How Alcohol Affects Your Calorie Count

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Beer, wine, or liquor?

Did a response pop into your head instantly when you read that question? It did for me.

I, like 70% of the U.S. adult population, enjoy having a cold drink every now and then. But I know, and you should too, that those drinks are not doing your health, or your waistlines, any favors.

How many calories are in your drink(s)?

This is probably a question that most people have trouble answering. It depends.

Alcohol is primarily made of carbohydrates and, you guessed it, alcohol. But, depending on the type of drink you consume and the variety, the calorie count can vary greatly.

Take two beers for example, Firestone Walker’s 805 and Union Jack IPA.

Twelve ounces of the 805 packs in 141 calories, while the Union Jack IPA comes in at 225 calories. Not too bad, right?

But what happens when you tally up the damage from your happy hour meetup or that Friday night crusade out into town? Here’s a little breakdown:

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One night out versus weight loss goals

Have you ever gone out for a drink and then three drinks later you start getting hungry for some food?

Look, I’m not here to judge. I love pizza, beer, and all the wonderful foods that people enjoy, but I do want to make a point.

A lot of the times, people set out on their weight loss journey and make tremendous progress throughout the week.

Let’s take Jimothy, for example. Jimothy is showing up to the gym consistently, four times per week. He’s also paying attention to his diet and trying to cut back a bit.

On average, he’s in a calorie deficit of around 843 calories per day (exercise and diet). That puts him on track to losing approximately 1.7 pounds of body fat per week! Not too shabby right? Go Jimothy!

But wait. Jimothy decides to go out on for happy hour, since there’s a big game on.

Three pints, two slices of pizza, and an order of fries later, his team takes home the win. But what did that do for Jimothy? It also set him back approximately 1,643 calories! That’s almost two days of progress.

Now think about what would happen if you were going out 2-3 times a week and what that would do to your hard work.

The point…

I’m not trying to say “go eat salad all day and give up the joy in your life.”

I always push people toward using fitness and nutrition as tools to improve their quality of life. But do keep in mind, small things like this can really set you back when you’re shooting to make changes in your body weight.

This might mean you:

• have one less drink when you go out.
• eat at home or pack snacks for the road.
• skip out on one outing per week.

But guess what? If you can take the initiative to do just that, imagine where you’ll be six months from now. Imagine just how great it’ll feel to reach your goal.

And remember why you got started in the first place.

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