Healthy Smoothies For Weight Loss? Just Keep These Things In Mind!

There's little that's easier than sticking some fruit, veg, and perhaps add-ons in a blender, turning that blender on, and drinking the resulting goodness, right? Well, yes — that's just one reason why using smoothies for weight loss is such a good idea, actually. Convenience matters. Mind you, what you throw in that blender does matter. Not all smoothies are healthy, and not all encourage weight loss. How much you drink matters, too. If you want to make smoothies work for you and against your excess belly flab, keep these things in mind, and put them into practice. 

Weight Loss Smoothie Pro Tips

You can safely replace a meal a day, or even two (so long as you pick your ingredients wisely) with a smoothie. And if you were a snacker? Smoothies are perfect for that too. You'll still need to count your calories, exercise, and all that stuff, but hey, give me a taste bomb over a single steamed egg with a tiny side of cottage cheese any day. 

If you are going to be replacing some of your meals with smoothies, you'll want to make sure you are getting your daily protein. Adults should get between 10 and 35 percent of their daily calories from proteins. Now of course, that's not the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "smoothie", but make no mistake: you have lots of options. You can add soy milk, cottage cheese, low fat yogurt, peanut butter, or whole hazelnuts.

Give the fiber some love, too. Avocado, berries, kale, kiwi, pear, and chia seeds are awesome for that. For maximum weight loss, opt for greener smoothies over ones that are laden with fruit most of the time. It's good sugar, people, but it's still sugar!

Don't Make These Blending Mistakes

Right, let's see. Be cautious of protein powder, because some protein powders make you fat. Read the ingredients list! Don't add commercial fruit juice to your smoothies. That one might seem obvious, but some people do exactly that. Did we mention not to go top-heavy on the fruits? Oh yeah, we did, but it's really important so we'll say it again. Also, ice cream, frozen yogurt, or even Oreo cookies, might taste nice, but if you add them to a smoothie, you're not going to maximize your weight loss. No matter how healthy your smoothies are, if you're drinking three or four in addition to eating three meals a day, you will also not be saying goodbye to your extra pounds.

If, however, you do your research, count your calories, make sure you're getting plenty of exercise, and have a great source of smoothie recipe inspiration, don't think for a moment that the fact you're not hungry after drinking a green smoothie means you're not going to be losing weight. Rather, be amazed that smoothies are more than a ticket to weight loss — they can continue to play tasty part in a healthy diet even after you reach your target weight!