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How many of you find your hand wandering towards the bowl of nuts, popcorn, chips, etc. while sitting at your local bar/restaurant? These snacks are usually loaded with calories and fat.  And of course salt to make you thirsty which will encourage you to drink more. These tempting snacks are strategically placed on the bar and can be quite problematic for those people watching their weight.

Like most city girls and guys, my friends and I often socialize over drinks and/or dinner. For some reason lately, I’ve been sitting at the bar (as opposed to standing) when I meet friends for drinks.  Sitting at bars is not a regular occurance for me… but it does happen! This get together tends to happen after work, before I’ve had dinner - and I’m hungry. So I order a glass of wine, get started with “girl talk” and then eventually find my hand reaching for the nearest bowl of snacks. Since I know these tend not to be the healthiest snacks, I rationalize by saying I’ll just have one or two. And I’ll do just that - eat one or two or three … very slowly. Then the effects of the wine kicks in and the rationalizing gets even worse as I tell myself I probably won’t have dinner, so what does it matter if I have a handful of nuts (now it’s a handful…not just one or two).  Before you know it, the bartender is taking away the empty bowl and replacing it with a new full bowl of snacks. And yes, this did happen recently to my friends and I at Rothmans ( with homemade chips) and BLT Steak (with really good flavored almonds).  (pic is of Esther observed with hand reaching towards chips on the bar)

The low down on freebie bar snacks:

- wasabi peas: 1/4 cup = 120 cal/4 gm fat
- almonds: 24 = 160 cal/15 gm fat 
- mixed nuts: 1/4 cup = 219/20 gm fat
- hot n’ spicy party mix: 1/2 cup = 180 cal/14 gm fat
- potato chips (often those good homemade kinds!): one ounce (12-15 chips) = 120-150 cal/10-15 gm fat
- popcorn (often the really greasy flavored kind):1 cup = 65 cal/4 gm fat
- hard boiled eggs: one egg = 80 cal/5 gm fat
- olives: one olive = 10 calories

Tips to avoid the bar snacks

1. Don’t sit or stand at the bar. While I realize these seats are prime real estate, it isn’t worth it to consume 300 calories or more.
2. If you are sitting at the bar, push the bowl of snacks far away from you. This way you will be less tempted to snack.
3. If you are hungry, order a light healthy appetizer at the bar. Many bars (at least the upscale ones) have low cal apps like ceviche and tartare’s.
4. If you know you will be going out for drinks and not dinner, have a light snack before you go out so you won’t be starving. Also, the effects of alcohol will be less likely to hit you so fast.
5. If all else fails, think about the last person who had their hand in the bowl of snacks. Not everyone has clean hands… say no more! I actually find this thought quite helpful in keeping my hands out of the snack bowl.

Related posts

• Tips to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover (2)
• The Effects of Alcohol on Men vs. Women (1)
• Is Your Glass of Wine Really “One Serving” of Wine? (3)
• Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain? (5)
• Confession …I had a food frenzy after a few late night drinks (4)

For all of you city girls and guys who are trying to watch your weight AND have a social life, you know how difficult it can be! Socializing often involves meeting for drinks or having dinner with drinks. The calories can add up quickly. For all of you CGB readers, you may have noticed this problem with Esther.  Check out Esther’s weight loss journey posts. (This is pic is of Esther enjoying a martini).

I don’t mean to single out Esther when I talk about drinking. I provide nutritional counseling all day long to my clients in NYC and find the calories in alcohol to be a major obstacle for some people trying to lose weight. Check out this link for calories in alcohol. Here is an example of one my NYC clients who is trying to lose weight:

Client A: He was a 65 year old man who was looking to lose 30 pounds. He reported his diet was quite healthy but that he ate dinner out every evening. He thought he made really healthy choices in restaurants. He avoided bread, desserts and sauces. When I obtained his diet history, I agreed with him for the most part. But then saw a major problem. He was having a martini with his wife before dinner than sharing a bottle of wine with her EVERY night. This was about 600 calories a day from alcohol. In addition, it turned out that his restaurant meals were higher in calories than he thought.

