Is Alcohol the Culprit Behind Your Weight Gain?

You do all the right things to stay healthy and fit. You eat nutritious food, exercise, and take your vitamins. Despite your efforts, you’re just not losing weight. Many of us enjoy a glass of wine or ice-cold beer with dinner, or even a few beverages on the weekend. But could alcohol be the culprit for your weight moving in the wrong direction? Now we don’t want to sound like your mum, but perhaps you really should consider drinking less.

Alcohol and Weight Loss

Many of us enjoy a drink or two. But when you’re trying to lose weight, you may find that it’s best if you lay off it completely – or stick to just one drink per day.

That’s because alcohol is loaded with calories. At seven calories per gram, it’s second only to fat (which provides nine calories per gram).

Plus, when you add in the mixers/juices, the calorie load rises even higher. Another reason that alcohol can crank up the kilos is that it’s easy to drink a lot of it without it affecting your body’s satiety system. So, the calories can pile up and up. Then, the dehydrating effects of alcohol increase your blood pressure and slow down your metabolism. But, where your weight is concerned, there’s even more bad news…

When your body detects alcohol, it responds to the introduction of what is essentially a toxin by switching from fat metabolism in order to focus on getting rid of alcohol from your body. So instead of breaking down fats, not just the fats you’ve just eaten but the fats in your body, it concentrates on ridding itself of alcohol.

Putting the brakes on fat breakdown

One small study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition involved eight men who drank two units of vodka and sugar-free lemonade. Each drink contained just under 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after drinking and then for several hours afterwards. Results showed that fat oxidation in the whole body (a measure of how much fat the body is burning) dropped by a massive 73 per cent!

Incoming fat… So, while your body puts the brakes on breaking down fats that are already in your system, alcohol is also notorious for weakening your willpower especially for fatty, salty snacks (kebab anyone?). The slowed-down fat metabolism combined with incoming fat means that it’s easy to store fat in your body and in particular, around your liver and centrally around your body. Hence the infamous beer belly.

Beer belly AKA central obesity

This kind of central obesity or apple shape raises your risk for raised blood fats, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and developing Type 2 diabetes. Studies suggest that people eat food containing around 20% more calories than normal whilst drinking alcohol either because it interferes with your body’s ability to feel full or perhaps due to sheer will power weakening effects. The kind of fat around your middle is also metabolically active – it is located deep inside your body and is wrapped around your internal organs. Plus, this type of fat may hinder the work of your pancreas (which secretes insulin) and liver (which detoxifies and cleans your body).

Are you a weekend binger?

And, if you’re one of those people who is careful with alcoholic drinks during the week but lets it all happen on the weekend, you could be downing thousands of calories without knowing about it! That cheeky glass of wine after work which turns into a couple and the drinks with dinner can add up! Unless you add up exactly what you drink (and eat) into a journal, you won’t have an accurate idea of what you’re consuming (try easydietdiary.com or myfitnesspal.com).

Seeing the calorie counts linked with drinks (just as more and more restaurants are doing for foods) – and the exercise that you’d have to do to work them off – may help to make us more aware.

Tips on controlling alcohol intake:

• Alternate sugar-free soft drinks or water with an alcoholic one
• Go for light versions where possible
•  Water down wine with sparkling water or diet lemonade for a refreshing spritzer
• Never eat without having food in your stomach
• Keep water available to quench your thirst while you drink alcoholic drinks.

A standard drink explained

1 standard drink = 10g alcohol which is equivalent to:

• 100ml of table wine
• 30ml of spirits
• 250ml of beer

But one drink isn’t always just one drink!

• An average restaurant serve of wine of 180ml 12% Alc./Vol = 1.8 drinks
• A 375ml can of full strength beer 4.9%Alc./Vol = 1.5 drinks
• A 375ml can of pre-mix spirits 5%Alc./Vol = 1.5 drinks Check the label to find out how many standard drinks in your serve.

Are you changing your attitude towards alcohol?

Women in particular should pay more attention to alcohol consumption because women are generally smaller than men and naturally have a smaller liver which doesn’t process and detoxify alcohol to the same extent.

Once you’re at your healthy weight range, go ahead and treat yourself every so often. But try not to overdo it.

While it’s all good fun to go and have some beers with your mates, just remember that alcohol could be the culprit behind not achieving your weight goals. I’m sure we’re all aware that it’s just not that great for our overall health. Que flash back to that really bad hang over. So, just remember everything in moderation! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Cheers!