With Summer right around the corner, I’m sure you have already started planning your vacations/trips. With those in mind, I’m also sure that you are thinking about what drinks you are going to be consuming (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). There are plenty of drinks out there that you can have while still reaching your fitness/health goals! In this, I cover 4 different strategies and tools that you can practice/use to not to lose all the hard work you’ve put into reaching your goals and summer body so you can still lose weight and still drink alcohol.
Strategy One: Avoid adult beverages
Now, the first option you have available, arguably the best one that will keep you on track for your fitness/health goals to lose weight is to enjoy water. Water has so many benefits besides just staying hydrated! You recover faster from your workouts when you are hydrated, you regulate your body temperature better, and it helps lubricate / cushion joints. So, at the very least, try to stay hydrated when you are traveling.
When on vacation, it’s very common to want an alcoholic beverage or two. There are a lot of negative side effects of drinking (and some fun ones). If you are trying to do everything you can to stay on track with your fitness goals, then avoiding alcohol is the best option.
There are 7 calories per gram of alcohol, and in the fitness industry, alcohol is considered “The 4th Macro”. The calories add up when you start drinking, so you are more likely to exceed your daily calories. On top of that, you are more likely to consume calorically dense foods when drinking. So, with the added calories from the alcohol and the added calories from some of the food you may eat, you are going WAY off track. Alcohol also reduces the quality of your sleep significantly. If you are trying to get the most recovery possible from your sleep after an intense workout, then avoid alcohol altogether. To learn more about how you can improve your sleep hygiene, check out The Power of Sleep on Achieving Healthy Weight Loss!
Strategy Two: Drink diet sodas to promote weight loss
The second option that you have is still to avoid alcohol but drink more than just water when you are on vacation. Let’s be real here: how many people prefer to have a soda or something with some flavor when enjoying a meal in the summer?
In that case, if you are one of these people, then there are options for you as well. Try to find a low-calorie or zero-calorie water flavoring (Mio, sugar-free Crystal Light, zero-calorie Gatorade, or any others you enjoy). That way, you have some variety and can still reach your fitness/health goals. Along the same lines as the water flavoring, find a Diet or zero-calorie soda you enjoy. Diet / sugar-free sodas are a great option since they do not add any calories and actually fill you up from the carbonation. There are studies showing that when people consume diet / sugar-free sodas, they are less likely to over consume calories and see better / more long term fat loss results. Diet sodas will also help curb hunger cravings in between meals.
Strategy Three: Have some adult-like beverages 😉
Mocktails! Now mocktails have been gaining lots of popularity in recent years. They are a great alternative to actually drinking as they help take the social pressure of not drinking when everyone else is and they also taste great, but one thing to keep in mind is that these too have calories in them. There are, however, some great lower-calorie options for mocktails out there.
Enjoy Mocktails has a wide variety of mocktails that you are able to enjoy that won’t break the bank on your calories! If you go to the bar and choose to get a mocktail, ask the bartender for a calorie menu or a low-calorie mocktail. Not only are you saving your waistline, but you will also not wake up with a hangover! Best of both worlds!
Strategy Four: Drink the adults drinks with a strategy
Lastly, if you are going to consume alcohol on your vacation, there are multiple options that you can utilize to help keep you on track to your fitness/health goals.
Option One
The first option is swapping the mixer that you choose. Instead of going for a normal soda or fruit juice, switch them out for a diet or sugar-free option. Since mixers have calories in them, if you reduce the amount of calories per drink, that is already a step in the right direction. You will be able to keep the same flavor profile as the original drink but save calories throughout the night!
Option Two
The second option is to swap out the alcohol choice for alcohol based on the calorie amount and the effects each one will have. One ounce of hard alcohol (vodka, rum, gin, etc.), one 5-ounce pour of wine, and one lite beer are all roughly 120-150 calories. Pick your poison, think about what drink you want, and determine how many drinks you choose to have.
Option Three
That way when you go to have those beverages, you have room for them and room for some snack or another meal when you get hungry later. Planning your meals by bringing them with you or looking at the menu beforehand ahead of time when you are starting to drink helps as well. That way you know how many calories are in your meal, and you don’t have to try to calculate it once the alcohol starts to take effect. Now, you are more likely to over when you have started drinking, so don’t beat yourself up if you do. So do your best to stick to your plan and enjoy your time.
If you are also struggling to figure out what to eat while on vacation, there are plenty of options that can help you reach your fitness goals. The best thing that you can do is focus on getting protein at every meal and lots of veggies as well. If you happen to be tracking your calories when you are on vacation, continue to track your calories to the best of your ability. Most quick-stop restaurants will have their menu in the food database. Try to find grilled meats and vegetables when eating out, and still allow yourself to enjoy the vacation! To find more strategies to help you reach your goals while eating out, check out 3 Restaurant Strategies for Ordering Goal-Oriented Food!
Option Four
The fourth strategy you can also think about your calories on a weekly average so that when the weekend comes up, you have calories to spare. Say you were to eat 2,000 calories per day multiplied by seven days a week, that’s 14,000 calories. So, the thought process is to stay under that 14,000 calories in the week, and you will still make progress towards your fitness goals. If you were to eat just 1,800 calories a day for five days, then you would have 5,000 calories (2,500 on Saturday and Sunday) for the weekend to still be under your 14,000 limit!
Another tool you can utilize is to make sure you drink a large glass of water between every 1-3 drinks. When you do this, you will thank yourself later. You are less likely to be hung over the next morning and will ultimately drink fewer calories! With this strategy, it can be tough to execute once you start drinking, but it is a necessary part of the process to keep yourself on track with your goals. You can always set reminders on your phone or have a friend remind you!
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