My plan for Client A:  I explained to him that we needed to cut out 500 calories a day from his diet (and increase his exercise) in order to promote a one pound weight loss a week. Since his calories from food were not sky high, cutting back on alcohol seemed the likely choice. He agreed that 600 calories a day from alcohol was quite a bit (and was actually quite suprised that his good sized martini contained 300 calories) so he  decided to aim for either omitting the martini and having 2 glasses of wine or omitting the wine and having 2 glasses of wine). I also made some recommendations for lower calorie appetizers (more on restaurant appetizers at a later post) and suggested he walk a mile each day to work.

The results: I saw client A 3 weeks later and he had lost 6 pounds! He also reported that he was able to sleep better and had more energy the next day.  FYI - alcohol has a negative impact on your sleep.

Bottom line, if you consume alcohol on a regular basis as part of your socializing AND are having trouble losing weight, I would recommend that you reevaluate the amount of calories you are consuming from alcohol. And of course we all know that alcohol can weaken our discipline to watch what we eat, can interrupt a good nights sleep and increase cravings for junk food the next day. It is important that we find ways to socialize that do not include large amounts of alcohol!

Addendum: I received an email from Esther asking if she could have more than 2 drinks a week. I had initially recommended she stick to 2 alcoholic beverages a week to help her lose weight. Esther is finding it very difficult to stick to this goal as she goes out quite a bit in NYC. “I don’t want to be a hermit for the rest of my life”.  I believe it is important to make your weight loss plan realistic, so I upped her alcohol goal to 4 drinks a week. While I certainly don’t want to turn my clients into “hermits”, I also want to encourage them to find ways to enjoy spending time with friends without consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.  (Pic is of hermit)

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• The Effects of Alcohol on Men vs. Women (1)
• Is Your Glass of Wine Really “One Serving” of Wine? (3)
• Hold the Tomatoes… (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)

Esther is entering the 8th week of her weight loss journey. She lost another 3 pounds last week! Her weight is now 136, down from her staring weight of 148. This is rather suprising considering her difficult holiday weekend. Esther, like most of us, experienced a lot of temptation at her family’s Greek BBQ on Sunday. See her food records below. The leftovers carried on to the next day!

As I mentioned in my last progress report, a change on the scale does not always correlate with how you did on your eating and exercise plan for that week.  This is because on some weeks the body holds onto water and the scale doesn’t drop (even though you may have followed your eating/exercise plan 100%). On other weeks when you didn’t follow it so closely, the scale drops because for some reason your body released water. Esther’s week is an example of this. This week her caloric intake was 1600 and she lost 3 pounds, whereas last week she stuck to her calorie goal of 1300 and her weight did not change.

My interview with Esther:

Martha: I know last week you were a little bit nervous as to how you would handle your family’s BBQ. How do you think you did?
Esther: I did ok - much better than if I were not being “watched” on CGB, but it was still really difficult as there was so much food around (my favorites!). However, my brother & niece were on guard and watched me at the BBQ,  my Mom made me healthy food to take home for the week ( chicken w/ okra, spinach w/ chick peas…) and my father made me a huge chopped salad for the week.
Martha: That’s great - sounds like your family is being really supportive

Martha: Aside from the BBQ, did you encounter any other problem situations last week?
Esther: Can’t have pistachio’s in the house,  too addictive
Martha: You aren’t alone -  many people can’t control their portion of nuts. It is too bad because they are so healthy. However you are best off not keeping problem foods in the house!

Martha:  Are you getting any comments from other people with regards to how you look? Are your clothes fitting differently?
Esther:  I have been getting comments from people that I look different. Pants that were skin tight now feel loose.

Martha: I know are trying to be very careful with what you eat and drink. What do you miss the most? 
Esther: I miss having a cocktail at night after a long day.  Especially in the summer when it is so hot,  Pelligrino has been my drink of choice but would like some vodka or a cool glass of wine as well…   (Pic is of Esther’s good old days with indulging in a martini(s) )

Martha:  Any potential problem situations for the upcoming week?
Esther: This week should be smooth,  I will probably have dinner out at least one night However, last month I had really bad PMS cravings. It is that time again….

