4. Booze on the Rocks (About 100 Calories per 1.5 oz Serving) – Whether you’re into vodka or tequila, gin or whiskey, there’s no real difference in calories or carbohydrates — they all have about 100 calories in a 1.5 oz serving, according to MedlinePlus.
Contents
- 1 Is vodka better than wine for weight loss?
- 1.1 What alcohol doesn’t make you fat?
- 1.2 What alcohol is lowest in calories?
- 1.3 Is beer or wine more fattening?
- 1.4 Does vodka cause weight loss?
- 1.5 How to get drunk without calories?
- 1.6 What causes more belly fat wine or vodka?
- 1.7 What alcohol won’t give you a belly?
- 1.8 Is beer or wine more fattening?
What alcohol is best if you’re trying to lose weight?
The bottom line – For someone trying to lose weight, choosing low-calorie spirits and drinking less frequently may help. Alcohol and mixers are often caloric, and the market is trying to offer consumers fewer sugary options. If you want to lose weight, your best options are spirits.
Is vodka better than wine for weight loss?
How Many Calories Are in Vodka? – If you are a vodka lover, good news: it is extremely low in calories. In fact, it is one of the lowest-calorie alcohols! For those dieting but still drinking alcohol, vodka is typically the go-to due to its low calories and non-existent carbs.
70 proof: 85 calories 80 proof: 96 calories 90 proof: 110 calories 100 proof: 124 calories
What alcohol doesn’t make you fat?
HOW TO DRINK AND NOT GAIN WEIGHT by Chelsea Futterman Let’s be honest, you just can’t beat a fresh margarita on a hot summer day, or a bold glass of Bordeaux by the fireplace around the holidays. Alcohol consumption is a way of life for most people. I like to be realistic with my clients – if they enjoy drinking, giving up alcohol may not be in the books for them long term.
- I most definitely recommend cutting down if they are drinking more than 1-2 nights per week in order to lose weight, but you can certainly maintain your status quo and enjoy a few tasty beverages at the same time.
- How does alcohol affect your body? First things first, let’s talk about what alcohol does to your body.
Your body treats alcohol as a toxin. Alcohol has no nutritional value, so your body does not use it as it would a carb, fat or protein. When you consume alcohol, your body stops all other metabolic processes (i.e. metabolizing and burning food for fuel) in order to rid your body of the toxin. CHOOSE YOUR POISON WISELY: THE BEST ALCOHOL DRINKS FOR WEIGHT LOSS. Stay away from sugary drinks (and yes, tonic water has sugar, just as much as a Coke). My go-to is tequila with a lot of fresh lime juice and Topo Chico with a salted rim (tastes like a not-sweet margarita).
- Refreshing, delicious and only 64 calories.
- Vodka with soda water is a classic low calorie drink, but if you are like me and HATE the taste of vodka, try adding a splash of your favorite fruit juice or olive juice.
- One splash is enough to kill the vodka flavor without adding a ton of extra calories.
- Beer and wine are the worst when it comes to drinking – one drink is anywhere from 100-170 calories.
Tequila, vodka, gin and whiskey are the best alcohols for weight loss, with only 60-70 calories for one drink. T RACK IT. Although alcohol is not a carb, a protein or a fat, it still has calories. So, you most definitely want to track it in order to stay within your weight loss or fat loss macros. You must decide to track alcohol as a carb or fat because it is technically neither.
You can choose how you do it – I like to divide my alcohol evenly into carbs and fat. Since there are 4 calories in 1g of carbs and 9 calories in 1g of fat, if you drink a 120 calorie glass of red wine (this is a 5oz pour because who has 4oz anymore?!) that would be roughly 7g of fat and 15g carbs. Half of the calories go to carbs (60 calories/4 calories per gram of carbs = 15 carbs) and half of the calories go to fat (60 calories/9 calories per gram of fat = 6.7g fat).
