Alcohol

Just how many calories are in that mojito and mozzarella stick? Check out the chart below before heading out after work or over the weekend so you can keep your happy hour, happy. Let's start with the drinks first and then move on to the food.

To see the rest of the cocktails and a list of the calories in appetizers, keep reading.

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health here on POPSUGAR Fitness.

By Sunny Sea Gold

Let's face it, sometimes there's nothing better at the end of a long day than a glass of wine. But sipping much more than that can wreak havoc with your shape, and not just by adding hundreds of calories to your diet. Alcohol temporarily keeps your body from burning fat, explains integrative medicine specialist Pamela M. Peeke, MD, author of The Hunger Fix. The reason is that your body can't store calories from alcohol for later, the way it does with food calories. So when you drink, your metabolic system must stop what it's doing (like, say, burning off calories from your last meal) to get rid of the booze.

"Drinking presses 'pause' on your metabolism, shoves away the other calories, and says, 'Break me down first!'" Dr. Peeke explains. The result is that whatever you recently ate gets stored as fat. What's worse: "Research has uncovered that alcohol especially decreases fat burn in the belly," Dr. Peeke adds. "That's why you never hear about 'beer hips,' you hear about a 'beer belly.'"

So can a girl ever enjoy a drink without putting on pounds? Absolutely, if you imbibe the right way. In fact, large, long-term studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and International Journal of Obesity found that middle-aged and older women who drank moderately (about one drink a day) gained less weight over time than those who never imbibed at all; they were also less likely to become obese.

It's a complex topic, but JoAnn Manson, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the studies, says that the moderate drinkers appeared to be more likely to compensate for the occasional drinks by taking in fewer calories from other sources and also tended to be a little more physically active. (In other words, they didn't get blitzed on margaritas, then dive in to a bowl of fried ice cream.) What else beyond basic exercise and calorie-counting can keep happy hour from turning into hefty hour? Health dug into the research and grilled the experts on how you can have your sips and jeans that still zip.

Keep reading for four rules on how to drink alcohol without gaining weight.

Alcohol can liven up a party, but it might be at the price of your health. Beyond the nasty hangover and potentially embarrassing drunk dials, your boozy adventures may be causing more harm to your body than you realize.

Allergy issues: For folks who suffer from allergies, drinking alcohol can actually worsen symptoms. While it's not the alcohol itself making allergies worse, during the fermentation process of beer, wine, and liquor, histamine is produced, which can cause (or enhance) symptoms. Wine and beer also contain sulfites, which can produce similar allergy-like symptoms.

Skin problems: For anyone concerned about aging gracefully, NYC dermatologist Erin Gilbert explains that chronic dehydration leads "drinkers [to] look older than their peers. . . . When you're dehydrated, you're not regenerating collagen as well, and lines in the skin tend to become deeper faster." On top of this, beer specifically has been linked to psoriasis: over the course of one 14-year-long study, the risk for developing this skin condition was 72 percent greater among women who drank two or more beers per week.

Weight gain: While it's possible to cut calories and make healthier drink choices at the bar, according to Harvard researchers, drinking alcohol is one of the worst lifestyle practices for your waistline. People who drank gained almost half a pound over each four-year study period. You'll also be less likely to stick to your normal healthy eating and exercise habits when you're nursing a rough hangover.

Abstaining from alcohol (or just drinking less) may be your goal for 2013, but staying committed is tough. Besides all the healthy benefits drinking less will bring to your body (hangover included), having a few techniques under your belt will help you stay motivated and connected to your healthy resolution.

Be aware: Underestimating the amount of alcohol you're drinking every week is a common issue — even if you only consider yourself a "social" drinker. Knowing what 100 calories of alcohol truly look like can help put things in perspective. For one week, make a note of every drink you have; the numbers may surprise you. You'll find that going out to a club or a bar isn't the only culprit; those hefty glasses of wine and beer at dinner pile up!

Go for a mocktail: Feeling awkward at a party or a bar may hold you back from sticking to your guns, but holding on to an alcohol-free beverage can alleviate those social stresses. Opt for a club soda with a little fruit juice or water with a lemon wedge to enjoy while everyone else is getting boozy. This way you won't feel pressured from peers, and no one will know the difference but you.

Keep reading for more tips to stick to your resolution.