Sunny Days=Patio Weather

Now that the nicer weather is here, it’s pretty hard to resist a nice cold drink on the patio.  Just because you are watching what you eat, doesn’t mean you can’t have a little treat. Just remember, that you don’t want to drink your calories. 

EVERYTHING in moderation. (Not that I am encouraging you to go drinking!)

Most glasses of wine contain 125-150 calories, but that can double depending on the size of the glass size and how full it is.

Beer can range from 64-198 calories per 12 ounces. Light beers are a better choice because they contain the same amount of alcohol as regular beers but fewer carbohydrates.

A big diet destroyer is super-caloric cocktails. Instead of sugary mixes, try mixing your cocktails with: water, club soda, low calorie juices, or sugar-free syrups for easy calorie savings. Fruit and vegetable juices can be good choices because they are lower in calories than some other mixers.

Some mixers that won’t pack on the pounds include:

• Diet soda or diet tonic: 0 calories
• Orange juice (6 oz): 84 calories
• Cranberry juice cocktail (8 oz): 136 calories
• Light orange juice (8 oz): 50 calories
• Light cranberry juice (8 oz): 40 calories
• Light lemonade (8 oz): 5 calories
• Coffee, tea: 0 calories
• Lemon or lime juice (1/2 oz): 10 calories

Another option is diluting your drink with club soda or sparkling water. Wine spritzers are a low-calorie standby. And if you usually drink vodka and cranberry, for example, try it with club soda, just a splash of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime. Garnish with a wedge of citrus or pineapple to add flavor and few calories.

So just how many calories are in your favorite cocktail?

• Mojito (8 oz): 214 calories
• Pina Colada (6 oz): 378 calories
• Cosmopolitan (4 oz): 200 calories
• Chocolate martini: (2 oz each vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 oz creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438
• Margarita (8 oz): 280
• Green apple martini (1 oz each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148
• Martini (2.5 oz): 160
• Red wine (5 oz):120
• White wine (5 oz): 120
• Alcohol-free wine (5 oz): 20-30
• Beer (12 oz): 150-198
• Light beer (12 oz): 95-136
• Ultra-light beer (12 oz): 64-95
• Champagne (5oz): 106-120
• Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348
• Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 oz): 310
• Wine spritzer (5 oz): 100
• Hot buttered rum (8 oz): 292
• Spiced cider with rum ( 8 oz):150
• Vodka and tonic (8 oz): 200
• Screwdriver (8 oz): 190
• Mimosa (4 oz): 75
• Gin and tonic (7 oz): 200
• Long Island iced tea (8 oz): 780
• White Russian (2 oz vodka, 1.5 oz coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz cream): 425
• Mai Tai (6 oz) (1.5 oz rum, 1/2 oz cream de along, 1/2 oz triple sec, sour mix, pineapple juice): 350
• Rum and Coke (8 oz): 185
• Rum and Diet Coke (8 oz): 100
• Mike’s Hard Lemonade (11 oz): 98

Advertisements