Which alcohol has the lowest amount of calories?

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ilovefood9998
ilovefood9998 Posts: 24 Member
edited August 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
So I am 18( legal age to drink in the UK) and I will be attending university this September. One big part of being a student is the drinking and socialising. For me personally I have never really been a drinker due to the fact that I have never been surrounded by people who want to drink. I know that I will be sensible if I ever do go out drinking but my biggest fear is gaining weight as a result of alcohol. The main reason behind being overweight for me was calories from soda and I blame the entirety of my weight issues on liquid calories. I have lost 14 pounds in the last 3 months which is an amazing achievement as I have never lost weight before. I still have a long way to go but I don't want to entirely limit my university experience because of my weight. I know that I wont drink often but if I do what alcohol contains the least amount of calories and the best tips to consume less of it ?
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Replies

  • MaddMaestro
    MaddMaestro Posts: 405 Member
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    they're all about 150-400 cals depending on what you're drinking and how much. Just eat before your drink, drink more water, or just make sure you have room in your calorie log to have a drink or two.
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
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    Liquor. Usually between 80-100 per drink. Might be different in the UK haha not sure what's considered a drink there but here it's 1.5oz. If you mix it with diet soda, you should be alright. Also lite beer works... not sure you have that there? Haha no clue
  • PinkPupper
    PinkPupper Posts: 47 Member
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    Avoid flavored hard liquor, tons of added sugar and they give me an awful headache. I typically have vodka with a low cal juice. I hate carbonated drinks but a light beer is ok if I don't feel like becoming a half assed mixologist.
  • Obnoxa
    Obnoxa Posts: 187 Member
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    Beer is better than mixed or wine in my opinion. Heavier, more filling, easier to nurse. Stick with the 1 beer 1 water rule, keeps you better hydrated, less likely to get a hang over, and slows the cals down even more. I don't know all the cals off-hand but I did look it up a few years back and Heineken was my choice for beer since it was one of the lower calorie ones.
    But just remember the road to hell is paved with good intentions, five beers in and calories schmalories... XD
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,978 Member
    edited August 2017
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    The issue in terms of drinking alcohol is not which type of alcohol has the lowest or highest cals, it's how many drinks you drink and how many cals that you consume overall.

    A common theme in collegiate drinking is over-consumption and drinking to excess, which can lead to much greater problems than just gaining weight.

    Doesn't matter if you drink 1-2 shots of whisky/vodka or tequila, a 12 oz can of beer or a 5-6 oz glass of wine. They are all about 120 cals, but can you stop at just one or 2 servings while at a frat or other party? Probably not, if you're vulenerable to the social pressure to drink more.

    The true test of adulthood is the ability to make your own choices and to stick by them despite social pressure to the contrary. If you don't like to drink and are concerned that drinking too much alcohol may cause you dietary problems, just don't drink. Stick to water and don't apologize for it.

    Take it from this 66 year old OG:

    If your friends and acquaintances cannot respect that choice, they are not worthy of being your friends or acquaintances and you should try to find people of better quality to associate with.



  • Poisonedpawn78
    Poisonedpawn78 Posts: 1,145 Member
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    Isnt Budweiser basically water?
  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,659 Member
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    Spirits, just watch your mixer. Soda is your friend, along with diet coke. Nix the tonic, coke, red bull, juice and the rest. Don't every touch Baileys or creamy cocktails - they're huge on calories.
  • Tania_181
    Tania_181 Posts: 100 Member
    edited August 2017
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    Gin or vodka with slimline tonic or soda water are my go to's these days. I used to drink a lot of wine with friends until o found out that one bottle could equate to 600 calories! 2 tips that have been helping me:

    1. If you're planning to go out that night, getting in a workout that day can boost your calorie allowance so that you can drink with less worry.
    2. Sometimes I don't feel like drinking (much) so I get a soda with bitters (like angostura but I believe different flavours are available) - it looks alcoholic but is only lightly so and lower in cals.

    Edit: I think I should add - enjoy yourself!! Try to stay safe, cover your drinks, and always be there for drunken friends - they'll get your back when you need it too.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    A spirit of your choice with a diet mixer.

    Tip to consume less is simply drinking the amount you want to drink rather than be pressured into matching your friends.

    Volunteer to be the (sober!) designated driver.

    Alternate with alcohol-free drinks. If you drink a gin & slimline tonic but alternate with just the tonic no-one will even know.

