Yes, you can drink alcohol and lose weight—as long as you’re smart about it.
When looking at the weight-loss impact of having a drink, there are two things you need to consider: kilojoules and alcohol content.
1. Kilojoules
For most people the kilojoules in the mixers of their favourite cocktails pose a far greater barrier to weight loss than the actual alcohol. Just 8 tablespoons of some daiquiri or margarita mixes can contain upwards of 35 grams of sugar (that’s 7 teaspoons of sugar)! Plus, they’re more than double the amount of kilojoules in the shot of rum or tequila included in the drink (that is, if you’re only served ½ cup of mixer). What’s worse, the kilojoules from mixers are the worst kinds of kilojoules, simple and refined sugars. When they’re combined with the metabolic effects of alcohol, it gets even worse.
2. Alcohol content
One myth about alcohol is that it will make you fat. But the truth is, it’s the combination of alcohol and sugars found in mixers (or the bar food often consumed with alcohol) that causes problems. Alcohol does contain kilojoules, but it’s safe to assume that no one gains a lot of weight by throwing back shots of straight vodka. Instead, it is the metabolic priority that your body places on alcohol (over carbohydrates and fats) that causes the problem. Your body wants to process alcohol before anything else, which has been shown to create a metabolic environment that is almost the opposite of the environment your body creates following exercise—one of high circulating levels of fat and inhibited fat burning.
While this may sound all doom and gloom, there are upsides to drinking alcohol. Moderate alcohol consumption (1 drink per day for women) increases your HDL (‘good’) cholesterol and studies show that people who have a couple drinks each week live longer.
How can you get the best of both worlds?
1. When you drink, know your serving sizes. A glass of wine is not a full glass but 150ml (red wine glasses can hold 350-400ml).
2. Minimize the kilojoules from mixers. Make margaritas with real lime juice, use diet tonic water or soda water instead of regular tonic water and other high-kilojoule carbonated drinks.
3. If you are pursuing a weight-loss goal, have your drinks with your splurge meals to reduce their impact on your overall fat burning.
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