Christmas Weight Loss: 6 Ways to Reduce Alcohol Calories!

Don't let alcohol be your diet downfall this Christmas and New Year. There are ways to enjoy a drink and still cut calories. Drinking in moderation can be a healthier alternative to sobriety, as long as you don't overdo it.

Although alcohol is high in calories - it contains 7 calories per gram, which is only 2 calories less than a gram of fat - these six tips can help keep you on track.

1. Be aware of the calorie content of drinks. This does not mean being an obsessive calorie counter, but it will help you make choices about what and how much you drink.

Half-pint of lager (normal strength) 84 cals

Red wine (175ml glass) 119 cals

Dry white wine (175ml glass) 116 cals

Sweet white wine (175ml glass) 165 cals

Sparkling white wine (175ml glass) 130 cals

Champagne (175ml glass) 133 cals

Half bottle of dry wine 250 cals

Vodka/gin 51 cals

2. The calories in sugary mixers such as tonic and fruit juice can soon add up. Opting for low-calories versions of drinks such as slim-line tonic or diet soft drinks can reduce your calorie intake by around 50% and you won't even notice the taste difference.

Gin and tonic 92 cals

Gin and slimline tonic 57 cals

Bacardi and Coke 103 cals

Bacardi and Diet Coke 57 cals

Check the labels on low-carb beers as these may not be lower in calories.

3. Drink spritzers by adding low-cal soda water to wine. Opt for a shandy by adding diet lemonade to lager. Oh, and size matters! We are drinking larger servings of alcohol than we were a few years ago. The standard 125ml glass for wine has been replaced by the 175ml glass, and larger glasses are 250ml. The difference between a large 250ml glass of wine and the old standard 125ml glass is 100 calories.

4. Drink a glass of water with every glass of wine. Alcohol is very dehydrating and the body's response is to conserve water by storing it in body tissue, which can leave you feeling bloated and heavy. It also means that there is insufficient water to flush out toxins from the body, making you feel sluggish.

5. Try to drink with meals rather than on an empty stomach. Alcohol stimulates appetite so even if you decide to miss a meal, you are more likely to be unable to resist the urge to eat high-calorie bar snacks or fast-food takeaways later on.

6. Never top up your glass before you have finished your drink. It is much more difficult to keep a track of how many liquid calories you are consuming if you don't know how much you have drunk.

You don't have to deprive yourself of a drink with friends and family. The odd glass can promote the release of endorphins - the feel-good chemicals that help you relax. Endorphins can actually promote the body's fat-burning potential to counteract the effect that alcohol has on reducing fat-burning.

Just remember though not to develop a habit you can't give up. If the occasional glass of wine turns into a glass every night, you could notch up around 30,000 extra calories a year (that's nearly 11 lbs of fat)!

But now is the time to unwind, have fun and party, so go for it! It should only cause a temporary set back in your weight loss program.


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Sara Mallett is a qualified Nutritional Therapist and was contributing expert to the UK's best-selling 'Slimming' magazine.