Have I lost you yet? Just create a food in MyFitnessPal you can easily reuse, so you don’t have to do the math every time, just adjust the serving size. For your reference, there are roughly 69 calories in 1oz. of clear liquor (vodka, tequila, gin), so that would equate to 8g carbs and 4g fat. EAT CLEAN. Stay away from high fat, high carb foods when you are drinking. Eating lean protein and vegetables is ideal! Remember when I said your body stalls all metabolic processes as it is trying to detox your body of alcohol? Well, when you eat pizza and french fries when drinking, your body is more likely to store this food as fat. HYDRATE. This goes without saying, but make sure to chug some water before drinking, while drinking, after drinking, all the time! This will help ward off headaches, dehydration and water retention the next day, all of which can negatively affect your workouts.
What alcohol is lowest in calories?
It’s more than understandable to want to kick back with a drink at the end of a long day. While there’s no shame in that game, it’s easy to forget the liquid calories you’re sipping. A calorie is a unit of energy that comes from food and drinks, according to Nemours Children’s Health,
- If you are keeping track of the calories in your diet, you might want to consider low-calorie alcoholic beverages.
- The lowest-calorie alcohol is vodka, which only has 100 calories in a 50-millimeter shot.
- Other alcohols among those with the lowest calories are whisky, gin, and tequila, which all have about 110 calories per shot.
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, alcohol is basically empty calories. “Calories from alcohol can add up fast,” Christy Brissette, MS, RD, owner of 80 Twenty Nutrition, said. “And, because alcohol doesn’t provide nutrients or fill you up, these calories are usually in addition to what you’re already eating and drinking.” Drinking also can make you feel less inhibited, so you’re more likely to overeat, Brissette said.
While some forms of alcohol contain a fair number of calories on their own (looking at you, triple sec), a big issue in all of this is mixers, Keri Gans, MS, RD, author of The Small Change Diet, said. “Many of the mixers we add to alcoholic drinks are high in sugar and provide no nutritional benefit,” Gans said.
The good news is you don’t need to swap your chardonnay for seltzer every time you want to celebrate. “To cut calories in most drinks, you can play with the ratios of ingredients,” Beth Warren, MS, RD, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl, said.
Add more ice or sparkling waterTop your drink off with fresh fruit juice (with no added sugar)Try a natural sweetener instead of regular sugar or syrup
MedlinePlus also suggests using diet tonics, calorie-free mixers, lemonade, lightly sweetened iced teas, herbs, fruit, or vegetables for flavoring drinks without increasing calorie consumption. With that in mind, these are some of the lowest-calorie alcoholic drinks you can serve up, including easy tweaks to some popular favorites.
Margaritas can be calorie bombs thanks to lots of sugar and triple sec. Pre-made mixers can also be an issue due to high sugar content, Brissette said. To get around that, Brissette recommended using fresh lime juice, tequila, and a dash of agave syrup on the rocks. “You’ll keep the sugar and calories down,” Brissette said.
Want to add some nutrients to the mix? Health’s contributing nutrition editor Cynthia Sass, RD, recommended using avocado, mango, and orange juice for a hefty dose of essential vitamins and minerals. A gin and tonic is a classic combination, but it can pack a lot of calories.
- Why? Tonic water is generally made with high-fructose corn syrup, the same sweetener that’s found in cola—and a 12-ounce can of tonic contains eight teaspoons of added sugar, Sass said.
- Enter seltzer.
- Adding seltzer to a cocktail is always a great choice since it provides zero calories and zero grams of sugar,” Gans said.
A gin and seltzer lets you get that same bubbly feel and gin taste without all the added calories. Yes, small amounts of alcohol, including red wine, can be a part of a low-calorie lifestyle. But are you sabotaging yourself with a heavy-handed pour? It’s all too easy and common to consume too much, Sass said.
