This is an archived article and the information in the story may be outdated. Please check the time stamp on the story to see when it was updated last.
Drinking your calories can be a real impediment to weight loss, especially since you are probably not paying as much attention to them. At night, keeping an eye out for high calorie drinks is especially important since your metabolism naturally slows down then. Livestrong explains, “Your metabolism naturally slows during the night, especially because you’re most likely sleeping and not actively exercising, doing chores or eating food. ”
With that in mind, keep reading for the one drink you should never have after 8 PM because it causes fat gain.
Specialty Cocktails
According to WebMD, specialty cocktails are one drink you should be staying away from if you're hoping to lose weight.
The article explains, "Party drinks like margaritas or mai tais can be heavy on the calories, especially when you don’t make them yourself."
Filling up on these calories at night is bad news for your metabolism--not to mention how alcohol can negatively impact your sleep.
If you are hoping to treat yourself with a cocktail, make sure to make your own and avoid store-bought mixers than can pack in the sugar and calories.
If you're really hoping to cut down on the excess calories, WebMD recommends opting for a vodka soda: "A 1-ounce serving of vodka ranges from 70 to 100 calories, and club soda doesn’t add any calories."
If you're avoiding alcohol altogether, but are still having the occasional mocktail, it's also a good idea to rethink those calories.
Since most are made from a combination of fruit juices, you could be drinking more sugar and calories than you think--and more than you want.
Although the occasional specialty cocktail can fit into a weight loss friendly diet, it's important to keep these high calorie, high sugar beverages in moderation--especially since you are typically having them at night.