SHAPE UP
Bottoms up to building a beer belly

By Charles Stuart Platkin

Typically, alcohol and weight loss don't mix:

There are about 7 calories per gram of alcohol, compared to 4 calories for carbohydrates or protein (fat is about 9 calories per gram).

Alcohol can lessen the body's ability to burn stored fat. Calories from alcohol are also likely to go right to your stomach — ever heard of a "beer belly"?

Alcohol can impair a dieter's judgment — so you may eat and drink more than you normally would. To top it off, most people enjoy eating high-calorie, high-sodium snacks when they drink alcohol — three times the trouble if you're trying to lose weight.

Alcohol can cause blood sugar levels to drop more rapidly. That can stimulate your appetite, and disrupt your ability to tell when you've had enough to eat. Additionally, this can create fatigue and your energy level will suffer.

Alcohol interferes with the body's absorption of vitamins and minerals.

Alcohol is often used as an inappropriate replacement for food, resulting in inadequate nutrition.

Moderate levels of alcohol consumption have been shown to reduce the chances of heart disease. But be conscious of what you consume. One beer a night adds more than 1,000 calories a week — an extra 15 pounds a year. A few glasses of wine over the course of one meal add as much as 400 calories.

Beer: 12 ounces of regular beer is about 150 calories; 12 ounces of light beer is 100 calories.

Wine: 5 ounces of dry wine or champagne is only 100 calories, which makes this a good choice — but watch out for sweet dessert wine, which has 226 calories.

Hard liquor: 1.5 ounces of 80 proof (40 percent alcohol) liquor is about 100 calories. Keep in mind that the higher the proof, the higher the calories. A typical serving of scotch on the rocks is 1 1/2-2 shots (depending on how well you know the bartender or if you're pouring for yourself). Be aware that the really sweet stuff such as schnapps (1 shot) has 159 calories, and créme de menthe has 186 calories.

Mixed drinks: Alcohol itself is packed with calories, but when you add in mixers — soda, juice, sugar and other ingredients — well, watch out. Turning rum into a rum and Coke nearly doubles the calories; the same goes for a gin and tonic. A suggestion: keep it simple and on the rocks.

Obviously, the larger the drink, the higher the calorie content. If your favorite bar or restaurant serves bucket-sized margaritas, you can easily drink more than 1,000 calories (without the chips and guacamole). Try to choose smaller drinks and avoid the creamy and frozen ones. And don't be shy — ask for diet sodas for all your mixers, it makes a difference of about 80 to 100 calories.

For the record

• Bloody Mary (1.5 oz. vodka, 6 oz. tomato juice, dash of Tabasco and pepper), has 131 calories.
• White wine spritzer (4 oz. white wine topped with club soda), 80 calories.
• Vodka and diet soda,100 calories.
• Piña colada (8 oz.), 464 calories.
• Long Island iced tea (8 oz.), 227 calories.
• Mudslide (1.5 oz. coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz. Irish cream, 1.5 oz. vodka), 441 calories.
• Margarita in a pint glass, 650 calories.
• Martini (3 oz.), 187 calories.

And lastly, just for comparison, two glazed Dunkin' Donuts contain 360 calories. You make the choice.