Drinking on a Diet: Alcoholic Drinks That Make You Fat
For millions, dieting is a part of daily life. Calorie counting, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, going to the gym; all part of the routine. Come Friday night, however, it's three sheets to the wind and anything goes.
Did you know one 10 oz. Long Island Iced Tea has the same number of calories as a McDonald’s Big Mac? Yeah, a Big Mac. So go ahead, belly up to the bar and start putting down those Big Macs.
As gross as that sounds, the Long Island Iced Tea is not the worst offender. Take a look at how some popular alcoholic drinks stack up to fast food.
High Calorie Cocktails vs. Fast Food
- 9 oz. Mai Tai – 620 Calories (3 oz. Light Rum, 2 oz. Dark Rum, 1 oz. Crème de Almond, 1 oz. Triple Sec, 1 oz. Sweet and Sour Mix, 1 oz. Pineapple Juice)
- 12 oz. Piña Colada – 586 Calories (3 oz. Rum, 3 oz. Coconut Cream, 6 oz. Pineapple Juice)
- 6 oz. Mud Slide – 556 Calories (1.5 oz. Vodka, 1.5 oz. Kahlua, 1.5 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream, 1.5 oz. Half-and-Half)
- 10 oz Margarita – 550 Calories (4 oz. tequila, 4 oz. margarita/sour mix, 2 oz. triple sec, lime juice, 1 tsp. sugar)
- 10 oz. Long Island Ice Tea – 543 Calories (1.5 oz Vodka, 1.5 oz Rum, 1.5 oz Tequila, 1.5 oz Gin, 1.5 oz Triple Sec, 2 oz Sweet and Sour, 0.5 oz Cola)
Vs
- McDonald’s Big Mac®: 540 Calories
- McDonald’s Large French Fries: 500 Calories
- Pizza Hut 12 Inch Medium Pan Pepperoni Pizza (2 Slices): 560 Calories
- Wendy’s Double Cheeseburger: 620 Calories
- Burger King’s Whopper® Sandwich: 670 Calories
- Burger King’s King Sized Onion Rings: 500 Calories
- Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla: 520 Calories
To Make Matters Worse
It’s not just the sheer number of calories in these drinks that make them fattening. Recent evidence has come to light that only a small amount of alcohol is converted to fat. Rather, it is converted to a molecule called acetate by the liver. This is an important mechanism the body uses to keep alcohol in the blood stream from poisoning us. However, the body will burn acetate before fat, slowing down fat metabolism. Studies have shown that alcohol consumption can slow fat metabolism by as much as 73%. Thus, consuming alcoholic drinks with high fat content (like drinks with cream) increases the amount of fat that is stored in your body.
Other Drink to Watch Out For
Drinking on a Diet
Although it may seem bleak, there is hope. You can lessen the impact of your night out by drinking low calorie, low fat drinks. Some may be devoid of taste, but that’s a small price to pay compared to hours in the gym or skipping dessert. Here are a few drinks that will do their job without making you fat;
- 6 oz. Rum and Diet Coke – 65 Calories (1 oz. Rum, 5 oz. Diet Coke)
- 6 oz. Vodka and Soda – 65 Calories (1 oz. Vodka, 5 oz. Soda Water)
- 10 oz. Bloody Mary – 180 Calories (2 oz. Vodka, 8 oz. tomato juice, Dash of Tabasco and pepper)
- 7.5 oz. Gin & Diet Tonic – 115 Calories (1.5 oz. Gin, 6 oz. Diet Tonic)
- 12 oz. Guinness Draught – 126 Calories
- 12 oz. Bud Light – 110 Calories
- 4 oz. Cabernet Sauvignon – 90 Calories
- 4 oz. Chardonnay – 90 Calories
- 4 oz Dry Champagne – 105 Calories
Sources
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