The Truth About Alcohol and Fat Loss

Let’s talk about a real politically incorrect topic in the fitness world – booze.

So many readers ask, “Can I still drink while on a fat loss program?”   Well, the answer is yes, you can do anything you want on a fat loss program…you just have to accept the consequences of your actions.

And what are the consequences of drinking?

Well, here’s a dirty little secret.  Just because you drink a little beer – or have a glass of wine every night – doesn’t mean you can blame your belly fat on booze.  After all, a glass of wine, a bottle of beer, and a shot of alcohol all roughly contain the same amount of calories, between 100-150. A glass of wine adds fewer calories to your diet than most minor eating mistakes, such as:
- a cube of cheese
- two handfuls of nacho chips
- a few chicken wings
- half a giant bakery muffin
- or half a slice of post-bar pizza


Of course, if you’re drinking a Jack and Coke, you can expect to almost double your calorie intake…so 6 of those in a night and you’re looking at 1800 calories – that’s REAL damage…but only moderate damage if you stick to 6 light beers, which would hit you up at 600-900 calories.

The reality is that alcohol does NOT add that many calories to most people’s diets.
The truth is you need to stop blaming alcohol for your belly fat and look at what you are eating. That’s where your calories are probably piling up.

NOTE: Unless you’re consuming one of the 500 calorie Starbucks concoctions…then you DO have a liquid calorie problem…but one glass of booze per day is not making you fat.

As for all the so-called fat loss ‘gurus’ who try to impress us with their knowledge and claim that alcohol slows your metabolism, that just doesn’t hold up in the real world.

What matters is total calories coming from the liquids, and if you keep that low and it fits into your daily diet, then yes, you can drink booze on a fat loss program and still lose fat.

But there are other factors in the booze discussion we must address. First, I’d never recommend someone start drinking just to get the so-called health benefits of alcohol. I’ve seen first hand what booze can really do, and it hurts more people than it helps – directly and indirectly.
My father drank about 12 beers a day for 30 years, and while he never weighed over 165 pounds at 5’9″ until his final year, it was the booze that killed him.

Handle your drinking with care. It can be a dangerous vice. Even binge drinking can be quite harmful.   If you go all week without drinking and then drink six, nine, twelve, or more drinks in a night, this will hurt you in the long haul.  Besides, once you get over 30 years old, the “mornings after” are hardly worth the “nights before”, at least in my opinion.

That’s a fact.  Booze tonight will ruin your tomorrow.  BUT…it shouldn’t stop you from losing belly fat. Alcohol is not kryptonite to your fat loss efforts. Of course, alcohol isn’t going to HELP your fat burning either.  Alcohol contains calories (about the same as you’d get from a similar sized soda or juice), and too many calories from any beverage will leave you with belly fat, but don’t blame your beer belly on beers when you have two drinks and a plate of 2000-calorie nachos and wings.
Understand that for most people, the real belly fat damage comes from the food you eat with the booze, not the booze.

Know your enemy. Handle with care. Make the healthy choices.
Now, having lectured you, I’ll admit that from time to time, on special occasions, I’m happy to have a drink.

Now you know the deal with booze and your belly fat

Craig Ballantyne, CTT