You don’t have to completely give up on drinking alcohol for weight loss, but it pays to be wary of the less healthy choices. Due to the heavy sugar content, many mixers that seem relatively light can be deceptively calorie dense. When you feel like treating yourself on your day off, take note of just how much sugar can be packed in the highest calorie mixers. The best alcohol for weight loss will be free of the sugary additives that many of the most highest calorie alcoholic drinks contain.
The Worst Alcoholic Mixers for Weight Loss
Juice (Apple, Orange, Pineapple, etc)
Common culprit – Screwdriver: 1 ounce of 80-proof vodka and 8 ounces of orange juice, 174 calories (64 calories from vodka and 110 calories from orange juice, 0.6 fl.oz of alcohol per 1.5 fl. oz.)
Fruit juice is one of the easiest anti-weight loss drinks in the world to mistake as a healthy choice. Even though it’s one of the worst drinks for fat loss, it’s easy to see why so many people assume that fruit juice can help them slim down; after all, fruit juice containers almost always have the word “natural” displayed in large font. Don’t be fooled. Fruit juice can be packed with as much sugar as a powdered donut, and the vitamins it contains don’t even come close to making up for it.
Full Calorie Sodas/Soft Drinks (Coke, Pepsi, Sprite)
Common Culprit – Vodka soda with tonic water: 1 ounce of 80-proof vodka and 8 ounces of tonic water, 83 calories (64 calories from vodka and 19 calories from tonic water, 0.6 fl.oz of alcohol per 1.5 fl. oz. )
Soda is slightly less deceptive than fruit juice, and quite possibly even worse for weight loss overall. There is no nutritional value in soda. Even the “diet” variations should be avoided, as this often tricks people into assuming that diet sodas are healthy choice in the same way that “natural” fruit juices do.
Creme De Cacao
Common Culprit – Chocolate Martini: 2 ounces of 80-proof vodka and 1/2 ounce of creme de cacao, 178 calories (128 calories from vodka and 50 calories from creme de cacao, 0.6 fl.oz of alcohol per 1.5 fl. oz.)
Creme de cacao is as sweet as the day is long, and the sugar content reflects that sweetness shamelessly. The liqueur often has a twinge of vanilla flavoring mixed in with a creamy chocolate blend of decadence. Precede with caution.
Sweet and Sour Mix
Common Culprit – Tequila sour: 3 ounce of tequila and 2 ounces of sweet and sour mix, 248 calories (192 calories from tequila and 56 calories from sweet and sour)
The bright and sunny brilliance of sweet and sour mix should be treated the same way that you would a brightly-colored poison dart frog. Made from equal portions of lemon and lime juice, it’s a very common and carb-heavy addition to cocktails and tequila mixers.
Margarita mix
Common Culprit – 10 oz Margarita on the rocks: 4 ounces of tequila, 4 ounces of margarita mix, 4 ounces of sour mix, 2 ounces of triple sex, lime juice, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 550 calories
This traditional Mexican party-starter can bring your diet to a screeching halt in moments. Not only is the mix extremely high in calories relative to small portions, it’s also got a heavy amount of sodium. Sodium leads to water retention, which can stall your weight loss and leave you bloated for days on end.
Grenadine
Common Culprit – Bourbon daisy: 1.5 ounces of bourbon, 1/2 ounce of southern comfort, 1/2 ounce of lemon juice, 1/2 ounce of grenadine, 1 ounce of club soda, 83 calories
This viscous, blood-red syrup can put your weight loss in a sticky situation. While the syrup alone isn’t quite as damning as sugary fruit juices and sodas, it’s quite high in carbohydrates. Just a few grenadine-spiked drinks after work can stack your carb intake up past your daily limit within an hour.
Simple Syrup
Common Culprit – Mojito: 1.5 ounces of rum, 2.5 ounces of simple syrup, 215 calories
Simple syrup commonly has a one-to-one ratio of water to sugar, though sometimes the ratio is two-to-one (rich simple syrup). Be very wary of just how much sugar can build up with a few drops of simple syrup in the mix.
Full Calorie Energy Drinks
Common Culprit – Four Loko: 660 calories (65 grams of carbohydrates, 60 grams of sugar)
Full calories energy drinks are tied with soda, fruit juices and beer as the worst drinks for fat loss. Just one of these drinks can pack twice as many calories as the highest calorie mixers. In essence, what you have is an artificially-flavored can of sugar water with a truckload of caffeine and zero nutritional value. Some of the highest calorie alcoholic drinks will have an entire serving of a full calorie energy drink poured into the mix.
Half and Half or Cream
Common Culprit – Bailey’s Irish Cream: 1.25-oz. shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream and 1 tbsp. whipped cream, 184 calories
Most people start their day with a cup of coffee that’s been drowned in a heavy river of cream or half and half. Don’t let the words “half and half” fool you in the same way that diet sodas fool people. It easy to accidentally put enough cream into your drink to make it taste like a milkshake (and be just as unhealthy as a milkshake too), but limiting the cream to a teaspoon should keep you in the clear.