But sticking with the proper serving size—five ounces—and having just one glass of wine in a sitting will help keep calories down. “It’s a good choice in terms of calories,” Warren said. Pro tip, per Brissette: Go for drier varietals like sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. These tend to be lower in sugar and calories, Brissette pointed out.
Like wine, portions matter here, Gans said. “A classic vodka or gin martini is around 120 calories—however, that is if only a single shot of alcohol is included and around 1/3 of an ounce of vermouth.” While martinis are notoriously strong, Brissette said that could be a good thing when it comes to calories.
- Sipping on such a strong cocktail probably means you’ll drink it more slowly than a sweeter drink made with juice or syrup,” Brissette said.
- If you want a little flavor in the mix, Brissette recommended adding a twist of lemon to infuse a citrusy taste or making your drink dirty with a splash of olive juice—it only adds about five calories.
Is rum and Coke your go-to drink? According to MedlinePlus, eight ounces of rum mixed with Diet Coke has a lower calorie count than its counterpart. If you want to amp up the taste without adding a ton of calories, you could always add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to your glass as well.
- A chilled white wine can be refreshing, but pick the type you sip on carefully.
- Dry white wines, such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, tend to have lower sugar content, which translates to fewer calories, Suss said.
- Sweeter varieties like Riesling could have more calories.
- And, again, serving size matters.
You want to strive for five ounces which, Gans pointed out, is “a smaller pour than most of us do.” Beer is often considered the ultimate bloat-bringer, but it may not be that bad. “Beers contain several B vitamins,” explained Sass. “A 12-ounce beer also packs more calcium, magnesium, and selenium, which is a key antioxidant, than a serving of wine.” Many beers don’t list calories on their labels, so Brissette recommended trying this hack: “Look for a beer that has an alcohol by volume of four, and you’ll be getting about 100 calories for a 12-ounce (serving).” A vodka soda may be your healthiest choice if you’re in the mood for hard alcohol.
When you combine a shot of vodka with seltzer, you skirt excess calories—and a nasty hangover. “Soda water or club soda is calorie-free since it’s just bubbly water,” Sass said. “It’s also a good cocktail mixer because it hydrates and contains no added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Plus, the bubbles may slow you down, so you don’t slam the drink.” The rules of picking out a lower-calorie champagne are the same as they are for wine.
“When choosing your champagne, know that ‘dry’ means less sugar and calories,” Brissette said. You can also look for “brut” on the label, which is French for unsweetened or dry. A mojito combines muddled mint leaves, rum, soda water, and sugar. You want to strive for a six-ounce serving with this one.
Gans said it might be bigger if you get your mojito from a restaurant or bar. Also, scaling back on how much sugar you use or swapping in a sweetener for regular sugar can help cut back on calories, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, Think of a Paloma as the grapefruit lover’s alternative to a margarita.
It features tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and soda water for a margarita-style taste. “This refreshing drink is a lighter alternative to a margarita which is typically made with plenty of agave and/or plenty of sugar-sweetened bar lime,” Brissette said.
Use fresh grapefruit juice instead of bottled to save on calories. If you are keeping track of the calories in your diet, you may need to make a few adjustments with the amount of ice, type of sweetener, or kind of mixer in your alcoholic beverages to reduce the calories. Otherwise, drinks like wine, champagne, and light beer will do the trick to keeping the calories down.
If you enjoy going to brunch, mimosas may be on the menu. Mimosas typically come with two ingredients: orange juice and sparkling wine or champagne. Depending on how it’s made, four ounces of a mimosa is less than 100 calories, per MedlinePlus. So you might want to opt for a low-calorie orange juice or wine and champagne options that are less sweet.
Is beer or wine more fattening?
