Alcohol choices when trying to get lean

afua45

I'm in the process of shedding some fat and getting lean. In looking in my diet I realized that alcohol plays a part in not achieving this. I can polish off one bottle of white wine over the weekend.

I'm limiting my intake as a treat now.

My question is what are some alcohol choices you a go for?

I've heard Gin/Tonic, Vodka and ice.

Suggestions?

Talan79

I’d stay away from tonic bc of the sugar. I was a vodka club soda girl before. Now I can’t even smell vodka lol. Tequila & club soda with lime juice is my go to now. I also had to just give up the alcohol. I could easily have a few drinks back to back.

LKArgh

Wine in moderation works for me. I get one glass as treat most evenings and it is enough. I do not bring the bottle with me, or it can easily add up, I just get one glass and leave the kitchen

Mithridites

Just the one glass of sauvignon blanc and I pick good wines but keep sugar content at 2g, so extra dry. I use my food scale and pour no more than 5 oz. that's one serving. The fashionable wine glasses are HUGE!
Sometimes I'll top it off with Perrier and make it a spritzer. Under 110 cal usually.

RockingWithLJ

If you're using this as a treat that I'm not sure why the calories matter. Drink what you normally drink and really enjoy but limit it to one drink

MaltedTea

As a sporadic/occasional drinker, logging (and the stress of a global pandemic threatening our very existence) has allowed me to explore alcohol within caloric limits.

I've tasted all kinds of microbrews/craft beers and mid-tier bourbons since March.

My fav go to at this point is a bourbon lemonade: 1.5 oz bourbon, 0.5 oz fresh ginger juice, 1.0 oz freshly squeezed organic lemon. Add a sprig of mint or 3-5 whole peppercorns if you're willing.

^^ I just made this up so a proper drinker may be horrified. But what do I know? I just like the taste and it always fits my macros 🤷🏿‍♀️

closedhisaccount

melanin45 wrote: »

I'm in the process of shedding some fat and getting lean. In looking in my diet I realized that alcohol plays a part in not achieving this. I can polish off one bottle of white wine over the weekend.

I'm limiting my intake as a treat now.

My question is what are some alcohol choices you a go for?

I've heard Gin/Tonic, Vodka and ice.

Suggestions?

Like yourself, I could easily drink a bottle of wine, IN JUST ONE SITTING! If I limit my wine consumption to "dinner only" (2 glass limit), I can keep my intake in-check. A glass of wine (5-6 oz) is going to have HALF the calories of a 16 oz Double IPA, so it's my poison-of-choice.

blue_eyed_fi

I used to be able to drink a whole bottle of wine and now I just measure out using a spirit measure so I stay under 200 calories in alcohol. Other alternative is gin (again a measure), slimline tonic and lime wedges. This would be under 110 calories for 2 drinks. I exercise every day so have some extra calories for a drink most evenings. Also I wait until 9:30-10pm to have a drink so have less than if I had one at dinner

sardelsa

I personally go for wine with dinner. I try to limit it to weekends only.

ahoy_m8

One bottle (~600 calories) isn't a crazy amount spread over 2 or 3 days if it is a treat you really enjoy.

Sometimes I do enjoy wine a lot and sometimes I'm meh. When I've focused on taste and what's enjoyable about it, I've recognized for me part of the enjoyment is the ceremony around it, sharing it with someone, the sense of occasion (e.g. kicking off weekend). I discovered I can enjoy all that, and taste, with mocktails. Some people's idea of a mocktail is what I would call a smoothie, but mine are low calorie- much lower than anything alcoholic. It's fun playing with tart and bitter tastes, and I don't mind using a splash of sprite zero, cider or some such for sweetness. I'm also not a purist about keeping it alcohol free and will use a dash of alcohol based bitters or amaro. Amaro's tend to be bitter and sweet and pretty caloric; despite that I usually come out ahead on calories going this route vs. heavier on alcohol.

My kids get a laugh out of seeing everclear on the kitchen counter when I've made ginger bitters.

ponycyndi

I can get 1.5oz clear liquor mini bottles at the store here for less than $2, around 100ish calories.

Tons of choices, and pre-portioned. I can drink them straight, on ice, with a seltzer, diet coke, crystal light, all without adding any extra calories.

The good news is, eating so much less means I don't need much alcohol to feel it's effects.

closedhisaccount

ahoy_m8 wrote: »

One bottle (~600 calories) isn't a crazy amount spread over 2 or 3 days if it is a treat you really enjoy.

Sometimes I do enjoy wine a lot and sometimes I'm meh. When I've focused on taste and what's enjoyable about it, I've recognized for me part of the enjoyment is the ceremony around it, sharing it with someone, the sense of occasion (e.g. kicking off weekend). I discovered I can enjoy all that, and taste, with mocktails. Some people's idea of a mocktail is what I would call a smoothie, but mine are low calorie- much lower than anything alcoholic. It's fun playing with tart and bitter tastes, and I don't mind using a splash of sprite zero, cider or some such for sweetness. I'm also not a purist about keeping it alcohol free and will use a dash of alcohol based bitters or amaro. Amaro's tend to be bitter and sweet and pretty caloric; despite that I usually come out ahead on calories going this route vs. heavier on alcohol.

