Can AlcoholPrevent Weight Loss? You may just be losing fat and gaining muscle, which is a trend in the right direction, but one that won't show on the scale. And, yes, drinking alcohol can put the brakes on a weight loss program in more ways than one. In the first place, you've got to consider the excess calories you're taking in. There are seven calories per gram of alcohol. A single glass of white wine or an ounce and half of hard liquor provides about 90 calories; a regular beer gives you 150 (a light beer provides about 110). You can almost double the calories in hard liquor if you add a mixer such as fruit juice or tonic water. A typical martini contains 210 calories and a Pina Colada in excess of 300. When you're trying to lose weight, alcohol also works against you because the calories it supplies are "empty" - they provide you with no beneficial nutrients

Don't forget that Alcohol is a depressant too. This naturally makes your body want to slow down. Your metabolism is not immune to the slow down. That's not even mentioning that when you wake up the next day and all you feel like doing is going back to sleep!