If you’re looking for the best cocktails for weight loss, check out these easy low-carb cocktail recipes. And if you need help choosing the best low calorie cocktails for weight loss, check out the list below.  As registered dietitians and personal trainers, our clients always ask us if they can have a cocktail and still lose weight. The great news is that it can be done! One of the challenges is that alcohol actually makes you hungrier and lowers your inhibitions, so you care less about drinking and eating more.  But of course we understand wanting to enjoy a cocktail and we love creating ones that are waistline friendly.  So in addition to the drink below, try this Fruity Tooty Spritzer or this Thin Mint Coconut Lime Sangria if you’re looking for even more low-calorie cocktails.

 

Let’s face it, despite the downsides, most people do want to kick back and have a drink with their friends and family to celebrate the holidays. We certainly understand this, so here are some important alcohol pointers and some of the least damaging options…

 

1. Always set a limit as to how many drinks you will have before you arrive at the party.  This way, as the drinks are flowing you will have a plan with a set number of drinks in your head, rather than just drinking willy-nilly and accepting each drink that comes your way.  We recommend limiting alcohol to one to two drinks maximum per night.  You’ll feel so much better in the morning if you do! 😉
2. Write down how many drinks that you will have daily or weekly and then stick to it. If you are someone who doesn’t have just one or two, keep a tally on your smart phone as you drink to keep yourself from going over your limit.
3. Don’t arrive hungry or drink on an empty stomach and make your first drink at the party a glass of seltzer or water with lemon or lime before drinking alcohol.  This will prevent the alcohol from lowering your inhibitions at the start of the party and it will give you time to feel a bit more full so that filling your stomach with more liquid from alcohol will be less appealing.  Plus, it will help to prevent you from getting dehydrated.  Dehydration leads to overeating, hangovers and mistakenly thinking that you’re hungry.
4. Follow the every other rule.  Switch between non-alcoholic, calorie-free drinks and alcohol.  This will slow down the pace of the alcohol consumption over the course of a long night while filling you up and hydrating you.

 

A traditional holiday glass of wine can set you back 125-150 calories, but that can double depending on the size of the glass and how full it is. We’re sure you may be able to relate to a family member or friend filling your wine glass before it’s empty, making it almost impossible to track your alcohol and calorie consumption! (Here in New York City wine bars have gotten very popular and the typical wine glass holds 10 ounces, not five. So at one of these establishments a single glass of wine will set you back 300 calories!)

Other holiday cocktails can bump up your calorie count a lot more:

• hot buttered rum (10oz)- 418 calories
• white Russian (4oz)-355 calories
• eggnog (8oz)- 350 calories
• sparkling cider (8oz)- 180 calories

Here are a few lower calorie options. Choose these in moderation so that you can enjoy the festivities all winter long and still fit into your New Year’s Eve outfit!

• Beer can range from 64-198 calories per 12 ounces : Go for light beers and low-carb options to stick to about 100 calories
• There are 103 calories in 1 oz. gin and 3 oz. tonic: Just remember, it’s easy to get more than 1 oz of gin in a mixed drink. One ounce of gin is 65 calories, so just two ounces of gin is 130 calories, plus the 3 oz. tonic and suddenly your “small,” 5 oz drink is 160 calories
• Vodka with diet sprite-70 calories per 8.5oz : (Stick to one ounce of vodka and make the rest from diet soda.)
• Diet cranberry juice and vodka-70 calories per 8.5oz
• Skinnygirl margarita or sangria-100 calories per 4oz
• Prosecco wine- 100 calories in 5 ounces
• Champagne- 110 calories in 5 ounces
• Low carb cosmopolitan cocktail-105 calories per 6oz (see our recipe below)
• Sugar-free whiskey sour cocktail- 106 calories per 4.5oz (see our recipe below)

Want another great option for cutting calories in your drink? Dilute it with club soda or sparkling water.

 

Here are two DIY cocktails to try that are lower in calories

Low Carb Cosmopolitan cocktail
105 calories per 6oz

Ingredients

1) 3 tablespoons vodka (nutritional analysis uses 80 proof)
2) 2 tablespoons diet cranberry juice
3) 1 tablespoon lime juice (fresh preferred)
4) 2 to 3 drops orange extract

Directions

Combine vodka and cranberry juice.  Squeeze in lime juice and add orange extract.  Enjoy!

This low carb cosmo is a fantastic red color. Perfect for the holidays!

Sugar Free Whiskey Sour
106 calories per 4.5oz

1) 3 tablespoons whiskey (nutritional analysis uses 80 proof)
2) 3 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
3) 3 tablespoons of water
4) Monk fruit or stevia with the equivalent of 3 tablespoons sugar

This whiskey sour recipe is also a great holiday color!

And again, if you’re looking for other of our favorite creations, try this drink or this drink if you do want a weight- friendly cocktail.