25kg goal, and the drinks that quietly add up through the day
When you aim to lose 25kg, about 3 stone 13lb, your drinks are among the fastest places to make a difference, because the calories in them rarely make you feel full. A large latte, a can of cola and a couple of glasses of wine can add as much as a meal, without you feeling you have eaten anything.
A coach at the club looks closely at where you stand and offers the best guidance.
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Do a drinks audit for 3 days
Write down everything you drink for 3 ordinary days, including the coffee on the way to work and the squash at home. Most people are surprised. The aim is not guilt. It is simply to see where the easy wins are.
Sugar in drinks
The NHS explains on its page about how sugar in our diet affects our health that free sugars should be no more than 5% of the energy you get from food and drink each day, about 30g for adults. A single can of regular cola can contain more than that. Fruit juice and smoothies count as free sugars too, so keep them to a small glass.
Are sweeteners a good swap?
For many people, diet versions are a useful bridge away from sugary drinks. The NHS page on the truth about sweeteners notes that using them instead of sugary drinks can help lower the energy you take in. Over time, though, water, sparkling water, tea and coffee without syrup are the best everyday choices.
Coffee shop habits
- Size down. A small or regular instead of a large.
- Skip the syrup and cream. A flat white or Americano with a splash of milk.
- Do not drink your snack. Iced coffees and hot chocolates are closer to a pudding.
Alcohol and the weekend
Alcohol adds calories and often loosens the plan for the next meal too. Try alcohol free days in the week, a smaller glass and a soft drink in between. For the bigger picture, see our guide to water and hydration and our article on why strict diets fail.
A long goal deserves a long view
25kg will take a good while, and that is fine. Small swaps kept for months beat dramatic changes kept for a fortnight. Our section on keeping 25kg off looks at life after the goal.
Making water the easy choice
Keep a full bottle on your desk, in the car and by the sofa. Add slices of lemon, cucumber or a few berries if plain water bores you. A glass of water before each meal is an easy habit to tie to something you already do, and it means the sugary option is no longer the nearest drink.
Wellness coaches every morning
At Willerby Nutrition, Phillipa and Pete Fox and the rest of the wellness coaches see members every morning at breakfast. That daily contact is a good moment to talk through a tricky weekend or a new drinks habit. Your free assessment is where it begins.
The advice here is general. Please check with your GP or a health professional before starting a long weight loss journey.
Your own weight loss curve
Type in your profile and the line redraws immediately.
At the middle pace, 8 kg comes off in about 11 weeks. At the gentlest pace you are looking at about 4 months.
The usual guide for weight loss that lasts is between 500 g and 1 kg per week, which forms the best band on the chart. Keep exceeding 1 kg per week and the body burns muscle nearly as much as fat. That is the striped band.
A rough projection only. Everyone follows their own path and results differ. Your device does the sums and nothing is stored or sent. At 65 or older, see your doctor first.
The way this curve is worked out
The zone tops out at 500 g every week, the gentlest pace, and bottoms out at 1 kg every week, the level where the risk starts.
Early weeks go quicker, largely because of water, and then things level off. After 40, the typical curve flattens gradually as metabolism slows. For similar effort, men tend to shed weight slightly sooner than women.
The journey curve includes flat spells lasting several days and slight regains, just like everyday life. It cannot tell you how yours will go.
These tips are general ones. They do not stand in for medical advice.
Further reading
For help from day to day, take a look at the healthy eating programme.