– Source: CNN ” data-fave-thumbnails=”, “small”: }” data-vr-video=”” data-show-html=”” data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-network-id=”” data-details=””> How alcohol affects your health 01:16 – Source: CNN CNN — I often tell people to steer clear of alcoholic beverages when trying to lose weight. After all, they don’t exactly provide nutritious calories, and consuming them can make it increasingly more challenging to lose weight, But that doesn’t stop people from asking me, “what is the best drink to have on a diet?” Clearly, some alcoholic beverages are more waistline-friendly than others. So the short answer is: If you’re looking to shed pounds, some of your lowest-calorie bets are a shot of spirits (for example, a 1.5-ounce shot of vodka, gin, rum, whiskey or tequila contains an average of 97 calories), a glass of champagne (about 84 calories per 4 ounces); a glass of dry wine (approximately 120 to 125 calories per 5 ounces) or a traditional martini, with an average of 124 calories for a 2.5-ounce serving. A light beer (approximately 100 calories) or a glass of reduced-calorie wine (about 90 to 100 calories) are other lower-calorie options. But if you want to know why some alcoholic beverages contain more calories than others, read on. Pure alcohol contains 7 calories per gram – that’s less than a gram of fat, which has 9 calories, but more than protein and carbs, which have 4 calories per gram each – but other variables of your drink influence the calorie count. The amount of alcohol, the total volume of a beverage, the amount of carbohydrates and sugars and mixers all play a role. Generally speaking, the biggest difference in calories in beverages comes from the alcohol content, but the presence of carbohydrates in alcoholic beverages also contributes largely to its calories, according to Dwayne Bershaw, who teaches winemaking classes in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University. Any carbohydrates in wine consist of small amounts of sugar, which may either be left over from the original grape sugar after most of it ferments into alcohol or added from grape juice or some other source, in order to balance the acidity of the wine. Unless we’re talking about a dessert wine, this amount of sugar is generally small and does not contribute a significant amount of calories to wine. Beer is made from grain, which stores carbohydrates in the form of starch – specifically large, branched sugar molecules, which are chopped into pieces by naturally occurring enzymes in malted barley during the brewing process. The smallest sugar pieces are converted to alcohol by yeast, but some larger pieces remain that cannot be broken down by yeast, according to Bershaw. These remaining carbohydrates contribute to the overall calorie count for most beers. Generally, beer has more calories than wine, but the calorie difference in the two primarily comes from the leftover carbohydrates in beer, as the sugar content for most wines is fairly low. Low-calorie beers have an additional enzyme added during the brewing or fermentation process, and it breaks down all of the starch molecules into simple sugars so there are no remaining carbohydrates. These beers also have a relatively low alcohol content to keep the total calorie count quite low, according to Bershaw. And generally, spirits – including vodka, tequila, rum and gin – do not contain any carbohydrates or sugars. Some producers may add small amounts of sugar to combat any perceived bitterness, according to Bershaw, but like wine, this small amount would not bump the calorie count much. Though they have higher alcohol by volume (up to 40% or more), the volume of a standard shot is small (1.5 ounces), making them a relatively lower-calorie option – that is, as long as you can stick to one shot or mix it with a zero-calorie beverage, like a diet cola, soda water or seltzer. Other ingredients – including mixers, tonic water, juice, soda, syrups, cream and coconut – all pack sugar and fat calories on top of alcohol and should be consumed with caution, explained Ginger Hultin, a registered dietitian, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and author of the blog ChampagneNutrition. “Margaritas and pina coladas can have close to 500 calories per drink, depending on the size and how it’s made, and could be a real challenge for anyone with a weight loss goal,” Hultin added. Lisa Drayer is a nutritionist, an author and a CNN health and nutrition contributor.
Does vodka cause weight loss?
How alcohol could cause weight gain – While the relationship between alcohol consumption and obesity remains unclear, there are good reasons to think that alcohol may play a role:
It stops your body from burning fat. It is high in kilojoules. It leads to greater hunger and less satiety (the feeling of being full). It can lead to cravings for salty and greasy foods.
How to get drunk without calories?
