Drinking Your Calories

Drink your calories. Why not? Maybe some people want to chew every calorie so they know they are eating something. Soup usually is a good diet food if it is not fat because it fills up the stomach so you think you have eaten a lot but it is is usually low calories especially if you make it yourself cuz then you can control what goes into it. Enjoy!

So recently I've heard from a few sources that I should never drink my calories (like soup or maybe a light cappuccino) but when I asked them why they never gave me a reasonable answer or explanation.
So is it ok to drink my calories? If not, please tell me why. I love soup way to much to give it up lol.

in a word... satiety.

often if you drink your calories, you will still feel just as hungry, and will eat more.. so by drinking calories, you have increased your calorie consumption for the day. or at the very least, feel hungry compared to eating solid food.


other then that, and the obvious "filling up on junk" like soda/beer leading to malnutrition... dont worry about it.

So recently I've heard from a few sources that I should never drink my calories (like soup or maybe a light cappuccino) but when I asked them why they never gave me a reasonable answer or explanation.
So is it ok to drink my calories? If not, please tell me why. I love soup way to much to give it up lol.

I think the "Don't drink your calories" adage is being taken somewhat out of context if the maxim is being applied to soup. I think the idea is that 1) you need make sure you drink your water quota for the day (which people often don't do in favor of drinking other beverages) and 2) that you need to make sure you get the nutrients and vitamins that you need (which you won't if you enjoy Happy Hour. Alcoholic beverages are very high calorie.) Also, processed beverages - from certain kinds of flavored water all the way through to sodas contain "suspect" ingredients that counter healthy eating (e.g. high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners , etc.) I really don't see any reason to give up soup!

(BTW - I include organic and homemade soups in my diet. No artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or fillers (HFCS) and; less sodium)

I agree, I think soup is a little extreme. I think the whole "don't drink your calories" applies more to things with a lot of sugar such as pop, lattes, etc etc. Plus you need to remember all in moderation. ONE pop a day isn't going to hurt you but if you're drinking an entire 12-pack then there's a problem. I think as long as you take everything in moderation you're okay.

- Solid foods tend to be more filling. Usually. So you might find you can control hunger better if you eat rather than drink.
- A lot of people who "drink their calories" are drinking things like juiced vegetables. A lot of the nutrients and fiber end up in the "gunk bin" and thrown away when you do that, so you aren't getting the full benefit of those beautiful vegetables.
- Other people who "drink their calories" are drinking them in the form of sugary drinks and shakes that may not contain the actual nutrition they need. Replacing one meal a day with Slim-Fast or Shakeology or whatever the latest canned fad might be is relatively harmless. Drinking all your meals every day is probably not.

More importantly, whoever told you that eating soup is considered "drinking your calories" has no idea what the concept means. Canned soups will have a lot of sodium, but if you watch them carefully or make good soup at home, eat up! Soup is food floating in broth.

I wouldn't recommend living on like a liquid diet or anything lol. You just aren't going to get the right nutrients or hit your macros properly doing this. They usually low in calories as well, so it would be hard to reach your goal, unless you survived on fruit juice, but even then, you might as well be drinking regular soda because you lose a lot of the vitamins, minerals and fiber when you consume fruit in juice form, so your essentially just getting sugar.

If you are going to have soup, add some chicken to it to get that protein and maybe a wholewheat roll with it or something.

A lot of liquid calories (cappuccinos, juice, pop/soda, etc.) have little to no nutritional value. So if you don't account for it, you will likely go over your calorie goal. It usually doesn't make you feel "full" either so you still eat the same things you usually eat.
That being said, I have an iced cappuccino about once a month. I love them! lol But I account for it ... I still make sure I don't go over my calories every day.

Things like soup (obviously not the canned type, I'm talking homemade), some people say it's BETTER to have soup than the same things but not in liquid. Because the water helps you feel full and then you end up eating less.