Did Esther meet her goals from last week?

Four days of Esther’s food records:

Monday, June 30, 2008
Breakfast   
special K, w/1/2 banana low fat milk   
Lunch   
chicken w/panko crust in pam   
zucchini in tomato sauce   
1 cup brown rice   
2 kirby cucumbers   
1 sm piece feta cheese   
Dinner   
grilled salmon / w. mustard on the side   
steamed broccoli w/ olive oil & lemon   
30 pistachio nuts   
watermelon    

Thursday July 3, 2008    
Breakfast    
iced coffee    
4 oz 2 % cottage cheese    
Lunch    
sm can tuna in olive oil    
tomato, basil, fresh moz. oil & vinegar    
Dinner:    
1/4 lb boiled shrimp, 1 tbs lite taramasolata    
1/2 rib eye steak    
sm portion cole slaw (lite mayo, vinegar, salt&pepper)    
1 plum    
1 nectarine    
6 rice crackers    
1 sm piece choc (trade show)  (pic is of Esther, her cousin and his partner at The Fancy Food Show last week) 

Saturday July 5, 2008
Breakfast: 
2 hard boiled eggs 
2 sliced ham 
1 tomato 
Snack 
banana 
Lunch/BBQ: 
2 diet cokes 
1 sm spinach pie 
5 Israeli pickles 
1 lamb skewer 
1 chicken leg 
hot dog w/o roll 
sm serving cole slaw, potato salad 
1 tablespoon orzo 
1/2 corona 
sm serving fruit salad 
1 macaroon w/ chocolate 
sm bite of greek pastry 
sm bite of Birthday cake 
Snack 
sm serving fruit salad 

Sunday July 6, 2008 
Breakfast 
iced coffee 
1/2 bialy w/ 1 tsp cream cheese & nova lox 
Lunch 
1 tomato & 1 avocado w/ 1 tsp olive oil & lemon 
2 pieces CRUSTLESS quiche, zuchini, cheese 
Dinner 
mixed salad w/ olive oil & vinegar 
1 chicken leg 
1 hot dog w/o roll  
4 cubes of lamb kebab 
spinach w/ chickpeas, lemon 
1 sm bite of greek pastry 

My comments on Esther’s food records:

1. She averaged 1600 calories, mainly due to the BBQ and some other high calorie foods.
2. Once again, she had a few low calorie days that helped to offset the higher calorie days.
3. Good job with adding in more fruits and veggies.
4. I am curious as to what your portion sizes are of the mozzarella cheese and olive oil. I would recommend that you weigh the cheese on occasion and measure the oil into a measuring spoon.
5. Excellent job with the minimal alcohol intake!

Esther’s goals for this week:

1. Continue with 1300-1400 calories
2. Continue with 2 personal training sessions, one pilates session and 3-4 intense cardio sessions. Find a way to increase your walking (since you are no longer dogwalking)
3. 2 alcoholic beverages this week
4. Be prepared for potential PMS cravings. If you have a strong urge for something sweet, stick to small portions, such as 100 calorie packs or a diet ice pop. Ideally, anything under 100 calories for  snack. Download my Snack Survival Guide (on the right) for more ideas. Keep bulk trigger foods out of your apartment (i.e. a box of cookies). Make sure you have adequate protein at meals and don’t skip healthy snacks. Going too long without eating can lead to low blood sugar which can increase cravings.

Good luck and keep up the great work!

Related posts

• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey Progress Report #5 (0)
• Make it Through Your BBQ without Bloating Out! (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey:Progress Report #7 (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #4 (0)
• Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain? (5)

How many of you started a diet within the past month or so and have stopped seeing the scale move downward? You are being diligent with your diet and exercise plan and the weight loss has stopped. You are nowhere near your goal weight. One week, two weeks, three weeks (sometimes more) the scale does not budge. This is called a plateau and is experienced at some point by almost everyone trying to lose weight. Plateaus can be a very frustrating experience and can make you question your motivation for staying on the straight and narrow with your eating and exercise plan.

