How does alcohol affect weight loss?
December, 2022
I’m not a fan of depriving myself of the finer things in life and I’m no stranger to a few drinks at the weekend; however, like everything, moderation is key.
Alcohol can be a big part of our lives from relaxing after a long week to being sociable with friends. That being said, if weight loss and getting into shape is your goal, alcohol can have a detrimental impact on achieving this.
While there is nothing wrong with having a few drinks at the weekend, drinking excessively on a regular basis can affect your weight loss plans.
So, here is what you should know about alcohol and weight loss.
Alcohol contains a lot of calories
While drinking the recommended amount of water per day can help with weight loss, alcohol consumption has the opposite effect.
The main reason for this is that alcohol contains a lot of calories (or empty calories as we call it).
As a general guide:
- A pint of 5% beer has around 240 calories.
- A standard glass of wine has around 130 calories.
- A pint of cider has around 250 calories.
- A 330ml alcopop has around 170 calories.
In certain alcohol drinks (for example cider or an alcopop), the sugar content can be massively high too. This all adds together to create a larger than normal calorie intake
Impact on your liver
We all know that alcohol impacts your liver; however, it can also lead to something called alcoholic fatty liver.
This can lead to changes in how your body deals with carbohydrates and fats. Essentially, your body won’t be able to deal with fat and carbohydrates properly, so this will lead to weight gain and also greatly influence your weight loss efforts.
Results in lower testosterone
Excessive alcohol consumption will reduce your testosterone levels.
Testosterone is a hormone that helps you to develop lean muscle, and low levels can control your ability to lose weight. Building muscle is a method of losing fat from your body and testosterone plays a significant role in this.
Vitamin A and D supplements can help your body to produce testosterone.
Increase of your appetite
We’ve probably all indulged in a late night kebab or take away after a few drinks. Again, as a one-off, there isn’t a lot wrong with this, but doing it on a regular basis won’t help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Regularly reaching for unhealthy foods and snacks when drinking will offset your healthy eating plans.
Alcohol and weight loss
The key to most things in life is balance and keeping things in moderation.
Having a few drinks at the weekend is fine, but regularly drinking an excessive amount of alcohol impacts on your overall health, your sleep, eating plans, and will prevent you from losing weight.
Staying within the recommended guidelines of 14 units of alcohol per week (as best you can!), coupled with a healthy eating and rigorous fitness regime, will help you get back in shape and shift those extra pounds.
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