My kids get a laugh out of seeing everclear on the kitchen counter when I've made ginger bitters.

Not all bottles of wine are 600 cal, though...Depends on the ABV% of the wine. Many red wines in California come-in at 14.5% ABV, so you are looking at ~675 cal. Not much of a difference, but if you are a calorie-counting, it COULD make you lose that illustrious "under" for the day...

If you have "Everclear" on your counter, I wish you were MY Mom....;) lol

DanaDark

Whisky Diet. Vodka Soda with lime. Those are my go-tos when I go out... staying home I can mix it up with some other items.

You're looking at roughly 100 calories for a standard club-style pour/drink with one of these. Using sugary drinks (cranberry, orange juice, pineapple juice, coke, etc.) you're gonna really up the calories.

Basically anything with more than 2 ingredients is out.

AnnPT77

Personally, if I'm going to drink alcohol as a treat, I'm going to choose the specific drink based on taste-preference, then manage the portions. During weight loss, and even during maintenance, that has meant anything from gin or rye/bitters with soda (at about 70 calories per portion), to high-ABV DIPA or Imperials (350 calories or so per pint).

For sure, IMO, the most calorie-efficient for alcohol content are the clear spirits, with a no-calorie or super-low-calorie mixer/add-ins to spread out the drinking (vs. doing shots 😉). Another option, if the thought doesn't horrify you, is a wine spritzer with one of the sweeter/fruitier white wines and sparkling water, or a not-super-sweet premade sangria with sparkling water. This won't be appealing to the true wine conoisseur (😉). I like a nice wine as well as most people, but the spritzer is pleasant and refreshing, especially in hot weather, IMO.

It's helped me, while trying to moderate alcohol for calorie reasons, to make it a habit to alternate a serving of alcohol with a serving of water (even sparkling water with a citrus wedge, if you want your friends to think you're still doing the gin & soda 😉), which spreads the alcohol over time while still still keeping me sipping something nice. The extra hydration doesn't hurt, either.

sgt1372

I drink alcohol of some kind everyday, usually about 200-300 cals worth. Don't consider it a "treat;" just a habit that I do not care to stop even though I know that they are totally empty cals lacking in any nutritional value, usually in the form of 2 glasses of wine or 2-3 ozs of hard liquor (usually scotch, bourbon or gin/vermouth), which is a lot less than the 6-8 cans of beer (plus thec6-8 cans of soda) that I use to drink @day before I lost wt and learned how to maintain it.

onepebble

I alternate alcoholic drinks with a glass of plain soda water with ice and lime. It’s refreshing and keeps me busy and feels as though I’m joining in when others are drinking.
I also enjoy lighter beers (Pure Blonde is my fave) which are pretty low in cals. Maybe try the lighter cal options that are available in your area to see if you like them.

ridiculous59

I enjoy a glass of pinot grigio wine so that's usually my drink of choice. And sometimes I'll add sparkling water to it to stretch out the calories. My favourite alcohlic beverage is a dry cider which comes in at a whopping 170 calories 😭 but I just noticed that my favourite brand is now making a cider seltzer drink that's only 100 calories. Guess I'll have to give that a try! Something else I like is rye and Zevia ginger ale. The ginger ale is 0 calories (sweetened with stevia) and I prefer it over other "diet" brands. Only around 100 calories so good value IMO.

janejellyroll

If you like tonic, try diet tonic. It helps cut the calories.

steveko89

I've never been in a situation where alcohol consumption has been a key obstacle in working towards my goals but I did not find it hard to cut out. Aside from splitting a bottle of wine on our anniversary in June I don't recall the last time I had a drink.

Diatonic12

How can you take it the razor's edge and still drop it like it's hot. I can have one shot of gin and leave my body. My father is the same way. He doesn't touch a drop of alcohol. His coworkers harangued him one time before a company dinner. He passed out cold and hit his head on the cement sidewalk. They never did that to him again. I'm similar. Some of us just weren't meant for alcohol. Our mileage will always vary.

BahstenB10

Tito's and water with xtra lemon and orange.

KimiAR

Truly lemonade. One pack sweetener. 3 oz wine. Set.
Is it super low in calories no. I’m not worried n

spyro88

I have some kind of alcoholic beverage probably about 4-5 days in an average week. I haven't cut it out since starting MFP as I think too many changes at once are not going to be sustainable for me, and it's something I really enjoy to relax. I just make sure that I only have one or two drinks and I save the calories for it.

My go-to's are:

Gin with diet tonic
Rum and coke (this is a treat for when I have enough cals!)
Straight rum or whisky (normally a double/50ml which is about 100 cals)
Prosecco/ wine (usually 1 small glass, sometimes 2 on a weekend if I have the calories for it)
A light beer or lager - but I will have a smaller 330ml bottle/ can rather than a pint