Dry January: We Calculated How Many Calories You'll Save (And the Exercise Equivalent)

Considering Dry January? We've crunched the numbers on exactly how many calories you'll save—and calculated what exercise it would take to burn off the equivalent.

The results are pretty bloody impressive.

What's "Moderate" Drinking in Australia?

According to the Australian Guidelines, you should have no more than 10 standard drinks per week. But let's be real—plenty of Aussies drink more than that.

For this analysis, we're using 12 drinks per week—typical for someone who enjoys a few cold ones most days or goes harder on the weekends.

The Calorie Count of Aussie Favourites

Drink	Serving Size	Calories
Schooner of lager	425ml	155
Pint of lager	570ml	210
Glass of wine	150ml	120
Vodka lime soda	Single	90
Rum & coke	Single	130
Espresso martini	Regular	250

Average across drink types: ~150 calories per drink

Dry January Maths: Your Calorie Savings

For a moderate drinker (12 drinks/week):

Period	Drinks Skipped	Calories Saved
1 week	12	1,800
2 weeks	24	3,600
3 weeks	36	5,400
Full January (31 days)	53	~8,000

That's 8,000 calories—nearly a kilogram of body fat.

Calculate your weight loss timeline →

The Exercise Equivalent

We used our Calories Burned Calculator to work out what exercise it would take to burn 8,000 calories.

For an 80kg person:

Activity	Time to Burn 8,000 Calories
Running (10 km/h)	12 hours
Swimming (ocean)	15 hours
Cycling (moderate)	20 hours
Surfing	16 hours
Bush walking	24 hours

Put it this way: Dry January saves you the equivalent of 16 hours of surfing or running the City to Surf three times.

Calculate your own exercise equivalents →

Beyond Just Calories

The 8,000 calories is just the alcohol itself. We haven't counted:

The Servo Run Effect

A night on the beers often leads to:

Maccas run at 2am
Bacon and egg roll the next morning
Uber Eats hangover food

Add another 500-1,000 calories per drinking session for many people.

The Day After

Hangovers mean:

Skipped morning gym
Lying by the pool (not swimming)
"I'll start again Monday"

The Real January Savings

If you're a moderate drinker who also hits the drive-through while drunk:

Category	Calories Saved
Alcohol itself	8,000
Drunk food runs (conservative)	2,000
Better food choices sober	1,500
Total	~11,500

That's over 1.5 kg of potential weight loss—just from not drinking for one month.

Week-by-Week Breakdown

Here's what you're saving each week:

Week 1 (Days 1-7)

Calories saved: 1,800
Exercise equivalent: 3 hours of running
You'll probably miss the Friday arvo beers

Week 2 (Days 8-14)

Total calories saved: 3,600
Exercise equivalent: 6 hours of running
Sleep quality typically improves

Week 3 (Days 15-21)

Total calories saved: 5,400
Exercise equivalent: 9 hours of running
Energy levels noticeably better

Week 4+ (Days 22-31)

Total calories saved: 8,000
Exercise equivalent: 12 hours of running
Skin looks better, weight may be down 1kg+

The Money Angle

The average Australian drinker spends $50-100 AUD per week on alcohol.

Dry January saves:

~8,000 calories
~$200-400 AUD in your pocket
~12 hours of exercise you don't need to do

The Bottom Line

Dry January isn't just about "detoxing" or testing your willpower. The maths is simple:

8,000+ calories saved from alcohol
12 hours of running worth of exercise you don't have to do
1-1.5 kg of potential weight loss
$200-400 AUD saved

Whether you're doing it for health, weight loss, or just to prove you can—the numbers are on your side.

Ready to calculate your own numbers?

Calories Burned Calculator - See exercise equivalents
Weight Loss Calculator - Plan your timeline
BMI Calculator - Check your starting point

Thinking about cutting back permanently? Even reducing from 12 drinks to 6 per week saves 4,000 calories per month—that's nearly half a kilogram of fat every month, or 5kg a year.