Jan 18
What a Difference a Drink Makes
No, I’m not talking about alcohol. I’m talking about that popular drink among the more fitness-inclined among us: Gatorade.
I had my weigh-in yesterday, during which I complained, lamented, whined, etc., that I was stuck within a five-pound range since the holiday gain, and that it seemed that nothing I did could get me past this most annoying hump.
I pointed out that I had started working with a personal trainer, that I was cutting back on everything, trying to slim down every meal, watching calories of everything I ate, working even more greens into the diet — folks, I am so sick of spinach right now I can’t even tell you! — and making sure I’m keeping the water drinking high. I added that I even bought up a bunch of Gatorade and was making sure I was drinking plenty of fluids to keep the “juices flowing,” if you know what I mean.
That’s when my weight loss counselor raised his eyebrows. “That’s probably your problem,” he said. “How much Gatorade are you drinking?”
I told him that I had bought several of the 64-oz. jugs that they have in various flavors. I was trying to drink at least one 64-oz. jug a day, sometimes I was drinking one and a half or two a day.
Not good, he says. Gatorade, it turns out, is loaded with calories. Loaded.
I was shocked. Isn’t Gatorade what people are supposed to drink when they’re on a diet and trying to slim down at the gym? Isn’t it this marvelous drink that takes water and adds those critical minerals or whatever it is that replenishes what you lose when you work up a sweat? Maybe, but that 64-oz. jug of Gatorade also has enough sugar — yes, sugar! — to bring the calorie count up to 480! And on days when I was having a jug and a half, that was 720 calories.
When you’re trying to stick to 1200 to 1500 calories a day, and Gatorade is taking up more than half of your daily allowance, it’s no wonder that the scale just sits there laughing at you morning after morning.
I admitted that I never bothered to look at the calories in Gatorade, because I thought it was artificial sweetener. Why would they load a “fitness” drink with sugar? It never would have occurred to me that there were all those calories screwing up my diet plan.
Am I the only one who didn’t realize this?
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January 19th, 2008 at 2:58 am
well i knew it was loaded with sugar but i think it is one of those mommy intuitive things. we avoid sugar and gatorade is a drink some kids seem to love. but i think all of us on a diet or get fit track discover a similar “good” thing is actually a not so good thing if we want to see the scale move down. they do make a sugar-free gatorade but i honestly don’ know what it tastes like.
now that you have seen the light when it comes to this drink, i imagine you will soon report a downward trend on the scale.
keep up the good work.
January 19th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Since Gatorade was developed as a sports drink, I always assumed it was loaded with sugar to keep the energy up in athletes, most of whom are burning plenty of calories and don’t need to worry about their weight. Seems to me there may be a lot of sodium as well…? Dunno, could be wrong about that, but salt is necessary for athletes, to replenish what they lose in sweat, especially in Florida where this stuff came from. (Why do I know this stuff? I married a football player!)
I’ve tried Gatorade only once, long ago, and thankfully I found it so foul-tasting that I’ve never gone back.
January 20th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Cat is right. Gatorade is designed to replenish electrolytes in those who have exercised intensely. It is loaded with sugar and sodium. It’s not really a “fitness” drink.
January 20th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I used to keep Gatorade around because I have two children with ADD. I thought that this would be better for them than Pepsi. Considering two out of 3 of my kids are allergic to milk, I don’t offer it. On the other hand, the food coloring in the Gatorade made my eldest, who is hyperactive, absolutely bonkers. The second couldn’t concentrate at all. I actually offered them Pepsi again, and got them to calm down because of the caffiene. Amazing, isn’t it?
Jude
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 am
[...] finds out Gatorade’s dirty little secret: I pointed out that I had started working with a personal trainer, that I was cutting back on [...]
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I drink good ol’ tap water when I ride my bike and take my electrolytes in tablet form if it is hot and I’m sweating a lot. You can buy them where vitamins are sold.
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
One great way to work around this problem is to mix the Gatorade yourself. I usually buy the powder at Publix, and keep a few empty 64oz bottles around to mix it in. I usually use about half the recommended mix, but you can go even lower, it’s a matter of taste. This works better w/ the lemon lime than the fruit punch flavor in my opinion.
You actually will hydrate better without all that sugar, and you still get a good amount of electrolytes.