I get asked all the time “So why do plateaus occur? I have not increased my food intake or decreased my exercise”. Here are several possible explanations for plateaus.

A. Plateaus can occur after the first few weeks of a following a low carb diet. This is because your body initially lost a lot of water and now the body needs to “fix” its fluid balance. Keep in mind that it is difficult to lose more than 1-2 pounds a week of fat. If you lost 6 pounds the first two weeks of dieting, at least half of it was from water. Your body will hold back onto some water in the next few weeks. Therefore it is likely that you will not lose any more weight for 1-3 weeks. This is more like a mini plateau.
B. Secondly, the body does not always lose weight at an even pace. I have many clients who lose 2 pounds one week, no loss for 2 weeks and then lose two pounds again the following week. While this is not really a plateau, it can be very frustrating. I have no real explanation for this scenario (except that it happens!) Possibly a fluid balance issue again. You will just need to be patient and the weight will eventually come off.
C. Third, it is possible that you have become less diligent with your diet and exercise routine. It is common to lose a little focus after the initial part of your weight loss plan. You may find yourself drinking an extra glass of wine or increasing your portions without realizing it. Perhaps you are not exercising quite as much as you did in the beginning. These small changes can slow or halt your weight loss.
D. Another reason for a plateau is that your body is adjusting to the new weight. My advice would be to stay focused with your diet and exercise regimen. It is common for dieters to get frustrated at this point and give up. What does it matter if I have this extra portion, I not losing weight anyway! If they had stayed patient for a little longer, the scale would have started to drop again.
Here are some tips for breaking through a weight-loss plateau
1. If you have stopped keeping food records (or never started!), it is time to start again. Weigh and measure foods. It is possible that your portion sizes are getting larger or you are unconsciously eating during the day.
2. Try to change your diet around a little. If you are eating three meals a day, try to eat 6 mini meals. If you are on a low fat diet, try a lower carb diet for a few weeks. If you are eating late at night, try to stop eating at 7-8 pm. If you are enjoying a glass of wine or two a day, try to cut out all alcohol for a few weeks. If you eat a light breakfast and a large dinner, try to reverse this.
3. Make some changes in your exercise program. Try one or more of the following tips:

Add in another day of exercise each week,

Make your cardio sessions 15-20 minutes longer than usual

Increase the intensity of your cardio sessions

Try a new form of cardio (i.e. spinning, kickboxing, etc.)

Work out with an energetic friend or personal trainer for a month.

Set a new exercise goal such as running your first 5 K race,

Add in weight training if you are not already doing so (aim for 3 sessions a week).

Try interval training: increase the intensity of your cardiovascular or aerobic exercise by adding short bursts of higher-intensity movement, such as sprinting. These intervals should last 30 to 60 seconds and be followed by less intense exercise for two or three times the length of the burst. Start by adding one or two of these intervals to your routine, then increase the number as you improve your conditioning.

In addition to working out at the gym start walking more. Walking a mile burns approximately 100 calories

4. Focus on how much healthier you feel after losing weight rather than focusing on numbers on the scale. See how your clothes are fitting differently. I actually think that it is best for some people not to get on the scale at all as they tend to become obsessed with numbers.
5. Lastly, be patient. Plateaus will almost always break. The trick is staying motivated long enough for it to break!

Related posts

• 9 Myths About Your Hangover (0)
• Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain? (5)
• Tips to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover (2)
• Recovering from Your Superbowl Splurge (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)

So you only had 2 glasses of wine last night?  Ok, so what does “a glass” of wine mean? One serving of wine is technically 5 ounces. When was the last time you were served 5 oz of wine in a restaurant or bar? Probably not recently. Most places tend to serve portions that are significantly larger than 5 ounces  (unless you are in a really expensive restaurant where they actually do pour a 5 oz glass of wine for $15!).

 Here is an example. I went out with several of my girlfriends to a bar/restaurant called Peter’s on the upper west side. I ordered a cabernet. I actually like drinking red wine from a larger glass. But this glass was the size of a fish bowl and it was almost filled with wine. It had to have been almost 12 ounces. Of course, it’s nice to get good value for your money.