    Avoiding the kebab shop on the way home will make a big difference!
  • skymningen
    skymningen Posts: 532 Member
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    If you feel pressured into having more and more drinks: Get a beer. Drink it. Keep filling up the bottle with water.
    You will always have a bottle in your hand and the more your friends are drinking the less they will even realize that you are filling it up with water instead of having another beer.
  • kpkitten
    kpkitten Posts: 164 Member
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    My go tos when I don't fancy 1000+ calories from drinking is either vodka and diet Coke (if other people order for you you'll probably end up with doubles so watch that) or Baileys on the rocks.
    Uni is great, but remember that you don't have to drink more/certain things if you don't want to. If your mates don't get that, find new mates. I had a great group of friends who ranged from specific requirements of teetotal or only drinking"good" wine/whisky to drinking anything and everything going. Apart from the occasional "what on earth is that... Oh it's quite yummy" there was no judgement.

    I don't mean that to sound patronising, just to point out that there are so many people at university, it's not with wasting time on those who don't respect your preferences
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    If you stick with one or two units of whatever drink, it should be not too hard to fit it into a calorie budget, provided you stay active. It'll help your cash budget too, and your health.

    Make sure you properly understand different types of drinks, what a unit is, how long alcohol takes to metabolise and, if you're driving or using machinery, what the legal limits are. I'm not sure about other parts of the UK, but the legal limit for driving in Scotland is now so low that you basically have to avoid alcohol if you're driving within a few hours. Mug up on this stuff so you're prepared.

    There will always be people who will pressure you to drink more in order to feel better about their own daft behaviour. This is the same as overweight people who try to bully and sabotage others who are trying to lose weight. This is good practice at standing up to that kind of thing. Don't give reasons, excuses or apologies as to why you don't want another drink. Just say 'no thanks' and stick to it.

    Have fun and well done for thinking ahead!
  • rmgnow
    rmgnow Posts: 375 Member
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    I know that they make low calorie beers for this market. ie: Michelob ultra.

    But why would you do this to yourself?
    IMO it's like having low-fat chocolate.

    Here's an idea that you can use. Limit one or workout earlier in the day, just for beer calories
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    edited August 2017
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    https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/
    Scroll down, there's a calorie calculator for different types of drinks.
  • cs2thecox
    cs2thecox Posts: 533 Member
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    Oh the UK university experience is THE BEST!
    Quick answer given my rather extensive experience of university drinking, including what's likely to be on promotion at any given time...
    - Vodka diet coke.
    - Vodka soda fresh lime, if you're somewhere that has decent wedges of fresh lime. A lot of student bars will plonk in lime cordial instead, which is basically pure sugar.
    - A glass of fairly dry champagne if you want to be flash! (Not cava or prosecco so much, as they both tend to have more sugar despite being cheaper - sorry!)

    If you don't want to drink too much, when it's your turn to get a round in just order a diet coke for yourself. Your friends aren't going to know what's in your drink, and most drinks you'll get served as a student will be in a plastic cup anyway, so it's not like it'll look different either.
    Also, don't be afraid to be the person who comes back with water for everyone when you're all on the dancefloor of a sweaty, cheesey, amazingly brilliant student club. Your friends'll love you for it.

    Plus, from experience, it's super easy to ACT drunk after a couple of drinks, even if you're not. Once everyone else is heading in that direction anyway, it's easy to just get carried along in the singing and dancing and shouting over music and general silliness. You don't need to be totally out of it to have an amazing time, but it is much more fun if you feel part of the gang.

    Oh, and avoid the chips and cheese from the kebab van on the way home. If the late night munchies kick in BIG time, then you want a kebab with salad, no mayo, grab a fork and eat the meat and salad but leave the pitta if you want to limit the calories a bit without feeling like you haven't joined in. It's not the highest quality meat in the world, but it IS part of the student experience, and is better for you than the chips and cheese!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited August 2017
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    It depends what you want from it. Do you want to get buzzed or to stretch drinking calories? I remember someone posted a link once to a website that lets you sort drinks by the highest alcohol content per calorie and by highest volume per calorie. I don't drink often so I didn't save it. Maybe someone else remembers it?
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    Highest alcohol content per calorie? That would have to be hard spirits, as there's not much else in there apart from the alcohol and water. Alcohol itself has a constant number of calories per ml, so the only way this would vary would be if the drink has additional carbs. Sugary alcopops would certainly be one to avoid by this measure.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,403 Member
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    It depends. For me lowest calories in alcohol is a posh gin or a glass of wine as I'm fine with one glass. Basically just for enjoying. But I don't see a guy holding onto a glass of artisan gin in a bar with fellow students all night :D
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Vodka lime and water. About 65 cals if you use fresh lime

    You're welcome :)
  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
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    For me personally, the lowest calorie drink will be anything I can nurse for awhile. I tend to drink things fast, so if it's easy drinking, I drink more.

    I stick to red wine typically, sometimes a Rum/Diet Coke (but these go down really fast).

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