Drinking calories

Ive been looking over my calories consumed this past week and I have noticed I drink a significant amount of my calories. I want to cut out those calories and replace them with food. I have a question i know it might be silly one but would doing so help you feel fuller or should I just cut them out because drinking soda and crappy drinks like that are bad for me? I want to make small changes and think about this as a permanent thing that I would do for the rest of my life. But if eating those calories instead of drinking them will make an overall difference in the way I feel ( less hungry ) I would be willing to make that change.

Replies

  • Jax_Grim
    Jax_Grim Posts: 381 Member
    I used to drink nearly 50% of my daily calories. Now, I maybe have a soda each week. I could never enjoy the diet drink, so its mostly water for me these days.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    edited February 2020
    As I just said on another thread, I started losing weight by switching from full calorie Coca Cola to unsweetened iced tea. About 1200 calories a day deficit for about 10 pounds a month. From there I kept learning and continued to lose.
    If it’s that easy to lose, it’s certainly worth considering.
    Another plus. I don’t have to get up to use the bathroom 2-3 times a night, I sleep through and wake up more rested most mornings.
    It’s cheaper.
    Tea bags are lighter to carry and more convenient to keep in cabinet. Better yet, drink tap water and you don’t have to mess with anything at all. (My next step? )
  • nasr25
    nasr25 Posts: 214 Member
    yeah that is my next step i need to experiment for myself.
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,885 Member
    I dont drink calories unless in a protein shake. I drink water, flavored water, black coffee, tea, and diet soda. Id much rather get to eat more food
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    Sparkling water with a squeeze of citrus is a good sub for me for soda.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,678 Member
    If you drink a lot of soda, then be aware that you may go through withdrawal if you go cold turkey. That said, it's totally worth it - both from a calorie and a health perspective.

    Typically my only drink calories are my coffee. I can go days without drinking anything but water and coffee... but every once in a while I'll splurge and get a soda or juice.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I don't find any set of calories without a mix of macros filling, liquid or not. I add fat and fiber to protein shakes. It's dinner time and I'm still trying to finish the protein smoothie I started 3 hours ago.

    I tried bullet proof coffee some years back and didn't find it filling at all. I reduced fat drastically, added fiber and protein, and find that more filling for less calories.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,678 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    If you drink a lot of soda, then be aware that you may go through withdrawal if you go cold turkey. That said, it's totally worth it - both from a calorie and a health perspective.

    Typically my only drink calories are my coffee. I can go days without drinking anything but water and coffee... but every once in a while I'll splurge and get a soda or juice.

    The "soda" withdrawal is actually from the caffeine. You can buy caffeine pills.

    Sometimes. My mom was addicted to caffeine free diet coke, though... So was that the aspartame in that case?

    Too much chemical crack in all of them.
  • lilchefmelissa
    lilchefmelissa Posts: 21 Member
    I have stopped drinking my calories and I’m talking over 1200 a day, it is what would be convenient for me. My only problem now is I have 0 calories from drinking but find it difficult to get enough calories in food.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    I'm totally addicted to tea. I always have a big cup of green tea with lemon next to me. Or when I have a bit of reflux I drink mint, rosehip or some other herbal infusions. Polish shops generally have a huge selection of herbal and fruity teas.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    edited May 2020
    I have stopped drinking my calories and I’m talking over 1200 a day, it is what would be convenient for me. My only problem now is I have 0 calories from drinking but find it difficult to get enough calories in food.

    What a wonderful problem to have!

    There’s a thread called “first world problems”. Maybe this post belongs there, too.
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    nasr25 wrote: »
    Ive been looking over my calories consumed this past week and I have noticed I drink a significant amount of my calories. I want to cut out those calories and replace them with food. I have a question i know it might be silly one but would doing so help you feel fuller or should I just cut them out because drinking soda and crappy drinks like that are bad for me? I want to make small changes and think about this as a permanent thing that I would do for the rest of my life. But if eating those calories instead of drinking them will make an overall difference in the way I feel ( less hungry ) I would be willing to make that change.

    Run an experiment for a week and see. No one can answer what will work for you and what won't. You might find that if you feel more full that is an incentive enough to cut back on the soda.

    I second this. Additionally, I'd like to mention that junk-liquid is a very easy habit to break. One day early in my diet I decided to put the kibosh on the massive tankfuls of Diet Coke I drank literally every day for 40 some years, and just ... stopped. Lo and behold, by the next day I was done with it. I mostly drink carbonated water and just plain ole' water, sometimes with a little flavoring or a twist of lime, but often just plain. Sounds boring and unsatisfying, but it takes all of about 24 hrs to realize that plain ole' water as we were designed to drink is actually pretty damn good. And doesn't, unlike so many other beverages, lead to cravings and a desire to eat more food or drink more junky liquid. An elegantly simple diet hack that's worth a try.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    I am one that needs to eat my calories to feel full. Even smoothies won't keep me full for long. Many have had great success simply with replacing soda with 0 calorie drinks. You may be one of them.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Yes, generally you will feel more full with food. An exception might be milk.
  • manyasin
    manyasin Posts: 20 Member
    Try to gradually reduce the amount of soda you drink each day, perhaps try switching to the "diet" varieties, they're still not great but it can help get through the withdrawal stage. I try to only have soda on weekends now as a kind of "treat" to myself, or when I'm being social and use it as a mixer with alcohol, but I only use the diet sodas now. When I want a sweet drink I tend to go for cordial mixed with water. The low calorie version I buy means I use about 20-30 of my daily calorie intake on cordial and that means I drink a lot of water. I'm happy to use those calories in order to ensure I'm staying hydrated. Over time I've reduced the amount of cordial I add to the water so it's just a smidge now for a bit of flavour. Another tip to drinking plain water is to drink it from a large glass with ice cubes, for some reason it makes the water taste so much nicer!
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
    I let myself have a can or two of pop most days of the week, but I did determine back when i started that I wasn't going to waste most of my calories on drinks, so I made myself switch to the "zero" versions (the only true "diet" I can stand is Dr. Pepper). Once in a while I'll treat myself to a half-cut tea, but usually, I stick with unsweet tea. I've switched to Pyure stevia for my coffee, and use cashew milk as my creamer, or sometimes skim milk.

  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    One thing that had worked for me was to cut the size of my soda servings. Psychologically, a 12 oz can is the same as a 20 oz bottle, it's one sitting of Coke. So even though it means keeping soda in the house, I've switched to the baby 7.5 oz cans and it's helped.