HOLIDAY DRINKS TRAINING FOR RUNNING

Liquors by Matteo Paciotti Taken September 15, 2012 Puglia Italy; from Flickr.com CC 2.0 license

Holiday Drinks Training; It’s a Tough Job But Somebody’s Got to Do It Soon the Thanksgiving holiday will be upon us and there will be opportunities to enjoy alcoholic beverages at various festive get-togethers.   Next come parties which will fill the weeks of the Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Winter Holiday season.  The New Year and college football bowl game seasons heat up next.
 
Many will resolve to keep calories ingested during parties and open houses as low as possible, to avoid end of the year weight gain.  It could make for an easier Resolution Run. Just as it’s important to test various nutrition strategies prior to running longer races it will help to trial drinks before attempting to hold the line at actual parties.
 
I am serious about this.  If your first taste of something new is at a party and it is not to your liking, physically upsetting, or leaves you with a bad morning-after experience, you will quickly abandon your resolve and fall back to drinking whatever was your favorite go-to beverage regardless of diet impact. ALSO, CONSIDER YOUR GUESTS if you are hosting a party. Concocting and featuring a fun signature drink with lower calorie content might contribute to your event’s success.
 
An article from SELF.com, “Low-Calorie Drinks Registered Dietitians Love” provides some suggestions from these nutrition experts.  Being trained as a dietitian and working several years at it, including a stint bartending a medical staff party at my employer hospital, I respect this group of professionals.
 
Drinking an unmixed, straight version of wine, beer, or a liquor (not a sweet liqueur) allows you to avoid calories disguised in mixes and keep a more accurate account of the number imbibed. This is especially true if drink volumes adhere to what is quoted as one serving in calorie-counting lists (1.5oz /liquor shot; 12oz/ beer, 5oz /glass of wine, 4oz/flute of champagne).
 
Scanning the list of mixed drinks, these RD’s seem to be following a formula to design their favorites.  Keeping it in mind can guide you in designing your own “skinny” version of a high calorie favorite:

1. Break down a drink into its components
2. Identify the base liquor; start with one serving as the drink foundation
3. Use a flavor-infused version of a liquor if it improves palatability
4. Slowly sip liquor ‘neat’ or with ice if the taste is agreeable, without added ingredients
5. If mixing, switch in a zero- or low-calorie alternative for the full-calorie standard
6. Add ice to add volume
7. Add lime, lemon, mint, jalapeno, cucumber, or another low-calorie garnish for flavor
8. Try NOT to use simple syrup or sugar, juices, store-made mixes, tonic water
9. Quality may beat quantity; don’t be afraid to go with a better label if taste is improved
   

 
Be aware of the serving size quoted for calorie lists; Some use 1.5oz, some provide the number per ounce (example: 96 calories per 1.5oz shot of vodka will be quoted as 64 calories per ounce!) To help you, “The Intoxicologist“ has provided an extensive listing of liquor foundation ingredients with calorie cost.  
 
There’s the strategy of alternately drinking a non-alcoholic drink with an alcoholic drink throughout the length of the party, which may leave you in greater control of your choices.
 
The fun we experience at social gatherings extends to the days and weeks afterward. If we feel post-party regret because of weight gain and its effect on running, it can retrospectively diminish our overall enjoyment of the season. Holding the line within reason may increase the after-glow.
 
This is an example where "failing to plan is planning to fail", considered to be a modern version of a quote by Benjamin Franklin, re-stated by Winston Churchill.  Once the hard work of holiday drinks training is complete and the strategy tested, your time can be spent planning wardrobes, gifts for the host/hostess, etc.
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
http://www.self.com/story/low-calorie-alcoholic-drinks-registered-dietitians-love
 
http://intoxicologist.net/2013/01/counting-calories/