Don't Drink On An Empty Stomach

It's a well-known fact that you feel better when you have a little something in your stomach — and here’s why: "Once alcohol enters your body, 20 percent goes right into your blood stream," says Gans. Great if you’re aiming for immediate intoxication, not so super if you want to spend the night gracefully easing into it. "Having food in your stomach can help slow down the rate of absorption and avoid poor choices due to lowered inhibitions influenced by alcohol and hunger," she says. As in, be sure to get in a meal at the beginning of the night and you might be able to skip the 2 a.m. pizza run.

Another no-brainer: "There really isn't much to say from a nutritional standpoint about alcohol," says Gans. But here's what's interesting: Alcohol is not stored in your body like protein, fat, or carbohydrates and therefore when it's ingested, your body makes it a priority to metabolize it. So basically, unlike those brownies that seem to permanently bind to your butt, alcohol alone (not factoring in everything else added into the glass besides the booze itself — more on that later) doesn’t stick around the same way.

But, Gans is adamant about this one point, so listen up: It's the subsequent actions post-cheers that can attribute to weight gain — i.e. the aforementioned late night pizza binge coupled with the day-after boozy (and greasy) brunch, and then ditching your workout to veg on the couch. Over time, it’s these not-so-healthy lifestyle choices that will pack on the pounds.