Alcohol and Weight Loss

Consumption of Alcohol by the Body

Alcohol whenever consumed is the first fuel for the body to burn; while your body is processing the alcohol it will not burn fat. It will not stop your weight loss, but it will postpone it. After consuming your first alcoholic drink, 25% is absorbed straight from the stomach into the bloodstream and the remainder is taken in through the small bowel.

The speed at which alcohol is absorbed depends on different factors such as the amount of food in your stomach (a fuller stomach slows the rate of absorption), the concentration of alcohol in the drink (the higher the level of alcohol the quicker it is absorbed) and whether the drink is carbonated (there is a reason people say “champagne goes straight to my head”!). On average a standard drink will take around 10 hours for a person to process.

Calorie Content of Alcohol

We’ve all heard the rumours, and yes we’re afraid that it is true – alcoholic drinks are high in calories and calories from alcohol alone have no nutritious value whatsoever. Some examples of calories contained in popular alcoholic drinks:

Beer – up to 250 calories

Wine – around 120 calories

Daiquiri – around 260 calories

Champagne – around 90 calories

Rum and Coke – around 100 calories

Vodka and club soda – around 65 calories

The variety and quantity of alcohol will also determine the calories, so overall it is important to cut down on your alcohol intake whilst trying to lose weight and maintain a healthy eating plan. If you do decide to have alcohol, it is best to try to avoid mixers that are high in sugar content such as Coke, or beer which is also high in calories. Opt for a lower calorie drink such as vodka, lime and soda, or a small glass of wine.

Increased Hunger

As soon as you have an alcoholic drink your body uses the stored glycogen (stored glucose) in your liver which in turn makes you hungry. This increased hunger due to alcohol will put unnecessary pressure on you to be able to stick to your healthy eating plan.

Making Bad Choices

Although we know alcohol often leads us to make bad choices, in this scenario we mean that alcohol leads you to make bad food choices. Leading on from the last point, alcohol increases your hunger and because you feel the effects of the alcohol taking hold you are more likely to make bad food choices such as opting to have pizza or chips as they are quick and convenient rather than choosing a healthy snack or meal.

We understand that alcohol consumption plays a large part in society and that avoiding it completely would be very difficult for a lot of people. Consider the following next time you are having a drink:

• Choose wisely; opt for a low calorie alcoholic drink.
• Quantity; ask for small servings such as a small glass of wine rather than the large glass. Also recognise when you have consumed too much and attempt to prohibit excessive consumption.
• Mindfulness; when you’ve had a drink and you are feeling the pang of hunger, make sure you pick up a healthy snack or have a healthy meal. Preparing for this in advance and having these readily available will help.