How Is Alcohol Affecting Your Weight?

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Please consider this free-reprint article written by:

Meri Raffetto

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Article Title: How Is Alcohol Affecting Your Weight?

Author: Meri Raffetto

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So you’ve been exercising regularly, and cutting back on your

calories to meet your weight loss goals. Everything is going

great with your new changes but you notice the number on the

scale isn’t moving much and your body isn’t changing shape as

quickly as you’d hoped. There may be one more habit interfering

with your weight loss efforts- -alcohol. Perhaps you enjoy a

glass of wine with dinner, have a couple of beers while

watching the big game, or even cocktails on a Saturday night

with friends. All common practices but they may be getting in

the way of your weight loss efforts.

Alcoholic beverages have been enjoyed throughout recorded

history. For some, a drink with dinner may be relaxing. Others

may enjoy the inhibitions that alcohol can create to “let

loose” with friends. Many people drink for the health benefits.

After-all, evidence shows that moderate drinking, especially red

wine, may lower the risk of heart disease. No matter what your

reasons are for drinking, alcohol can interfere with your

weight loss goals.

Alcohol is a product of fermenting carbohydrates- both sugars

and starches. This means it does provide calories. Specifically

it provides 7 calories for every gram compared to 4 calories per

gram of carbohydrates and protein, and 9 calories per gram of

fat. Drinking 4 (12 ounce) beers will supply 600 calories. To

burn those calories, a person would need to walk non-stop for 3

hours. Skipping the cab ride and walking home may be a strategy

but for most of us a 3 hour walk is a bit daunting even when we

are in good shape.

Although wine contains fewer calories than beer, this can also

lead to extra calories. Having a glass of wine provides 100

calories, but this is dependent on the glass size. A serving

size of wine is 5-ounces. The larger wine glasses hold about 10

ounces turning your one glass of wine into two glasses. To put

this into perspective, drinking two glasses of wine each night

with dinner will add an extra 200 calories each day. If these

calories are not burned through exercise and daily activity it

can lead to a 20 pound weight gain in a year.

Adding juice, creams, and sodas to cocktails will increase the

calorie level beyond what the alcohol is already providing. Be

careful of what you are drinking. In some cases, one drink

provides more calories than an entire meal! Here are the drinks

that top the scales for most calories-

Long Island Iced Tea: 780 calories

Margarita: 740 calories

Pina Colada: 644 calories

White Russian: 425 calories

Sex on the Beach: 356 calories

Mai Tai: 350 calories

Lemon Drop: 223 calories

Besides adding calories, alcohol may affect your weight for

other reasons. Some evidence suggests drinking alcoholic

beverages may stimulate your appetite and cause you to eat more

than you normally would. It also decreases your inhibitions so

you don’t care how much more you are eating. How many times

have you enjoyed chips and salsa with your margaritas while out

with friends? How many chips did you eat? Who knows- all you

remember is the waiter bringing three or four refills of the

chip bowl.

Another factor to take into account is that your body processes

alcohol first, before fat, protein, or carbohydrates which may

slow down the burning of fat. There is also evidence that

drinking too much seems to increase fat carried in the stomach

area- otherwise known as the beer belly. Studies show that

people with a higher amount of fat in the abdominal region are

at a greater risk of heart disease.

Ok, this is looking dreary but it doesn’t mean you can never

enjoy alcohol again. It just means that it is time to take

inventory to see how much you are drinking and pay attention to

how many calories your favorite drinks supply. Learn how to

enjoy alcohol in moderation so you don’t end up sabotaging your

weight loss efforts.

© 2005, Meri Raffetto

About The Author: Owner of Real Living Nutrition Services, Meri

Raffetto is a recognized professional in the area of nutrition

and wellness. She specializes in weight management and

cardiovascular nutrition and offers online programs to help

people reach their weight loss and health goals. For more

information or to sign up for a free newsletter visit

http://www.reallivingnutrition.com.

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