Resolution 10: Drink Fewer Calories

Drink Fewer Calories

According to a 2011 CNN article, most Americans consume sugary beverages on a daily basis; unfortunately, these caloric drinks are linked to weight gain, obesity, and diabetes. Despite the fact that this article focuses on sugary sodas and sports drinks, neither of which are my crux, I do consume too many of my daily calories through beverages. For me, juice (Simply Lemonade calls to me every time I walk though the grocery store) and beer are the caloric drinks I consume most each week. Therefore, my goal for this week is a fitting one. 

As a general rule, I plan to drink no beverages that contain more than 100 calories a serving. This way, I can drink a serving of skim milk in the morning with no worries (91 calories for 8 ounces), or after a hard day of work I can feel free to help myself to a whiskey and Diet Coke in place of my typical beer (98 calories a serving in place of the average 150 in a beer). I'll will, however, eliminate all juice, mixed drinks (a Newt's margarita is a guilty pleasure that, according to Health magazine, likely contains near 500 calories), and beer. Additionally, this resolution should create more opportunities for me to work in drinking more water: if I am not sipping juice or beer, but I find myself thirsty, I will just grab my water bottle instead. 






To touch base on last week's goal--I was not as successful as I have been with other past goals. I found that in my busy life, I multitask without even thinking about it. More than once I found myself halfway through a meal before I realized I was also reading or catching up on my email. Therefore, in addition to working on drinking fewer calories this week, I will also be continuing to work on eating mindfully.