Stop Drinking With a Straw to Lose Weight Easier

How often do you drink with a straw? Did you know that drinking with a straw could be one of the leading causes of your not being able to lose weight? When I had my lap band surgery back in 2009, it was one of the first things that the doctor told me to give up. It really did not make any sense as I needed fluids and it is easy to constantly sip with a straw. I questioned this and afterward had a better understanding why they advised this. Let me explain. When you drink with a straw, you are inhaling or sucking on the straw to bring the fluid into your mouth. When you do this, you are not only drawing the fluid into your body but you are also taking in excess air. Think about how many times have you taken a drink too quickly and gotten the hiccups? Was it after drinking with a straw? When you drink from a straw and you take in this excess fluid, you are also taking in more air which in turn expands the stomach. When the stomach is expanded from the air, then we tend to eat more food as we do not feel full as quickly as we should. This causes us to over indulge which in turn leads to more calories and no weight loss. A double whammy of this is when you drink soda or sugary drinks, you are adding the carbonation along with the excess air causing even more stomach expansion.

Another tendency that I noticed with drinking with a straw is that we take in more fluids than are really necessary. I began to pay close attention to myself as well as others when drinking from a straw and realized that with the straw we tend to take in more fluids than are really necessary. We should sip consistently throughout the day to keep our body hydrated and our mouths moist to aid in proper digestion. When people drink with a straw, they take in way more than is necessary and many times they gulp the drink down. Maybe this is because we are more thirsty because we do not sip or our brain is saying get all the fluid you can now because I do not know when I will get more.

Starting today, take note of how much you take in with a straw compared to with just a glass or cup. I think you will be amazed.

Is it easy to give up the straw? NO it is not. We are such a fast paced society that we are always on the go and we need to have cups with lids. Most of these cups come with straws built into them now. It is fashionable and makes getting your fluids in quickly. But at what price?

I slip up a lot and forget about the straw thing myself but after going without drinking with a straw for a while, when I do, I notice the difference in how my stomach feels and it reminds me to get back on track.

Find your own way to get your fluids in but drop the straw. Fast food and restaurants make it so acceptable to use straws it is hard to avoid it all together. Do the best you can and see the difference you will feel in just a few days of skipping the straw.

Here is to your better health and your successful weight loss journey.


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