One of the most common questions we’re asked as personal trainers is ‘can we still drink alcohol whilst trying to lose weight?’
In this article we’re going to answer the question, but we’re also going to give plenty of context to the answer, explaining what alcohol does in the body and what the impact of drinking is likely to be when it comes to your weight loss attempts.
Our aim isn’t to be either a killjoy or an advocate for full-on boozing… it’s merely to give you the facts so you can make your own decision around whether you drink or not, and how much drinking you do whilst trying to drop some weight and improve your fitness.
Alcohol and calories…
The first place to start when it comes to anything to do with weight loss is calories, because the success of any diet lives or dies on how well you manage your energy balance. If you manage to consume fewer calories than you need, you’ll successfully lose weight.
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. For context, here’s what the three macronutrients contain per gram…
Protein - 4 calories
Carbs - 4 calories
Fat - 9 calories
That means that alcohol is nearly as calorific as fat, and more calorific than carbohydrates and protein. There’s a reason that it’s known as a beer belly eh?!
Here’s a table taken from the NHS website, detailing the calorie information of several common drinks. It’s a rough guideline (different brands contain different amounts of calories), but it serves well as a rough outline of what different drinks contain, and likens them to a foodstuff…
So what this means is that it doesn’t take much in the way of drinking to really de-rail a weight loss plan. If you were to head out to the pub for a night out, if you had 5 pints of beer you’d have consumed in the ballpark of 1200 calories!
A bottle of wine will add around 600 calories to your daily consumption.
These calories have to be factored in to your overall calorie intake if you are on a weight loss program. So it’s not to say you can’t drink and lose weight, but you have to make sacrifices elsewhere in your diet if you want to keep your calories within your target for the week.
Alcohol and hunger
The elephant in the room when it comes to alcohol and weight loss is the impact drinking has on food intake. Anyone who has ever had a few drinks knows how tempting a burger/curry/kebab etc is afterwards… and that kicks your diet an even harder kick in the nuts!
Research shows that even moderate alcohol intake clouds decision making and makes us eat more. If you are having to restrict calories, making your decision making ore difficult is going to harm your diet. In this study from 2015, researchers found that even a small amount of alcohol consumed made participants increase their calorie intake by 11%.
There’s an undoubted link between alcohol and hunger, but the true mechanisms behind it are as yet not fully understood. Researchers believe it’s down to the effects of alcohol on the hypothalamus, and others believe there’s a hormone element to it as well. Either way, it exists anecdotally, as any food place by a pub will be able to tell you!
If you factor these calories in, no problem. If you don’t, you’ll certainly hinder your progress!
How to plan alcohol intake on a diet
It’s absolutely possible to lose weight whilst drinking. You just have to plan it. Here’s how you do this effectively…
Adjust your calories throughout the week…
Say for example you’re allowed 2000 calories per day, but you know you’re going to a party at the weekend, you can reduce them throughout the week. If you drop through the week to 1800, you can save an additional 1200 calories for your night out.
On the day of the drinking, work out…
As well as reducing the calorie intake throughout the week, keep your calorie burn high. On the day you’re actually going out for a drink, burn some additional calories. A good cardio session or HIIT session is the perfect way to do this.
Consume the lower calorie alcohol choices…
Looking at the list above, you can see the difference in calorie intakes between drinks. If you look at a double gin for example, it’s less than half the calories of the pint of beer. Even adding a diet mixer, you’d still keep the calories low. This is a way to enjoy a night out without the additional calories.
Don’t continue the boozing for too long!
Once you’ve had your night out, get yourself back into making good choices straight away. You’d factored in the calories so you haven’t ruined your diet. Get back to the good choices and you’re fine. Don’t think you’ve ruined everything - that only happens if you don’t get back to good choices soon.
Alcohol and Weight Loss... Final Thoughts
The answer to the question ‘can I drink and still lose weight’ is ‘yes, if you plan it properly’.
Weight loss is ultimately a question of calories in versus calories out, and whilst alcohol is high in calories, you can factor these into an overall diet plan. Just make sure you follow the advice in the list - drop your calories throughout the week, train hard on the day and drink lower calorie drinks on the night.
Get back on the horse the day later!
If you need help with your weight loss, AdMac Fitness personal trainers are here to help!
The AdMac Fitness personal training studio is in Bow, E3. We have personal trainers with a range of specialities, so we can offer the ideal personal trainer to help you achieve your goals. For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!