How to Drink Reds and Keep Your Weight Down


We’re already almost three months into 2023, can you believe it?! And I’m about to ask you a question no one wants to be asked, so buckle up.

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Deep breath…

Okay. How are your New Years’ Resolutions coming along?? If you’re almost 90 days into this year and crushing it, WAY TO GO! We’re all cheering you on! And if you’re just now realizing we’re almost halfway through March and you can’t even remember what goals you set for yourself on January 1st, no worries my friend, we’re right there with you. And regardless of how you’re measuring up to how you hoped this year would go, we’re here to lend you a helping hand!

While we can’t get on the treadmill for you (sorry), we can offer you a few tips for keeping your weight down while still enjoying your favorite glass of wine each night! Red wine in particular seems to have garnished for itself a rather unpleasant reputation in the weight-gain category. Somewhere down the line, someone labeled reds as a “DO NOT DRINK AT ANY COST IF TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT” wine. But when you really break it down, we’ve all been stressing for seemingly no reason at all.

Are we saying red wine is a great zero calorie option? Of course not. For the average dry wine between 12-15% ABV, a 5 oz pour has approximately anywhere from 91 to 119 calories, and the average sweet wine in the same category of ABV has anywhere from 125 to 149 calories.

However, calories don’t have to equate to “a drink will make you gain weight”. Here are a few tips to help you keep your caloric intake down so you can still enjoy a glass of red each night without the guilt!

  1. Limit your pour! While it’s tempting to fill all 20 oz of a wine glass with your favorite red, keep it to a healthy 5 oz pour.
  2. Limit your glasses! Calories aside, your body should only process a limited amount of alcohol per day anyway. Keep it to one glass and you can enjoy your wine every night of the week!
  3. Protein protein protein! Drinking wine can trick your brain into thinking you’re hungry when you’re really not. If you have a small protein-rich snack before a glass, it will help curb any post-wine cravings, keeping your caloric intake down!
  4. Move your body! When it comes down to it, staying in shape is really just calories-in vs. calories-out. Meaning, if you’re going to consume 100 calories of wine, simply plan to burn 100 extra calories that day to counteract. This really isn’t as hard as it sounds–walk uphill for thirteen minutes! Do jumping jacks for ten minutes! Dance for thirty minutes! Wake up just a little bit earlier to get some movement in and your evening wine will be that much sweeter.

We’re cheering you on as you work toward your weight loss goals! And we’re happy to announce your favorite Latah Creek red can still be a part of the journey.

Cheers,

Natalie