I was having an interesting weight loss conversation with my friend the other day.
He told me he’s signed up for a new gym membership as he wants to get more active calories burnt since he just can’t seem to shred off his weight despite the various lifestyle changes that he was making.
I told him, “You don’t need to hit the gym to lose weight if you want to lose weight. While hitting the gym may help, controlling your diet to be in a caloric deficit will be the most sustainable and healthy way to lose weight. Your diet will always dictate your weight fluctuations, and exercising will make you healthier and stronger.” Which is something I’ve always advocated for: Being in a caloric deficit is the most efficient way to lose weight.
Upon hearing that, he was so sure he was in a caloric deficit. He shared that he practices intermittent fasting. He only drinks black coffee in the morning and has a regular serving of lunch, then a small serving of dinner. After some simple estimation, we concluded he consumes around 1,300 calories per day.
Judging by his height and weight, I doubt 1,300 calories per day would make him gain weight. Just to be extra sure, we calculated his daily caloric intake to maintain his weight, and it turned out to be 1,600 calories.
For a body that burns 1,600 calories per day, consuming 1,300 calories per day means he is in a 300-calorie deficit. That should mean he is losing weight at a moderate pace.
Something is up somewhere. I probed further about things he consumes outside of his main meals. He rarely snacks, so where could it have gone wrong? Unless…
Liquid calories!
My friend was a casual drinker—of course that’s where all the calories are coming from.
He especially loves a Suntory Highball. It’s a Japanese canned alcoholic drink that mixes Japanese whisky with soda water.
He was never too paranoid of the calories in the drink since soda water had minimal calories. Little did he know, whiskies are one of the most calorie-dense liqueurs available. A quick Google search shows that each can of the drink contains around 300 calories.
Just to put things into perspective, drinking 3 cans of those is equal to a large McDonald’s set meal.
Although he only drank once a week to wind down, he shared he can drink up to 10 cans in a single sitting! That’s 3,000 extra calories per week.
If we do some quick math, he thought he was cutting down 2,100 calories per week with his diet. But the extra 3,000 calories from drinking actually puts him in a 900-calorie surplus!
No wonder he’s gaining weight even with such a strict diet. To burn off the extra calories, he’d have to run 10 miles per week to start losing weight.
Now my question to you is:
What are the liquid calories in your life?
Many people seem to forget about liquid calories when it comes to weight loss because we all think about what we eat but never about what we drink.
Take some time to reflect on drinks you consume on a regular basis. Perhaps you enjoy a glass of wine or you love a Frappucino from Starbucks. Search it up on Google and you’ll find how much calories you’re consuming from drinks.
Why are liquid calories so dangerous?
From a diet point of view, liquids hardly make us feel full. It may make us feel bloated for a while, but we’d feel hungry again much sooner than solid food.
In a social setting, we’ve become so accustomed to drinks being a must-have. A breakfast means coffee with milk, a friendly catch-up means wine, a barbecue means beer, and a celebration means champagne.
What’s worse? Most of these drinks are loaded with sugar. Orange juice, coffee with creamer, wine, and the list goes on. Consuming sugar quickly leads to a blood sugar spike. When the blood sugar normalises, we’ll be craving more food very quickly.
Does that mean we should avoid liquid calories at all costs? Absolutely not. Everything in moderation is fine. The first step to control is by being aware of liquid calories, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.
On a daily basis, I like to prioritise my main meals first, and if I still have room for more calories, I’d indulge in some sweet drinks.
Otherwise, I like to stick to low-calorie liquid options, such as water, sparkling water, tea, or sugar-free drinks (a very popular option nowadays). Instead of a regular coke, go for a diet coke. That way, you’ll still satisfy your cravings without the actual calories.
Top 10 liquid calories in our daily lives that you’re unaware of
If you’re fully invested in cutting liquid calories out, I’ve written an article on the top 10 liquid calories in our daily lives that you’re probably unaware of, so you can start being cautious of what you drink starting now.