Want to Lose Weight This Year? Start With What You Drink By Alex Janin Your health is more than just a number on a scale. But if losing a little weight is a New Year goal, skip fad diets and hard-to-maintain fitness resolutions. Instead, nutrition experts recommend something simpler: Don’t drink your calories. Sugar tends to hide in beverages, and a happy-hour cocktail or fancy holiday latte can pack as many calories as a Big Mac. Taking a hard look at what and how much you drink isn’t just an important first step for weight loss, it is a necessary one, says Dr. Robert Lustig, a neuroendocrinologist who has written several books on obesity, sugar and nutrition science.