By The One on One Team
Last Updated: 8/4/2025
Rethink Your Drink: A Key Step Toward Sustainable Weight Loss
For those interested in losing weight and improving body composition, beverage choices are just as important as food choices.
High-calorie drinks can sabotage an otherwise well-executed weight loss strategy. What's more, these beverages are calorie dense but nutrient poor, meaning that while they increase your total caloric intake for the day, they do little to help you feel satiated and nourished like whole foods do.
To lose weight, it's important to create a caloric deficit by either eating fewer calories, burning more calories through physical activity, or (preferably) a combination of the two. A great place to start is to eliminate, or at least reduce, high-calorie beverages from your diet.
It only takes 3,500 excess calories to gain one pound of fat. Below are some examples of how daily caloric intake can add up from drinking beverages:
Limiting your caloric intake from beverages doesn't mean drinking less fluids. In fact, your water consumption should increase as you reduce consumption of high-calorie beverages. Among many other things, sufficient hydration helps keep your metabolism elevated and your body functioning at a high level.
If you don't like plain water, or would like to explore some tasty options, try some of our suggestions below:
- Iced coffee with ½ cup Fairlife skim milk or unsweetened almond milk (35-45 calories)
- Unsweetened iced tea (0 calories)
- Seltzer and sparkling waters such as Topo Chico, Spindrift, Polar, LaCroix®, and Bubly™ (0-15 calories)
- Zero-sugar sports drinks for outdoor activities and exercise sessions longer than one hour (0 calories)
- Water with fresh fruit and herbs, such as mint leaves (0 calories)
- Water with sugar-free flavor packets such as Crystal Light® or True Lemon®/True Lime® (0-5 calories)
Consider how many calories you consume through beverages; start small and follow our less is more concept as you develop a strategy to reduce your caloric intake from drinking beverages.
Try to make one small modification to your current habits and then build on your success. You can make a major impact on your health and fitness by making a conscious decision to substitute high-calorie beverages with water and low-calorie drinks.
