5 Smoothie Mistakes that Make You Gain Weight

Avoid these Ingredients and Avoid the Extra Pounds

I don’t know about you but I feel like smoothies are a thing you can always count on especially when I’m feeling hangry or am heading out for a bite and just need something to tide me over. To add to that getting all the nutrients packed in without the calories of a large meal is a killer bonus.

Making your own smoothies at home is definitely a smart move especially since you know every exact thing that’s going into them. But sometimes we all make minor mistakes in what we put in them thinking we’re boosting the healthy factor. This unfortunately can lead to frustrating weight gain and is surprisingly more common than we all think!

So getting it right from the start is such a key piece to the calories you’re consuming. Let’s take a look at 5 of the biggest smoothie mistakes that may be packing on the unwanted pounds.

5 Most Fattening Smoothie Mistakes

Mistake #1: You’re Using Fruit Juice

Okay, a small amount of fruit juice is okay from time to time, but it doesn’t take much to overdo it. And in the end, all you’re adding is a bunch of empty calories and a lot of sugar (natural, but still sugar). My tip is to take the fruit juice out of your smoothie altogether, and get your sweetener from real whole fruit instead. If you find most fruit is not sweet enough, a banana is your best bet, but…

Mistake #2: You’re Overdoing the Fruit

Sadly, you might also be adding to much fruit to your smoothies. This may not be as much of a concern as the juice, but make sure you’re not making smoothies that are 100% from fruit. The sugar problem’s going to rear its head here too. To avoid this problem, make sure you include a main protein source like Optimum 100% Natural Oats & Whey and other ingredients rich in protein and fiber. Nut butters, nuts, yogurt, and veggies are other good options, and they’ll boost your metabolism.

Mistake #3: You’re Missing the Good Stuff

This brings us to the third big smoothie mistake. You want to make sure that all of your smoothies include a solid serving of protein and fiber. These ingredients will help slow down the absorption of any sugars that are in your smoothie, and also help nourish your fat burning & lean muscle building metabolism. For a dose of protein, try adding a scoop of NOW Certified Organic Whey Protein (this is the purest protein powder I’ve found, has no added sweetners of any kind), and for extra fiber, you could add a scoop of Myogenix Pro Fiber.

Mistake #4: You’re Super-Sizing It

Just because your blender or bullet can fit all those ingredients doesn’t mean you need to fill it to the brim. Make sure you’re not overdoing the portion size for your smoothies, and make a habit of controlling how much you consume in one go. My general rule is to keep everything at around a 250ml cup, and if you’re feeling bloated afterwards, that’s a good sign to cut back.

Mistake #5: You’re Adding Too Many Ingredients

Have you ever heard of the acronym KISS which stands for keep it simple stupid?  When it comes to smoothies, I think this one can go a long way because too many ingredients will make you loose out on the simplicity of pairing flavours (similar to my guilty pleasure of wine and cheese).  Try these combos – strawberries, banana and vanilla whey; mango, peach and plain whey; or just peanut butter and chocolate whey.

Looking for more healthy protein smoothie recipes?

Try one of my Top 5 Protein Smoothie Recipes or if you haven’t yet sign up to my newsletter and get my ultimate best 50 smoothie recipes.  Remember when you do them right, smoothies can be a big nutrition power house and help you curb cravings and allow you to totally reach your fitness goals.

If you have other questions on why you’re not reaching your goals even though your smoothies are passing these checks, then leave me a comment below…