You spend all day in the gym lifting weights. You run countless hours on the treadmill. You eat well, count your calories, take your multivitamin and generally treat your body like a temple. In fact, you are shedding weight and losing fat like crazy. But now it’s Friday night or the weekend and you want to cut loose and have a few drinks.
Uh oh. Not so fast. Most diets don’t allow you to drink and “stay compliant” with the program.
You’ve heard the maxim that “you can’t lose weight and drink alcohol too.”
We say “Yes you can!”
You can lose weight and drink alcohol. The key is to be smart about it. With a little planning, and a little bit of self control, you will be pounding them back and looking buff while you do it.
One of the best alcoholic drinks that actually won’t bust your waistline is HARD alcohol.
No, we aren’t telling you to go all old school and drinking scotch neat (although that is a great, low calorie drink).
For most of us, you need a little sugar to help the “medicine” go down. And that’s where mixers come in.
Remember that all weight loss is really simple: burn more calories than you eat or drink. But the downside is that alcohol counts against your daily calorie requirements. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t throw back a few AND maintain a calorie deficit.
So, without further ado, our top seven list of the best mixers that will help you lose weight.
Top Seven List of the Best Mixers that will Help you Lose Weight
Soda Water. 1 serving (12 oz/355g). 0 grams fat. 0 grams of carbohydrates.
Wonderful wonderful soda water. Also called club soda. Not only is great by itself, but you can mix it with vodka or whiskey and add fresh lemon or lime for a low calorie drink. Use it instead of tonic water (which contains 83 calories and 22 grams of sugar) to simulate a vodka tonic. Our favorite brands are Hansen’s Club Soda or Schweppes. Or get really adventurous and invest in a SodaStream Source Home Soda Maker Starter Kit.
Flavored Sparkling Waters. 1 serving (12 oz/355g). 0 grams fat. 0 grams of carbohydrates.
Soda water’s more flavorful and fun cousin, flavored sparkling waters come in just about any flavor you can imagine. Mixes well with vodka and gin. Our top picks are La Croix Sparkling Water or Sparkling ICE. Best enjoyed on a hot day, preferably on a back porch.
Diet Tonic Water. 1 serving (12 oz/355g). 0 grams fat. 0 grams of carbohydrates.
Can’t escape those vodka tonics or gin and tonics? Need a little more sweetness than club soda or sparkling waters offer you? Diet tonic water is the answer. We will admit that it doesn’t quite give you the flavor profile that real tonic water gives you, it will save you almost 100 calories every time you fill up your cup. This can lead to real weight loss. Try Zevia Zero Calorie Mixer, Tonic Water, Naturally Sweetened which is free of both sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Lemon or Lime Juice. 1 serving (1 fruit – 1-⅛” dia/58 g). 0.2g fat. 5 grams of carbohydrates.
Simple. Effective. Convenient. Slice up a lemon or lime and squeeze that in your favorite spirit and you have a delicious low calorie drink. But don’t buy into those claims that lemon juice alone will spur weight loss – they simply aren’t true.
Sugar Free Mixers. Nutritional information varies by product.
Now we are getting down to it. Miss the taste of that slushy margarita? Really want the taste of a mai tai? We got you covered. There are endless calorie and sugar free alternatives on the market today. We recommend Baja Bob’s Sugar Free Margarita Mix or Pina Colada- Jordan’s Skinny Mixes.
Seltzer Water. 1 serving (12 oz/355g). 0 grams fat. 0 grams of carbohydrates.
Trying to watch your salt intake while you drink alcohol and lose weight? Seltzer water is your drink. Seltzer is just water that has been artificially carbonated. Unlike soda water, no additional sodium has been added. We like Blue Sky Natural True Seltzer.
Sugar Free Energy Drinks. Nutritional information varies by product.
When trying to lose weight, you are usually running low on energy. What better way to pick yourself up than with a calorie free, sugar free mixer. Energy drinks can be a good mixer when you are running low on energy. As with everything related to alcohol, moderation is key! Usually a single serving of an energy drink and alcohol will be enough to get you going for the night. Try mixing a can of Red Bull Sugarfree, Energy Drink and vodka to get the night started right. We also like 5 Hour Energy Shot and any type of apple infused whiskey for an apple pie shot!