You don't have to swear off a happy hour beer or cocktail to reach what we at SELF call your "happy weight." People who had a drink a day or less had smaller bellies than both teetotalers and those drinkers who had two or more alcoholic beverages in a sitting, a study in The Journal of Nutrition reports.
Similarly, study subjects who consume one alcoholic beverage a day have a body-mass index nearly two points lower than those who drink less often but have more alcohol when they do imbibe, researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Bethesda, Maryland, report.
I'll drink to that! At SELF, we don't believe in depriving yourself (it usually backfires anyway). I find that if someone tells me I can't do something, it makes me more determined to do it. Same goes for when I tell myself I can't have something. So now I believe in moderation—a little chocolate or a little cheese.
That also holds true for wine. (My typical drink is Pinot Grigio because it's light and citrusy.) I make a weight-smart commitment to have one glass, savor it and stretch it out to last through dinner. (I try not to have a second unless it's a special occasion since it often leads to a lack of resolve—and more sweets!)
Want other ideas for how to indulge the healthy way? Check out my post about guilt-free cocktails or SELF's recipe database . (Try searching under chocolate!)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Want more from Lucy?
Subscribe to Self Magazine today and get two years for the price of one.
No time? No problem!
SELF Magazine's 15 Minutes to Your Best Self is packed with 573 easy, time-saving tips and tricks that you can do in under 15 minutes! Buy it now.
