Drinking on a Diet

Thursday, 19 August 2010 14:26

Sometimes, it seems we’d be willing to go to all costs to shed pounds. Well, almost all costs. Most diets (and many health professionals), recommend cutting out all alcohol (paging Atkins and South Beach). But who’s willing to give up their barhopping to drop some weight?

By Kayla Handy and Danielle Hipps

Thankfully, some of the more recent diet plans (like Weight Watchers) allow a limited number of drinks per day—the key is choosing wisely. We consulted with Dr. Susan Percival, professor of nutrition at the University of Florida, to get the skinny on how alcohol affects your diet. Remember these tips the next time you find yourself getting ready for a night out.

There’s a reason they call it a “beer gut.” While it’s been debated that this Happy Hour staple actually adds belly fat, it is known that beer has a lot of carbs and calories, which are no dieter’s best friends. If you’re looking to sip something all night, beer isn’t a terrible choice — just pick a light one, which usually has slightly less alcohol and fewer calories. Most popular beers (think American lagers) have about 150 calories in a 12-ounce (Budweiser, Pabst Blue Ribbon), but light versions have about 100 or fewer (Bud Light, Michelob Ultra).

Be a smart winer. With all the talk about heart benefits, which come from the antioxidants in grape skin, you’re probably thinking wine is a healthier option. And sometimes it can be. But, “It makes no difference whether it’s red, white or pink,” Percival says. Dessert wines (sherry, port) can be about 4 percent sugar while a dry wine (Chardonnay, Merlot) will have less than 1 percent. But the main calorie difference isn’t from sugar, but from the alcohol content, so choose a lower-proof wine to save your waistline. Thinking of sipping some sparkling wine instead? Follow the same guidelines. Bottom line: proof matters more than sweetness.

Is this a drink, or a meal? We can all appreciate a good cocktail, but multiple-ingredient mixed drinks add up fast. Long Island iced teas, margaritas, white Russians and pina coladas each clock in around 300 to 600 calories. It’s best to think of a dessert drink as just that—a dessert—and nix the sugar on the rim and chocolate sauce if you can. If it’s the liquor you’re after, see below.

The clincher is the mixer(s). Liquor alone doesn’t have that many calories, so when you’re at the bar, keep it simple (no bartender will appreciate a laundry list of substitutions). If you can, request diet soda or sparkling water. Some suggest simply “on the rocks” with a splash of lime, but Percival discourages having your alcohol straight up. If you’re looking for something exotic, try vodka infused with flavor, which doesn’t add any calories (or sugar). One innovative reader even suggested she orders vodka and water—and adds her own low-cal flavor packets.

Pace yourself. Learn to enjoy your drink, instead of challenging yourself to see how many you can down in one sitting. Butch Monaghan, owner of Munegin’s on 13th Street, notices binge-drinking trends in many of his customers. “I see people in here going through 10 or 12 beers in the span of a couple hours,” he says. A good way to pace yourself—and prevent hangovers that keep you in bed the next day—is to drink water between every drink. In addition to keeping you hydrated and preventing bloating, this will keep your calorie count down, Percival says. If you want to keep up the illusion you’re drinking, throw in a lime.

Don’t lose your inhibitions. After a long night of drinking, you probably find it hard to avoid salty, greasy starches (pizza anyone?), especially when all of your friends are waiting in line for a slice and you skipped dinner to get ready. Percival suggests you keep healthy snacks on hand to prevent late-night binging. We suggest splitting it with a friend—or heading home for something more waistline- (and wallet-)friendly. Or, take the advice of local Gainesville Health & Fitness trainer Omar Al-agely, who equates the amount of calories with the amount of exercise it will take to work it off. “It takes only about five mixed drinks to equal 3,500 calories, the amount equal to a pound of fat,” he says. Since most cardio activities burn about 10 calories each minute, the amount of exercise needed to burn that off is about 35 miles of jogging, or about 350 minutes, to work off.