Since I arrived back in Brisbane, I have been enjoying some great hospitality and the brilliant Australian food and wines. I have been staying with family members who like to have a drink each night with dinner and sure have noticed the weight creeping on. Oops.
Over the years, I have seen many women who are looking to reduce weight; and I have found that regular drinking of wine over the week is a big contributing factor to weight gain and a bit of a barrier to weight loss.
“Wine o’clock” is that time in the afternoon or evening when a lot of women relax with a glass, or two, of wine. Big day at work, dinner done, kids in bed…it’s usually a little bit of “me” time at home. It doesn’t seem so bad, one or two glasses each evening? And isn’t it good for your heart?
Sure, drinking alcohol occasionally has been shown to have beneficial effects on heart health but it sure can be a problem when it comes to weight gain. And let’s face it, when this happens, any cardio-protective effect may be wiped out anyway.
So what’s the deal with “wine o clock”?
- Firstly, drinking wine can have a big effect on how much you eat. Many find they eat up to 1/3 more at a meal when drinking wine. This may be due to inhibitions being lost, “what the hey”, or due to an increase in appetite that may come with drinking wine. In fact, when we drink alcohol, our blood sugars can dip. This can lead to overeating that evening or even into the next day.
- Secondly, let’s look at the calories/KJ we can take in from drinking wine regularly. A standard drink of wine is around 120 ml. I have added a picture of what that looks like so you can compare your glass. Seems small eh? Home glasses of wine can be much bigger. In fact I have seen many women who may even drink up to a bottle of wine each evening. Let’s say the average is 2 “home” glasses at a total of 500 ml and look at the calories..
An average 120 ml glass of wine is about 90 KCal so for 500 ml a night, that’s 375 KCal each night. If you enjoyed “wine o’clock” every day that would be an extra 2625 KCal (11025 KJ) each week contributed just by wine. That’s quite a lot!
Does this mean you have to give it up all together? Heck no. The moral of the story is to watch your amounts. Wine has got some great benefits but just think about the size of your glass and how often you are drinking. It might just be that little tweak you need to manage your weight.
