“What can I drink while I’m trying to lose weight?” This question pops up quite often when someone begins their transformation journey, and it makes sense.
You’re wanting to find certain things that you can sub into your current lifestyle that will make your weight loss process much easier OR you’re wanting to still be able to enjoy a night out with your friends without feeling too deprived.
I get it!
Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean that you still can’t enjoy a night out with friends or a few drinks. Losing fat, or weight, shouldn’t be about complete deprivation but more about moderation of lifestyles.
Now before I proceed further, I’m not promoting alcohol or drinking alcohol to support weight loss. This diet friendly drink list is intended for those that are still planning on having a few drinks but want to make better choices that won’t tank their fat loss endeavors.
Just remember moderation, as in most things in life, is key.
Spirits/Hard Liquor:
Contrary to what people think most spirits have more calories per ounce than most other drinks BUT since a serving size is only 1.5 oz that’s where they can fit in as the better lower calorie DRINK options
Your popular lower calorie spirts options can include:
– Vermouth 64-cal/serving
– Unflavored Rum 77-cal/serving
– Gin (Beefeater and Gilbey’s) 100-120-cal/serving
– Whiskey 100-cal/serving
– Vodka 100-cal/serving
– Cognac 100-cal/serving
Mix any of those with soda water OR diet soda, and you will have a nice drink that will only set you back about 100 calories.
Protip: Clear spirits are usually go-to for lower calorie drink options if you’re just unsure.
Wine
This is the question that most want to know… “What kind of wine can I drink that has the lower calories?”
Hey, if win better matches your palate below are the wine options that will still leave you feeling classy
– Chardonnay 100-cal/serving
– Pinot Grigio 100-cal/serving
– Zinfandel 100-cal/serving
– Cabernet Sauvignon 100-cal/serving
– Merlot Red Wine 100 cal/serving
All of those calorie numbers are based on the standard 5oz serving of wine. Now, depending on how generous the bartender or your best friend is, can determine if that 5oz quickly became an 8oz.
Light Beer
Not all light beers are created equal, and that’s why you’ll see commercials of Michelob Ultra (95 calories), for example, really cater this drink to the fitness crowd. So I’ll cut straight to the point below are the list of calorie friendly beers.
– Budweiser Select 55: 55 calories
– Beck’s Premier Light: 63 calories
– Miller 64: 64 calories
– Amstel Light: 95 calories
– Anheuser-Busch Light Pale Lager: 95 calories
– Michelob Ultra: 95 calories
– Natural Light: 95 calories
– Miller Light: 96 calories
– Heineken Light: 99 calories
– Corona Light: 99 calories
Protip: For a drink to be considered “low carb” it needs to have less than 5g of sugar per serving. (ok so not a pro-tip but nerd-tip)
Cocktails
Not everyone wants wine or just a shot with diet coke so what about cocktails? Are there any of those?
Well, I wouldn’t put this here if there were not BUT I will say this first… when we start mixing spirits and cocktails, the calories can quickly spike, so the list is a bit limited if your wanting to stay a bit calorie conscious
– Vodka Martini (160-170 cals/serving)
– Mojito (160-170 cals/serving)
– Paloma (no sugar or salt on the rim) (150-160 cals/serving)
– Old Fashion (150 cals/serving)
– Gin or Vodka Tonic (140-150 cals/serving)
– Sazerac (130-140 cals/serving)
– Vodka Soda or Rum and Diet Coke (100 cals/serving)
What else?
Just to be aware for those that are on a mission or have an event they are trying to get ready for in regards to calories and drinking when you ingest alcohol the fat loss process in the body is blunted till all the alcohol calories are gone. This means that until your body burns off all the alcohol calories, it won’t start working on the fat so keep this in mind when it comes to drinking frequency.
Just like it was stated above, moderation is key when it comes to just about anything, especially alcohol so be smart about this and don’t go in with the intention of getting hammered or plastered. Make sure that you can still function and enjoy your night out. 🙂
In Health and Awesomeness,
Travis Merritt, BS, CPT, (and other cool letters behind the name) is the Owner of Rowlett Transformation Center in Rowlett, TX.
P.S. – If you enjoyed this post please share it with your friends using the social media buttons below.
P.P.S. – Please ask a question or share a comment with us in the Leave a Comment section at the very bottom of the page. We love your feedback and will use it to develop future content.
PLEASE CLICK THE “LIKE” BUTTON, POST A COMMENT AND SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS…
