Over-imbibe, and you’ll pay the price -- in pounds

Want to keep your calories under control this season? Then drink a little less holiday cheer.

Researchers have long debated the contribution of alcoholic drinks to unwanted weight gain. But growing evidence points to alcohol’s role as a contributor to extra pounds, particularly those that are added at the waistline.

One reason is that alcohol packs seven calories per gram. To put that number in perspective, alcohol’s calories are just a little short of the nine calories found in a gram of fat and nearly twice that in a gram of protein or carbohydrate.

Add eggnog and other fat-filled or sugary mixers and the calories can quickly reach 500 a drink.

Large population studies of alcohol’s effect on weight have been mixed. But “every component of the [body’s] energy-balance equation is affected by the ingestion of alcohol,” as noted by Paolo Suter, a researcher at Zurich’s University Hospital, in a recent paper.

Even moderate drinking boosts calories, both from the alcohol and from “its appetite-enhancing effects,” Suter notes. More recent research shows that drinking alcohol suppresses fat burning, leading to greater storage of calories as fat, which as Suter notes, “is preferentially deposited in the abdominal area.”

When Suter combined the experimental evidence with results from large population studies, he concluded that alcohol’s calories count more toward weight gain in moderate drinkers who don’t imbibe daily.

He also reports that alcohol’s calories likely “count more in combination with a high-fat diet and in overweight and obese subjects.”

In other words, too much alcohol could be the perfect recipe for unwanted pounds this holiday season. But that doesn’t mean you have to be a teetotaler. As the holiday party season moves into overdrive, here are some tips to help you maintain your weight even if you drink:

* Snack before the party. Not only will this help slow absorption of alcohol, but you will be less likely to eat everything on the holiday buffet. Aim for snacks that are about 100 to 250 calories each.

A few possibilities: an ounce of nuts -- roughly a handful -- or a glass of skim milk with half a sandwich made with whole wheat bread and about one tablespoon of peanut butter.

* Skip cocktails before the meal. Better to sip a nonalcoholic beverage or have something hot, such as coffee, tea or low-fat cocoa. These beverages will help you feel full and perhaps less awkward when standing without a drink in hand. Plus, researchers have recently found that cocoa has more antioxidants than red wine.

* Stick with the familiar favorites. A 12-ounce beer has 150 calories, 5 ounces of wine clocks in at about 100 calories, a 7-ounce gin and tonic contains 189 calories. Other drinks are much higher. Eight ounces of eggnog have 320 calories and 18 grams of fat before adding the alcohol, which racks up at least 100 more calories.

A rum and Coke (12 ounces) contains 361 calories. An 8-ounce Amaretto Sour (made with sweet and sour mix, almond amaretto liqueur, tequila and orange juice) has 560 calories -- enough for a meal. Better choices: Bloody Mary (192 calories for 8 ounces), Irish coffee (with Irish whiskey, coffee, sugar and whipped cream) which has 159 calories in a 10-ounce drink, wine spritzer (about 50 calories) or a 7-ounce Screwdriver (with orange juice and vodka).

* Do a little reconnaissance. Get the lay of the buffet before plunging in so you can be choosy about what you’re going to eat. This will let you conserve some calories for a special holiday treat rather than blowing them because the meatballs happened to be first in the buffet line.

* Move away from the table -- and your waistline is less likely to get hurt. When you park yourself at the buffet, it’s easy to mindlessly eat your way down the table. Ditto for engaging in conversation within easy access of food.

So make it a practice to eat at parties only while sitting down. Try to stick with food that requires you to use utensils, which helps slow consumption and makes it a little easier to keep track of what you eat.