Last updated on September 3rd, 2013 at 02:21 pm
Here in the States, Labor Day is one of the last hurrahs of the summer and a three-day weekend for us office workers. A big weekend for enjoying great food and drinks that aren’t typically the healthiest.
You would be amazed at how easily the calories pile up in liquid form. The “hidden” calories in your favorite beverages, including those you may think of as healthy, may add up more than you think.
Juice
Your large glass of orange juice has around 200 calories. This may not seem like a lot of calories unless you convert it to a small boiled potato and several chicken strips. That small meal has the same calorie total as the juice and will be a whole lot more satisfying. Enjoy your juice, but if you are watching the calories go for a small glass.
Fancy coffee-like drinks
If you know your local Starbucks barista by name, this is a warning sign your may be adding a pile of calories to your day from your favorite concoctions. Just a quick example of a Venti Peppermint mocha with whip and 2% milk is 480 calories. Skip the whip and it’s down to 360 calories.
There is so much solid food you can eat for 360 calories – like 2 pieces of toast and 2 eggs! I won’t tell you how long that would take to burn on the treadmill, it’s too sad.
Smoothies
No matter how you look at at your favorite smoothie, the calories being dumped into that blended medley in the form of juice, sherbet and even ice cream really add up. Blend up a low calorie smoothie at home with a handful of berries, your favorite greek yogurt, a scoop of vanilla protien powder and crushed ice.
Soda
We can eliminate soda altogether, right? Once can is about 150 calories of completely empty and useless calories. Please don’t pick up the diet soda instead. The artificial sweetener can actually trigger hunger. To get my carbonation fix, I’ve picked up flavored seltzer water which after drinking for a while, make real soda taste way too overly sweetened.
Coffee and Tea
Cut calories here by using a natural sweetener like Stevia. It’s a zero calorie sweetener from a natural herb with a good safety record.
Alcohol
We all know how cocktail calories add up. Just one ounce of these contains about 65 calories each: rum, vodka, whiskey, gin and brandy.
Just 4 ounces of sweet wine is 105 calories, sherry is 75 and port is 90. Love the classic martini? A 3.5 ounce pour is 140 calories. 4 ounces of margarita cocktail is about 170. Really? When is the last time you saw a 4 oz. margarita? Sorry for the rude awakening, but you can see now how a small drink here and there can really add up.
Make your food work for you. Don’t drink your calories.
Holidays make it easy to indulge. So enjoy and make those calories count in your favor. What’s your favorite high calorie drink? Can you think of a way to make it lighter?
Share in the comments!
Go get your fit on – Heather
Heather Montgomery is a fitness writer, triathlete, and serial entrepreneur who is devoted to sharing what she has learned about becoming a triathlete after age 40. She uses her Metabolic Training Certification to help other women struggling to get fit in mid-life. She lives and trains in Santa Rosa, California, the new home of the Ironman triathlon. You can find her biking the Sonoma County wine trails.
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