On mornings when my five year old is a real handful getting ready for school, breakfast is the last thing on my mind. I leave home on an empty stomach, the same thing that I lecture my clients about day in and day out. After I drop him off I grab a starbucks grande latte and an almond cherry scone. On days when I manage to make breakfast, my second meal is often not planned so I run to xoom juice and grab a protein titan smoothie. On days when I'm really rushed and frazzled I do both. In addition to this I indulge in an occasional red bull and a few beers. It occured to me the other day that my recent inability to lose bodyfat was tied to this so I decided to calculate how many extra calories a week I'm drinking. The numbers are not good!

Drink Calories
• Starbucks grande latte 260 calories, 21g carbs 19g sugar, 14g prot, 14g fat (add 1 to 2 packets of sugar too)
• Jamba Juice Protein Berry Pizzaz 280 cal. 56g carbs 48g sugar, 15g prot, 1g fat (the closest thing I could find to the xoom juice I have)
• Samuel Adams Lager 170 cal. (this is my beer of choice lately but I do drink other brands and they're not lite)
• Red BullEnergy Drink 110 cal. and lots of sugar

3 lattes, 1 smoothie, 1 red bull, and 4 beers a week = 1850 extra calories a week. Wow!!! I am also drinking less water which is crucial to fat burning. Are you in a similar situation? Check out calories in all categories and see if you need to rethink your beverage choices.

Smoothies & Shakes
Jamba Juice Berry Lime Sublime 24oz 427 cal. 3g fat 3g prot. 103g carbs
Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo’d 24oz 755 cal. 19g fat 23g prot. 124g carbs
Baskin Robbins Nonfat Cappuccino Blast 16oz 220 cal. 45g carbs 44g sugar, 2g fat 6g prot.

This is probably the worst category, because smoothies look and taste like a health food but the calories and carbs are extremely high. If you feel like indulging try a homemade smoothie or opt for the high protein smoothies which tend to have less carbs, sugar, and calories.

Soft Drinks
McDonald’s Large Coke 310 cal., 0g fat, 0g protein, 86g carbs
Pepsi 24oz 300 calories 0g fat
Surge 20oz 275 calories 0g fat
Mountain Dew 20oz 275 calories 0g fat

Making the switch to diet is your best bet here but if you can’t stand the taste then limit yourself to one 12 oz can of your favorite soft drink per day. It’s not the best solution but it’s a good compromise. And don’t forget to downsize it when eating out.

Fruit Juices & Sports Drinks
V8 Splash Tropical Blend 16oz 220 cal.
Fruitopia Strawberry Passion Awareness 20oz 247 cal.
Minute Maid Orange Juice 16oz 220 cal.
Ocean Spray Apple Juice 16oz 220 cal
Snapple (Kris's Mix-Up Lemonade Iced Tea) 16oz 220 cal..
Arizona Iced Tea 20oz 135 cal.
Gatorade 16oz 120 cal. 28g carbs

An occasional fruit juice is not bad especially if you get the fortified kind. Just make sure you stick to one serving. Your best bet with the other drinks is to buy the diet version and limit the amount. Most bottles contain about 5 servings which add a tons of calories so portion control is essential.

Alcoholic Drinks
Bud Ice Beer 12oz 148 calories 0g fat
1 Margarita 169 cal. 0.79g fat
1 Long Island Iced Tea 118 cal. 0.33g fat

Alcoholic drinks may not seem as high calorie as some of the other beverages listed here but once you start drinking you're more likely to let your guard down and eat a little more. In one study, people who drank an alcoholic beverage consumed about 200 more calories in the 24 hours afterward than those who drank a juice-based beverage. If you must drink stick to lite beer or mixed drinks made with soda, tonic, or water.

Coffee Drinks
Starbucks grande latte 260 cal., 21g carbs 19g sugar, 14g prot, 14g fat
Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Nonfat Milk 16oz 190 cal. 36 g carbs, 0.9 g fat 9g prot.
Starbucks Chai Latte Nonfat Milk 16 oz 211 cal. 37g carbs, 0.7g fat 14g prot,

In this category try switching to Starbucks Grande Coffee for 10 cal., 2g carbs 0g prot, 0g fat. You can also try a 16oz. iced grande latte for only 160 cal., 13g carbs 11g sugar, 8g fat, 8g prot. or...
Brew your own coffee at home and save over 200 calories.


Try to be as conscious of your liquid calories as you are of your food calories. Cutting out a couple of beverages and replacing them with water will make a huge difference.

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