Losing weight is always on everyone’s agenda, especially those who have a few extra pounds that they wish would disappear. Often, a crucial consideration in this process is changing food choices.
Your favorite foods may need to be restricted, and new ingredients might make their way into your diet plan.
Another important factor to consider is the liquids you consume. Drinks like soda, sugary juices, and alcohol can all affect your weight-loss goals. Many people often wonder whether they can continue drinking alcohol and still lose weight.
The good news is that the answer is yes.
The Science Behind Weight Loss
Before we delve into the details of whether alcohol and weight loss can coexist, let us briefly review the science behind weight loss. Losing weight involves creating a calorie deficit in your body.
This means consuming fewer calories than your body uses for energy. When this occurs, your body begins to tap into stored energy sources like your adipose tissues. Consequently, you lose weight.
Calories are essential units of measurements used to quantify the energy content in foods and drinks. You need calories to produce energy, but too much energy consumption can lead to weight gain.
In a nutshell, weight loss requires the body to burn more calories than it consumes.
The Effects of Alcohol on the Body
Before we determine how alcohol and weight loss can coexist, let us take an in-depth look at how alcohol affects the body. One gram of alcohol contains seven calories. These calories are what give alcohol its energy content.
Therefore, drinking alcohol increases your calorie intake.
Alcohol also affects the body by reducing the body fat percentage, which is why many people claim to look leaner the day after a night of drinking. However, this reduction in body fat only occurs in the short term.
The body prioritizes burning alcohol as fuel when you consume it, which means it will not burn other forms of energy, like fat, until it has cleared the alcohol content from your system.
This process is fundamental when it comes to drinking alcohol and trying to lose weight.
Alcohol and Weight Loss –Finding a Balance
When it comes to losing weight, balance is key. If you want to continue drinking alcohol and losing weight at the same time, you must find a balance that works for you. Here are a few tips that can help:.
1. Moderate Your Alcohol Intake
Drinking too much alcohol can contribute to weight gain. Therefore, it’s essential to moderate your alcohol intake. One way to do this is by consuming fewer drinks per session.
2. Choose Your Drink Wisely
Not all alcoholic beverages are made the same. Some drinks contain more calories than others. When trying to lose weight, consider drinks that have a low-calorie content like spirits and low-carb beers.
3. Watch What You Mix With Your Alcohol
The mixer you choose can affect the calorie content of your drink. Drinks mixed with soda or other sugary drinks can be high in calories. Consider mixers with low-calorie content like club soda or diet soda.
4. Be Mindful of Your Food Choices
It’s essential to watch what you eat when trying to lose weight. Eating calorie-dense foods when you drink only adds to your calorie count, making it challenging to lose weight.
Finally, it’s essential always to keep an eye on your overall calorie intake. If you want to continue losing weight while drinking alcohol, you must create a calorie deficit.
To achieve this, calculate the number of calories you need to consume daily to achieve your weight-loss goals and factor in the calories in alcohol.
The Bottom Line
Yes, it’s possible to drink alcohol and still lose weight. However, you must find a balance that works for you.
Moderation and making wise drink and food choices are essential in achieving your weight-loss goals while also enjoying your favorite alcoholic beverages.