How to Lose Weight by Drinking Red Wine

The health benefits of red wine are many when consumed in moderation. Red wine is considered heart-healthy, a claim few indulgences can make. A 2009 article published by The Mayo Clinic suggested that the benefits from red wine likely stem from the high concentration of antioxidants, but also from resveratrol, which may help prevent damage to blood vessels, reduce bad cholesterol and prevent blood clots. New primate studies may link resveratrol, such as that found in red wine, to increased metabolism and weight loss.

Instructions

1

Write down what you consume. Be honest; little splurges here and there add up. All alcoholic beverages contain calories and underestimating your alcohol consumption can thwart your efforts to lose weight. Choose foods that boost your metabolism, seeking fat burners such as green tea, vitamin B, and red wine. Primate studies completed in 2010 by Fabienne Aujard, from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris and published in BMC Physiology, suggest that moderate supplementation with resveratrol may decrease appetite and raise a resting metabolic rate by up to 29 percent.

2

Plan ahead to substitute wine for other alcohol you might regularly consume. Keep in mind that drinking in moderation bares some health benefits, while those benefits quickly disappear drinking more one or two glasses per day. In fact, drinking more than that is a health risk. Drinking in moderation means one glass of wine for women and up to two glasses of wine for men. With your glass of wine, you will consume 120 calories for a 175 ml glass, while a pint of beer will cost you 180 calories, a Margarita will run you 263 calories, a Martini with one olive is 178 calories, and 5 oz. of Bailey's Irish Creme costs you a whopping 468 calories. By drinking red wine instead, you could save up to 348 calories.

3

Plan your nutrition for the day, allowing approximately 120 calories for your glass of wine. Keep in mind that you must count all of your liquid calories along with your calories consumed in food.

4

Get a good night's sleep. Moderate wine consumption may help you de-stress and get a better night's sleep. Rest not only prepares you to take on the next day, but also decreases levels of cortisol, which may contribute to weight gain and inhibit your weight loss efforts.

5

Watch what you eat all day, but especially after you consume your glass of wine. Alcohol may decrease your inhibitions, which include your ability to say no to that second helping or dessert. Wine is a decadent, sipping drink, which may help satiate further cravings which occur when drinking other beverages.

6

Pair your glass of red wine with hard-to-digest foods such as red meat. The poly-phenols contained in red wine have been shown to assist the process of digestion and help to protect the stomach against harmful bacteria such as H.pylori, E.coli and Salmonella. Poor digestion slows mineral absorption, causes constipation, as well as bloating and water retention. This may prompt your body to respond sluggishly, and without the energy required to burn excess calories. Pairing red wine with hard-to-digest meals may enhance your digestion, keeping your metabolism revved and ready to burn calories.