Alcoholic drinks

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BLifts38
BLifts38 Posts: 248 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Last night, my boyfriend and I went to a hockey game. Being the nice guy that he is, my boyfriend got me Mike's Hard Black Cherry Lemonade.. 16 ounces. I scanned the barcode for the macros and couldn't believe it had 400 calories and 46 grams of carbs -- essentially 1/3 of my daily carb intake. I had about 4 ounces and that was it. I was astounded how many calories and carbs there were!

When I was actively losing weight, I gave up drinking for about 6 months all together. Not one sip. The calories weren't worth it to me, because I'm not a huge drinker as it is.

With that being said, what are your go to drinks when socializing? I'm not a huge vodka fan, so vodka and soda water won't cut it for me. I sometimes have a class of white wine. Wondering if there's anything else out there that might be a little bit better?

Replies

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I typically go for a glass of wine (red is my preference) or one beer (two if I choose a light beer). I stay away from mixed drinks and "soda pop" drinks because of the high calories of the stuff mixed in with the alcohol.

    Like you, I didn't drink, except holiday dinners with family, because I didn't want to spend the calories on alcohol. In the last 9 months or so, I have started adding in a glass of wine in the evenings on my workout days.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    Flavored water would be my suggestion the alcohol just screws up to many variables in nutrition for me.
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
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    The added sugar is contributing about as many calories as the alcohol.

    Per 12 ounce bottle:
    http://www.mikeshard.com/faq

    33 grams of sugar = 132 calories
    5% alcohol by volume = 142 calories

    That's 274 calories, which would be 23 calories per ounce. 16 ounces would be 368 calories.

    However, this is ignoring the way we metabolize alcohol. You aren't going to store calories from alcohol, but as long as your body is metabolizing that alcohol it is not burning fats/carbs/protein. That's not a problem if you are generally active, drink in moderation, and aren't overeating in the first place. In that case, the alcohol itself really won't have a measurable effect on weight gain.

    This is a good explanation:

    http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/10/cocktail-science-do-alcohol-calories-count-digesting-spirits.html

  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Yep. Water best. Every alcohol drink you have halts any fat burning for 48-72 hours while your liver is busy full time attempting to detoxify you.
  • piheart
    piheart Posts: 122 Member
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    Rum and diet coke. Corona lights are also 100 cal each. Saison beers and fruit beers tend to have a lower abv. Any beer with a low abv is a good choice for a lower calorie option - attached is the chart to use for calculating calories in a beer based on the abv %. Most of the time this is accurate, but I look it up if I can just in case. qwvwnv3etsdm.jpg
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Wine.
    Vodka and club soda.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    piheart wrote: »
    Rum and diet coke. Corona lights are also 100 cal each. Saison beers and fruit beers tend to have a lower abv. Any beer with a low abv is a good choice for a lower calorie option - attached is the chart to use for calculating calories in a beer based on the abv %. Most of the time this is accurate, but I look it up if I can just in case. qwvwnv3etsdm.jpg

    Most of the beers I drink aren't listed in calorie count tables and most of the time I'm guessing the brewers don't now the caloric content either. I always use the above chart, but in this simpler reduced form:

    Calories =(% abv)*(2.5)*(fluid ounces)
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    At home I have boxed "blush" wine, or one of the lower calorie wine coolers on the market (I am for less than 200 calories per cooler), or light beer. At a bar I have amaretto and diet coke, or light beer.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    In case anyone in the US is interested in what those lower calorie wine cooler options are-

    Seagram's wild berries (150 calories)

    Palm Breeze pineapple mandarin (150 calories)
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    I love beer but I try to drink one and stick to a good beer. I don't drink light beer and rarely drink a macro. I'll sometimes do a rum and coke zero. I also will drink wine. I try to fit my beer in my calories for the day and will frequently go for a run solely for the purpose of drinking a beer or two later.
  • Rage_Phish
    Rage_Phish Posts: 1,508 Member
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    vodka & soda water
    bourbon on the rocks/ neat

  • tat2cookie
    tat2cookie Posts: 1,902 Member
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    Scotch and water, rum and water or a stout beer.
  • amberlyda1
    amberlyda1 Posts: 154 Member
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    Red wine because its easier to sip and nurse. When I do have a glass I try to have a good glass or its just not worth it.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    I rarely drank for 2 years. This year is out of control. I switched to light beers. But I still like my whiskey on the rocks. I like my wine too. I'll go back to no booze eventually. Have other stuff to work on first.

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