Member
    Like everyone else said it's fine to drink your calories. But I'm in the same boat as a lot of people and I don't find it worth it. I'd rather eat my calories.

    I often dilute my juice out. Still get the flavor with out all the calories. Makes the bottle of juice last longer too!
    The only other calories I drink are from alcohol.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    other than alcohol, i dont drink many calories (gave up full calorie sodas over a year ago)

    im sick right now so have had a couple of glasses of OJ, but thats unusual for me
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited January 2016
    I don't drink my calories much at all anymore. I'll use milk in recipes and that's pretty much it... don't even have protein shakes anymore. It's just not worth it for me, because for 200 calories of juice, I could have 2 or 3 pieces of chocolate, and I like chocolate better... my favorite juice ever is apricot nectar and it's like 180 calories for a measly 10 ounces...

    But in the end it's about what's worth the calories for you. I've had a couple lattes because at least milk has great macros, just without sugar.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Use a smaller glass. Consider milk with a lower fat % than currently. Have it less frequently. Adjust your target deficit to allow for these and accept a slower loss. All of these are ok to do.