Disaster-Proof Your Diet with Calorie-Conscious Cocktails

By:
Jill Provost

Reviewed By:
Susan Janoff, MS RD LD/N

We can think of diet-friendlier ways to celebrate holidays, but imagine Independence Day without beer, Christmas without eggnog and New Year's Eve without champagne.

Alcohol comes in just behind fat in caloric density, weighing in at 7 calories per gram, according to Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, author of 10 Habits that Mess Up a Woman's Diet. Even denser is the amount of festivities squeezed into the year-end holiday season. Trying to navigate the party circuit with any amount of zest, says Somer, is likely to leave you with a 10-pound weight gain, a serious hangover or both.

So what's a partyer like you to do? Sip selectively.

Make friends before drinks

First and foremost: Understand that being the life of the party does not mean being the hostess with the mostest liquor in her bloodstream. "Know your limit in drinking, and don't go over it," says Leil Lowndes, author of How to Be a People Magnet and How to Talk to Anyone about Anything. "It may make you feel good at the moment, but you will suffer later."

Instead, she suggests having a pre-fete game plan to keep you occupied. "Set specific party goals like meeting three new people. Then, find a sociable friend to introduce you," says Lowndes.

By making the rounds before grabbing a round, you can easily pass an hour swept up in conversation. The longer you can delay the first trip to the bar, the better your chances for keeping a steady pace throughout the evening.

Avoid playing favorites

The average drink packs about 150 calories, according to Somer. "Women think of beer as fattening, but you'll gain weight twice as fast with a vodka tonic or a cosmopolitan," she says.

Putting back an 8-ounce margarita can cost you 370 calories or more. Dare to drink two and you're looking at the caloric equivalent of a McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a small order of fries.

"Stay away from drinks made with high-calorie mixes," advises Somer. "And choose a drink that is not your favorite. You will drink less."

 

Mix it up

Avoid a calorie binge by mixing up your beverage lineup. "Balance every alcoholic drink with a glass of water," say Heidi McIndoo, MS, RD, LDN, author of The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Superfoods.

If flitting about the floor with a goblet of water in hand isn't your idea of merriment-making, McIndoo suggests alternating your cocktail of choice with calorie-free drinks, spritzers or coolers. Make your own by mixing wine with tonic water, club soda or diet soda. "You're cutting calories but still have a drink," she says.

Shake the snack attack

"Alcohol is a triple whammy," says McIndoo. "Not only are there the calories from the alcohol, there are the calories from the mixer -- be it juice, soda or even cream. Plus, alcohol often makes us hungrier, so we end up eating more when we drink, meaning even more calories!"

Don't show up at the party ready to shovel every hors d'oeuvre within arm's length into your mouth. "The combination of an empty belly and a buffet makes moderation virtually impossible," says McIndoo. Instead, put something nutritious in your stomach before going out.

"Have half a sandwich, a small salad or even a handful of nuts before you go. That way, instead of gorging the minute you arrive, you'll be able to pick and choose what really looks good to you and be better able to eat small amounts."

Stage a hunger strike

Alcohol has this tricky way of making us think we're hungry all of the time. When we drink, it increases our body's production of saliva and gastric acids. This signals to our stomach that food is on the way. The walls of our stomach constrict in an effort to mix and digest the food, but when no food is actually en route, the contractions create a rumble that makes us think we're hungry, even when we're not. The result: calorie overload.

"We eat as much as 200 extra calories during a meal when accompanied by one alcoholic drink," says Somer. By already having something in your stomach when you arrive, you'll be less prone to mistake the false alarm for true hunger.

Don't chew the fat

If you are going to nibble, do not consume fatty foods, warns Somer. Though this is always sage advice, it is especially pertinent when you're sipping a cocktail or two. Alcohol is, according to Somer, the least filling of all calorie-containing substances. Fatty foods do slow the body's absorption of alcohol, but so do lean proteins such as low-fat cheeses.

Alcohol is also one of the quickest to vacate the premises. Though that may sound like a good thing, think of it this way: Your alcohol-packed beverage is cutting to the front of the metabolism line, leaving other, fattier foods stuck at the back, where they are less likely to be burned off and more likely to be stored as body fat. Steer clear of fat calories so you won't have to say so long to your hard-earned smooth, supple thighs.

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