Swallow your pride and buy light beer – If you can’t resist a cheeky pint (you #lad) then light beer is on average around 100 calories per can. This retains some of that flavour whilst saving about 50 calories compared to regular beer. However, a lot of diet beer also cuts out the alcohol meaning you need to drink twice the amount the get the same buzz – a fairly pointless idea.
- Check the alcohol percentage on diet beers don’t drop off dramatically or you may end up consuming more calories by drinking more quantities.
- There are plenty of brilliant craft options, but you’re more likely to find a Heineken Light (3.3%.99 calories) or Coors Light (4.2%, 116 calories) in pubs and bars.
If you can’t bring yourself to order a diet beer, Guinness is only 126 calories – slightly less than other beers which are usually around 150. Food for thought. That’s not to say you shouldn’t turn to 0% beers if you’re just after the taste without any of the trouble.
When it comes to varieties that are widely available in pubs, we’d opt for BrewDog’s Nanny State (0.5%) or Heineken 0.0. There’s been a rise in the amount of alcohol-free bars in the capital, too, but they mostly trade in high-sugar mocktails. In fact, the sheer weight of demand for low-and-no alcohol alternatives amongst younger drinkers – according to a KAM Media report, 47 per cent of people bought one in 2020 – has driven many pubs to include low-alcohol beer as a draught option on their menu.
We’ve rounded up some of the best NOLO drinks consisting of an ABV of 0.5 per cent or less) here, featuring beers, wines and spirits.
What causes more belly fat wine or vodka?
Don’t Miss A Drop – Get the latest in beer, wine, and cocktail culture sent straight to your inbox. And yes, it kinda gets worse. “Alcohol especially decreases fat burn in the belly,” says Peeke. Also, and no surprise, it sucks more for women, who “experience a widening waistline as they age,” (no sh*t).
“This usually coincides with overall weight gain and a reduction in lean muscle mass,” per Livestrong.com. Not that everyone on earth doesn’t gently, and then slightly less gently, expand at the waist just before hitting the cusp of middle age (don’t freak out, you earned it, life is short, eat Cheetos, etc.).
Truth be told, from what we can tell, wine doesn’t have any more impact on the waistline than any other alcoholic drink. In fact, red wine might actually be recommended for beating back the belly fat. Per this dude from Dr. Oz, a daily glass of red wine may well counteract the production of belly fat.
“The resveratrol may interfere with fat synthesis, and other red wine polyphenols may inhibit aromatase, an enzyme made by belly fat that converts androgens to estrogens.” Then again, Suzanne Somers (who we can all trust because, well, the Thigh Master) says something a bit different at least when it comes to white wine: “I call this ‘Chardonnay Syndrome,’ and sadly, getting sucked in can make you fat! White wine is sugar, and unless you need it as instant energy, your body will store sugar as fat — along with whatever else you are eating with it.
The pounds inevitably creep on, usually through the belly and butt area. ” Somers—wait, can we just call her Suzanne?—makes a key point there. Women tend to gain weight in the waist area, the place where potential partners look a lot because the world is cruel and stupid.
- Intake of calories may just be the culprit—and wine calories add up pretty quickly, especially when they’re white and delicious.
- But with red wine, you may be ok, who knows.
- But what’s most important is to drink with the knowledge that wine has calories, just like any other enjoyable (interesting) comestible.
And then, god help us, do crunches. Published: April 19, 2016
What alcohol won’t give you a belly?
#1 Go for spirits – Clear alcohol like vodka, gin and tequila have lower caloric counts, but they’re also easier to consume straight, with ice or with soda water, which means there won’t be any added calories. “People will opt for a flavoured vodka like one infused with blueberry and mix it with soda water, or they’ll mix regular vodka with fruit-infused water.
Can you lose alcohol belly fat?
What’s a holistic way to approach alcohol belly weight loss? – The good news is there are plenty of ways to lose an alcohol belly that start with making lifestyle adjustments so you’re consuming fewer calories, cutting out unnecessary drinking and ensuring you burn more calories by exercising more.
