My friend slaps his belly, claiming to have no idea why he can’t lose the last 15 pounds. ”I run, I watch what I eat, what’s going on?” he laments, while a glass of wine sloshes in his hand.
With the reported health benefits associated with wine, it’s easy to justify a glass or two with dinner. But wine contains a lot of sugar and alcohol, which equals calories. A lot of them.
Depending on the wine, a single 5 oz serving will contain anywhere from 100 to 250 calories. If your serving size is bigger, which is likely if you are using the larger glasses that have become popular in recent years, then your calorie intake is going to be that much more. My belly-slapping friend, who was sipping a Cabernet out of a large Riedel glass, probably only had two glasses at dinner that evening. Even though the glass looked less than 1/2 full, each glass probably contained at least 7 oz. In total, he consumed anywhere between 350 and 550 calories on top of his normal food intake for the day. At that rate, several times a week, it won’t take long before he’s packing on pounds. From a calorie standpoint, he might as well be eating an extra Big Mac after dinner every night.
I love wine with dinner and am a big believer in not only the health benefits, but the social benefits that come from sharing a bottle of wine with friends. But if you are trying to lose weight, wine may be your enemy.
If you want to learn more about how wine, and alcohol in general can fit into a weight loss plan, you can always ask our nutrition specialists on iChange. It’s free.
