Challenge # 1 Real Beverages – Drink Only Milk and Water
Now for the why? This is not a weight-loss site, but you will lose weight (if you are overweight) by eating Real Food. You would probably be surprised (maybe not) at how many calories you take in with the beverages you drink. The goal of a Real Food diet is to eat the most nutrient dense food possible. It is not about eating and drinking empty calories.
Remember where I said I wouldn’t make you do anything I didn’t already do. I stand by that promise. I was so addicted to coffee and Diet Soda that I couldn’t get through life without them. It affected my mood and behavior. I would go out of my way to get them. My need for Diet Soda was so great that I could not even imagine a life without it. I started drinking it to avoid calories, but soon it was more about the taste. I needed more and more over time to get the same effect from the caffeine. What is even worse than that is that I often crashed about 2:30 each day and was always craving sweets. All of this went away when I finally was able to overcome my addiction to Diet Soda.
I'm in. Although I am wondering how you feel about vitamin water?
Good question Dylan! One positive about Vitamin Water is that it does not use artificial colors. Now for the downside…….Vitamin Water is really just sugar water with a few added vitamins. If you are a eating a balanced diet, you don't need those vitamins and most people are already eating and drinking too much sugar. Vitamin water is clever marketing for grown-up Kool-Aid. Since the object of this challenge is to give up added sugar from the beverages we drink, it is definitely out.
Hi. Just discovered your blog from your link on 100 days. I have had my family on only the 4 beverages you listed here for about a year now. We are on a real food journey too!
Thanks for checking us out. Congratulations on making the change to real food. Are you finding the change easy? I know that I appreciate the support of other like-minded individuals to help me over the challenges. I hope to be that to others as well.
Here from the weekend showcase and thoroughly intrigued. As a coffee lover, what do you mean by "real" coffee?
Welcome and great question! Real coffee to me is plain coffee. I like to drink mine black. I also consider coffee with real cream and natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup to be real. What I don't consider real are coffee drinks made with syrups and artifical flavors. Hope that helps.
I just started Weekly Challenge #1 and I was a little worried about how my coffee would taste without loads of white sugar, but with a little bit of maple syrup I don't miss the white sugar at all!
Congratulations Rachel! Keep working the challenges week by week and you will be surprised at how great you feel and how many other things you don't miss.
is your son drinking milk there? We don't drink dairy here (well, rice milk in cereal, but I prefer water for the kids)
He is drinking milk. This weekly challenge is all about drinking the real food beverages which include milk and water. We drink mostly water, but since we don't have any allergies (my sister does) to milk we get to enjoy the nutrition benefits. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you come back often.
How do you feel about unsweetened vanilla almond milk?
I am in and I feel like I have a good start. It has been over 3 years since I gave up soda for vitamin water and crystal light packets. Don't cringe just yet, because since then I have even given up all of it for plain water, even my morning 2 cups of coffee w/ creamer! Now I drink iced tea occasionally and lots of water and I have realized it is much more satisfying!