I Had a Drinking Problem

I used to have a drinking problem.

I drank my calories. All. Day. Long.

If I had to make a list of the top three things that contributed to me gaining over 100 pounds it would be in this order:

1. No Activity.
2. Drinking My Calories.
3. No Portion Control.

I’m going to describe a typical day of drinking in the old days. I’d wake up and I always had a big glass of orange juice with my breakfast (plus milk on my cereal).

I wasn’t having just a single serving either. I poured it into a big pint glass, which is probably two servings. Calories: 250.

I also drank a lot of the Lipton’s Sweetened Iced Tea. Like a lot. Maybe 3 a day? They were so sweet, I loved them. I sucked them down like they were water. 16 ounces was 140 calories x 3 = 420 calories.

I liked to get coffee in the morning on my way to work. But I wasn’t a huge fan of coffee itself so I loaded it with sugar. My favorite was a grande white chocolate mocha with caramel syrup and whipped cream.  Calories: 500 or so.

I drank a lot of soda too. On weekends I could drink  four a day. I usually had a soda with dinner. Dr. Pepper and Sprite were my favorites.

A can of Dr. Pepper is about 150 calories. Say I drank three in a day (sometimes one right after another). Calories: 450.

If was going out to a bar with friends, my drink of choice varied but it was often a strawberry daiquiri (with whipped cream of course) or a White Russian. Calories: 300.

And of course when you are at a bar with your friends, eating fried food and feeling good, you don’t just have one drink. Maybe two or three? Estimate that evening at over 1,000 calories just for the liquids. Have you noticed that I’m not drinking any water??

Another favorite was the Vitamin Water. Not real water, but sugar water. My favorite flavor was the dragonfruit. Calories: 150.

I haven’t even gotten to my snacking habits. I ate a lot of candy bars. Butterfingers and 5th Avenue bars were my absolute favorite. And you can’t enjoy chocolate without a big glass of cold milk. They went hand in hand for me.

I’d estimate the milk to be about 200 calories a glass.

That’s a lot of drinking! The above calories total 2, 270! No wonder I was developing diabetes! That’s more calories than what I currently EAT nowadays.

Boy have things changed. I started making small changes in the beginning. When I started counting my calories to stay under 2,000 a day I was shocked at how fast it added up when I drank my calories. I put an end to that.

• I stopped drinking juice. Completely.
• I switched to diet soda.
• No more high calorie alcohol drinks.
• No more coffee/candy drinks!

The changes I made worked. I saw a difference. I FELT a difference. I lost the weight!

How am I different now? I try to avoid any liquid that has calories. I prefer sparkling water or regular water. I drink unsweetened ice tea. Once in awhile I drink diet soda but not very often because I don’t like how it feels. The only time I ever drink juice now is when I am sick. I drink plain old black coffee with a little bit of creamer in it.

I do drink things with calories in them. I have a glass of milk with dessert on occasion but it’s not an every day thing. I drink wine. I drink beer. Again, in moderation and not everyday. Writing down all the calories I consumed in liquid form is pretty shocking to me. It’s hard to believe I did that for so long.

QUESTION: How many calories a day to you consume in drinks?