It's here...
BEVERAGE WEEK!
(or lack thereof)
And by beverage week I mean...ONLY milk & water
...period.
I'm not here to say that coffee is bad and Diet Coke will kill you. I truly don't believe in conspiracy theories or scare tactics. Having said that, I do think it is unhealthy to be dependent upon something. If you literally cannot function without a particular beverage, that's where the problem lies.
My husband can attest to the fact that I enjoy a Diet Coke every now and again (what?!? gasp!), preferably with a squirt of vanilla flavoring. But I don't HAVE to have it. It's an "every once in a while"-type thing for me. I don't have it in my fridge. I don't buy it at the store.
If you can't get through the day without having a beer, a glass of wine, five cups of coffee, a Rockstar, a liter of Diet Coke...that is where the problem is. You may be thinking, "But diet sodas don't have any calories!" True. But that doesn't mean it won't affect your body. More often than not, when I have clients go off of the thing they are simply addicted to, whether it adds more calories or not, great things start to happen to their body.
Let's talk about alcohol for just a second. As it is with anything in life...a little in moderation is just fine, but if you can't remember what happened the night before...that's too much! It's called a "beer belly" for a reason. From a metabolic standpoint, your body is more likely to deposit alcohol around your waistline as fat, more so than any other nutrient (carb, protein, or fat). While alcohol often has carbs in it, alcohol itself is in it's own category providing 7 calories per gram, so it's rather dense in calories. (carbs & protein are 4 calories per gram; fat is 9 calories/gram) So even if you try to pick a lower-calorie option and stay away from the margaritas, daiquiris, and pina coladas, the hard liquors aren't going to do you any favors either...that is...if you are trying to excavate that belly and find the 6-pack under the load of laundry.
One of the most dramatic changes I have ever seen in body fat over the shortest period of time came from a young 22-year-old male who was drinking way too much way too often. He gave it up and after 6 weeks his body fat went from 28% down to 14%. That's right, he cut it in half in 6 weeks! That middle measurement I do on all of you is at your belly. Some of you don't have a whole lot of fat in your chest/arm or thigh measurement, but your total body fat percentage is the way it is because of that belly measurement. For some of you cutting out starch at night will help with your belly, for others, it may be cutting out the alcohol. So while this is a challenge for just a week, if you are one that struggles in this area, it may be something you think about continuing even after this week is over and see what happens to your mid-section at the end of NutriFit.
So, here's the challenge.
NO soda (regular or diet), NO sweetened drinks (like lemonade, vitamin water, sobe, crystal light, etc), NO energy drinks, NO juice, NO coffee, NO tea, and NO alcohol.
You may drink MILK or WATER. That's all.
(You may drink a smoothie if the only beverage that is added is either milk or water)
Now, if you know me, you know I'm all about doing something that you can maintain, not anything drastic which will eventually cause the pendulum to swing back the other way and have you drinking a 2-liter on a daily basis.
So...
Your beverages can count as your treats for the week.
You may count a 12-ounce can of soda, or 12 ounces of another sweetened beverage; 1 serving of alcohol from the chart below; or a cup of coffee as 1 TREAT for the week. Choose wisely. In order to get the 10 points for this challenge, you can't have more than 2 for the week.
| 12 fl oz of regular beer | = | 8-9 fl oz of malt liquor (shown in a 12-oz glass) | = | 5 fl oz of table wine | = | 3-4 oz of fortified wine (such as sherry or port; 3.5 oz shown) | = | 2-3 oz of cordial, liqueur, or aperitif (2.5 oz shown) | = | 1.5 oz of brandy (a single jigger or shot) | = | 1.5 fl oz shot of 80-proof spirits ("hard liquor") |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||
| about 5% alcohol | about 7% alcohol | about 12% alcohol | about 17% alcohol | about 24% alcohol | about 40% alcohol | about 40% alcohol |
If you have a hard time just drinking water, try adding lemon, lime, orange, or even strawberry slices to give a little zip without sugar, sugar substitute, or calories.
If you can complete this challenge and only have 2 drinks or less,
you will earn your full 25 points for the week.
If you have 3 drinks, you will only get 5 points for your "treats" (if you don't eat any other treats)
and you will only earn 15 points for the individual challenge.
If you have 4 drinks, you will only earn 2 points for your "treats"
and you will only earn 5 points for the individual challenge.
Questions?
Happy Hydrating!
Brenna and I are thinking about all of you coffee and soda pop drinkers....bet you were wishing you were us this week:). Thank goodness Ken isn't on this challenge, because I would be living elsewhere for the week if he couldn't have his coffee!
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