CHEERS! How to Stay in Ketosis on the Keto Diet with a Drink
How does the keto diet and alcohol work?
Dirty keto is where the fun is at. You get all the benefits of the Keto diet, such as weight loss and high energy, but without the restrictions imposed by the die-hard keto police. Contrary to what you may have heard, it’s still possible to stay in ketosis, or weight loss mode, while still enjoying an ice-cold, low carb beer. True, there is no such thing as an official Keto beer, but there are many options on the market that will fit into your ketogenic lifestyle. Let’s check out a few popular brands for comparison. Unlike other websites that fool you with “per ounce” statistics, I am providing the rounded carb count for the full bottle or can. Who drinks just an ounce? Not me. And I want real numbers I can keep track of, not a bunch of decimal points!
- Coors Light carbs – 5 g carbs
- Miller Light carbs – 3 g carbs
- Bud Lite carbs – 7 g carbs
- Corona Premier – 3 g carbs
- Michelob Ultra 3 g carbs
- Natural Light 3 g carbs
- Busch Light 3 g carbs
- Keystone Light – 5 g carbs
- Corona Light – 5 g carbs
- Amstel Light – 5 g carbs
What about Keto cocktails? As long as you choose a low carb liquor or no carb alcohol, the Keto diet and alcohol don’t have to be separate entities. The problem isn’t finding low-carb alcoholic drinks — there are plenty to choose from! The challenge comes from making poor decisions involving food after imbibing. Chips and dip? Bring it on! Want to order pizza? Why not? DIRTY, LAZY, KETO and alcohol work well together as long as you can maintain self-control and avoid the late-night Taco Bell drive-thru. Let’s keep it real.
Keto alcohol options aren’t just limited to low carb beer. Create keto cocktails using low carb liquor or no carb alcohol. Mixed with a sugar-free energy drink or flavored soda water (NOT tonic water), these concoctions will whet your whistle without causing a keto weight loss stall. Prefer something sweeter? Mix your drink with sugar-free pina colada flavor, margarita mix, or flavored water packets.
How many carbs in vodka? Unflavored vodka contains zero carbs. Be sure to select traditional brands that aren’t flavored. No cotton candy or cupcake vodka tonight, ladies! “Sweeten” your cocktail by adding ice, water, and a sugar-free flavor packet. My favorite is Crush Pineapple!
How many carbs in whiskey? I was surprised about the lack of carbs in whiskey. Even though it’s an amber colored spirit, whiskey still contains zero carbs. I sometimes get confused between the darker alcohols (maybe after having a glass or two?) but it helps to avoid, in general, all of the flavored alcohols that contain unnecessary sugar. Pure hard alcohols all have zero carbs (whiskey, scotch, rum, brandy, cognac, vodka, tequila, gin), but the heavily marketed “flavored” varieties contain sugar. Pass on the Malibu Rum (13 g of carbs) or Fireball shots (38 g of carbs) and buy the real thing.
How many carbs in tequila? Enjoy your Keto margarita with zero carb tequila and a sugar-free mixer like Baja Bob’s Sugar-free Margarita Mix.
Is your cocktail too strong with keto alcohol? I bet you’ve noticed your tolerance is much lower on the keto diet! Instead of a mixed drink, there are other dirty keto alternatives. How many carbs in wine? Note the provided carbs are per serving, which apparently is only 5 ounces (who serves themselves only 5 ounces?!?)!
Carbs in red wine – Dry red wines (2 g carbs) vs sweet red wines (4 g carbs)
Carbs in champagne – Sparkling wine (1 g carb) and Champagne (1 g carb)
You can stay in ketosis and lose weight while on a dirty keto diet. I lost 140 pounds, about half of my entire body weight while enjoying low carb beer and other keto alcohols. Keep in mind that your tolerance will be much lower while on the keto diet, so be safe and call an uber after celebrating.
Need more support? Stephanie also leads a small group, premium keto support group on Facebook – for women only.
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