I love beer but don’t want a
beer belly. Is liquor a better
choice for avoiding belly fat?
No, avoiding the 3am pizza delivery after a night of beer
drinking is a better way to avoid belly fat. Joking... kind
of. Here’s the deal: the beer itself is not to blame for the
calories, it’s the alcohol in the beer. Alcohol in liquor, alcohol in
wine, you name it, more alcohol equals more calories. So while
dieting people are quick to cut out the beer and swap it for a
vodka water with lime, you might actually be consuming more
calories in your less-than-tasty vodka water than if you had
indulged in that full-flavored beer.
Why? It all goes back to standard
drink sizes. Remember this chart?
While these drink sizes contain the
same amount of pure alcohol, they
also contain about the same amount
of calories, approximately 100.
Which leads us to the
next chart...
If you’re a little too
happy on that handle of
liquor, you’re consuming a lot more calories
in one mixed drink than
you would have in one
beer. Not to mention
more alcohol. So let’s
just break this down.
If you pour eight
ounces of 80 proof liquor into a 16 ounce cup, you’re consuming
five standard drinks, which equals about 500 calories in just
alcohol. Don’t forget the added calories that come along with the
pop or juice you’re mixing with the liquor. If you’re into the fancy
drinks like margaritas, you might be consuming upwards of 700
calories. Or how about those fun shots that contain more than
just one type of alcohol, liqueurs, and maybe a little cream... one
big gulp can contain anywhere from 150-250 calories. Eek.
Here’s another kicker. Alcohol contains empty calories, meaning
we can’t store it, so our body wants to get rid of the alcohol
before burning calories and fat from foods you’ve eaten throughout the day. So if you’re celebrating Thirsty Thursday and
Wasted Weekend, all the calories from those late night binge
eating sessions and pizza deliveries are not being burned.
That, my friend, is where the bulging belly comes into play. So if
you’re curious, do some research on the caloric content of your
favorite beverages, drink in moderation and eat a balanced diet.
One-third of Mavericks determine in advance
not to exceed a set number of drinks.
(NCHA, 2014)
(2015)