10 Delicious Ways To Drink Yourself Skinny (Slideshow)
Water
Drinking water is one of the best ways to avoid weight gain and aid in the process of slimming down. Weight Watchers suggests that "Water is pretty much the simplest, healthiest drink you can choose to quench your thirst, hydrate your body, and satisfy the occasional hunger pang." Water is zero calories with no sodium and helps to hydrate and flush out your entire body of toxins that can slow down the weight loss process. If regular water is too boring for you, try soaking lime, lemon, or cucumber slices in your water for added flavor.
Fresh-Squeezed Juice
Fresh-squeezed vegetable and fruit juices are one of the best ways to get your daily doses of fruits and vegetables, and juicing them yourself (or watching someone make your juice right in front of you) allows you to know exactly what is going into your glass. Gone are the days of worrying about what's actually in your fruit juice when you buy it at the grocery store. Weight Watchers tells us that juices that you squeeze yourself actually concentrate nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, extracting them from fiber, a job that's typically done by your digestive system. Weight Watchers reports that "you would have to eat bags full of fruit and vegetables to get the same level of concentrated vitamins and nutrients in one glass [of juice]." Drinking naturally squeezed juices can replace the need for things like energy drinks that can hinder your weight loss.
Coffee
While we definitely advise that you steer clear of sugary energy drinks if you're trying to lose weight, drinking coffee can actually help to reduce hunger and suppress appetite. But be warned — it's not necessarily the coffee that's helping you feel less hungry, it's the caffeine. Caffeine doesn't always have the best health benefits, but it can help if you're feeling those hunger pangs around mid-morning. There's also the great benefit of feeling that much more awake after your coffee boost. Just remember that you're not going to be getting the same calorie count as black coffee if you add cream and sugar.
Green Tea
Registered dietitian Sheela Prakash tells us that green tea is one of those beverages that has actually been proven to aid in the weight loss process. Green tea is exceptional because of its versatility; you can drink it both cold and hot. Science Daily even reported that "Evidence has shown that green tea extract may be an effective herbal remedy useful for weight control and helping to regulate glucose in type 2 diabetes."
Budweiser Select 55
Budweiser has come out with a beer that is only 55 calories. This drink is considered to be one of the better "low-calorie" beers out there right now, but we're hard-pressed to find a beer that holds its delicious flavor in addition to a low calorie count. Budweiser does an OK job of maintaining this balance, but we wouldn't recommend this beer if you're looking for the flavor-packed qualities of a Bud Heavy.
McWilliams Harmony Wine
If you're a wine drinker on a diet, you'll have to get on board with McWilliams Harmony Wine. The Drinks Business tells us that "McWilliams Wines has joined forces with Weight Watchers to launch a lower-alcohol range of wines in the U.K." These wines aren't going to be the full-bodied delicious blends that you might be used to as a wine drinker, but they'll definitely do the job of satiating your wine craving. The brand has developed four varietals for Weight Watchers including a sparkling brut, a sémillon/sauvignon blanc blend, shiraz, and the Ezzenze Vine Dancer Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The bottles have removable Weight Watchers stickers on them that show the Points value of each serving in the bottle. The concept is pretty innovative and will definitely keep you trim if you're a drinker on a diet.
Natural Fruit Juices in Cocktails
One of the big reasons cocktails can become so high in calories is because of the sweeteners that are added to create that sickly sweet cocktail taste. If you're someone who enjoys a Cosmo, try a different take on the drink without the triple sec, instead adding fresh-squeezed orange juice. Sure, the alcohol content is going to go down, but so will your pant size.
Skinnygirl® Cocktails
If you just can't give up your cocktails but you're trying to lose weight, Bethenny Frankel's low-calorie drinks that are some of the best we've come across. Frankel has established a line of low-calorie alcoholic beverages that range from flavored vodkas to sangria to the original Skinnygirl® Margarita. If you're looking for a fun night on the town without the calories, definitely invest in a bottle of one of these cocktail concoctions.
Vegetable Juice
Vegetable juice, while sometimes high in calories, can actually replace some of the snacking that you're used to doing. The drink is also high in vitamins D and C and can offer you your daily dose of vegetables, which is necessary for the weight loss process.
Martinis
Contrary to popular belief, drinking a martini is probably one of the best alcoholic choices if you're trying to lose weight. The drink is 100 percent alcohol and does not require any mixers, which tend to be what drives the high calorie counts of cocktails. Even seemingly simple vodka tonics have calories in the tonic water that you might not have known were there. Diet tonic is a solid alternative, but few bars actually have diet tonic water behind their bars because it's not widely available on a CO2 gun.