On the other hand, there are a few “cons” to this jumbo glass of wine.

- More calories than you think. This is not a 80 calorie glass of wine, but close to 160 to 200 (if it was 10-12 ounces)
- You may feel compelled psychologically to have another glass … because after all, so far you’ve only had one glass of wine. But if we are talking in standard serving sizes, that one jumbo glass of wine was really 2 or more glasses.  
- The guys around you suddenly start looking cuter than they really are…

More alcohol is consumed from larger wider glasses
Studies have shown that we consistently drink more when served from larger wider wine glasses, such as those used for red wine as compared to a smaller slender glass used for white wine.  Dr. Brian Wansink, in his book Mindless Eating, has done numerous experiments on people showing how we eat and drink more than we think.  Check out this link for details on these studies. These particular studies were done with with college students and professional bartenders showing that we pour more and drink more from wider larger glasses. 

Bottom line:
1. All glasses of wine are not created equal (and I’m not just talking about taste!)  A “glass”  is not necessarily the standard serving size of 5 ounces.

2. When drinking at home, use smaller more narrow glasses rather than shorter wider glasses. You will drink less whether it be alcohol, milk, juice, etc.

3. Or if you have your heart set on drinking from your jumbo red wine glasses, just be aware of how much wine you are pouring!

Check out these previous posts:

Calories in alcohol
Does alcohol cause weight gain?
Tips to deal with the dreaded hangover

Related posts

• Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain? (5)
• “Adult Beverage” Calories Add Up Fast (4)
• Tips to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover (2)
• The Effects of Alcohol on Men vs. Women (1)
• Recovering from Your Superbowl Splurge (1)

A few months ago, I wrote a post on How to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover. I came across this article from WebMD that I thought might be helpful to some of the citygirls/guys who enjoy a cocktail or two (or three). I also see that some of the New Hampshire’s Biggest Loser Participants enjoy their cocktails!  No, that is not a picture of a Biggest Weight Loss Participant.

9 Myths About Your Hangover 
WebMD Feature from “Marie Claire” Magazine By Dana Hudepohl

MYTH #1
A MORNING MIMOSA EASES A HANGOVER
Not for long: The “hair of the dog that bit you” remedy just pushes a hangover to later in the day. Hangovers set in when blood-alcohol levels start to fall; the worst symptoms strike when levels reach zero, says alcohol researcher Robert Swift, M.D., Ph.D., of Brown University. A better a.m. cocktail: Gatorade, to replace lost electrolytes (the chemical messengers that help your body function effectively), and water, to counter dehydration (which can leave you weak, dizzy, light-headed, and cotton-mouthed).

MYTH #2
POPPING ACETAMINOPHEN BEFORE YOU GO TO BED MAKES MORNING EASIER
You’re wrong about two things: Choice of drugs and timing. When you take acetaminophen, most of it is converted in the liver to harmless compounds. But when you’ve been drinking, the liver is so preoccupied with metabolizing the alcohol that it processes the painkiller in a separate pathway where these compounds can become toxic, causing liver inflammation and permanent damage.

Stick to ibuprofen, says David J. Clayton, M.D., co-author of The Healthy Guide to Unhealthy Living. And, he says, don’t take it before bed: The drug’s effectiveness peaks in about four hours, so it won’t do anything for you by morning. Clayton’s best, use-it-only-when-you-have-to Rx: “Get up and take 800 milligrams of ibuprofen an hour before you need to be functional. You’ll feel awful when you wake up to take it, but you’ll feel much better an hour later.”

(pic on the right - city man observed wearing a dog’s coat as a hat after a few beverages)

MYTH #3
DRINKS WITH FEWER CALORIES ARE ALWAYS A HEALTHIER CHOICE
As if. According to a study by Chris Rayner, M.D., of the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia, people actually get more drunk after ordering up diet cocktails. The reason? The fewer calories in the drink, the more quickly it empties from your stomach. Blood initially passes through the liver, where some of the alcohol is filtered out. But faster emptying saturates the liver, so more alcohol ultimately makes it through to your bloodstream.

