The best alcoholic drinks for weight loss

Strictly speaking, the best alcoholic drink choice for weight loss is no drink (it is empty calories after all), but we aren't here to judge. There are many times that a non-alcoholic beverage just won't cut it, sometimes you'll be at a social event and you'll feel compelled to have a drink, or you'll have had a hard week and need a way to decompress, but are worried about the expansion of your waistband.

Here at Do Not Donut, we believe that anything can be included in your diet as long as it's enjoyed in moderation. So we have decided to help you out with a few simple tips for those that are trying to lose weight, which drinks to avoid and which low calorie alcoholic drinks you could replace them with.

Beer

The most popular alcoholic drink by a long way is beer, in fact after water and tea it is the third most common drink. Beer has been brewed and enjoyed for millenia and was initially produced to provide a safe and reliable source of hydration, back when the only other options were the local river or lake.

The worst offender when it comes to fat gain from alcohol consumption, there is a reason they call it a "beer belly" after all. Beer is loaded with carbs and on average a pint of beer is in excess of 200 calories! As with most alcoholic drinks, the majority of the calories come from the alcohol itself so the easiest and simplest solution to reduce your calorie intake is to drink a low alcohol or "light" beer. Some light beers are just regular beers with a low alcohol percentage whilst others are specifically created with an emphasis on reducing carbs, sugars and calories.

Here are a few different options for when you would like a beer but still trying to manage your weight:

Gen!us Low Calorie IPA which are just 79 calories for a 330ml can.

Michelob Ultra Superior Light Beer only 73 calories in a 330ml bottle.

A more alternative option would be what are called "small beers". Small Beers is the name given to low alcohol beers. Remember above when I said that people needed beer for hydration? Well these would have been small beers. If everyone was drinking modern 5% lager then you would get dehydrated very rapidly and you would live your life in a permanent state of hangover.

Here are some of the best modern small beers, from Small Beers brewery, with only 77 calories per 350ml for their lager.

So next time you are at the beer or heading to a friends for a garden party, make sure to check the alcohol content of the beer you are buying, the lower the better, and if possible order the light beer. Don't worry what your friends may have to say, you'll be the one laughing when you've got a six pack and they are struggling to fit into that extra large t-shirt.

Wine

Invented in Georgia (the country not the state) thousands of years ago, wine has been consumed all around the world and is the basis for many a boozy cocktail, but unfortunately that sweet taste is owing to one thing, sugar.

Luckily, you aren't the first person that has wanted a drink but not at the expense of their figure, if you aren't sure what I mean just watch a gaggle of mothers as they leave the yoga class and head to the local wine bar, it's like watching the wildebeest migrate across the serengeti, though I feel sorry for any lion that would try to take them on, those glue on nails are razor sharp.

Here are a few options for low-carb and low-sugar wines that still have all the taste you would expect from a more calorific drink:

For a red wine, you could try the La Rossa 450 Piemonté Red which is just 75 calories for a 125ml glass.

White wine drinkers may enjoy the South African Compass Road Chardonnay which is 91 calories for a 125ml glass.

If you are a fan of rosé then the Rosé 500 is your best bet at only 84 calories per 125ml glass.

If bubbles are more your thing then you could consider the Thomson & Scott Organic Prosecco at 82 calories per 125ml glass.

As you can see there are many options available to you, but make sure to keep count of those drinks, especially as the night progresses and 2 or 3 small drinks can swiftly become 5 or 6 glasses, the size of which would be required to drown a gopher, or other large rodent.

Cocktails

Now we are on to the most sneaky of drinks, Cocktails. Cocktails are a trojan horse of calories and alcohol with many being designed to fit as much alcohol as possible whilst still tasting like fruit juice. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different cocktails and we simply don't have enough time to go into detail for each one. Suffice to say, there are a few simple rules to follow to help you.

Firstly, try and keep the cocktail as simple as possible, normally the fewer ingredients the better, try to steer clear of ingredients that mention the word sugar, or syrup, and especially sugar syrup. Sugar syrup is exactly what it sounds like, sugars dissolved in water to create a highly calorific, albeit tasty, syrup.

Secondly, check which mixers are being used in the drink, fruit juices often have added sugars and can rapidly increase the calorie count of a drink. A good option would be diet drinks such as diet coke or diet lemonade.

Lastly, try to choose a lower calorie spirit, something like vodka or gin, as opposed to more calorie dense drinks like rum or brandy.

Spirits

We touched on this briefly in the "cocktails" section but this group of drinks will be your best friend if you are trying to find a healthy balance between weight management and not becoming a social pariah.

Whilst there isn't a great deal of difference in calories between Whisky, Bourbon, Gin and vodka. The recommendation is often to stick with the latter two as they pair better with low calorie mixers such as soda or tonic water. Mixers are always preferable to drinking spirits straight as the extra liquid will slow down how fast you drink. A shot is gone in a second, whereas the same amount of alcohol, say in a gin & tonic, is sipped slowly over 10 or 15 minutes.

The spirit with the lowest calories per serving, surprisingly enough, is Tequila. But because we refuse to suggest to our readers that the healthiest way to live your life is to slam back tequilas we do advise to take that with a pinch of salt (and a lime wedge).

Everything can be enjoyed in moderation, and we hope our advice will help those that are trying to balance fun and fitness but please don't drink alcohol unless you are of the legal age to do so in your country or area and please always drink responsibly. Cheers!