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0 The first topic I want to write about is a very practical one, which I think will be helpful especially since summer has begun and you want to make sure that beach body is in pristine condition. If you are anything like me, you have been telling yourself ‘This is the summer I will look my best’ for the last 8 years, and still haven’t been able to achieve that goal. I think I may be able to shine some light onto why that goal has never came true.
Alcohol.
When you start to consider the calories of alcohol and the nutritional value (Which there is none), you start to wonder why you are never able to shed that last 10 pounds. Below is a chart which shows the average amount of calories per alcoholic beverage. Obviously, it hasn’t been updated in a while because they left off hard seltzers, but I made sure to include that.
| Calorie count – alcoholic beverages | ||
| 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) | 197 |
| 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) | 4188 |
| 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 |
| Seltzer | ||
| Spiked Seltzer | 12 oz (355 ml) | 100 |
You might be looking at this and say, you know what, 100 calories really isn’t that much. And you’re right! As it stands, one hard seltzer only has 100 calories, which isn’t a considerable amount. The kicker is, once you crush that 12-pack sitting by the pool, you are now looking at 1,200 calories. Here are some other things with 1,200 calories packed inside:
- Over 2 Big Macs
- half of a DiGiorno Pizza
- 20 Chicken Nuggets
- Almost a pound of French fries
- 3.5 Avocados
And let’s be honest, you will also have half (or whole) of a DiGiorno pizza when you get back from drinking all day or night. And I must admit, I fall victim to this as well. I am super discipline during the week when it comes to dieting and exercising, and then fall apart when the weekend comes around. To put the number of calories you might consume JUST from alcohol into perspective, here is a hypothetical weekend you might have:
- Friday: 2 – 3 drinks at dinner, 8 – 10 more drinks if you decide to go out
- Saturday: 8 – 10 drinks hanging out by the pool, 8 – 10 more drinks if you find the momentum to rally and go out
- Sunday: 2 – 3 drinks at brunch or if you meet friends at one of the 1000 breweries in Charlotte
This might seem like a little, a lot, or accurate for you. It really depends on your drinking habits. I based these numbers off my own experiences and my peers.
Now lets convert these drinks into calories! To accurately account for the different types of alcohol you may have, I decided to take the average calories of beer, distilled alcohol and hard seltzer and use that as my baseline (130 calories per drink). Now, let’s revisit my hypothetical weekend:
- Friday: 13 drinks = 1690 Calories
- Saturday: 20 drinks = 2600 Calories
- Sunday: 3 drinks = 390 Calories
Grand Total: 36 drinks for 4680 calories
Just by drinking alcohol, you can add an additional 4680 calories to your weekend intake! Now imagine during the week you track your exercise and calories. You end every day with a 500-calorie deficit (a total of -2500 from M-F). The weekend rolls around, and just with alcohol alone, your deficit turned into a surplus of 2180 calories. Great job, you just played yourself.
Moral of the story, this might be one of the factors you are never able to reach your fitness goals. I’m not saying you shouldn’t drink at all! That is a personal choice that is up to you to decide. I just want to encourage you to be aware of how much you are drinking and do it in moderation. Your body with thank you, and so will your wallet!
