Hidden liquid calories could be the secret reason your weight loss has stalled—sneaking into your diet through coffee, juices, and even protein shakes. You’ve started the year great – exercising, watching processed foods and refraining from seconds yet the scale isn’t shifting. When it comes to weight loss, most people focus on what’s on their plate. But what about what’s in your glass?
From your morning coffee to post-workout smoothies and weekend cocktails, drinks can be a sneaky source of extra calories that add up fast. You might be making all the right choices with your food but unknowingly sabotaging your progress with high-calorie beverages.
In this blog, we’ll break down the hidden calories in common drinks, how they impact your weight loss, and simple swaps to help you stay on track without giving up your favourites.
If you’ve hit a plateau despite eating well and exercising, your drinks might be the missing piece of the puzzle. Let’s dive isn!
Why Drinks Matter in Weight Loss
Unlike whole foods, beverages don’t require chewing, and they pass through the digestive system quickly. This means they don’t trigger the same feelings of fullness, making it easy to consume more calories than you realise.
Another key factor is how quickly liquid calories add up. A single large soft drink, smoothie, or flavoured coffee can contain as many calories as a full meal.
If you regularly consume high-calorie drinks throughout the day, such as:
- a morning coffee with syrup,
- a fruit juice with lunch, and
- a glass of wine in the evening
you could be unknowingly adding hundreds of extra calories to your daily intake. Over time, these small additions can slow or even stall weight loss progress, despite making otherwise healthy food choices.
Simply becoming more aware of your drink choices and making small adjustments can help you stay on track without feeling deprived. In the next section, we’ll break down some of the most common high-calorie drinks and how they may be affecting your weight loss goals.
4 Common drinks that may have hidden liquid calories
Coffee
Research suggests that regular coffee drinkers may benefit from many benefits such as increased heart and metabolic health and liver protection. However, if your go-to order includes milk, flavoured syrups, whipped cream, or sugar, it could be adding a surprising number of calories to your diet. In-turn, potentially slowing your weight loss progress.
Black coffee itself is virtually calorie-free, containing just 2-5 calories per cup. However, here’s how a typical coffee order can quickly add up:
- Latte (Full Cream Milk, No Sugar) – 150-200 kcal
- Latte (With Sugar or Flavored Syrup) – 250-400 kcal
- Mocha – 350-450 kcal
- Caramel or Vanilla-Flavored Frappuccino – 400-600 kcal
To put this into perspective, a large flavored coffee can have as many calories as a small meal or dessert. If you’re having one or two high-calorie coffees daily, that’s an extra 300–800 calories without even considering the rest of your diet.
If you still wish to reap the benefits of coffee while avoiding the excess calories just become more aware. Opt for a black coffee, switch to a small flat white or piccolo instead of a large full-milk latte, use low-fat milk options and look out for no sugar sweeteners.
Fruit juice
Typical breakfast juices such as apple, cranberry and orange may sound like they are great for the body. It is important to note that they do have a place in the diet however over consuming these drinks (which is easily done), can lead to an extreme calorie consumption from sugar.
Pre-packed smoothies are often the most deceiving as they may contain up to 300 kcals for just the drink. Where you can opt for sugar – free beverages to quench your thirst if weight loss is the goal.
Protein shakes
While they can be useful in the diet, protein shakes that have been pre-made or bulked up in a cafe may be causing your over-consumption of calories. For example the Rokaby Protein Drink which many assume is perfect to neck back on the way home from the gym before they have breakfast contains 286 kcals per 425ml bottle with 25 grams of sugar. This may equate to almost a full meal!
Again while they may sometimes come in handy, the daily shake may be hindering your weight loss journey. Look out for the added sugar and calories on labels and if ordering a protein shake in a cafe look for the addition of oils and nut butters that may also increase caloric intake. A simple protein scoop and milk may be a better option.
Alcohol
People tend to ‘stop caring’ when it comes to the weekend and alcohol is involved, however it may be the reason your weight loss plateaus. For example a 5 ounce glass of wine is about 120 calories and a 12 ounce beer is about 150 calories. Even a two ounce portion of whiskey is about 140 calories WITHOUT adding the mixer. As alcohol is generally consumed amongst a meal or in addition, that’s lots of added extra empty calories. Opt for soda water mixers and put a cap on your drinks if weight loss is your goal – even better refrain completely for a few weeks.
Hidden liquid calories – In summary
Hidden liquid calories can quietly stall your weight loss progress, but making smarter drink choices can help you stay on track without feeling deprived. Liquid calories can add up quickly and hinder your weight loss progress without you even realising it. While your food choices might be on point, high-calorie drinks like milky coffees, juices, and alcohol could be holding you back. The good news is that small changes—like swapping sugary lattes for black coffee or choosing lower-calorie alternatives—can make a big difference. By being more mindful of what you drink, you can stay on track with your goals while still enjoying your favourite beverages.
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