9 Alcoholic Drinks That Won’t Make You Gain Weight

• Craft cocktails

  
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  Every diet cuts out something tasty. Paleos don’t eat bread, vegans don’t eat cheesy scrambled eggs, and low-carb lifers don’t eat much of anything good at all. So long as your diet allows alcohol, though, there are ways to indulge without packing in the sugar and calories. Check out these pour choices, courtesy of Samantha Heller, R.D., senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City; there’s something for everyone.
  

• Red Wine

  
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  “Mixologists love a challenge, so ask if yours can cook up a low-calorie creation,” Heller says. Fresh herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, and flavored salts add low-cal taste; skip fruit juices, simple syrups, specialty liqueurs, coconut, and cream. RELATED: The 5 Best Ways to (Finally) Lose That Gut
  

• DIY Mixers

  
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  Both white and red wine have a respectable 125 calories for a 5-oz. glass. Heller suggests sticking with red: “It’s easier to drink white wine more quickly since it’s lighter, so you may end up drinking more,” she says.
  

• A Vegged-Out Bloody Mary

  
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  Store-bought mixes can have serious calories. Instead, go for fresh or frozen fruit, and try fresh-squeezed lime, lemon, or orange juice for citrus blends. Strawberry daiquiri mix can have 190 calories per 4-oz. serving, as opposed to 37 calories for a 4-oz. serving of pureed strawberries. And to replace a sugary piña colada mix (4 oz. is 230 calories), sub in 1 oz. coconut milk and 3 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice for a 110-calorie drink.
  

• Light Beer

  
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  Few drinks are more health-tastic. Try Heller’s killer recipe: 8 oz. low sodium V-8 juice, 1 to 2 tsp. horseradish, a dash of hot sauce to taste, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof cucumber vodka, 1 to 2 tsp. of fresh squeezed lime juice, 1/8 tsp. of fresh-pressed garlic, a dash of celery seed, and Worcestershire or low-sodium soy sauce to taste. Mix well, then pour over ice and garnish with celery ribs or mini pickled carrots. That adds up to a humble 147 calories. MORE: 9 Ways to Work Out Your Abs While Standing
  

• Liquor with a Splash of Juice

  
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  Their claims are legit: Light beers have approximately 40 fewer calories per 12-oz. serving than a regular beer (110 calories versus 150). “It’s not a lot if you are having only one beer,” notes Heller, “but it can add up if you knock back two or more.”
  

• Liquor with a Splash of Veggies

  
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  One vodka-Coke packs 50 calories. Substitute orange juice and you’ll get roughly the same calorie count—but it comes with added vitamins and minerals, and without the high-fructose corn syrup. (Fructose is linked to an increase in body fat, per a study published in Scientific Reports). “Ask for a splash of juice, fresh-squeezed if possible,” recommends Heller. If you want to fill the glass, so you don’t look like you’re slacking, add ice, seltzer, or fresh slices of fruit.
  

• Spritzer

  
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  “Pour freshly pureed or cold-pressed vegetable juices like kale, celery, spinach, or cucumber over gin, tequila, or vodka on ice,” Heller says. “They’re nutrient-packed and have fewer calories than fruit juices.” A 4-oz. V8 juice, for example, has only 25 calories.
  

• Anything…Sipped Slowly

  
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  Let’s bring back the spritzer: Made with white wine and ice-cold seltzer or club soda, it cuts back slightly on alcohol, and it’s both refreshing and hydrating. (Although we do not advocate it as a proper substitute for water. Obviously.) The 7 Best Things to Eat and Drink After Your Workout
  

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  “When you drink alcohol, those calories do not register in your brain and stomach the same way as calories from food do, so it’s easy to take in a lot of calories and not feel full,” says Heller. Requisite disclaimer: Drink in moderation, and don’t rush. “A slo-mo approach to your cocktail heightens your experience and saves calories. You’ll awaken the next day with no regrets. So, savor that drink, then get out on the dance floor and work it off.”