MYTH #4
EATING BEFORE BED WILL ABSORB THE ALCOHOL AND MUTE A HANGOVER
Nice try, but food has to be in your stomach before you drink to help a hangover. If you’re busy digesting steak, your martini will be delivered to your bloodstream more slowly, giving it less of a chance to accumulate to the headache-worthy levels. (All food slows digestion, but fat does it best.)

MYTH #5
WINE IS BETTER FOR YOU THAN BEER
Wine gets all of the health props, but studies consistently show that people who drink beer in moderation also receive health benefits—including a lower risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and osteoporosis. And when it comes to how you feel the next day, beer is the gentler choice. “Specific compounds in red wine, like tannins, can trigger headaches in susceptible people,” says Swift, “and that just adds to the hangover.”

MYTH #6
DRINKING THROUGH A STRAW GETS YOU TRASHED FASTER
Only if you suck faster than you chug. It isn’t how you get the booze from glass to mouth that affects your buzz; it’s the type of glass you’re drinking from. A Cornell University study found that people—even experienced bartenders—consistently pour 20 to 30 percent more alcohol into short, stout tumblers than into tall, skinny highball glasses. “They focus on the height of what they are pouring at the expense of width,” says study author Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of Mindless Eating.

MYTH #7
IF YOU WEIGH THE SAME AS YOUR BROTHER, YOU CAN MATCH HIM DRINK FOR DRINK
“Women will always get more intoxicated on a smaller dose than men”—even if you’ve diligently built up your tolerance, says Swift. “Men have a higher percentage of water in their bodies, so if you dump alcohol in there, it’s going to be more diluted.” Plus, men have higher levels of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which allows guys to metabolize alcohol better.   Check my my previous post on The Effects of Alcohol on Men Vs. Women.

MYTH #8
IF THE DRINKS ARE FREE, THE CALORIES DON’T COUNT
Ok, we know you don’t really believe this, but something does happen when someone else is paying that can make good judgment disappear. Take a look at the true cost of an open bar: Four Mike’s Hard Lemonades sabotage your diet with 880 extra calories—the equivalent of five Krispy Kreme glazed donuts!) And that’s not counting whatever you tear into during the 3 a.m. munchies.) Four beers fill you with the equivalent of two McDonald’s cheeseburgers.

MYTH #9
BEER BEFORE LIQUOR, NEVER SICKER
There’s nothing about the chemistry of these drinks interacting with each other that makes you sick the next day. With any alcohol, your inhibition to drink more diminishes as you drink, so you start drinking faster. If you stick with beer, you don’t get drunk as fast because its alcohol content is lower than that of liquor. If you switch to the hard stuff, you end up on the express train to hangover city.  

Related posts

• Breaking Through Weight Loss Plateaus (1)
• Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain? (5)
• Tips to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover (2)
• Recovering from Your Superbowl Splurge (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)

What citygirl doesn’t enjoy a cocktail now and then? Meeting friends for drinks is the way many of us socialize. While consuming alcohol in moderation can actually be good for your heart, drinking alcohol in excess, especially in the form of binge drinking, can increase your risk of breast cancer.

What is binge drinking?
The generally accepted definition of binge drinking in the United States is the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by men — or four or more drinks in a row by women — at least once in the previous 2 weeks. Heavy binge drinking includes three or more such episodes in 2 weeks. 

-The frequency of binge drinking is up on college campuses across America, especially among women. Roughly 40 percent of college women who were surveyed binge drank at least once a month compared with roughly 50 percent of men, according to the Harvard School of Public Health’s College Alcohol Study which was set up to examine drinking behavior among men and women in college.  

-And more disturbing is that high school kids also have a high rate of binge drinking. One study showed that 28.8% of high school students reported binge drinking in the past 30 days.

