I’m going to put it out there – I enjoy a drink from time to time. And while I don’t tend to drink during the week or head out on three day benders at the weekend, the calories from that Friday night glass of vino or Saturday evening cocktails with the girls soon start to add up so I’ve recently been looking for some low calorie alcohol options!
The easiest way to cut calories with alcohol is, well, just not drink it – but where’s the fun in that! It’s also a well known fact that cutting something out and telling yourself you can’t have it is a direct ticket to craving town!
So I’ve put together some lower calories alcohol hacks so you can have your cake cosmo and eat drink it too without feeling too guilty the next day!
Low Calorie Alcohol Cheats:
Wine
Adult grape juice aka nectar of the gods. A bottle of wine can rack up over 600kcals and quite a hefty headache the next day. And while they say a glass of red wine a day helps the heart, when have we ever opened up a bottle and just had one glass?
Unless you have the willpower of a saint, chances are you’ll pour yourself a hefty home measure and go back in the fridge for more. It’s so easy to sink a whole bottle when you’re as a pair sat on the sofa in front of a tv, and I’m not ashamed to say I’ve been known to give it a bloody good go myself after a particularly stressful day.
Tip number 1: Buy mini bottles.
Chances are, if you open a full size bottle of vino you’re going to finish it, if not on the same night you’ll go back the next night and the next until it’s gone – you’re not going to pour it down the sink are you! (If you are please remove yourself from this webpage immediately)
Buy getting a mini bottle of wine (around 180ml’s worth) you get a monster glass of the good stuff – or two smaller glasses which makes it feel like it’s going further – without spending too many calories or risking rolling up like the office drunk the next morning.
1 miniature bottle of White Wine = 150kcals
Another top tip: Buy a Measure.
Super handy for bartenders to make sure they’re keeping things even, picking up your own to use at home is a great way to keep track of those calories. We all know that eyeballing it doesn’t always yeild an accurate result! But for less than a fiver you can guarantee the kcals in every glass to help you stay on track!
BUY ONE HERE!
Beer
Not all beers were created equal! We all know the myth that a pint of Guinness contains the same calories as a Roast Dinner, well, that may not be strictly true but there are some beers and lagers that are better for the waistline than others!
The big winner is Bud 66 calling in at just 84 kcals per bottle – amazing – followed closely by Coors Light, Fosters Gold and Bud Light with Lime all around the 100kcal mark. Can’t substitute your favourite lager for something lower kcal? Order a half instead of a pint or go for a soda water shandy and don’t get sucked into buying rounds – that’s a sure fire way to start lining up the calories along with the bottles!
1 Bottle Bud 66 = 84 Kcals
Cocktails
Cocktails can be a tricky one especially when out and about. Sugary juices, high calorie liqueurs and sugar syrup galore all go against your diet, but there are some great ways to lighten up your cocktail without missing out on your favourites.
Out and about try asking for a mojito with half the sugar syrup or skip it all together. Or you could even try a Cuba Libre made with diet coke. At home lighten your cosmos and margaritas by substituting Triple Sec for freshly squeezed orange – full of flavour but about 100kcals less!
Get creative with your substitutes and think outside the box, and if a bar is good at mixing they’ll be happy to experiment with substitute ingredients for you.
1 Skinny Cosmo = 150kcals
Spirits
Spirits are great for diet drinking when mixed right. A single Gin and Slimline Tonic will set you back a grand total of about 75kcals, half it’s white wine equivalent and the taste between normal tonic and slimline is quite easy to get used to.
Vodka, Fresh Lime Juice and Soda, Rum and Diet Coke, Whiskey and Diet Ginger Ale – the spirit world is your oyster – just avoid sugary juices and full fat mixers and you’ll be laughing all the way to the scales!
If you’re at home always remember to use a jigger or a shot glass to measure your spirits so you’re not adding more than you should, or buy your favourite tipple pre-mixed in a can! With the empties stacked up you’ll see how much you’re drinking and be reminded to stop sooner than you would with a magical re-filling home measure glass!
1 Gin & Slim = 75kcals
(Regular gins such as Bombay, Hendricks and Gordons are all the lowest calorie gins. Watch out for flavoured gins that can be almost double the amount!)
Zero Alcohol Substitutes
Sometimes you just don’t feel like drinking, or you might be designated driver, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to be escaping calorie free! J20’s, Orange Juices, Full Fat Coke, Lemonade, they’ll all leave you with 100’s of calories under your belt so it’s worth looking at your virgin drink choices a little more closely!
I like to drink sparkling water when I’m not drinking with a little bit of cordial. You can get some great flavours like ginger and lemongrass, rhubarb and raspberry, elderflower and lime, and topped up with ice cold sparkling water they make for a really refreshing drink.
Look for sugar free or low sugar cordials at home and you’re onto a winner, or sparkling water or soda water with fresh lemon, lime or orange squeezed in when in a bar.
1 Virgin Fizz (fancy cordial and sparkling water!) = around 20kcals
So the next time you’re feeling like a little something wet and naughty but you don’t want to obliterate all your hard work, then grab some of these low calorie alcohol cheats and be merry – just remember that because something is half the calories doesn’t mean you can drink twice as many!