Losing weight can often feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. While diet and exercise are key components, there are simple, overlooked strategies that can help you shed excess fat more effectively. These tips focus on making small, sustainable changes to your routine that can have a big impact over time.
Gabriella (@gabbierolocut), a TikToker who has over 62K followers on the app and has managed to lose 75 pounds, recently shared her #1 weight loss tip in a viral video. Believe it or not, her hack is very simple but will make a huge difference on the scale over time: understanding how you’re consuming your calories. Read on to get all her insights.
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#1 Weight Loss Tip According to a Pro: Understanding How You’re Consuming Your Calories
Gabriella gives us an example that is relatable to everyone: high-sugar coffees.
“Those drinks have so many calories,” she says, specifically highlighting seasonal drinks from Starbucks and Dunkin,’ along with their popular options, which contain an alarming amount of sugar.
A pumpkin swirl frozen coffee from Dunkin has roughly 930 calories, she reveals. “That’s 63% of my daily calories. If I were to drink this in the morning, I’d only have 541 more calories to get me through the rest of the day,” she notes. Gabriela further reveals that there are about 185 grams of sugar in this drink, equivalent to 46 teaspoons of sugar or 14 glazed donuts. Yikes!
“Wouldn’t you much rather eat your calories than drink them?” she asked. Now this doesn’t mean you must cut out Starbucks or Dunkin’ from your life altogether; there are so many ways to simplify your drink in order to cut out unnecessary calories.
Ways To Control Sugar In Your Coffee
The first thing you want to do is minimize or cut out sugar and sugary additives from your coffee. "The bad thing about refined sugar is that the body is able to metabolize and break it down rapidly, so it causes a spike in blood sugar levels," Rachel Scott, co-founder and medical practitioner at National TASC, explains. "In turn, there is an overproduction of insulin. If this continues, your body will have insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes and other heart diseases. This can also cause you to have a hard time losing weight."
Next, cut out whipped cream because after all, this should be a simple coffee drink, not a milkshake! Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, senior dietitian at UCLA Medical Center and author of Recipe for Survival, says whipped cream can "halt weight loss because they tend to be high in calories and can make some coffee beverages contain upwards of 300-500 calories (depending on size and ingredients), which is as much as a meal but does not satiate us."
Another easy way to control your calorie intake is by simply choosing a smaller size and trying to make your coffee at home so you can have control of your ingredients and amounts.
