How booze is actually making you gain weight?

Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better with a change!

When an individual gains weight, they are often seen blaming their fate for it. And, as a result, they find themselves depressed, sitting by the couch; with wine of bottle in one hand and a fancy glass in the other. These are the same people who need excuses to drink whenever they can. They are too addicted to their drinking habits that they forget how alcohol is doing the role of a villain and not the saviour. Whether you learn it the easier way or the harder, the fact is; WHEN YOU BOOZE, DON’T EXPECT TO LOSE. 

For an avid drinker, this piece of advice may go unheard. They are likely to go in a self-denial mode and say things like, “I don’t even drink that much,” or even worse, they may take it as a myth. Let’s make it simple! Drinking and weight loss efforts can never go hand in hand. Yes, you may love drinking and you may love to fit in that body-clinging dress too, but you need to realize that you can only choose one. In case, you are thinking to gulp down another glass of wine and prefer to stick to that “who cares,” mode, do not fool yourself! Here is how alcohol plays when inside the system.

The Equation between Your Body and the Alcohol

It is the acetate that spoils the game! When you gulp down alcohol down your throat, it breaks down to form acetate. So, when you exercise and rev up your metabolism, your body would burn the acetate before anything else. If it is the acetate that is readily available, burning of calories and the fats would take a backseat.  

You may be wondering that it does not make any difference as long as you have something to produce the needed share of energy. But, is it so? The simple thing is that the acetate would be burned off, and the calories and fats you intake in the form of sugar and other unhealthy foods would stay. How can you ensure that it gets burned? With alcohol inside your system, you can’t do that.

This is not it! Alcohol runs more havoc by temporarily hampering the oxidation of lipids. In layman’s language, when you feed your system with alcohol, the fats stored in the system choose to stay, and that is not exactly you wanted. Is it right, or is it right?

Remember, whether you had a breakup or you got a salary hike; heavy drinking should be kept off the table. 

Quick Facts about Alcohol and Weight Gain

  • Heavy or rather say regular drinking is the major cause of weight gain
  • The weight gain due to unregulated alcohol consumption does not pardon any age group
  • Alcohol gives you excess calories, augments the hunger, and redistributes fats too
  • If you love your red wine, you may continue to do so. Red wine stands out by offering weight benefit. Yet again, savour it in limits. 

How Alcohol Leads to Weight? Know In Brief

  • Alcohol Boosts Up The Hunger Urges

  • You may think of it as a hoax, but drinking a significant amount of alcohol leads to increasing your desire to eat more. There is even a study to back up this theory that states that people not only find themselves eating more but that more contains a considerable amount of salty and fatty food. 

    If you might know, leptin is a hormone that regulates the appetite and helps to limit the hunger urges. But, alcohol ruins the efforts by reducing its concentration to nearly half. Now, you know why you are always munching after those alcohol consumption sessions. 

  • The Fat Distribution Goes Haywire
  • The consumption of alcohol is also related to unregulated fat distribution in the body. This is due to the inability of the fats to breakdown once alcohol enters the system. 

    And, do you know where all the fat is mostly found? It is the abdominal area of both men and women. Where men tend to develop a “beer belly,” the breast size in women is known to increase. 

  • The Curious Case Of Madcap Eating 
  • Everyone knows that consuming a considerate amount of alcohol leads to psychoactive behaviour that, in turn, affects one’s ability to make wise decisions. And, once the food is served on the table, you think that it is a duty to finish it all. 

    There you go! You have it all without even thinking much. You may forget what happened the very next day, but your body wouldn’t; it will take you to the extent where you regret it later. 

  • Surplus Calories Are Never Good
  • The body weight is the balance of the calories consumed and the calories burned. To maintain a desirable figure, one needs to equalize the number of calories taken to the calories burned. When you drink your favorite bottle of Vodka; the calories that enter the system get utilized to produce energy. 

    That sounds great, right? But, the picture does not end here. When you mix eating with drinking, the calorie intake multiplies and prefers to stay in the system. These are the same calories that become the foundation of added extra pounds. 

    So, You Need To Give Up On Drinking Entirely?

    You may have heard of “Diet Coke,” but there isn’t anything such as “Diet Alcohol.” When you have it, the psychoactive effects are inevitable and so is the weight gain. Where the psychological factor resides after several hours from binge drinking, you can’t run away from that extra add-on weight. Or, can you?

    If you want to have your drink and magically wish to skip the weight gain, you need to pay a price. Either you need to subtract an item or two from your diet or you would have to run an extra mile on the treadmill. The choice is yours to make! 

    However, if you happen to be a light drinker, the scenario can pretty different. For a matter of fact, light drinkers have a maintained overall weight that doesn’t get affected much with all that casual drinking of yours. 

    Or, even better; people who are conscious and know that they had way too much alcohol, know their ways out. They know what it would take to battle the destructive mode of alcohol. So, they make necessary dietary changes, and level up the metabolism to keep the weight gain elements at bay.

    Factors That Influence Weight Gain Intensity

    1. Occasional vs. Regular Drinking

    If you are an occasional drinker, there is nothing that can go wrong with your weight. In fact, mild drinking amplifies the process of thermogenesis, and thus aids in weight loss. 

    But, there is nothing constructive that can be talked about heavy or say regular drinking. If you continue with this destructive strategy, you’ll have to pay the price later. 

    1. Types of Alcohol & Weight Gain

    From Tequila, vodka, Champaign, beer, to your favourite whiskey; there are different alcohol types in the market. The taste is different and so is their contribution in increasing the weight. 

    Be it rum, beer, vodka, whiskey, or spirit; all of them lead to considerable weight gain. If you have been in love with any of them, it is time to think twice. But, red wine begs to differ; it helps maintain a good weight instead of increasing it. 

    FAQs on Alcohol And Weight Gain

  • Can you drink alcohol and still lose weight?
  • Yes, of course. You can drink alcohol and lose weight too but only when you smartly work through it. First, you need to cut down your alcoholic consumptions, and second, you need to put some extra efforts to eliminate the extra accumulated calories. 

  • What are the other adverse effects of alcohol?
  • Being an ardent drinker makes one susceptible to kidney, liver or even stomach damages. Also, alcohol is known for creating hormonal misbalance, including testosterone levels, which is further essential for muscles strength, development, and triggering metabolism. 

  • Is the “Beer Belly,” concept for real?
  • The party-goers, who are found drinking their nights out at pubs on a regular basis, are the ones with those “beer bellies.” Obviously, uncontrollable alcohol consumption leads to the accumulation of calories that further lead to beer bellies, i.e., accumulation of extra weight across the waistline. 

  • Why red wine does not lead to weight gain?
  • Red wine comprises of a chemical named, "resveratrol.” This type of chemical aids in amplifying the amount of brown fat in an individual, while lowering down the amount of white part in turn. There are still some theories to uncover, but yes, red wine is good for your waistlines. 

    The Secret to Fine Wine and a Fine Waist

    • Say to no to sugary alcoholic drinks and cocktails.  Instead, prefer mixing your alcohol with soda and water to neutralize its effect
    • Never skip on drinking lots and lots of water whenever you can as it can help in releasing the accumulated toxins 
    • Prefer a glass of red wine over that bottle of Heineken beer
    • Avoid dressing your table with unhealthy food. Instead, munch on nuts, or any light snack
    • Move over to drinking once a week if you are an addict. And, if you really wish to lose the belly fat, prefer drinking once in a month or even better; never!

    Manage your hangovers well! This is the simple way to block sabotaging your weight loss efforts.  

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