How to Drink Alcohol Without Gaining Weight

I'm sure you've heard it a million times, alcohol packs on the pounds. The real bummer is that alcohol is fun to drink and it's ubiquitous in our culture and society. So not only does it make you fat, but it's almost impossible to resist. The good news is, it doesn't have to be this way. You can actually maintain your weight or even lose weight and still drink a reasonable amount of alcohol. The trick is simply drinking moderation.

So, what exactly constitutes drinking alcohol in moderation? No more than 2 drinks a day for a male according to Moderation Management. I know what you must be thinking, two drinks doesn't exactly scream "party time!" Don't lose your hope just yet, though, there is still a way to get your drink on and not gain weight.

Alcohol is basically just empty calories, and it provides nothing nutritional the body needs to function. It is estimated that alcohol inhibits a person's ability to lose fat by up to 36% percent, because empty calories are the body's first source of fuel before carbs, fat and protein.

In order to burn 1lb of fat you must burn 3500 calories, which 500 calories a day per week. Now, suppose on Friday you have 3 rum and cokes and over the course of Saturday you have another 5 beers. Well, you've just racked up an additional 1290 calories for the week. So you can see how quickly drinking can derail your diet. It's no wonder so many trainers tell their clients to cut out the booze.

If want to still go out and party, you are going to have to keep strict track of exactly what you drink. You should never eat anymore than two days a week. Really try to limit yourself to this. You'll probably want to save these for your Friday and Saturday nights. On the days that you do drink, you should eat as light and healthy as possible, trying not to consume any excess sugar. Make sure you don't starve yourself and are full, though, because if you drink on a hungry stomach, you're going o want to pig out later.

Here are some more tips to help you:

Order mixed drinks with diet soda instead of fruit juice or regular soda. This will reduce the number of calories, carbs and sugar per drink.

Eat a nutritious and filling dinner before you go out drinking. This will reduce the chances of you getting the munchies at the end of the night.

Always order light beer instead of other beers. Obviously, light will have the least calories.

If you do come home drunk and find yourself craving lots of food, just drink two big glasses of water and eat a piece of bread. That should hold you over till morning.