Just the other day a member was saying she decided to pour her drink down the drain instead of having the extra calories one evening.
She also asked if she was going to enjoy a drink, beer or wine, what would be better for her weight loss goals.
This is what we shared.
Q & A: What is better for weight loss between beer and wine?
A: The answer is water… There are no calories that you can add to your diet that will actually help you lose weight. That is a bit like someone struggling to get out debt asking if a Coach or Gucci purse would help their financial situation more. Fancy purses and alcohol are luxuries.
When you are trying to lose weight it’s best to focus on the task at hand, and to wait until you’re at maintenance to find out how much you can get away with. The primary reason men have an easier time than women losing weight is because we are bigger and will burn more calories no matter what. Our bigger bodies and larger amounts of muscle mass mean we can get away with more counterproductive behaviors, whereas woman can’t. It’s not fair, but it is what it is.
Beer or Wine?
Back to the original question. A serving of 
wine (5oz) has about 120 calories, and a 12oz can of regular beer has 147 calories. A typical restaurant dessert has about 450 calories (but a brownie sundae can be 1,500+). So, if you’re going to have a drink and stop eating desserts out, then you will be saving a lot of calories… but this assumes that you already eat desserts when you go out, and that you go out enough that this will make a difference, and that you are not going to have just as much dessert at home.
Beer vs Wine
· Wine has 24 calories per ounce, 118 per 5oz glass.
· Regular beer has about 13 calories per ounce, 147 per 12oz can.
· Beer usually comes in single serve containers, so it helps with portion control.
· A wine bottle has a little over 5 glasses (~600 calories) in it.
· Low calorie beers can have 90 calories or less per can or bottle.
Control Your Pour
Beer usually comes in smaller bottles or cans that are a single servings. Wine in a hotel minibar is usually single serve, but at home it is usually found in a 25 ounce (5 serving bottle). What I discovered in middle and high school is that servings of alcohol are equivalent to whatever size bottle you purchased… I also discovered that I have a drinking problem that is only treatable by avoiding alcohol, but that’s besides the point.
Bottom Line
1. Buy the lowest calorie beer you can enjoy. This is not the same as the absolute best tasting.
2. Buy your wine in single servings only. Yes, it is more expensive, and that’s a speed bump on opening the next bottle. Your cheap side should help save you some calories here.
3. Choose wine, beer OR dessert instead of AND. For the most part, only teenage boys and professional athletes burn enough calories to afford “and.”
4. 1-2 servings (2-300 calories total) of alcohol is nearly always lower in calories than dessert. Desserts at restaurants typically start at 800 calories.
5. Know yourself. If drinking some leads to lots of overeating, or an awful hangover the next day, then #4 doesn’t make sense for you.
Keep those questions coming. I’m happy to answer.
Have a great day!
Josef
PS-We will be closed 4/1 for Easter Monday. We hope you enjoy some extra family time 
PPS-We hope to see you for one of our Spring Saturday walks!