Need a Reason to Quit Drinking? Read On.

December 19, 2008 Posted in Body

Ew. Ew. Ew.

I always knew I was consuming extra calories when I had a bar night. But, if you ask me, if you can’t read the “Nutrition Facts” label, the calories don’t count. That’s why I refuse to buy full-fat Ben and Jerry’s, but don’t mind ordering dessert at Olive Garden. What you don’t know can’t hurt you, right?

If that’s your mantra, you may not want to click here.

This lovely little program lets you enter in how many drinks you consumed last night… and then tells you approximately how many calories you imbibed… and then proceeds to tell you how much food would be equivalent to that number.

Let me tell you, I wanted to cry after what was a reasonably low-key night, by my standards. Since I want to lose weight, I’ve been torturing myself with Smart Ones and steamed vegetables. Little did I know, I could have eaten three slices of pizza and a few donuts if I hadn’t downed a bottle and a half of wine last night.

It sucks, because you don’t always get full from drinking, and it’s hard to look at liquids as fatty foods. So many of us brush it off, gain the freshman fifteen, and have new beer guts for bikini season. Well, the new year is upon us, and it’s time for some resolutions. You want some motivation? Click the link.

150855 Comments2008-12-19+20%3A09%3A16CC+Staff on "Need a Reason to Quit Drinking? Read On."

Kaley says:
Fri, 19th Dec 200810:55 am

I feel like this is nothing new, but maybe I am just calorie-conscious.

I sometimes eat less if I know I will be drinking – and yes, I know that's bad.

Lauren, University o says:
Fri, 19th Dec 200811:07 am

OMG it may be nothing new, but it still horrible to see! This explains so much (like why none of my pants fit)

EG says:
Fri, 19th Dec 200811:13 am

This little widget doesn't account for light beer. My five Bud Selects are only 500 calories, not the 900 they said. Seriously bro, who drinks regular Bud anyways?!

Alice says:
Fri, 19th Dec 20087:29 pm

Umm yeah I’m going to call bullshit on this one. Not on the calorie counting, that’s fair enough. But although I’m not a nutritionist, I know that your (or MY at any rate) body responds not only to calorie counts, but also the food breakdown (fat, sugar, protein, vitamin, water content, etc).

If you think about it, you can eat a big mac worth of calories in oranges, but it probably won’t make you gain as much weight. Though it might make you puke orange for about a week.

I know that if I eat three cheeseburgers I’ll be two lbs heavier in the morning. If I drink half a bottle of vodka, a calorie equivalent, I won’t be.

J says:
Sat, 20th Dec 20083:34 pm

I agree with Alice, I slam em back pretty hard every weekend, but am concious about my diet and excercise regularly and my weight stays within the same 5 pound range always. Definitely if you pigged out on that many calories worth of grease and carbs each weekend, you would gain a few. Plus, alcohol is not even absorbed by the body the way that food is, because it decreases the intestines ability to function.

Tell us what you're thinking...

Notify me of follow-up comments via email.

Notify me of new posts via email.