Alcohol & Weight Loss

If you are trying to lose weight, we highly recommend that you eliminate alcohol. Even if you're a moderate drinker, alcohol interferes with your ability to lose weight. Below are just a few of the reasons why:

• EMPTY CALORIES Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, whereas protein and carbs each contain 4 calories per gram. Simply having one beer a night adds more than 1,000 calories per week — that's an extra 15 pounds per year!

• SLOWS YOUR METABOLISM Alcohol is absorbed quickly into your bloodstream, and as a depressant, it slows down everything in your body, including your metabolism. When your metabolism slows, your body has a harder time processing the foods you eat and ends up storing those calories as body fat.

• RAISES CORTISOL LEVELS Alcohol raises your levels of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. Not only is cortisol stored in the tummy (“beer bellies”), this increase creates fatigue and irritability.

• DEHYDRATION Alcohol is a diuretic that not only depletes your body’s water storage, it also interferes with the body's absorption of important vitamins and minerals.

• LOWERS YOUR INHIBITIONS Alcohol lowers your inhibitions & impairs your judgment. This can cause you to make poor nutritional choices.

Tips On Cutting Back

To help you cut back, here are some tips on limiting your alcohol consumption. 

• MINERAL WATER Flavor it with lemon or lime and try drinking it out of a cocktail glass. Sometimes just having a drink to hold makes you feel like you're participating in the festivities.

• BRING YOUR OWN Non-alcoholic beverages, such as sparkling apple juice or non-alcoholic beer or wine.

• FOCUS ON THE FUN Have fun socializing and participating in activities (like dancing). The more actively involved you are, the less you'll think about drinking (or eating).

If you choose to drink, we recommend that you drink one glass of water for each glass of alcohol you consume. We've also listed the lightest choices so you can be strategic about your alcohol consumption.

• Choose drinks with the fewest calories:
• 5-ounce glass of red or white wine or champagne has about 100 calories.
• 12 oz. bottle or can of beer has 150 calories. The same amount of light beer has 100 calories and non-alcoholic beer has 65 calories.
• 5-ounce margarita or screwdriver has about 200 calories.
• A shot of vodka, rum, tequila, brandy or scotch has less than 100 calories. (That's ONE shot!) Mixing it with water, mineral water or club soda will help keep the calories down.