American holidays and booze tend to go hand in hand. But it is entirely possible to indulge in a few cocktails (or mocktails) and throw some meat on the grill this year without the guilt or unnecessary bloating.
Here’s your complete guide to making sure fireworks are the only thing you’re blowing up this year.
A Note About Alcohol and Fat Loss
While it is entirely possible to include some alcohol in your fat loss regimen, it can make achieving results significantly harder. Alcohol is a source of empty calories and when we overdo it, those calories can rack up quickly — leading to fat gain.
As a toxin, it also tends to mess with your metabolism. Your body will try to metabolize alcohol before anything else, including food and body fat.
Lastly, drinking a lot of alcohol can mess with your mood, appetite, and sleep, throwing a willpower grenade into your good intentions.
In other words, if you are serious about losing weight, you might want to consider giving up drinking for a little while.
How to Drink Without Ruining Your Diet
If you are going to indulge this holiday, just be mindful of the types of drinks you choose and how much you consume. As long as you stay within your daily calorie goals, you shouldn’t gain weight from the occasional splurge. You might, however, have some water weight gain and a little guilt afterward.
To help cut back on added calories, keep it simple with a light beer, spiked seltzer, or glass of wine. Sugar-sweetened mixers can pack a ton of extra calories and sugar into a glass — half a cup of sweetened margarita mix has over 100 calories and 24 grams of added sugar!
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water to keep you feeling full and hydrated and help provide a helping hand to your potential hangover.
Here are five easy diet-friendly cocktail recipes that will keep you hydrated and on track this summer.
Light, tangy, and extra refreshing, this simple seltzer drink will keep you feeling cool and hydrated.
Stir the following ingredients over ice:
1 shot Gin or vodka
1 cup Pamplemousse La Croix
2-3 Tbsp Fresh grapefruit juice (squeeze ½ a grapefruit)
Garnish with fresh Mint and a lime wedge!
Nutrition per glass: 117 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates
2 of 5
Marian Weyo
Bourbon Ginger Lemonade
Tangy, sweet, and slightly spicy, this sugar-free lemonade cocktail makes for the perfect summer drink. Make one drink at a time or as a pitcher to share.
Mix the following ingredients in a shaker and serve over ice:
1 shot bourbon
2 ½ Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp Splenda
½ Tbsp grated ginger
¾ cup of water
Garnish with a lemon wedge and candied ginger!
Nutrition per glass: 107 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates
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Oleg VD
Smokey Mezcalita
A smoky twist on the classic margarita with way less sugar and fewer calories. Mezcal is a rich-tasting alcohol that adds a ton of flavor and less than 100 calories per shot.
Mix the following ingredients in a shaker and serve over ice:
1 shot mezcal
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
4 Tbsp fresh orange juice or ¼ cup orange juice (squeeze ~½ an orange)
Optional: 1 teaspoon Splenda
Garnish the rim with tajin and serve with an orange wedge!
Nutrition per glass: 125 calories and 7 grams of carbohydrates
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Rimma Bondarenko
Skinny Summer Sangria
Make this by the pitcher to enjoy with family and friends.
Combine the following ingredients in a pitcher:
¼ cup of peach or plain vodka
1 bottle of white wine (slightly sweet like a chardonnay or riesling is best)
2 cups of sliced strawberries, oranges, and peaches, combined
1 16.9 oz bottle of sprite zero
Serve with fresh mint or basil!
Nutrition per glass: 150 calories and 11 grams of carbohydrates
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Ekaterina Kondratova
Red, White, & Blue Punch
Keep things simple yet festive with a basic punch recipe. Light rum provides the white, sugar-free fruit punch brings the red, and frozen blueberries provide the blue with a small hit of nutrition.
*Skip the coconut rum and save an additional 50 calories.
1 shot coconut rum
1 cup sugar-free fruit punch
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp frozen blueberries
Garnish with an American flag toothpick and a lime wedge!
Nutrition per glass: 160 calories and 16 grams of carbohydrates
Whatever happens this Independence Day, don’t forget to cut yourself a break. Achieving your fitness goals requires balance, not perfection. So if you slip up a few times, just shake it off and try again the next day.
Want to make hitting your nutrition goals even easier? Get shredded and dial in your nutrition with this free meal prep toolkit for fat loss. An RD-written guide complete with macro meal planner, food lists, and expert advice to help you lose weight quickly.
This content was provided by our partners at Trifecta Nutrition.
