10 Ways to Enjoy Alcohol on a Diet

10 Ways to Enjoy Alcohol on a Diet

Sticking to your diet can already be a huge challenge and restricting yourself from enjoying your usual alcohol can make it seem unbearable. The good news is that, you can still enjoy your favorite alcoholic beverages even when you are on a diet. You already know how getting tipsy can disrupt your weight loss efforts but a frosty blue margarita can be very tempting at times. Besides, one martini glass or two won’t really hurt, would it? If you start drinking regularly though then that is certainly going to hurt. You have to know how much is enough and when to stop as you are already going beyond your limits given your diet goals.

Are you ready to lose weight, build muscle, or feel more fit? Join Beachbody On Demand, and get unlimited access to Beachbody’s world-famous programs, including 80 Day Obsession, 21 Day FIX®, Insanity, P90X® and 100’s more. Don’t miss out on your chance for amazing results. Sign up today!

Without you knowing it, the alcohol that you are enjoying is already thwarting the results that you have been desiring since you started your health plans. For one, alcohol stimulates your appetite and makes you want to reach for that pizza and order more fries. In addition, the same beverages are a lethal source of the empty calories that you need to avoid because they provide zero to little of the nutrients that your body needs badly when you are on a diet. And, as you eat and drink, you are also impairing the ability of your body to digest, absorb, as well as store the nutrients that you get from the food you eat. As such, it will be to your advantage if you know exactly what to do when you feel the need to consume alcohol while you are on a diet. Here are 10 ways to enjoy it still:

• Check your hard liquor for carb content

If hard liquor is your thing, you need to check how much carb is in your drink of choice. For a zero-carb guarantee though, you can go for vodka, whiskey, brandy, tequila or gin. These pure alcohols are perfect when you are on a low-carb diet. Just remember not to put in any add ons like soft drinks, juice, sweet cream, and other sweeteners that tally up to the carb content. Adding tonic to gin boost carbs at 16 grams per serving. The same thing happens when you add orange juice to your vodka as it adds 28 grams of unwanted carbs to your diet disadvantage. Instead, opt for soda water plus lime to your vodka and you have yourself a no-carb alcohol for the summer.

• Savor every sip at 1 to 2 drinks the most

Sometimes, less is more. When you know that you can only have 1 to 2 drinks, you will tend to enjoy every sip. So do just that – have your alcohol in moderation and appreciate every bit of it. In 2015, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that if alcohol should be consumed, it should be done so in moderation. For women, it should be one drink only. For men, two drinks is good. The reason for the difference in recommended alcohol consumption comes from a biological perspective where men and women have different body structures and chemistry when it comes to alcohol. Women have to have lesser because they tend to absorb more alcohol than men and also, it takes them longer to metabolize the same.

• Have it pure and never mix

Mixed drinks can look extra pretty with its exciting colors and taste great with all the add-ons. But if you are on a diet, you have to avoid mixed drinks at all cost. If you are looking to strip your alcoholic drinks of empty calories, fat, and sugar, then forget about sweet cocktails. Most of the time, your cocktails are served in large portions or sometimes in unlimited refills at parties. For example if you order a piña colada, typically, they are served in 9-ounce glasses. Aside from that, expect a whopping 490 calories added on your calorie count that can already make up for a whole meal in some individuals. The calories actually come from the sugary and fatty sources including pineapple juice and coconut cream plus alcohol equivalent to 2 standard drinks. So the next time you feel like ordering a cocktail, think about the calories, and go for pure spirits instead.

• Customize your wine consumption

You can still love wine in different ways depending on your diet program. If your diet involves a moderate low-carb plan at 20 to 50 carbohydrates per day, you can enjoy dry wines regularly without having to worry about the impact of the carbs on your weight. If you are strictly following a keto diet or a rigid low-carb diet composing less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, then one glass of wine on occasions only is recommended. However, if you discover that you ain’t losing the weight that you’re supposed to, then you may need to cut back on your alcohol consumption.

For your information, one glass of dry wine has approximately 0.5 grams of sugar in it. There’s also glycerol in small amounts plus other carbohydrates that have remained from the wine-making process which typically amounts to lesser than 2 grams of total carbohydrates. Consequently, the likelihood that one glass of dry wine is going to impact your insulin levels or blood sugar levels is very little.

However, Gewurztraminers, Rieslings, and other sweeter wines contain approximately 4 grams of carbs in your usual wine glass. Dessert wines such as Tokaj, Muscato, Ice wines and fortified wines like Sherry and Medeira or Port are even sweeter and thus contain more fructose and carb content per glass at about 5 grams and above. At the end of the day, it is a matter of customizing your alcohol intake with your diet program specifically in accordance with how much carb you can enjoy each day.

