Why does alcohol affect weight loss?

Question

If my calorie intake is limited to about 1400 calories a day and I purposefully burn more calories than I consume, why should alcohol (liquor) make a difference? I don't exceed the daily calories when I drink, but I know I lose weight easier when I don't drink.

"Do not eat less food so you can drink regularly and lose weight." That's exactly what's going on, lol. Guess it's not a good idea.

Thanks Cookiesandcorn.

Answer 1

Although an occasional drink may not hurt your blood sugar control, it can harm your eating plan if your goal is weight loss. Two light beers equal about 200 extra calories. Alcohol is called empty calories because it does not give you any nutrients.

If you are on a low-calorie meal plan, think twice about adding alcohol. In general, alcohol counts as fat servings (1 drink equals 2 fat exchanges).
Many alcoholic drinks contain lots of energy. Calories from alcohol are also added to energy from the food eaten during the day. An interesting point to note is alcohol cannot be stored so its energy is metabolized until all alcohol is cleared from the body. It also means the body is limited to burning stored fat when drinking alcohol. People who drink frequently may have increased potential for weight gain because;

A higher percentage of the energy from food eaten during the day may be converted and stored as fat.

Less energy from body fat stores can be used while alcohol is in the bloodstream.

Its possible to lose weight and still enjoy a drink the key is moderation. Do not eat less food so you can drink regularly and lose weight. Alcohol metabolism uses up essential nutrients which are obtained in sufficient amounts from food.

Answer 2

I just watched a show about how alcohol affects dieting on the FitTv network and I was very surprised at it's reasoning. Liquor is extremely high in calories. They did a study at a bar with 5 people who were drinking. One had a martini, red wine, beer, vodka straight up and I think rum and coke. All but the red wine (which is good for the heart and has the least amount of calories) was under 400 calories... Meaning, the martini was in the 600's, beer, about 680, and so on.... Keep in mind these were 8-16 oz servings and 1 serving... I'm sure individuals normally consume 1-3 servings. That is the reasoning for your question. You may want to research the alcohol you consume to get the specifics of calorie intake... It will be useful and help with your decision making. My advice, if you are going to drink, drink red wine. Take care. Tootles.

Answer 3

I happened to of been one of those people who drank excessivly and maintained a normal weight. I cut back and now look almost anorexic. I still drink but moderation is the key. 1 drink a day for women and 2 for men on a day is okay if you want to lose weight but be sure to include plenty of healthy food. I m vegan so I been including beans and rice as well as vegan fake meats. A light beer contains a little over 100 calories per drink. A regular beer is somewhere in between 150 and 200 calories.

Answer 4

For starters, alcohol is a form of fermented sugar, and by now everyone knows how bad sugar is for weight gain. Also, alcohol is 7 calories per gram, as opposed to 4 calories per gram for protein or carbohydrates (like regular sugars), so there's more calories for your body to store as fat when you drink it. Finally, studies show that alcohol seems to add visceral (midsection) fat, which is the worst of all, and it also seems to have a wasting effect on the muscles in your rear end and your thighs. Not good.

P.S.: 1,400 calories a day is too low for the average woman and WAY too low for the average man. Women should never consume less than 1,600 calories per day, and men should never consume less than 2,000 calories per day. If you do, your body can go into starvation mode and start burning muscle instead of fat since muscle takes more energy to maintain. Be careful. Don't eat too little.

Answer 5

Alchohol will affect weight only if it takes you over your daily limit. You can have a drink or 2 and it won't have any affect. It may even be beneficial to have a couple drinks once in a while. If you are burning more calories than you take in, you will lose weight.

Answer 6

Because alcohol makes the liver go into overdrive, and while your liver is trying to break down the alcohol the rest of the food is just being stored and thus is turned into fat. So it is not the calories in the alcohol that leads to increase fat, it's the amount of work the liver needs to do to break it down.
Also alcohol affects the absorption of nutrients in food, so it will affect your nourishment.

Answer 7

Because most alcohol... contains a hell of a lot of sugar!
Ask yourself do you really need to lose weight... or have glossy magazines made you feel... that you dont conform to what 'todays (bone-bag) women should look like?

Answer 8

Do you take into account the calories in the drink? Alcohol provides energy to the body too. More importantly, most drinks you would actually consume contains sugar. Beer contains wheat. Etc..

Answer 9

Alcohol is high in calories. Very high. 1400 calories a day is dangerous. You are flirting with malnutrition. Talk to a doctor before you do yourself harm.

Answer 10

Its all empty calories!! It sucks!! I was the smallest I have EVER been when I quit drinking! Good luck.. Become a weekend worrior and stick to diet and hard alcohol!!