Drinking your way fat? 2 Zero Cal Alternatives to Water

During the last month of the Transformation Contest 5 (12 days left) I have really been strict with my diet. I have also been very strict with the liquids I have been drinking. I am only drinking water and 2 cups of black coffee in the morning with Stevia (a zero calorie all natural sweetener).

I have nothing against fruit juice (all natural, of course) or fat free milk, but when you are on a calorie restrictive diet, you really don't want to waste calories on liquids.

For example, 8oz of both orange and apple juice are around 110 calories. If you are on a 2,000 calorie diet, you just wasted almost 6% of your calorie allocation for the day! And that is if you only drink 8oz, which I'm sure many people drink a lot more than 8oz. Personally I would rather have those calories back and consume a lean source of protein so I feel fuller.

I was discussing my concept of wasting calories by consuming calorie filled liquids with a co-worker and she said she couldn't just drink water all day, that it is just too plain. She said she could drink diet soda though.

"NO!!" I shouted at her. Just because diet soda does not have any calories does not make it healthy. You can actually gain weight from the sodium in diet soda! It's called water retention. Sure its not fat, but most people measure their success by of the scale. If your weight goes up, you will surely be discouraged and you may be inclined to binge.

Instead of diet soda, I suggested these 2 alternatives to water:

1. Add Lemons and Limes: Cutting up a lemon or a lime and putting it into your water is a great way to give some taste to plain water. Plus there are studies that show that lemon juice helps with weight loss!

2. Green Tea: When I need a break from water I turn to Green Tea! It is one of the best zero calorie drinks out there and its antioxidants also can assist with weight loss. If you're thinking that you can't drink a hot cup of tea in the afternoon, I agree. That is why I brew a pot at a time and keep a pitcher in my fridge. Nothing is better on a hot summer afternoon than a glass of Iced Green Tea.

I hope this helps show you some ways to add a little variety and still not consume extra calories or sodium from liquids.

PS. I heard from Craig Ballantyne about the Veggie Meal Plans. He sends his apologies, but wanted me to let you know that a more advanced meal plan will be available next Monday at 12pm EST. I will provide more info once I get it!