Weight Loss: Not Just About What We Eat, But What We Drink

By: Suzanne Zilkowsky | July 12, 2009

I am constantly hearing people say that they are having trouble reaching or maintaining their desired body weight. Advice I like to give specifically within the area of nutrition, is that it is important to watch not only what you are eating, but what you are drinking as well.

Alcohol can add hundreds of calories to your daily intake which can make the difference between weight loss, weight gain or maintaining your current weight. A single glass of beer can contain 100 calories. This means having a few drinks 3 to 4 times a week can add an additional 1000 calories to your diet. Alcohol can also act as an appetite stimulant which can make you crave or eat foods that may not be a part of your weight loss plan.

Interesting to know

Alcohol is not a carbohydrate.

Your body processes alcohol first, before fat, protein, or carbohydrates. Therefore, drinking slows down the burning of fat and in turn this can allow for weight gain.

Beer contains carbohydrates. A regular beer has approximately 13 grams of carbohydrates and 150 calories.

When grapes are made into wine most of the fruit sugars are converted to alcohol with few carbohydrates remaining. A 5-ounce glass of wine contains approx. 110 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates.

Hard alcohol is distilled and therefore does not have any carbohydrates. The advertising campaigns used by vodka and whiskey brands called “Zero Carbs” is misleading and may encourage mindless consumption without any of the guilt.

If you are having trouble losing those few extra pounds you may want to pass on that drink, or save it to the weekends only. Also watch the energy and fruit drinks. While they may contain some essential nutrients, they can be high in calories and packed with sugar. You may be better off just drinking water or ordering a Nonfat Latte from Starbucks.

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