How To Make Alcohol And Weight Loss Work Together..(After you get into decent shape)
I have many friends who said that alcohol and weight loss can’t work together, and they gave up on alcohol in order to lose weight. And when there’s a special occasion, holiday or a party happening, they rejoice it by having one or two drinks.
However, I feel that like any habit that affects weight, consistency is the true key to achieve the goal and get fruitful results.
Therefore, if you don’t want to compromise your diet, follow these techniques to create a perfect balance between alcohol and weight loss.
Alcohol is not considered to be a healthy drink if you are on a weight loss program, but it does not mean that you cannot enjoy a drink or two without hampering your weight loss progress.
When you attempt to give up a habit that is ingrained around your environment like carbohydrates or alcohol, you end up failing.
Techniques To Handle Alcohol And Weight Loss Together
Here you will come to know about the techniques that will help you maintain the perfect balance between alcohol and weight loss. Let’s have a look at them:
Gather detail information.
Measure the correct amount of alcohol.
Check out your portion of drink.
Prefer to take only carb free drinks.
Look out for the perfect mixer.
Stop eating snacks with alcohol.
Limit your drinking amount.
To apply these techniques in a full-fledged manner, it is better to understand these points in detail. So, let’s study in brief:
1. Must Acquire Detailed Information About Your Drink
Researchers say that people who drink in a controlled manner are less likely to gain weight than non-drinkers. Don’t be so happy because if you start drinking more than the moderate quantity, you have a huge chance of gaining excess weight. Therefore, you must know exactly where to draw the line.
2. Know The Correct Amount Of Alcohol That You Can Consume
For women, the amount of alcohol should not be more than a standard drink which is either 45ml of wine or 150 ml of beer. For a man, it can be twice of that, containing the same amount each time.
However, you should keep in mind that not drinking throughout the week and then suddenly gulping down 10 to 14 drinks in just one sitting will not be counted as standard drinking.
3. Always Watch Your Portion Of Alcohol
A recent study has found that the average amount of alcohol or liquor served at bars and restaurants is more than a standard drink.
Moreover, ordering a cocktail instead of a bottle means extra 4 bounces as the alcohol is mixed in the form of smoothies like a margarita in a mug that contains not less than 500 calories, which is much more than an entire meal.
Therefore, whenever you order a drink or a cocktail, you should keep an eye on the amount of alcohol poured in your drink and thereby, adjust it accordingly.
Basically, the one drink you paid for contains one or a half of it. When you prepare a cocktail at home, grab a scale to measure the amount of liquor you pour in, or you can use a retro which is a small glass that shows the exact amount of wine or alcohol served.
4. Choose Carb Free Drinks
Vodka soda is the most popular choice for a cocktail because both vodka and club soda are carb free drinks. On the other hand, wine and beer contain more carbs.
Having a glass of beer regularly means you are consuming 10 grams of carbs every day which is almost equal to a half cup of brown rice. Therefore, if you wish to have a drink while taking a meal, you must check the carb content both in the drink and in the meal.
What are the types of carb free drinks? Carb free drinks or low carb drinks are very helpful to keep you healthy and refreshed. Take a look at some carb free drinks:
Iced tea;
Roseberry lime Fizz;
Coconut and vanilla ice cream shake;
Lemonade;
Chocolate-cream shake.
5. Look For The Best Mixer For You
It is no doubt, a good idea is to avoid sugary cocktails such as margaritas, which contain more than 500 calories.
If you really want to add a sugary mixer to your drink, you can go ahead and add coconut milk or pineapple juice. For creating a cocktail base, try unsweetened one and add rich antioxidants like fresh mint and ginger which will give you the ultimate flavor of a cocktail.
6. Stop Alcohol Induced Eating
You are bound to eat in excess after drinking because consuming alcohol creates a big appetite. This ultimately makes you binge on food. So you should be able to avoid eating unhealthy or calorie rich foods once you consume one or two drinks.
Therefore, it is advised that before starting a wild party, you just fill up your appetite with some low carb and healthy foods. This will keep you away from reaching out for cookies or chips. If you want, you can have some fresh fruits, popcorn, and veggies along with it.
7. Limit Your Alcohol Intake
This is an important tip to follow if you are on a weight loss regime. You should try to reduce your intake of alcohol. If you think that you are drinking too much for a long time, plan for outings or meetings that do not involve drinking alcohol.
For example, go to a movie with your friends, go to a paintball game, or to a bowling night. There are a lot of non-alcoholic options to spend your night out with your friends.
Hope these tips prove to be helpful for you to maintain a perfect balance between alcohol and weight loss. However, I always recommend my friends/clients to stay away from alcohol when following a weight loss diet.