Can you drink alcohol and still lose belly fat?

Today the Healthy Mummy team are looking at the effects of alcohol and weight loss – especially the link between alcohol and belly fat.

If you’re trying to lose weight and ditch belly bloat by following the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge – there are certainly pros to ditching alcohol altogether. However, we understand many of us like the occasional drink at a family get-together, or a glass of red with a fancy dinner.

With that, we are here to remind you that a drink here and there will NOT hold you back from reaching your weight loss goals. WITH THAT SAID….it doesn’t hurt to understand how many calories your favourite alcoholic beverage has.

In this article we reveal the lowest calorie and lowest SUGAR alcoholic beverage.

Can you drink alcohol and still lose belly fat?

Like many mums you may be doing really well on your weight loss plan but still find that you are you craving a glass of wine a few times a week.

While a recent diet and lifestyle change study found that people who increased their alcohol intake gained more weight over time, the findings varied by type of alcohol.

So to find the best option for you and your weight loss plan, here is how you can find the lowest calorie drinks.

How to find the lowest calorie drinks

Cocktails

If you do fancy a cocktail it’s best to go for something icy rather than creamy, and one that is flavoured with fresh fruit is better than something packed with syrups or cordials. Think Mojito (160 cal) instead of a Creamy Midori Splice (370 cal).

Wine

A typical glass of wine comes in at 90 calories for a 120ml serve.

A great option is to enjoy a glass of white wine or champagne with some sparkling water in it. You still enjoy the flavour but it drastically reduces your alcohol and calorie intake.

Spirits

While a single 30ml nip of vodka or scotch contains around 65 calories, it’s the mixers that you need to keep an eye on.

Topping up your rum with a 375ml Coca Cola will add a further 161 calories (and almost 10 teaspoons of sugar!). Ginger beer and lemonade are not much better at 165 cal and 124 cal respectively.

When mixing your spirits, go for soda water with some fresh lime as soda contains 0 calories and 0 sugar. Also why not try adding just a splash of juice to your spirit and then topping up with sparkling water?

Beer

When it comes to beer, it’s pretty easy to remember – the lower the alcohol content, the lower the calories. Alcohol content is more important than whether the beer claims to be ‘low carb’ or not.

So if you fancy a couple of drinks at a BBQ, a light beer is a good choice as it comes in at 100 calories for a 375ml serve (compared to 145 cal for a full strength).