- I haven’t come across any data on binge drinking in adult women. However from my personal experience of listening to what people eat and drink, I can say that binge drinking is still fairly common, even in adults. Binge drinking doesn’t have to mean getting sloppy drunk. A martini (this equals 2 drinks - or more) before dinner and 1/2 bottle of wine with dinner could count as a “binge” for a woman. I must admit that my friends and I have had nights where we have consumed more than 4 drinks…of course not on a regular basis!

Study shows connection between binge drinking and breast cancer
Researchers at the Center for Alcohol Research in Denmark tracked 17,647 women for 8 years. Those women who reported having 1-3 drinks a week versus non-drinkers had a small increase in breast cancer risk - about 2% per additional drink each week. Women who had 4- 5 drinks at a time once a week had increased their breast cancer risk by 55% relative to the women having one drink per occasion. Lina Morch from the Center for Alcohol Research says alcohol raises blood levels of estrogen, which is associated with breast cancer. Blood alcohol levels peak when binge drinking occurs. This may lead to a greater buildup of cancer-causing toxins than repeated low level exposure.

Bottom line, while alcohol in moderation (moderation = one drink a day for women and two for men) can fit into a healthy lifestyle, binge drinking is risky for many reasons, not the least being an increased risk of breast cancer. I would caution women to be especially careful with their alcohol intake if they have a family history of breast cancer.

 FYI - Check out these pics to see the difference in the brain activity of someone who drinks versus someone who doesn’t  (scroll down the page)

Related posts

• Tips to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover (2)
• Do You Live in One of the “Drunkest Cities”? (0)
• Breaking Through Weight Loss Plateaus (1)
• 9 Myths About Your Hangover (0)
• The Effects of Alcohol on Men vs. Women (1)

Been there, done that, swore you would never do it again. What am I talking about? The dreaded hangover! The kind where your head is pounding, you can barely open your eyes, your mouth feels like cotton balls, the nausea is overwhelming and junk food is calling your name. 

Causes of hangovers
There can be several causes for hangovers. Obviously overindulging is the major cause. While the amount of alcohol needed to really wreak havoc varies by size, gender and genetics, most studies quantify “binge drinking” as consuming more than five drinks in a night–or more than three drinks in one to two hours. According to a 2003 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, one in five adults had consumed more than five drinks in a day during the previous year. Hmmm…only once in a year?  In my experience, it seems a little more than this.Other causes could be drinking a beverage that does not agree with you. Colorless cocktails like vodka and gin are kinder on the body than dark whiskey or even red wine. I know for me margaritas tend to do some damage.

Not eating enough or being dehydrated prior to drinking can increase the risk of a hangover. Personally, if I did not drink enough fluid during the day, even 1-2 glasses of wine can cause a major headache the next day.

Lastly, women are more susceptible to hangovers because they have less of the enzyme needed to break down alcohol.

Why do hangovers occur?
The major reason is that alcohol dehydrates you. Alcohol blocks hormones in your kidney that normally would keep you from racing to the bathroom. With each drink, you effectively lose more water than you take in. Ever wonder why you keep running to the bathroom while having a few beers at happy hour? Dehydration leads to headaches. Here is another problem: when breaking down alcohol, your body pumps out lactic acid and other byproducts that hinder the production of glucose (sugar) and electrolytes (salts and other minerals that keep your body functioning properly). This can cause that weak woozy feeling you experience the next day.

So how should we deal with hangovers?
Of course, the best way to deal with hangovers is to prevent them! Moderation is always best. But if you do have one too many, here are some tips that may or may not help you:

• Sleep! Stay in bed as long as you can and give your body a chance to recover.
• Re-hydrate yourself. Drink plenty of water (though water is not that appealing to me if I feel hungover) or any beverage that appeals to you.
• Drink a sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade. This will help to replace the electrolytes that your body lost during the night before.
• Eat something. This can help to coat your stomach from the previous nights overindulgence in adult beverages.
• Pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen all can help with headaches. However, be careful when mixing acetaminophen, such as Tylenol and Excedrin, with alcohol as it can cause damage to the liver.
• Alternate between a hot and cold shower.
• In Ireland, it was said that the cure for hangovers is to bury the ailing person up to the neck in moist river sand. Hudson River anyone????
• A last resort: Legend has it that a morning nip - the “hair of the dog that bit you”-can keep a hangover at bay. However, this would not be my first recommendation!

