09/03/2021
15 pounds of fun??
Most people think of food when considering how many calories they are consuming or avoiding when on a diet to loose weight. Many do not consider an increase in their physical activity as a means to reduce their “net calories” each day.
Many of our clients feel they are stuck at an undesirable weight or keep gradually gaining over time. They come to Weight No More in hopes of reversing the trend and feeling better about the way they look and feel, and the way their clothes fit. I wish our appetite suppressant medications were magic, but alas, they are not. They do reduce a persons appetite and provide a bit of increased energy, which provides a jump start to the weight loss process. But to be successful a person must look seriously at what they consume and how much they exercise.
It’s fairly easy to identify food that is sugary, or fatty and “fast”, and it’s obvious that burning calories through exercise is necessary for success. But let me concentrate on something that often goes unnoticed and remains under your radar: ALCOHOL. Busy day? Lots of stresses? After a long day, a glass of wine is light, social, and, well….you deserve it. Not going to give you a beer belly cuz it isn’t beer. AND it’s often a perfect compliment to food. AND an adventure as there are so many wine brands and varieties. AND it’s not like you are an alcoholic! The daily glass of wine is a simple little thing that was just a small add-on to your daily life. AND it’s FUN! AND became routine.
Some simple math will reveal the accumulative result:
Calories per ounce white wine: 25
Typical serving: 5-6 oz
Often another few oz refill: 5oz
Calories per day: 250 (This does not take into account a little munchie like crackers, some chips/dip to go with the wine)
4 nights a week?
50 weeks a year?
250 x 4 X 50 = 50,000 cal/year
As the wine is usually just an “add-on” there is not usually something to offset it such as reduced calories from reduced FOOD consumption or more physical exercise.
3500 calories = one pound of fat.
Without any other changes, adding white wine 4 days out of 7 will lead to a gain of 15 POUNDS OF FAT EVERY YEAR!! And time goes so fast!! Is it any wonder you’ve changed??
I share this with you not because wine is a terrible thing. The same type of calculations could be done for soft drinks, Oreos, cheese, or anything else. I share it because wine often hides under our radar.
As long as a person’s overall nutrition is acceptable, and alcohol is not harming other parts of our life there may be nothing wrong with it. But to avoid gaining fat you will have to eat 50,000 calories less each year or walk enough extra to burn that many calories. (100 calories is used per mile). That’s 500 miles EXTRA you must walk per year; an EXTRA 1.3 miles per day!
Or make no changes and accept an additional 15 POUNDS OF FUN every year.
Thanks for reading!
Wayne Scheidemann MD
www.WeightNoMoreMedical.com
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