low calorie alcoholic drinks

This topic pops up with some frequency and although I hate beer, one of the most precise ways to control alcohol intake is to drink bottled, low calorie beer since unless the bar that you go actually measures the pour, you can only guess how much is in a drink. Similar issue with wine--it's hard to know how muich is in the glass due to variations in the size of the glass and how much the establishment considers a serving. I usually order a gin (lime-flavored gin is good) and seltzer with lime, or something on the rocks since I know there are zero additional calories. If you're in a cold climate, cognac is a good winter sipping choice and encourages slow consumption. Have a glass of water with every drink to fill you up and keep you hydrated.

If I know that I am going out for drinks I usually exercise earlier in the day or allot time after I return so I can burn off all/most of the alcohol calories. The alcohol calories add up so quickly (generally about 70 calories/oz of hard alcohol such as whiskey, gin, etc., more if it's a liquer) that it's easy to have an entire "meal" after only a couple of drinks.

Or you can always say that today's a day that you're treating yourself and have a couple of your usual drinks and consider it part of learning a new lifestyle that includes occasional (stress "occasional") overages, but you're still likely to be under your maintenance calories.