Liquor and Diet

Nah, just drink. Enjoy yourself. Live a little. Everything in moderation, yadda yadda.

Have a few drinks and enjoy. Good choices from a calorie perspective are champagne, wine and hard liquor with no-cal mixers. But I would not get too caught up in the calories - go out and enjoy yourself.

It's what you do the majority of the time that matters - one night off for a celebration really won't make that much difference. It is a special occasion, you and your husband should enjoy yourself.

As far as calories go hard liquor has the least as it is just alcohol - no carbs or anything else - and you generally don't drink as much volume of it. But don't make a celebratory drink choice based on calories. Those choices should be made based on what you enjoy drinking. If you like beer, have a couple of beers. It's one day and it's a special occassion. If it makes you feel better maybe get in an extra workout to make some room in your calorie budget for what you want to drink but don't worry too much about it. Enjoy the evening. Get back on track the next day.

One day of living it up a little every once in a while doesn't have to mean the end of the changes you've made.

Life happens. Enjoy it.

Alcohol is 7 calories a gram but that doesn't mean you cannot have some on a special occasion within a healthy diet. Lowest calorie are dry white wine spritzers with sparkling water, clear spirits with sugar free mixers or grapefruit juice, red wine supplies healthy antioxidants. Also be aware that alcohol messes with your blood sugar and reduces inhibitions, so you may get cravings for carbohydrates or junk food. Be sure to eat a low glycaemic index meal - more protein, fat and fibre than starchy carbs, limit sugar, processed wheat and potatoes. Pint of water beside your bed before you go out, have something easy, healthy and tasty in the house for breakfast so you don't end up craving more junk.

By all means, enjoy a couple drinks. I tend to stick to champagne and wine because I lost my tolerance for alcohol when I stopped drinking (for the most part). If you haven't been drinking for a while, that's usually the killer. You probably won't be able to drink that much. Another great trick I use is the club soda with lime. It looks like an alcoholic beverage, has almost no calories, and you don't get drunk on them. If you don't want to drink a lot or want to space things out, then mix those in.

My new philosophy on drinking (and i drink red wine when I do) is to pour a smaller portion (like 4 oz.) and keep a pint of water beside my drink. I try to have at least three or four sips of water between sips of wine. That way, i am hydrated and drink less automatically. I also adjust my calories on a day i know i will drink- still trying to get adequate nutrition but cutting out extras.