If you read my last post about SMART goals, you may have made one or two New Year's resolutions. If you made a specific, measurable, attainable goal about weight loss, this post might prove helpful.
Quite often the calories in beverages are ignored but without paying attention, they can add up quickly.
The Balanced Calories Initiative is an effort to lower calories in the American diet through the calories consumed in beverages. Several major beverage companies, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Dr Pepper, have committed through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to offer beverages with low or no calories. Coca-Cola offers 250 such beverages and Pepsi offers 129 with 40 calories or less. If you like Coke, even a 6 ounce mini is a better option than a full size can or a bottle. I was once a die-hard diet coke fan so I am not beating you up or giving you an evil eye if you love soda. Just be aware that the calories are real. They count just as much as the ones you eat. I have also read that such changes have been implemented at schools with vending machines carrying lower calorie options.
Lynn Kravit recently wrote, "recent findings submit that a key factor in dietary success is adherence to diet". So often when the word "diet" comes to mind it is in planning what we need to give up. The list can become so long, filled with things we love to eat and drink, that failure weighs in long before success.
Remember the "A" in SMART. A goal needs to be attainable. So even if the favorite sugary beverage is not on the list to give up, buying a smaller size might be one step towards getting the results you want.
Resources: ACE Fitness Journal, January 2018, 50 Ways To Cut Calories by Len Kravitz, PHD
Website: The American Beverage Association
