Should We Stop Drinking Alcohol To Lose Weight?

Alcohol gives us empty calories and also slows down the metabolism. However, if we consume it in moderation and accompany it with a healthy diet and exercise, it does not have to be harmful.

When we want to lose weight, in addition to exercising a lot and eating a balanced diet, we are advised not to consume alcoholic beverages. Indeed, its intake directly impacts the balance and how we look.

However,  some doctors suggest that you do not need to completely stop drinking alcohol to lose weight. Of course, as long as it is in moderation.

Find out more in the following article.

Why stop drinking alcohol?

Those who consume alcoholic beverages on a daily basis add between 100 and 200 calories to their body. Also, quitting alcohol reduces body odor, improves nail and hair health, and allows you to lose weight.

Among the benefits of quitting this habit we could indicate:

• Improves the senses (especially smell and taste).
• Contributes to a good mood.

On the other hand, weight loss is due to this habit:

1. Makes you eat more

When we consume a little alcohol we are more prone to eating junk food (especially snacks). If, on the other hand, we drink mineral water or a natural juice at lunch or dinner, we will move away from culinary temptations and prefer healthier options.

2. Hide the calories

Without realizing it, a drink increases calories a lot, even more than the food itself. For example, a “piña colada” has 160 calories, a daiquiri, 170, a wine 120 calories, and a whiskey, 100 calories.

Although you may think that this is not much, the problem is that you do not drink just one drink, but several, when accompanying certain dishes.

3. Fix fats

You may have read or heard the phrase “alcohol fixes fat.” This is completely true, as it urges the body to produce more estrogens. For its part, this hormone stimulates the accumulation of fat (especially in women).

4. Slows metabolism

When we drink alcohol, the body does not have the ability to burn fat or digest properly. Several hours after ingestion we still feel “heavy” no matter how much food we have eaten.

5. It tires you

Drinking a lot of alcohol causes dehydration, which results in fatigue. You don’t feel like doing anything other than sleeping or lying on the couch and watching TV. Don’t forget: Without movement there is no weight loss.

Alcohol is not to blame for all ills

Nowadays it is common to eat out at least once a week, especially on summer days. Between tapas and dinners with friends, alcohol is never lacking …

However, it is not the only culprit that you do not lose weight.

• Although it is true that alcoholic beverages are one of the enemies of diet and health, there are also other factors that make us gain weight or not be able to lose it as we want.
• Due to its hypercaloric nature (one gram of alcohol equals 7 calories), drinking is associated with obesity.

More than one of you will have ever heard the expression “beer belly” but, of course, a “cane” is not the culprit of all our ills.

Excess weight also arises from other bad habits, such as high consumption of processed foods, snacking between meals, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, etc.

It also depends on the type of drink that is consumed. For example, a glass of beer has 100 calories.

Imagine a “normal” outing with friends where you have four drinks and a few chips. This translates to 1000 calories. If you repeat it once a week, you will have gained a kilo in a month.

However, we must break the myth that alcohol “makes you fat” or not demonize it. Moderate consumption benefits us as long as we choose healthier options such as red wine, for example.

Final considerations

The key to losing weight is not to give up alcohol overnight, but to maintain a healthy diet and reduce the number of calories per day.

The relationship between obesity and beverages depends on the type and the dose. In this sense,  accompanying alcohol intake with really healthy habits may be the secret.

This means that drinking a glass of wine or a glass of beer up to twice a week will not have significant changes in your weight or in your health if:

• You do physical exercise on a regular basis. You go to the gym or walk to work.

• You eat in a healthy and balanced way. You put aside hamburgers or pizza.
• You abandon sedentary lifestyle. You use the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Swap the sodas for water.

Poor diet and sedentary lifestyle are the main causes of obesity worldwide. Alcohol consumption also makes it worse.

Alcoholic beverages have almost the same calories as a soda or a chocolate shake. In addition,  by reducing our metabolism, they take away energy to train or exercise.

Moderate alcohol intake is 1 or 2 glasses of wine or beer per day for men and 1 for women, as long as you follow a healthy diet and exercise 3 times a week.

However, do not exceed consumption. Alcohol is associated with many long-term health problems. Thus, for example, we can cite hypertension, high cholesterol, heart problems, depression or stomach and liver problems, among others.