How To Enjoy Drinks During Social Events While Still Losing Weight

So often we associate getting healthy, losing weight, staying fit, and all of the above, with having no social life. We think we have to choose between going out with our friends and staying at home to eat yet another plate of grilled chicken and veggies.  

That, my friends, is why diets and restrictive eating never work. They’re straight-up boring. 

You can have a social life — one that involves drinking and eating out — and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. You just have to learn how not to overindulge. And one of the easiest ways to do that is by tweaking what you drink. 

While it’s fine to enjoy your favorite extra-large strawberry margarita every now and then, you don’t want to make it your staple adult beverage. Instead, try sipping on one of these "skinny" alcoholic drinks that will support your weight loss efforts and allow you to have a good time. 

Vodka Soda 

This classic drink is a classic for a reason. Not only can you order it pretty much anywhere you go, but it’s only about 100 calories per drink. Add some lime or lemon to give it a little more flavor. 

Champagne 

This yummy beverage isn’t just for toasting the new year! At only 120 calories per 6-ounce drink, it’s a great alternative to a sugary cocktail. 

A Simple Margarita 

If you order a traditional margarita when you’re out, chances are it’s made with some high-calorie sweeteners. Skip all that sugary B.S. (it’s what can cause hangovers too, by the way), and instead ask for sparkling water with one shot of tequila and a splash of triple sec and lime. It’s only 170 calories and tastes just as good as the ones one the menu. 

Gin & Tonic 

Another low-calories classic, this drink will only cost you 70 calories — so long as you ask for diet tonic water instead of regular. Guess what? It tastes exactly the same, and better if you add a fresh lime. 

Spiked Seltzer 

Alcoholic seltzers have made it to the mainstream, and we’re not mad about it. At around 100-calories per can, these drinks are an easy way to keep your calories low while still having fun. 

Counting Macros?

One of the most frequently asked questions I get, is how to calculate alcohol into your macros. So here's the deal.. when you search your favorite liquor or wine in The Fitt Cycle App or any nutrition database, it will only give you calorie counts stating all macros are "0". Well.. we know this is impossible, because if it has calories, it has macros. So let's break it down.

Alcohol is actually considered the 4th macro but is not required to be on nutrition labels and actually provides no benefit to your body nutritionally. So how do you account for alcohol in your macros?

Simply put.. add all calories into your carbohydrate intake for the take. So for instance, that yummy vodka soda with 100 calories, take 100 calories divided by 4 (because each gram of carb equals 4 calories) and that will be your macro intake for that drink. So, one vodka soda is worth 24g of carbs. Choose wisely!

Keys To Remember

If your goal is to lose weight, remember, you have to be in a caloric deficit meaning you must be expending, or burning, more than you are consuming. So making sure that you're keeping track of your drinks is part of the equation. If you know you have an event coming up at the end of the week or over the weekend, you can save, or "bank" some of you macros for that event. 

For instance, if your typical weight loss macros have you eating around 1500 cals everyday... try consuming 1400 calories M-F and that will give you 500 extra calories to use for that special event, make sense?

Having this type of strategy going into the holidays will help you feel more in control and less "guilty" for enjoying these memory making moments!

Do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage that’s not on our list? Want me to drive deeper into cycling your calories for weekend events? Comment below and let us know!