After a busy day, many of us feel compelled to enjoy an ice cold IPA or two to help us relax or unwind. And, as some studies show, while that pint of pilsner is helping you to loosen up, it is also helping older men to improve memory and thinking skills. Sounds great, right? But before you justify that “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” you need to know what effect alcohol really has on your waistline.

When it comes down to it, whether you are drinking red wine, beer, or liquor, alcohol is made up of empty calories and offers no nutritional value. A 12-ounce beer contains about 150 calories, and a 5-ounce glass of wine has around 100 calories. So, if you cut out drinking one beer each day, you could save 1,050 empty calories per week! If you think about it differently, you can consider that one gram of alcohol is a whopping 7 calories while protein and carbohydrates only have four calories per gram. Then, if you add in mixers, you can easily rack up hundreds of calories in a night. The number of calories per gram is just the start of it; metabolizing alcohol is a whole other story.

Alcohol is considered toxic, so when we consume it, the body is actively working to get it out changing how the body metabolizes and stores different types of food; your liver prioritizes breaking down the alcohol over other nutrients. As a result, these foods are converted into fats and stored in the body, which means that heavy drinking can cause people to gain weight. In addition, alcohol consumption is a major contributor to the impaired function of the pancreas, which plays a vital role in regulating blood sugar levels, as well as aiding the digestion of fat. Without proper functioning of this vital organ, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy weight.

It’s worth mentioning that alcohol severely affects workout performance. Those who quit drinking can expect an increase in energy levels and are more likely to engage in regular physical activity, which also helps burn calories. When you quit drinking alcohol, your body will begin to burn calories more efficiently. This increases your metabolism and helps you lose weight faster. 

It is also known that alcohol inhibits muscle recovery. As we know, recovery is a huge part of lean muscle tissue development, but muscle protein synthesis becomes interrupted when the body expends energy on metabolizing the alcohol you recently consumed.

The hard truth: Essentially, if you want to lose weight, you should eliminate or drastically reduce your alcohol consumption. If you are drinking more than seven adult beverages over the course of a week, you should consider reducing the number of servings. However, if drinking is something you do periodically—say, once a month and in moderation, those beverages are probably not setting you back on your weight-loss goals.

Mindfulness is the key to limiting your alcohol consumption, so ultimately, you can limit the expansion of your waistline! If you have any questions about your alcohol and weight gain or loss, CLICK HERE to set up an appointment with our trainers for an Inbody Scan -which are free for all Success Studio members!