Can You Drink Alcohol & Lose Fat?
Why drinking alcohol and having abs are not mutually exclusive
It’s far too common for people to see fitness as an all or nothing endeavour.
Falsely believing that to get the results you want, you need to be miserable as if somehow your personal suffering the key to losing fat or building muscle.
This leads to restrictive, unsustainable dieting where everything is off-limits, no chocolate, no sweets, no alcohol, no fun.
But that’s not even the craziest part…
What’s really boggles the mind is the fact that none of that is necessary. The reality is that you can lose fat, build muscle and change your body whilst including the things you like in your diet.
This means it’s totally possible to eat chocolate and sweets if you want to. You can even drink alcohol without screwing up your progress.
In this article, we’ll look at what happens when you drink alcohol, how this impacts fat storage and what you need to do if you want to enjoy a drink without messing up your diet.
Let’s dive in.
Alcohol & Calories
Alcohol is often referred to as the 4th macronutrient, along with protein, fat and carbohydrates. However, it differs from the others in one fundamental way, it has little to no nutritional value.
This means whilst it provides calories to the body it doesn’t provide any of the other good stuff you need.
On top of this, it’s 7 calories per gram which is nearly double the amount of calories protein and carbs provide (4 calories per gram) and not too far from fat which is 9 calories per gram.
However, research (1) shows that due to the high thermic effect of alcohol the actual amount metabolised by the body is about 80%. This means, in reality, the calorie content of alcohol is closer to 5.5 kcals per gram.
Let’s be honest, none of us are drinking alcohol for its nutritional value. We drink as part of the social bonding experience, we drink to relax and we drink for fun.
This means many people drink without thinking about what happens when they do and the effect it may have on their diet and fitness goals.
Alcohol, Energy Balance & Fat Storage
The thing most people don’t realise is that when broken down by the liver, alcohol becomes a toxic substance called acetate and because of this the body will prioritise the metabolism of alcohol over everything else. (2)
So anything else waiting to be digested, like fat, carbs or protein, will be put on hold until the alcohol has been completely removed from your system.
In fact, research (3) shows that alcohol consumption inhibits the oxidation of fat, carbs and protein significantly. With research finding that total body fat oxidation was reduced by 79%, protein oxidation was reduced by 39% and carbohydrate oxidation was “almost completely abolished.”
What does this mean?
Well, looking at the bulk of the research (4) on this topic researchers concluded that drinking alcohol suppresses the breakdown of other macronutrients which increases the chances of gaining weight.
They then went on to say that;
“The consumption of moderate amounts of alcohol has to be accounted for in the energy-balance equation and may represent a risk factor for the development of a positive energy balance and thus weight gain.”
In practical terms, this means that any alcohol you consume must be accounted for in your daily calories, if not then any surplus in calories as a result of drinking will lead to fat storage and weight gain.
However, it also means that whilst alcohol can lead to weight gain it is often not the primary reason for this.
Instead, research gave more weight to individuals “personality and habitual beverages preferences” as well as the “increase [in] food intake, (probably through enhancing the short-term rewarding effects of food)” associated with drinking alcohol. (5, 6)
This means:
- When you drink alcohol you’re more likely to be in a calorie surplus and gain weight, this in part due to alcohol consumption but perhaps more likely because of food choices when under the influence
However, this also means:
- If you account for the alcohol you drink in your daily calories and avoid eating food whilst under the influence then you can successfully maintain a calorie deficit and continue to lose weight
The point is, alcohol in and of itself won’t necessarily make you gain weight, but drinking high-calorie drinks and eating calorie-dense foods when drunk will increase the chances of weight gain.
How to Drink Alcohol Without Getting Fat
What I’m about to share with you are the exact steps you can use to drink alcohol without gaining excess fat.
However, please note whilst this is possible to do a regular basis it’s not something I recommend and will only work when drinking to moderation, not to excess.
Also note that this plan only works if you know ahead of time when you’re going to be drinking, it’s not possible to do with the spur of the moment drinking.
On the day you’re going to be drinking you want to do the following things:
- Keep your fat intake as low as possible — approx. 0.3 grams per kg is a good amount to aim for
- Minimise your carbohydrate intake too — approx. 1.5 grams per kg is ideal and aim to get this from vegetables
- Maintain your normal protein intake — approx. 1 gram per lb of body weight is a good number to aim for and this will help with satiety through the day
- Use your remaining calories for alcohol — stick to low-calorie drinks like wine or neat spirits and choose zero-calorie mixers
- Drink in moderation — this will only work if you drink in moderation and avoid eating high-calorie foods whilst under the influence
If you do this you’ll find that even when you’re in a calorie deficit you’ll still be able to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine or your favourite spirit and zero-calorie mixer and still lose weight.
The Benefits of Drinking Alcohol
Alcohol is often commonly associated with poor health and weight gain and whilst this isn’t entirely unwarranted, there are some health benefits linked to drinking a little alcohol a few times a week that are worth mentioning.
#1: Reduced Risk of Hypertension
Research (7) shows that there is a close link between insulin resistance and hypertension and that alcohol could “modify and reduce this relationship” reducing the risk of hypertension and improving insulin sensitivity.
Additionally, epidemiologic data (8) shows that moderate alcohol consumption (approx. 2 drinks) has “beneficial effects on insulin and triglyceride concentrations and insulin sensitivity.”
#2: Decreased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
There is some research (9) showing that the high levels of antioxidants (10) in wine, particularly red wine may provide protective benefits to the cardiovascular system, which could decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.
#3: Improved Immune System
Research (11) found that in comparison to alcohol abuse and alcohol abstinence, moderate consumption of alcohol may have a beneficial impact on the immune system.
#4: Better Weight Management
Finally, a study (12) found that;
“compared with non-drinkers, initially normal-weight women who consumed a light to moderate amount of alcohol gained less weight and had a lower risk of becoming overweight and/or obese during 12.9 years of follow-up.”
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When consumed in moderation and accounted for in your daily calories it’s fair to say that alcohol can be enjoyed without necessarily contributing to weight gain.
Additionally, there is evidence of some physical and mental benefits to regular alcohol consumption, including stress relief, improved social confidence, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and better weight management.
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