It’s a weekend, and you want to forget how busy the week has been. A glass of your favorite drink, bourbon or scotch, is the best you can have on the table. With the company of friends, the party begins on a single shot of whisky or a pop of champagne. When drinking, you still remember that you have to stick with your New Year Healthy resolution; to lose weight and keep fit.

Whether you get fit or not depends on what you drink or what type of alcohol and beverages you opt for when entering a bar. Different drinks contain varying calories. So, you want to be more careful what you drink.

When it comes to whisky, there are brands you must avoid if you want to cut some belly fat or keep fit all year. In this article, Bottle and Ash comes to your rescue by explaining some of the ways you can drink whisky like a pro and keep your BMI and health in check.

1. Set your drinking limits 

Every whisky lover should set a limit when drinking. That means you should know how much of an alcoholic drink you should be consuming in one sitting. In simple terms, you should drink less of the same alcohol you love most. That may sound impossible for most people, but you have to remain disciplined if your health matters to you. 

If you find it hectic staying disciplined as you drink, then set the number of days you want to remain sober. Come up with a strict drinking plan. Set the number of drinks you will be having and on what days you purpose to drink. When you drink, you should not let a glass of wine or beer turn into two or three and go beyond your limits. 

Another way to remain disciplined when drinking whisky at home is never to overstock your fridge with your favorite whisky drinks. It is quite tempting to refrain from drinking when you have some drinks in the cupboards and fridge staring at you.

2. Go for light drinks 

Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and go for the light beer to keep fit. Go for a light beer with less than 100 calories per bottle. This way, you can ensure you only consume fewer calories per day than when you drink your regular beer. 

Some diet beers and whisky will cut the alcohol, which means you have to drink more than a bottle to feel the same buzz. You want to avoid such drinks because you end up consuming more alcohol in the long run. Always check the alcohol percentage in every bottle of whisky you buy before you sit down for a drink. Most beers will specify the calories and ABV on the bottle to know how much of the drink you should consume.

3. Say no to sweet wines 

When you set a New Year resolution to lose weight or keep fit, you should avoid sweet wines by all means. In most cases, a glass of wine contains up to 90 calories. Go for dry wines because they contain less sugar, like a gram per ounce. Sweet wines can have up to 2 grams per ounce.

That makes a huge difference when you decide to drink a bottle of wine. Some of the best dry red wines you can drink if you want to lose weight include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. 

Most non-alcoholic white wines come at less than 0.5% ABV per glass and various quantities. Ensure you confirm the alcohol ABV at the counter before you sip your drink. You don’t want to find it hard getting off the seat when it is time to drive back home.

4. Drink spirits with low-sugar

Spirits are some of the best alcoholic drinks you can opt for if you want to get drunk fast. In most cases, straight spirits have the least amount of calories compared to most wines and whiskies. They come entirely with little or no added sugars.

Vodka, for instance, contains only 1000 calories per shot of about 50 ml glass. Whisky contains up to 110 calories per shot. Some tasty spirits like Sambuca contain up to 160 calories a shot. This is a reason you should avoid them when you go drinking with allies.

Only neat spirits have the lowest calorie value. Therefore, you want to ensure you don’t mix them with high sugar lime lemonade, Coke, and Red Bull. Whenever you mix your whisky and sprits with sugary drinks, you end up drinking a lot. If you cannot drink raw vodka, you should substitute sugary mixers with soda water or other diatonic with the least amount of sugar.

Water is one of the best additives to your whisky or vodka if you don’t want to increase calorie intake.

5. Stick to your brand 

Whether it’s vodka, wine, beer, or whisky, we all have our favorite brand, and we should always stick to that. When you drink with friends, and someone offers to buy you a drink, you should not go along with the crowd.

Just because your friends are drinking red wine or some Sambuca, it doesn’t mean you should also be part of that. You can be trapped in a round-cycle of high calories if you don’t choose your drink wisely. You should always stick to your brand when you go drinking.

If you like drinking with your friends, you should let them know that you are trying to cut weight. This is the only way you can stop them from offering you high-calorie drinks. Be honest about your weight loss goals so that your friends can help you reach your targets. 

Another tip is to always stay aware of how much you drink when in the company of friends. Sometimes your friends will be too drank to remind you when to stop. Therefore, you can follow the mindfulness tips for responsible drinking. 

6. Go for low sugar cocktails 

Do you feel like giving yourself a weekend treat without compromising your weight loss goals? The truth is that not all cocktails will have you adding weight. There are tens of whiskey cocktails that are healthy for your body when you eat in moderation. In most cases, the delicacies you get served at the bar are always full of calories and sugars you want to avoid when on a fitness plan. 

You should research the best cocktails and dishes you should take when you visit a bar. You can go for cocktails with the lowest percentage of sugar and high alcohol percentage. Here are some of the whiskey cocktails you should drink if you want to keep fit this year.

Final Thoughts 

Keeping fit or losing weight as you drink should not be that difficult for you. The secret is drinking responsibly and choosing your drinks and food wisely. You can start by creating a diet and drinking plan and sticking to it. You should also set at least two alcohol-free days and stay disciplined when you drink. 

Avoid most sugary drinks and those with high calories. If you must drink whiskey, vodka, and wine every day, then do not exceed 100 calories per shot. Lastly, you should always drink a lot of water to keep your body hydrated and get the alcohol off your system fast.  You don’t have to stop drinking whisky to lose when on a weight loss plan. All you have to do is drink responsibly.

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