Alcohol induced indulgence is one of the most serious contributors to unwanted weight gain in both women and men. This comes about through two primary mechanisms: It’s partially the booze itself, but also the loss of inhibition that matters.

Where else do we typically find both in abundance but at parties, when the good times roll. When you’re drinking, you’re more likely to eat six handfuls of the Chex Party Mix.

A few additional funny facts on alcohol worth noting:

• Depending on the individual, a moderate amount of alcohol (30 grams of alcohol a day, or the equivalent of 3-4 glasses of wine) produces a range of negative short-term effects on the body, including an increase in heart rate, heart palpitations, an increase in skin temperature, muscle weakness and facial flushing. Alcohol also promotes water loss from the kidneys, which can lead to dehydration, particularly amongst people who drink spirits (which have a higher concentration of alcohol) without consuming extra water. Each of these things will tend to reduce your physical activity, which nets out with a lower metabolism and easier weight gain.

To put a finer point on the preceding sentence, this is about skipping the gym when you are too hungover. 

• Looking at it from the long term, excessive alcohol alters the balance of reproductive hormones, according to a collection of studies compiled by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In excessive cases, alcohol metabolism contributes to testicular injury and impairs testosterone synthesis and sperm production. In a study of normal healthy men who received 220 grams of alcohol (about 16 drinks) daily for 4 weeks, testosterone levels declined after only 5 days and continued to fall throughout the study period. Prolonged testosterone deficiency may contribute to feminization in males, for example, breast enlargement. In addition, alcohol may interfere with normal sperm structure and movement by inhibiting the metabolism of vitamin A, which is essential for sperm development.

So for anyone trying to be romantic, or conceive children, a little bit of alcohol is not the problem. It's too much, too often. Carrying around a spare tire doesn't help in the visual component of the equation, either.

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Excerpted from "A Guy's Gotta Eat, the regular guy's guide to eating smart," by Russ Klettke, with Deanna Conte, MS RD LD (Marlowe & Co./Da Capo Press 2004). Available where books are sold and in more than 100 public library systems.