Calories In < Calories Out
The primary key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume. Reducing the amount of alcohol you drink can help you lower your calorie intake. Cutting down on alcohol can also help you sleep better at night, keeping you refreshed and motivated to engage in other activities that can also aid your weight loss.
How alcohol affects your weight
Alcohol is considered to be very high in calories, with over seven calories per gram. Fat for instance typically has about nine calories per gram, while protein has around four. Note that different drinks, such as beer, wine and whiskey, can have different calorie counts. The differences within categories can also be enormous: just Budweiser can range from 55 calories per glass to nearly double that. Rich specialty lagers can have four times as much. If you’re worried about a “beer belly”, or more accurately, gaining weight because of alcohol, check the labels for calorie count before buying the beer.
Another issue is that the calories in alcohol are considered empty calories, as the drink provides no nutrients.
Cutting it down
Giving up alcohol entirely isn’t feasible for everybody: for instance, some people may prefer not to give up drinking socially. In any case, merely reducing alcohol intake won’t keep the pounds off unless you adopt a strategy of balanced, sensible diet and regular exercise as well.
One tip is: while reducing your alcohol intake, alternate every alcoholic drink you have with a glass of water . This slows down the rate of your alcohol consumption and keeps you hydrated as well. Another tip to reduce calorie count is to dilute your wine, as the ancient Romans did.