• Make water your best buddy

There is nothing that water cannot do to help you become healthier and especially so when you are trying to enjoy your alcohol without ruining your diet. If there is one thing you should remember, it would be to drink lots of water. Any kind of alcohol has the tendency to dehydrate you due to the fact that it is a diuretic and makes you want to urinate often. So you can compensate for the loss of fluid, you have to drink water to help dilute the concentration of alcohol in your blood. There are plenty of ways you can do this without jeopardizing your enjoyment. For one, you can gulp down some water before you savor your drinks. Ordering your favorite concoction on the rocks does not only make it cool but healthier as well. Should you like to have more than a glass of alcohol, you can alternate it with water.

• Pair it with soda water

Adding soda water to your kind of alcohol is the way to go when you are on a diet. This is especially awesome when you order at the bar and would like to have some vodka. Vodka soda is a popular bar stable and that is mainly because it’s got zero carbs in it. As mentioned earlier, clear spirits are less harmful to your diet program. So skip adding the juice to reduce your carbs and calorie intake. The key is to choose clear against colored ones when it comes to the right alcohol on a diet because colorful beverages are bound to have more sugar and yes, calories too in them. Dr. Rachita Reddy is a double-board-certified internist and nephrologist who trained from NYU, Lenox Hill Hospital, and UC Berkeley. She supports this contention and says that clear alcohol like rum and vodka are lowest in calories and sugar when compared to the darker selections.

• Cut back a bit when you are on a strict low-carb regimen

Please heed this important warning: if you are on a strict low-carb diet, alcohol tends to pack more punch so remember to cut your usual dose. Just a little alcohol and you will notice that you will get more intoxicated quickly. Try to take it gradually and observe yourself first before you have your usual intake on a date night or on a night out with the girls. But for sure, you will have to enjoy less or half as many on what you were used to enjoy previous to your strict low-carb plan. The good news is that, it means you will easily get tipsy and that could imply some savings on your typical alcohol expense.

The reason for this phenomenon is not that clear yet but it could be attributed to the fact that the liver is going to be busy producing glucose or ketones when you consume low-carb foods and will have not have enough capacity to burn the alcohol that you have consumed. When the alcohol burning is slowed down, then you can get intoxicated faster than usual. You never drink and drive of course but this is especially so when you drink in this situation when you cannot exactly calculate your level of intoxication like you used to.

• Savor every bit of it

You notice how food and drinks become very delicious when you only have little or when you need to share it with others? The same principle holds true when you want to still enjoy your choice of alcohol on a diet. The less you have, the more you will enjoy it because you know that you can only have enough. So sip it slowly and savor every bit of it. What also helps is to develop a healthier mindset to drinking. You don’t drink like there’s no tomorrow and get hammered along the way. Surely, your diet plan is attached to your desire for a healthy lifestyle change and this should include transforming your current relationship with alcohol. Drink to your health and enjoy it more with good company.

• Explore the famous world of beers

If you are a beer enthusiast, you can get discouraged by the fact that beer is a no-go on a low-carb diet. Beer’s fermented grains would be equivalent to drinking bread in liquid form. As you know, beer consumption, as mouth-watering as it can be, is famous for big bellies and how it can contribute to abdominal obesity. Apparently, it is not a smart choice when you are trying to lose weight or managing diabetes. Fortunately for beer lovers on a diet, carb counts vary based on beer brand. Brands of beer that have lower carb counts do exist and you simply have to scout for the right ones that match your taste preference and carb targets.

There are American beers that are so light that they contain the most minimal amount of carbs. You can still enjoy them without derailing your low-carb weight loss plan. Try those different kinds of diet-friendly beers and settle on the one which you like the most that also match your carbs target per day.

• Never use alcohol to lull yourself to sleep

Some people are fond of having some drinks as a way of soothing themselves to sleep. Well, alcohol is indeed a sedative and it can really be effective in helping you get some shut-eye when sleep seem so elusive. However, this can hold true to some extent only because alcohol in moderate doses actually disrupt the sleep cycle as the time you spend in REM sleep or the Rapid Eye Movement stage of deep sleep gets reduced. Apparently, lots of REM is crucial in brain development, proper learning, and memory consolidation. Certainly, this is not the best way to enjoy alcohol when you are on a diet. Importantly, studies have shown that when you do not have enough sleep, it can result to weight gain and less restraint against tempting foods.

Are you ready to lose weight, build muscle, or feel more fit? Join Beachbody On Demand, and get unlimited access to Beachbody’s world-famous programs, including 80 Day Obsession, 21 Day FIX®, Insanity, P90X® and 100’s more. Don’t miss out on your chance for amazing results. Sign up today!