Many of us who are trying to lose weight still want to have our alcoholic beverages. But it is important to understand how drinking affects weight loss so that we can be more effective at reaching our goals. So before you grab your wine glass or beer mug, let's understand the facts together.
First, calories from alcohol are known as "empty calories." Empty means they do not provide any nutritional value whatsoever. Most foods, like fruits and vegetables, meets, and grains provide nutritional value. That is, they supply protein, carbohydrates, and fat. They also provide vitamins and minerals that contribute to a healthy body. Alcoholic beverages do have some nutrients in them. For example, there are antioxidants in red wine. However, the alcohol itself is useless nutritionally.
Second, alcohol has 7 calories per gram. This is in contrast to carbs and protein. Each respectively has 4 calories per gram. If you drink mixed drinks, you may compound the amount of calories you consume because of all the sugar in the form of juice, tonic, soda pop, and syrup in these beverages.
A piña colada can be a whopping 300 calories or more. Always count your alcoholic beverages when you are counting calories so that you can stay under your caloric limit each day. Restaurants provide this information on their nutritional literature.
Third, it is important to remember that alcohol metabolizes differently in your body than the macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat). Fat burning can slow down when too much alcohol is consumed. When alcohol is drank with a meal, the alcohol will be metabolized first, before the other calories.
The reason for this is that the human body has no natural ability to store the alcohol. Your body turns it into acetate, which the body uses for energy. This delays the body from metabolizing the food that you eat and leads to calorie storage for later use. In other words, you store body fat- usually on the belly.
Many say that if you want to drink alcohol you should drink it with a meal. Whether or not you follow that advice, just remember that when you drink you add calories.
For example, a typical light beer has somewhere between 90 and 125 calories for a 12 ounce serving. Regular beers can have around 185 calories per 12 ounce serving. A frozen Daiquiri, 4 ounces, has around 215 calories. A Margarita has 270 calories, a Mai Tai has 300 calories, and a 5 oz. glass of wine has around 180 calories.
What should we do about it? First, decide whether you drink or not. If you need to lose weight, it might be better to abstain. If you just have to have your alcohol, limit yourself to one serving per day. Most importantly, know how many calories you are consuming and do not exceed your caloric goals. Finally, make sure you are getting plenty of fat burning exercise and drinking plenty of water.