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At Second Nature, you’re provided with a registered nutritionist or dietitian who can support you manage your alcohol intake to suit your lifestyle and preferences. He earned a Bachelor’s degree at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania while pursuing his CAC-AD. With strong ties to Victory Christian Church and the 12-step community, Federico shares an amazing personal story of redemption and long-term recovery. With over 32 years in the arena of addiction and sobriety, he uses his vast experience to provide a unique approach to mentorship and guiding our clients toward a supportive lifestyle of recovery. Mr. Douglas’ experience, strength, and hope inspires those in our program, and prepares them for the real-world journey of recovery.
Because plenty of alcoholic drinks are both calorie dense and filled with sugar, drinking a good amount of booze can leave you feeling bloated and unable to lose weight. Alcohol can also cause inflammation, dehydration and gastrointestinal issues, which can contribute to bloating and weight gain. In a 2010 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the drinking habits of 19,220 U.S. women aged 39 or older with “normal weight” (based on BMI) were tracked for 13 years. 60 percent were light or regular drinkers, while 40 percent reported drinking no alcohol. Over the course of the study 41 percent of the women became overweight or obese, but the nondrinkers were the ones who ended up gaining more weight. Meanwhile, the risk of becoming overweight was 30 percent lower for women who limited themselves to one or two alcoholic beverages a day.
Do We Need to Give Up Alcohol to Lose Weight? Not Necessarily
A lack of sleep, or poor quality of sleep, increases your appetite and cravings for junk food rich in refined carbohydrates and decreases your energy expenditure on the following day. A recent research survey reported that the average tipping point – the point at which people go on to make poor choices with food and alcohol – is 9.3 units of alcohol. This is equivalent to only 3.7 pints of beer or 3.1 large glasses of wine.
There were no significant changes in weight for normal weight participants over the four-week intervention study. They however noted that about half of the obese participants gained weight, with the largest weight gain being 1.8 kg [48]. In a randomized crossover study, Cordain et al. [49] found that drinking two glasses of red wine (270 mL) with dinner daily for six weeks did not lead to changes in weight or body fat percentage in 14 men. They noted that self-reported nutrient intake and physical activity did not differ between conditions, although there may have been dietary compensation that was not accurately reported by their 3-day food logs [49]. Similarly, Cordain et al. [50] found that 10 weeks of wine intake equal to 6-7% of total energy intake (135 mL, five times per week) did not result in any significant change in body weight or fat percentage in 20 sedentary, overweight women.
Alcohol affects judgment calls… especially with food
However, this does not mean drinking red wine will always be healthful. Researchers are still trying to understand exactly what role red wine plays in overall health.18 And don’t forget, red wine still has empty calories that can impede your weight loss does alcohol cause you to gain weight efforts. Furthermore, as I and countless others have found, alcohol has a “disinhibiting” effect and can stimulate people to eat more when food is readily available. “The extra calories taken in with alcohol are stored as fat,” he reminded drinkers.
Looking at data from the end of the first year, researchers found no association between weight and drinking—even among those in the intensive intervention group who reported heavy drinking. But zooming out to year four, there was a small association between weight gain and any drinking in this group. Participants who did not drink lost 5.1 percent of their initial weight on average, which was 2.7 percent more weight than consistent drinkers lost, and 1.6 percent more weight than those who drank at any time during the intervention. However, there was no observed difference in weight based on alcohol consumption in the control group that received minimal weight loss and diet advice. There’s a lack of evidence linking reduced alcohol consumption to weight loss.
Does alcohol cause belly fat?
Alcohol is high in empty calories and may affect hormones that signal appetite, hunger, and stress. Generally, you must consume fewer calories than you use to lose weight. You do not have to give up alcohol entirely to create a calorie deficit. Instead, changing your drinking habits can help you manage your weight. People who consume excess food and drinks that are high in empty calories have a higher risk of having overweight and obesity than others.
Alcohol can also influence hunger via several central mechanisms. The effects of alcohol on opioid, serotonergic, and GABAergic pathways in the brain all suggest the potential to increase appetite [62–65]. Given the complexity of the interplay between central and peripheral signals of satiety, more research needs to be performed in order to elucidate the precise biochemical mechanism driving food intake following alcohol consumption. A summary of the effects of alcohol on important appetite hormones and central neurological pathways in humans can be found in Table 2. It’s essential to be aware of both the direct and indirect effects of alcohol on your weight.
How Much Alcohol Makes You Gain Weight?
If you fancy a good beer or glass of wine, chances are you’re ingesting more liquid calories than you realize. Doing sit-ups, crunches, or other abdominal exercises will strengthen your core muscles and help you hold in your belly fat, but won’t eliminate it. The only way to lose belly fat (or any kind of fat) is to lose weight. While your liver is processing alcohol, it’s too busy to produce glucose, which impacts blood sugar levels. Feeling hungry is an early sign that your blood sugar is too low.
- “The extra calories taken in with alcohol are stored as fat,” he reminded drinkers.
- Plus, if you’re consuming alcoholic beverages that are high in calories and carbohydrates (like beer), the more weight gain you’re likely to experience.
- A glass of wine is not a glass filled to the brim, but 5 oz (red wine glasses can hold oz when filled).