Drinking Alcoholic Beverages Daily Can Make a RING AROUND YOUR WAIST
Drinking lots of Alcoholic Beverages as part of your daily or weekly routine can create a RING AROUND THE WAIST quickly unless you are in the know as to how many calories are in these drinks and how the calories fit into your daily caloric intake.
When I was in private practice, I had a client made an appointment with me because he needed to lose weight for his health. He had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and was overweight about 40 pounds.
I typically interview my clients to get an idea on their typical food intake and their daily activity. One of the things my client told me was his doctor had recommended that he drink red wine for his heart. I asked him how much red wine he drank. My next question to him was: Did he just drink a typical wine glass serving or more. His answer: He said he drink at least 2 glasses each night. I asked him what portion size did he drink. He said about what you get in a restaurant. I informed him that most restaurants serve a 5-ounce serving or 1 more ounce than a ½ cup which is about 120-130 calories. (Note: Red dessert wine has 165 calories for 3.5 ounces). Then I asked him if his doctor told him that he needed to either exercise an additional 120 calories per day to prevent the weight gain over time or decrease his calories from food to make up for the extra calories he added daily from the red wine. He said “no.”
Let’s look at the calories just from my client’s daily RED WINE INTAKE:
One 5 oz serving of wine/day at 120 calories/365 days per year = 43,800 calories.
If you divide that number by 3500 calories which they say = a pound of weight
43,800/3500 = 12 ½ pounds of weight gained in a year.
Two 5 oz serving of wine/day at 240 calories/365 days per year = 87,600 calories.
87,600/3500 = 25 pounds of weight gained in a year
My client had other problems with his diet as well and never exercised. He had a desk job. I could go one but…
Party Hardy at Tailgate Parties, Watching Sports Around the Clock
You may not be a wine drink but you might be a beer drinker. A 12-ounce can of beer is about 153 calories, light beer is about 103 calories or 12 ounces of craft beer is from 170 – 350 calories. (See Alcohol Beverages Calorie Counts from National Institutes of Health below). Most of the time Craft Beer comes in an 18–24-ounce mug. Rarely does anyone just drink 1 can, bottle, or mug of beer…then there are all the snacks.
Eating Out with Friends is a Frequent Happening
Two of my favorite drinks are a Cosmopolitan which is about 146 calories and Margarita which is about 168 calories. I used to drink at least 2 drinks which ends up being 292 calories for the Cosmopolitan or 336 calories for 2 Margaritas. I can burn 211 calories per hour of 3 mph of walking or 1 hour of moderate spinning I burn about 448 calories. If I cut it down to 1 drink, I not only save money but I save calories as well or I could just drink water with lemon or green tea and save the calories for something else if I eat out more than once a week.
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/healthtool-exercise-calculator
Alcohol Beverages Calorie Counts from National Institutes of Health
BEVERAGE | SERVING SIZE | CALORIES |
Beer | ||
Beer (light) | 12 oz (355 ml) | 103 |
Beer (regular) | 12 oz (355 ml) | 153 |
Beer (higher alcohol, craft beers) | 12 oz (355 ml) | 170 to 350 |
Distilled Alcohol | ||
Gin (80 proof) | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 97 |
Gin (94 proof) | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 116 |
Rum (80 proof) | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 97 |
Rum (94 proof) | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 116 |
Vodka (80 proof) | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 97 |
Vodka (94 proof) | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 116 |
Whiskey (80 proof) | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 97 |
Whiskey (94 proof) | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 116 |
Liqueurs | ||
Coffee liqueur | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 160 |
Coffee liqueur with cream | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 154 |
Crème de menthe | 1.5 oz (45 ml) | 186 |
Mixed Drinks | ||
Bloody Mary | 4.6 oz (136 ml) | 120 |
Chocolate martini | 2.5 oz (74 ml) | 418 |
Cosmopolitan | 2.75 oz (81 ml) | 146 |
Daiquiri | 2.7 oz (80 ml) | 137 |
Highball | 8 oz (235 ml) | 110 |
Hot buttered rum | 8 oz (235 ml) | 292 |
Mai Tai | 4.9 oz (145 ml) | 306 |
Margarita | 4 oz (120 ml) | 168 |
Mimosa | 4 oz (120 ml) | 75 |
Mint Julep | 4.5 oz (135 ml) | 165 |
Mojito | 6 oz (177 ml) | 143 |
Pina colada | 6.8 oz (200 ml) | 526 |
Rum and Coke | 8 oz (235 ml) | 185 |
Rum and Diet Coke | 8 oz (235 ml) | 100 |
Tequila sunrise | 6.8 oz (200 ml) | 232 |
Vodka and tonic | 7 oz (207 ml) | 189 |
Whiskey sour | 3 oz (89 ml) | 125 |
White Russian | 8 oz (235 ml) | 568 |
Wine | ||
White table wine | 5 oz (145 ml) | 128 |
Gewurztraminer | 5 oz (145 ml) | 128 |
Muscat | 5 oz (145 ml) | 129 |
Riesling | 5 oz (145 ml) | 129 |
Chenin Blanc | 5 oz (145 ml) | 129 |
Chardonnay | 5 oz (145 ml) | 128 |
Sauvignon Blanc | 5 oz (145 ml) | 128 |
Fume Blanc | 5 oz (145 ml) | 128 |
Pinot Grigio | 5 oz (145 ml) | 128 |
Dry dessert wine | 3.5 oz (90 ml) | 157 |
Red table wine | 5 oz (145 ml) | 125 |
Petite Sirah | 5 oz (145 ml) | 125 |
Merlot | 5 oz (145 ml) | 122 |
Cabernet Sauvignon | 5 oz (145 ml) | 122 |
Red Zinfandel | 5 oz (145 ml) | 129 |
Burgundy | 5 oz (145 ml) | 122 |
Pinot Noir | 5 oz (145 ml) | 121 |
Claret | 5 oz (145 ml) | 122 |
Syrah | 5 oz (145 ml) | 122 |
Red dessert wine | 3.5 oz (90 ml) | 165 |
References
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website. Alcohol calorie calculator. www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/tools/calculators/calorie-calculator.aspx. Accessed June 16, 2022.
Nielsen SJ, Kit BK, Fakhouri T, Ogden CL. Calories consumed from alcoholic beverages by U.S. adults, 2007-2010. NCHS Data Brief. 2012;(110):1-8. PMID: 23384768 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23384768/.
U.S. Department of Agriculture; Agricultural Research Service website. FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov/. Updated April 2022. Accessed August 24, 2022.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000886.htm
By Barbara Day, M.S., R.D. is a registered dietitian with a Master’s Degree in clinical nutrition. She is the Chief Blog Organizer for www.DayByDayLiving.net Barbara does fundraising and social media for Veterans Lodge (www.VeteransLodge.org) The former publisher of Kentuckiana HealthFitness Magazine, Kentuckiana Healthy Woman magazine and radio show host of Health News You Can Use, Barbara has over 30 years of experience in promoting healthy lifestyles to consumers. Barbara is a former runner who walks, a spinner, hiker a mother and grandmother to 13 grandchildren.
