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To Drink or Not to Drink: How Alcohol Affects Weight Loss
In general, a single serving of a standard alcoholic drink, such as beer, wine, and spirits will have about 100 to 150 calories. When you add sugar and fat-loaded mixers, whipped cream, or milk to cocktails you could be drinking up 300-500 calories per beverage. For example, a single daiquiri or margarita is about 270 calories or more; a single mai tai is a whopping 310 calories!
Alcohol Has Negative Affects on the Body's Ability to Metabolize
The amount of calories in an alcoholic beverage is an important factor for dieters to consider, but certainly not the only one. Alcohol can also have a negative affect on your body's ability to metabolize efficiently because once alcohol enters your system, your body makes metabolizing it a priority over everything else. This means that your body will stop processing healthy things you actually need, like protein, carbohydrates, and fats, in order for the alcohol to be metabolized, and those other macronutrients will cause more weight gain. The reason this happens is because, unlike protein, carbohydrates, and fat, there is nowhere for alcohol to be stored in your body, so it has to be metabolized before you can process anything else. Not only that, alcohol is so dense calorically, with approximately seven calories in each gram, that the body processes it more like a fat than a carbohydrate. Alcohol also raises your blood sugar level and increases insulin secretion; two factors that are not in any way helpful to dieters.
How to Avoid Alcohol and Reach Your Weight Loss Goals
Nick Olander, VP, Franchising & Operations at Diet & Weight Loss Centers says that his staff receives questions about drinking alcohol on a daily basis. The center realizes that it may be unrealistic to ask people to stop drinking altogether, but they strongly advise people to cut back on consumption in order to reach their weight loss goals quickly. It's really up the individual, in terms of how much they want to get out of their program and how fast they want to see results, said Olander. We do discourage our clients from drinking on our program, but are understanding if they make the decision to do so. We want them to ask themselves if it's worth it. Can they have just one drink so they don't have to suffer the next day calorically or physically? Or, if they are going to indulge on occasion, limit the frequency as much as possible, he said.
Alcohol Consumption Tips and Tricks From Diet and Weight Loss Centers
Here are some guidelines and suggestions from our staff to help you make good decisions about drinking while losing weight:
- Consume as little alcohol as possible.
- Don't ever drink on an empty stomach. Eat a meal that is high in protein prior to your evening out.
- If you start our program and are a big daily drinker, start by cutting your consumption in half. Eventually, reduce this amount to 1 or 2 drinks per week and then stop completely during the program to optimize your weight loss.
- Drink lower carb cocktails (examples below) or soda water with lime if you are out socially and feel pressured.
- Drink a glass of water or a sugar-free nonalcoholic beverage between each alcoholic drink.
- Try to choose low-carb or light beverages, but remember these drinks are not alcohol or calorie-free, so limit your intake to 1 or 2.
- Remember to count the calories in each drink, or you may end up drinking as many calories as you have eaten that day!
Low-Carb Alcoholic Beverage Options
There are several good low-carb, low-calorie options for dieters who would like to have a drink now and then. We have put together a list below. We also recommend Skinny Girl pre-made cocktails, which are also a good low-calorie, but not necessarily a low-carb option for dieters.
Wine
Calories/Oz
Carbs/Oz
Per 5-oz Serving[2]
Chardonnay
20
0.4 g
100 calories, 2 g carbs
Pinot Grigio
20
0.4 g
100 calories
2 g carbs
Zinfandel® White Wine
20
0.4 g
100 calories, 2 g carbs
Cabernet Sauvignon
20
0.8 g
100 calories, 4 g carbs
Merlot Red Wine
20
0.8 g
100 calories, 4 g carbs
Hard Liquor
Calories/Oz
Carbs/Oz
Per 1.5-oz Serving
Vermouth
32
0.2 g
48 calories, 0.3 g carbs
Beefeater® Gin
65
0 g
98 calories, 0 g carbs
Rye Whiskey
69
0 g
104 calories, 0 g carbs
Scotch Whiskey
69
0 g
104 calories, 0 g carbs
White Rum
69
0 g
104 calories, 0 g carbs
Vodka
69
0 g
104 calories, 0 g carbs
Gilbey'® Gin
79
0 g
119 calories, 0 g carbs
Beer
Calories
Carbs
Oz/Serving[3]
89
2.4g
12oz
94
2.6g
12oz
I.C. Light
96
2.9g
12oz
95
2.6g
12oz
64
2.4g
12oz
106
2.5g
11.2oz
92
2.6g
12oz
Thin Ice 90
1g
12oz
The Hard and Sobering Facts
Countless studies have been conducted regarding the negative affects of drinking alcohol on the body and its relationship to obesity and weight gain. For example:
- People consume 20% more calories at a meal when they drink alcohol beforehand. [4]
- People consume 33% more calories from alcohol when they drink with a meal.[5]
- Men who drink regularly are at risk for abdominal obesity, which puts them at risk for type-2 diabetes, elevated blood lipids, cardiovascular disease and hypertension.[6]
- Drinking alcohol can lead to late-night high carb snacking and make people feel hungrier when they wake up the next morning. [7]
In Conclusion:
Alcohol consumption is really not necessary in a healthy, balanced diet. It provides empty calories, inhibits metabolism, impairs judgment, stimulates cravings, and creates feelings of hunger. If you are thinking about starting a weight loss program or need more questions answered about reducing, balancing, or eliminating your alcohol intake while losing weight, call Diet and Weight Loss Centers for a free consultation at 1-561-235-0100.
[1] www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/04/07/2536403.htm
[2] http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=893
[3] http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14302.asp
[4] http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_nutrition/page3.htm
[5] http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_nutrition/page3.htm
[6] http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_nutrition/page3.htm
[7] http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_nutrition/page3.htm
