Does your fitness journey seem to be stuck on a never-ending plateau? Can’t lose body fat despite regular exercise? Do you drink smoothies often as a meal or post-workout “snack?”
If you answered yes to the last question, chances are you answered yes to the first and second one too. So many people turn to smoothies as a weight loss solution, never realizing that this one particular food choice could be the very thing standing between them and the body they desire. Surprised? Let me explain:
Smoothies tend to be highly energy dense, meaning that an effort to pack in as much “good for you” fruit, nut butter, protein powder, chia seeds and whatever else can fit in the blender, you’re getting calories worthy of an attempt at Mt. Everest with each sip. Also, smoothies almost always come in gigantic portions - and are so delicious and easy to drink - making the likelihood very high that you’ll take in more calories than you’re actually going to use before you eat again.
Speaking of your next meal, super-churned by design, smoothies tend to make it through the stomach quickly, leaving you prone to hunger - and for something solid, filling and perhaps more than you would have had otherwise.
Here’s a really surprising reason smoothies might be keeping you from physique fulfillment: your ability to digest fructose. While fruit is full of valuable nutrients, too much of a good thing can definitely be too much for some people. Fructose, the sugar in fruit, is not efficiently processed by the body compared to other carbohydrates. Also, the amount each of us can absorb to be turned into energy in the liver differs by person. (The rest goes to your gut and feeds the bacteria there which can result in gsa, bloating and other unpleasantries.)
Bottom line: your “healthy” smoothie may be one of the very things that is keeping that extra layer the weight on.