Is beer or wine more fattening?
– Source: CNN ” data-fave-thumbnails=”, “small”: }” data-vr-video=”” data-show-html=”” data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-network-id=”” data-details=””> How alcohol affects your health 01:16 – Source: CNN CNN — I often tell people to steer clear of alcoholic beverages when trying to lose weight. After all, they don’t exactly provide nutritious calories, and consuming them can make it increasingly more challenging to lose weight, But that doesn’t stop people from asking me, “what is the best drink to have on a diet?” Clearly, some alcoholic beverages are more waistline-friendly than others. So the short answer is: If you’re looking to shed pounds, some of your lowest-calorie bets are a shot of spirits (for example, a 1.5-ounce shot of vodka, gin, rum, whiskey or tequila contains an average of 97 calories), a glass of champagne (about 84 calories per 4 ounces); a glass of dry wine (approximately 120 to 125 calories per 5 ounces) or a traditional martini, with an average of 124 calories for a 2.5-ounce serving. A light beer (approximately 100 calories) or a glass of reduced-calorie wine (about 90 to 100 calories) are other lower-calorie options. But if you want to know why some alcoholic beverages contain more calories than others, read on. Pure alcohol contains 7 calories per gram – that’s less than a gram of fat, which has 9 calories, but more than protein and carbs, which have 4 calories per gram each – but other variables of your drink influence the calorie count. The amount of alcohol, the total volume of a beverage, the amount of carbohydrates and sugars and mixers all play a role. Generally speaking, the biggest difference in calories in beverages comes from the alcohol content, but the presence of carbohydrates in alcoholic beverages also contributes largely to its calories, according to Dwayne Bershaw, who teaches winemaking classes in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University. Any carbohydrates in wine consist of small amounts of sugar, which may either be left over from the original grape sugar after most of it ferments into alcohol or added from grape juice or some other source, in order to balance the acidity of the wine. Unless we’re talking about a dessert wine, this amount of sugar is generally small and does not contribute a significant amount of calories to wine. Beer is made from grain, which stores carbohydrates in the form of starch – specifically large, branched sugar molecules, which are chopped into pieces by naturally occurring enzymes in malted barley during the brewing process. The smallest sugar pieces are converted to alcohol by yeast, but some larger pieces remain that cannot be broken down by yeast, according to Bershaw. These remaining carbohydrates contribute to the overall calorie count for most beers. Generally, beer has more calories than wine, but the calorie difference in the two primarily comes from the leftover carbohydrates in beer, as the sugar content for most wines is fairly low. Low-calorie beers have an additional enzyme added during the brewing or fermentation process, and it breaks down all of the starch molecules into simple sugars so there are no remaining carbohydrates. These beers also have a relatively low alcohol content to keep the total calorie count quite low, according to Bershaw. And generally, spirits – including vodka, tequila, rum and gin – do not contain any carbohydrates or sugars. Some producers may add small amounts of sugar to combat any perceived bitterness, according to Bershaw, but like wine, this small amount would not bump the calorie count much. Though they have higher alcohol by volume (up to 40% or more), the volume of a standard shot is small (1.5 ounces), making them a relatively lower-calorie option – that is, as long as you can stick to one shot or mix it with a zero-calorie beverage, like a diet cola, soda water or seltzer. Other ingredients – including mixers, tonic water, juice, soda, syrups, cream and coconut – all pack sugar and fat calories on top of alcohol and should be consumed with caution, explained Ginger Hultin, a registered dietitian, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and author of the blog ChampagneNutrition. “Margaritas and pina coladas can have close to 500 calories per drink, depending on the size and how it’s made, and could be a real challenge for anyone with a weight loss goal,” Hultin added. Lisa Drayer is a nutritionist, an author and a CNN health and nutrition contributor.