Liquid Calories & Weight Loss: How Drinks Affect Fat Loss

If I’m going to coach you, I also want you to understand the why behind things!!

Not just follow rules blindly. Not just “do this because I said so.”

Liquid calories are one of the most common reasons people struggle with fat loss, even when they’re eating well and exercising regularly.

So today we’re talking about something that can quietly slow progress for a lot of people:

Liquid calories.

And yes.... alcohol too.

Not in a judgmental way.

Not in a “you can’t have fun” way.

Just in an honest, real-life way so you understand WHY when making a choice

What are liquid calories?

Liquid calories are anything you drink that contains calories, like:

• Fancy coffee drinks with creamers and syrups

• Juice

• Sweet tea

• Lemonade

• Energy drinks

• Alcohol

• Smoothies

• Some THC beverages

The issue isn’t that these exist. The issue is that they don’t fill us up like food does, but they still count toward our daily calories.

That’s how people end up drinking 300–600 calories without realizing it…And then still feeling hungry shortly afterward.

That’s not a discipline issue. That’s just how the body responds to liquid calories

Real-life examples (where this actually shows up)

Coffee drinks

A plain coffee? Almost no calories. But once we start adding:

• Flavored creamers

• Syrups

• Cold foam

• Sugar

• Caramel drizzle

Now that coffee can easily become:

• 200 calories

• 300 calories

• Sometimes 400–500+ calories

And you’re still hungry afterward.

Does that mean you can’t enjoy coffee? Absolutely not!!

It just means we make smarter choices when needed:

• Use a lower-calorie creamer

• Use sugar-free syrup

• Make coffee at home

• Add a protein shake instead of creamer (protein coffee is elite)

Now you get something that tastes good and actually supports your goals.

Juice

We were all raised thinking juice = healthy.

Especially orange juice.

But most store-bought juices today are basically concentrated sugar with very little fiber left.

One glass of orange juice can contain:

• 110–150 calories

• 20–30g of sugar

• And it doesn’t keep you full

Compare that to eating an actual orange:

• You get fiber

• You feel full

• You digest slower

• You get more nutritional value

Same calories. Completely different impact on your body

Sweet tea

If you’ve ever had sweet tea from Chick-fil-A… you already know. It’s delicious.

It’s also loaded with sugar.

A large sweet tea can easily hit 200–300+ calories, all from sugar, and once again, it doesn’t keep you full!!

I’m not saying never have it!

I’m saying be aware that it counts, just like food does.

Awareness, am I right?

Let’s talk alcohol (honestly)

I’m not anti-alcohol.

You all know I love a good dirty martini with extra olives or a nice old fashioned (Smoked preferably)

But if your goal is fat loss or strength progress, you deserve to understand what alcohol actually does!

Alcohol:

• Provides calories but no real nutritional value

• Gets burned by your body first, which can slow fat loss

• Lowers inhibitions (“just one snack won’t hurt” turns into three snacks)

• Disrupts sleep quality (even if you fall asleep faster)

• Poor sleep leads to worse recovery, higher cravings, and more stress

• Dehydrates you, which affects workouts and performance

This isn’t about fear. It’s about understanding the trade-offs

Calories in alcohol

These are averages for standard servings:

Liquor (1.5 oz / one standard shot): ~95–105 calories

• Vodka

• Tequila

• Rum

• Gin

• Whiskey

• Bourbon

This is why clear liquors tend to be easier to work with... no added sugar, just the alcohol calories.

Wine (5 oz pour):

• Red wine: ~120–130 calories

• White wine: ~110–120 calories

Beer (12 oz):

• Light beer: ~90–110 calories

• Regular beer: ~140–180+ calories

Where calories really start climbing is with mixers:

• Soda

• Juice

• Lemonade

• Sweet syrups

• Creamers

• Margarita mixes

That’s how one drink can quietly become 300–500 calories

What I personally do

If I choose to drink while being mindful of my goals, I keep it simple:

• Tito’s + club soda + lemon

• Tito’s + Spindrift or LaCroix

• Dirty martini (vodka + olive juice = very minimal calories)

Low sugar, lower calories, easier to fit into real life.

I’ve also occasionally used THC seltzers instead of alcohol.

Some are low calorie, some are not; so again, read the label. And if you notice they make you snacky, that’s something to be honest with yourself about.

The real takeaway

Liquid calories don’t just add calories. They can:

• Increase hunger

• Make it harder to stay in a calorie deficit

• Disrupt sleep

• Affect recovery

• Make consistency harder than it needs to be

The question isn’t:

“Can I have this?”

It’s:

“Is this worth it for my current goal?”

Sometimes the answer is yes.

Sometimes it’s no.

Both are okay, as long as the choice is conscious.

That’s what education is for!

And if you ever want help navigating real life while still making progress, that’s literally what I’m here for.

— Brooke Young, Young Fitness 🖤