Trying to shed pounds? You're probably making a few sacrifices -- you know, cutting out ice cream and chips and trying to make up for them with fresh fruit and grilled veggies. Stuff like that. But one thing you shouldn't have to sacrifice is your social life. You still want to go out with your friends and have a few drinks, but you don't want to do too much damage to your diet.

So pints of beer are out. So are sugary cocktails. Wine is a good choice, but it might not be your thing. What's left? A gin and tonic is generally a standby drink for the low-cal lush. But how low-cal is it?

According to FitDay, a standard gin and tonic has 171 calories. Sheesh -- that's almost as much as a pint of beer. What gives? Well, gin is relatively low in calories -- it only has around 64 calories per ounce. The problem here is the tonic water -- surprisingly, it's really high in sugar, and sugar is any dieter's worst nightmare.

If you're looking for a really low-cal highball, cut out the sugar by opting for gin or vodka with soda water or even still water instead of tonic. Yes, it won't be as tasty, but are diet foods ever as tasty? Try adding some flavour with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Still can't handle it? Try diet soda in your cocktail instead.