If you’re having a hard time drinking as much water as you should, you don’t have to struggle through it! You have other options to help hit your water goals, crush cravings, and stay hydrated!
We could sit here all day and say “only drink water.” But let’s be honest. Most people don’t want to drink water all day, and we don’t expect you to either.
Of course water is great. You need it to live, and you also need it to lose weight, build muscle and have great workouts. There’s no arguing that. But it doesn’t necessarily have to always be plain h20.
The Trouble With “Drinking Your Calories”
Water is calorie-free and, in a perfect world, the best way to stay hydrated. It is also great for appetite control because often, you aren’t actually hungry; you are just a little dehydrated!
But millions of people are guilty of quenching their thirst by reaching for sugary sodas and juices on a daily basis. There is a big problem with this. “Drinking your calories” like this can wreck your diet and fitness goals, because these beverages are nothing more than empty calories and don’t do anything to keep you satisfied.
Think about it like this .. one can of soda has about 150 calories and 39 carbs. One medium sweet potato has roughly the same! But the potato is the carb component of an entire meal, has plenty of vitamins and nutrients, and can keep you full for hours. The soda won’t help your appetite or fuel your body.
So ask yourself: Is this soda, juice, or sugar-filled coffee really worth the calories? Probably not. But if you have a beverage with calories, at least be aware and definitely track the calories in your liquids in addition to your foods, if you track calories and/or macros.
If you aren’t sure what your daily calorie or macro allowance should be, well, that’s a different problem! Luckily, we have an easy-to-use macro and calorie calculator built right into our V Shred App For IOS and Android.
Best Drinks Besides Water
There are many ways to make water more palatable! There are also other beverages you can drink that won’t take a chunk of your macro budget.
Here are some great alternatives to just plain ol’ water:
- Flavored carbonated water
- Low or no-calorie electrolyte drinks
- Water flavorings
- Sculptnation GREENS (the strawberry flavor is a fan favorite)
- Fruit or vegetable infused water
- Sculptnation BCAAs
- Coffee or Tea (unsweetened or sweetened with stevia instead of sugar)
Now, of course, you can’t drink coffee all day. Water should be the beverage you reach for most of the time, but it’s perfectly OK to add a no/low-calorie flavor to your water if that helps you reach your daily water goals!
You may also want to make a post in our Facebook Group For Women or Men and ask for suggestions! The people there are super knowledgeable and always really helpful.
And if you want someone to work with you to build a day of eating — and drinking — that you can actually follow and enjoy, guess what? We can help you there, too! V Shred has a team of personal trainers and nutritionists who build custom diet plans for people every day to get the results they want.
Click HERE or email coaching@vshred.com to get connected with a better way to eat and, yes, to drink!