I’m not sure why, but I assumed that alcohol like vodka had almost no calories. Boy, was I mistaken! I mean, truly wrong. Vodka, one of the least fattening alcoholic drinks, contains approximately 100 calories per SHOT! This revelation has left me shocked.
Did anyone else share my misconception? If so, how did you manage to fit in the occasional drink within your limit? What about when you drink with your friends?
It’s obviously the same for all other drinks, including beer, as I already knew. But for some reason, I assumed spirits would contain very few calories. I can no longer enjoy my whisky without feeling guilty! Damn that.
I still can’t believe it, and I’m not sure why I thought it in the first place.
Fat equals 9 kilocalories per gramme. Alcohol equals 7 kilocalories per gramme. Protein equals 4 kilocalories per gramme Carbs equal 4 kilocalories per gramme.
A kilocalorie is commonly referred to as one calorie.
If you eat one tablespoon of butter (14.2 grammes), you will ingest 102 calories.
If you drink one shot (1.5 oz, 42 grammes) of 80 proof vodka, you will consume 97 calories.
In terms of calories, each shot is roughly equivalent to eating a tablespoon of butter.
Although my eating habits may have been healthier, I blame a significant portion of my 20-pound quarantine weight gain to increased alcohol drinking. I began drinking practically every day because I was bored, and it helped break up the day when I didn’t leave the house because work and home were in the same location. Every night while I was preparing dinner, I’d have a couple of drinks and listen to podcasts. It became the only portion of my day that I could actually look forward to.
Similarly, I miscalculated the number of calories in the wine/spirits I was drinking, as well as how it was interfering with my healthy food and exercise. When I chose to quit drinking, I didn’t have any precise goals in mind.
I recently noticed this as well. Like you, I assumed 0 carbohydrates meant 0 calories. It turns out that on a big night, I would drink the equivalent of three Big Macs. A bit of game-changing news for me.