Does anyone have any tips to share with how they deal with hangovers?

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You are at happy hour with your girlfriends and guy friends having a few drinks. Or perhaps you are at a business dinner with several male clients. After two drinks you are feeling quite tipsy, while the guys have more than a “few drinks” and do not even seem affected by it. Have you ever wondered why you feel the effects of alcohol much more quickly than your guy friends? Or perhaps why the day after effects of alcohol  - aka hangovers  (more info on hangovers will come at a later post!)  are worse than what guys experience?

 There are several reasons as to why alcohol affects men and women differently, including:

• The first  reason is obvious - body size. Men usually weigh more than women. We know that the more you weigh, supposedly the more alcohol your body can handle.

• Body Composition. The average female carries more body fat than the average male, and body fat contains little water. Consequently, most women have less body water to dilute the alcohol, leaving a higher concentration of alcohol in women’s bodies.
   
• Here is one reason I did not know - women have less of an enzyme that helps to metabolizie alcohol. This enzyme is called alcohol dehydrogenase and helps the body get alcohol out of its system. Women have less of this enzyme than men, so more of what women drink enters the bloodstream as pure alcohol. In other words, women can expect substantially more alcohol-caused impairment than men at equivalent doses. 

Here are some other facts on alcohol and women -  In general, women are more sensitive to alcohol, may become addicted sooner, may develop alcohol-related problems more quickly, and many die younger than men with similar drinking problems.

So the next time you are out with your boyfriend/husband/date/clients and he offers you another glass of wine, keep these differences in mind. You should not be matching him drink for drink!

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“But I really do not eat that much”. Did you forget about the martini followed by the bottle of wine you shared last night? What about the margaritas (multiple) you had out with the girls the past weekend? Does this sound familiar?

Do you have a “cosmo” belly?
When estimating calorie intake many people completely disregard or greatly underestimate the amount of energy provided in each beverage especially alcoholic beverages.  Meeting friends for drinks after work or late at night can significantly increase calorie intake and weight gain if you don’t know which drinks or how many drinks to order.  Most people have heard of getting a “beer belly” from excessive intake of beer, however cocktails and wine can also lead to weight gain… perhaps a “wine belly” or a ”cosmo belly” if those are your drinks of choice.   Alcohol provides 7 calories per gram which is significant compared to protein and carbohydrates that only provide 4 calories per gram.  As with all foods and beverages, moderation is key. You don’t have to miss out on happy hour or a night out; just making better choices at the bar can keep your calorie intake balanced and prevent extra weight gain.

The calories from alcohol add up quickly
Also think about which beverages you tend to drink in large quantities.  While chatting and catching up with friends it’s easy to order 3 to 4 drinks without even thinking about it.  I myself have found that there are certain drinks that I will finish in no time, and other drinks I tend to drink slowly throughout the night.  Another trick I use is drinking from the skinny cocktail straws; this greatly slows down how fast I drink and reduces the amount of drinks I order.  More tips on how to fit alcohol into your diet will be posted in a few weeks.

The calories from alcohol can lead to weight gain 
Below is a list of many beers, wines, cocktails, and shots.  Look for your favorites and determine how many calories you tend to drink in a night.  Remember all calorie when consumed in excess of your needs will lead to weight gain. It does not matter whether the calories are from food or alcohol.  So if you are looking for the culprit of your weight gain, or your inability to lose weight, it may just be that night out or happy hour with your friends.  Try lower calorie drinks and maybe change some of your behaviors while drinking so you are mindful of how many drinks and calories you are actually taking in. 

Here are the calories of some common alcoholic beverages. Keep in mind that drink sizes (as well as prices as we all know too well!)  will vary depending upon where you go. This will obviously affect the calories. Most restaurants and bars use anywhere from 1-2 shots of alcohol for most drinks (plus the mixer). Our calculations are estimations.

Article was contributed by Liz Dias, dietetic intern at

New York Presbyterian Hospital in NYC

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