Holiday parties are in full swing and it is becoming much more tempting to fall off the wagon in terms of sticking to your diet. The problem is most people focus solely on what they are eating not on what they are drinking. Here are some helpful stats so you can see where and how you can cut calories by the hundreds and avoid extra poundage during the holiday season.
- Eggnog, 8 fl oz (1 cup)
- Around 400 calories. 18 g fat, 10 g saturated fat,130 mg cholesterol, 48 g sugar
- Hot Buttered Rum 8 fl oz (1 cup)
- Around 310 calories, 12 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol
- White Russian 8 fl oz (1 cup) made with half and half, vodka, and Kahlua
- Around 400 calories, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat 9 g sugar
- Hot Chocolate 8 fl oz (1 cup) made with 2% milk and topped with whip cream
- Around 230 calories, 12 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 23 g sugar
- Café Mocha 12 fl oz made with whole milk
- Around 290 calories, 16 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 27 g sugars
- Martini 4 oz made with gin, vermouth, and an olive
- Around 230 calories, 1 g fat
- Latte 12 fl oz with whole milk
- Around 180 calories. 9 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 13 grams sugar
- Red Wine 6 fl oz
- Around 150 calories
- White Wine 6 fl oz
- Around 150 calories
Does it ever seem like you can drink endless amounts and never really get too full? That is because calorie laden beverages can’t bring us a feeling of satiation like food can. With energy dense beverages such as those listed above, it is easy to see how a couple of holiday drinks one night can tack on up to 800 extra calories. Keep this up every Friday and Saturday night and you can expect to gain about one pound every two weeks.
So instead of the typical seas
onal beverages, opt for mixed drinks using just one shot of rum or vodka and a calorie free beverage like seltzer water with a twist of lime or lemon or a diet coke to minimize calories to just about 100 per serving.
Instead of going for a full glass of wine, make it a spritzer with half white wine and half seltzer water with a piece of fruit thrown in to bring your vino down to only 70 calories per glass.If you want to keep it festive enjoy a ‘Poinsettia’ made with half diet cranberry juice and half champagne to for a mere 40 calories.
It is also wise to set a drink limit for yourself before you head out to the party so you don’t go overboard on calories and leave some room in your diet for eating those delicious holiday meals. If you must have some of those classic holiday drinks change it up a bit and go for skim milk, light whipped cream, limit the chocolate syrups or flavored syrups, and order a small size.
The bottom line is this: control your calories by watching what you eat and drink, shoot for half of your plate being dedicated to veggies, choose whole grains, lean protein, and low fat dairy, focus on serving sizes, and stay physically active to make it through the holiday season with a slim and trim waistline.
Do you have recommendations to share for making healthy choices during the holidays?
