Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol and Managing Your Weight

Getting Started

You might be doing just the right things when it comes to healthy eating: paying attention to your hunger signals and triggers, eating healthy foods, and controlling portions. If you're still struggling at the scale, alcohol might be the reason.

A few glasses of wine or a creamy cocktail at a party can have the same calories as a slice of cake, a milkshake, or even a fast-food burger. If you're trying to maintain your weight or even lose some, it might be worth rethinking your drinking. Here are some tips to help you decide how alcohol may fit in with your weight management plan.

• Know how many calories are in a standard drink. For example:
  • One shot (1.5 fl oz) of 80-proof hard liquor (such as gin, rum, vodka, or whiskey) has 90 to 100 calories. Mixed drinks, like daquiris and margaritas, can have up to 500 calories.
  • One 5 fl oz glass of wine has around 80 to 100 calories.
  • One 12 fl oz bottle of regular beer has around 120 to 150 calories. A light beer has around 100. A craft beer can have as many as 250 calories or more.
• Think about your weight-management goal. Maybe you want to lose a few pounds, or to keep your weight the same. How did your journey start, and where are you now? Can you still see where you want to be? Reconnecting with that vision, and your goal, might help you decide if there are things you want to do differently when it comes to drinking. For example:
  • You could take a break from alcohol for a week, just to see how it feels—and to see if it has an impact on your weight.
  • Maybe you could try ordering a light beer instead of a craft beer. Or you could swap those "happy hour" calories for something else instead.
  • Maybe you could skip your morning mocha because you know you're going out with friends after work for drinks. Or you could skip the alcohol altogether and order a sparkling water instead.
• Write down your ideas. Come up with one or two small steps that will get you a little closer to your long-term weight goal. Pick something that appeals to you. Start small, and think about when you can start. You might end up making some different decisions about what you drink, or if you drink at all.