Today there seems to be a trend towards “energy drinks” as well as “health drinks.” The former consist of caffeine laden drinks that taste like medicine and the later consist of the latest “super berry” concentrate loaded with sugar. You aren’t getting healthy, you are feeding into a money making scheme and paying for fancy bottles of liquid candy. You might as well be drinking a Coke.
I like a cup of coffee in the morning, as do many people. But when you load it up with sugar, cream and coffee syrup, you no longer have a cup of coffee, but a calorie-laden dessert. If you want a cup of coffee or a cup of tea in the morning, do yourself a favor and drink it black. If you dislike the taste of the tea or coffee without sugar and cream, then why the heck are you drinking it?
Most people do not realize the amount of calories that they are consuming on a daily basis with their drinks. This includes the morning coffee routine, the drinks you have for lunch and those that you might consume after dinner or when going out for the evening. There are drinks that you need to avoid when you are trying to lose weight and those that you need to have during this process. I’ll make it simple for you:
Drinks to avoid
- Alcoholic drinks (these are loaded with sugars).
- Soda of any kind, including diet.
- Health drinks like Pomegranate Juice.
- Smoothies.
- Milk Shakes (this should be obvious).
- Milk.
- Fruit juices of any kind.
Drinks that you can have
- Water (what a concept).
- Green tea (unsweetened and made by you, not bottled).
- Coffee (one cup a day without cream or sugar - I don’t want to torture you).
Let’s talk about drinks to avoid first. Okay, you are out on the town and you want to order an alcoholic drink. You have most likely heard that white wine is good for you when on a diet. Wrong! If you absolutely have to have an alcoholic drink, have a dry red wine. This is the alcoholic drink that has the less sugars.
Alcoholic drinks are loaded with sugar and can help you pack on the pounds. We often consider that beer is the alcoholic drink to avoid when we are dieting. Although beer is loaded with sugars and calories, there are some wines that actually top beer when it comes to sugars. Port is one of them.
When you are trying to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks, avoid alcohol. This is just empty calories that you are taking into your body. If you really can’t resist an alcoholic drink for just 3 weeks, you might need a bit more help than just a weight loss program. Do not be fooled into thinking that alcoholic drinks are low in calorie or that they do not matter to your diet. They do.
The same goes for soda. If you truly cannot give up soda for 3 weeks, perhaps you don’t want to lose 20 pounds. Although, I’m betting that if you are reading this book that you do. It will not kill you to give up soda for 3 weeks. As a matter of fact, it won’t kill you to give it up entirely. Later in this book we will talk about how to keep the 20 pounds off of you by eating and drinking sensibly. Consuming soda on a daily basis is going to add weight.
Fruit juices are mostly made with sugar. I used to think that cranberry juice was really good for you, until I read the label. You are actually better off consuming the fruit or taking a vitamin supplement. Orange juice one of the exceptions. Orange juice that is not made from concentrate is good for you and an excellent source of Vitamin C. You should drink orange juice, but skip it when you are trying to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks. After that, you can have a juice glass full of this drink each morning to get your metabolism going.
If you do want to take orange juice during this diet, do so in moderation. A small juice glass for breakfast and count it in with your calorie intake. Other fruit juices such as Guava, Pineapple and Apple, as long as they are pure, are also okay in moderation and can be good for you. I am a big advocate of fruits and vegetables and am well aware of their nutritional value. Drinking a juice glass of fruit juice each day is good for you. Drinking glass after glass of sweetened cranberry juice, however, is like drinking soda.
Health drinks are usually loaded with not only sugar, but preservatives as well. They are money makers for those who want to cash in on the latest health craze. If you want a smoothie, make it at home in your blender. Add crushed ice and a fruit, such as blueberries. Blend it up. You are getting the nutrients of the fruit this way and it can be a refreshing drink. Smoothies that are made outside of the home are usually loaded with sugars and fats. If you want a bit more substance in your smoothie, you can add non fat yogurt to the mix. But again, be aware of the calories that you are consuming.
Milk is really good for you and an excellent source of calcium. Unfortunately, it is loaded with fat. Even skim milk is fatty. While you might want to drink milk for bone health, you should skip milk when you are on this diet for 3 weeks. This includes milk shakes, ice cream and other heavy dairy products as well.
Now let’s talk about the drinks that you should drink when you are trying to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks:
Water is like the magic pill for diets. Drinking water is not only good for you, it will boost your metabolism and help you lose weight. We need water to survive. Most people, however, do not drink enough water during the course of the day and get a little dehydrated at times. If you have ever felt thirsty, this is a sign of dehydration.
If you drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day, you will boost your metabolism and aid in weight loss. Once you get used to drinking water, you will also find that it tends to keep you healthier as it flushes toxins out of your system. Do you want to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks? Then substitute water for your every day drinks.
Coffee and tea is something that many of us like in the morning. You should limit your coffee and tea consumption to one cup per day as too much caffeine gives you a false high and ends up sending you crashing. Also, coffee is very acidity and difficult on the stomach. If you cannot stomach coffee or tea without sugar or cream, you should switch to…. water! Water will actually give you the same energy boost that you get from coffee.
Green tea has been in the news recently and has been embraced by diet gurus as a “miracle” drink. It is not a miracle drink and does contain caffeine. But it is not the same type of caffeine found in black tea or coffee. You can drink green tea, unsweetened, either cold or hot. You should brew it yourself at home as when you purchase bottles of this drink in the store, it is usually loaded with sweeteners and artificial preservatives that totally negate any health advantages of the drink.
If you find water to be too bland to drink though out the day, you might want to add some green tea to your diet. Green tea that you brew yourself and drink without sugar either hot or cold does not have any calories. You can drink this drink and it will boost up your metabolism in the same way that water will do so.
Personally, I like green tea and have not had any problems sleeping when drinking this drink. If you are not used to caffeine, however, you might try this in small doses. The caffeine boost that you get from green tea is supposed to raise your metabolism so that you burn more calories. But I have tried this diet with both water and green tea and have not found any difference when it comes to weight loss. So while green tea is not the “miracle” diet aid that some people claim it to be, it is beneficial when you are trying to lose weight.
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water or unsweetened green tea each day and you will be able to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks if you use these drinks to replace other drinks that you are consuming.
Another trick for dieting that you can use is to drink a glass of water before each meal. This has the means to fill you up before the meal and cause you to eat less. Do not underestimate the power of water to help you lose weight.
Tomorrows section will be: Boost Your Metabolism
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