Does Alcohol Make You Gain Weight? 5 Ways It Sabotages Weight Loss

The other group served as a control, and members were invited to three does rum make you gain weight sessions each year focused on diet, physical activity, or social support. There’s a lack of evidence linking reduced alcohol consumption to weight loss. A study published in 2016 found that decreasing light-to-moderate alcohol consumption did not significantly affect weight loss. Still, the researchers noted that reducing alcohol intake led to less impulsivity, like overeating. Research has found that light-to-moderate alcohol intake does not cause weight gain. Instead, regular heavy drinking may lead to weight gain over time.

Cancer risk

The volunteers ate the same amount of food each time; the effect of ingesting calories in the alcohol beverage had no effect on how much they ate subsequently. This is one reason why those on a diet are warned that the calories in a cocktail or two before dinner would not decrease their appetite. The alcohol calories (like the cost of the cocktails) would be added to the total calories from the meal. Looking at data from the end of the first year, researchers found no association between weight and drinking—even among those in the intensive intervention group who reported heavy drinking. But zooming out to year four, there was a small association between weight gain and any drinking in this group. However, there was no observed difference in weight based on alcohol consumption in the control group that received minimal weight loss and diet advice.

Why do I gain weight after drinking alcohol?

• Certainly if you’re looking for a way to unwind at happy hour after work, there’s no shortage of rum-based options to whet your palate.
• When you mix drinks with sugary sodas or juices, those calorie counts can soar.
• “But now we know that even the lightest daily drinkers have an increased mortality risk.” That means that even one serving of rum every night has adverse effects on your health.
• Other studies have found such an association only in women, while finding a positive association between obesity risk and alcohol intake in men 40.

It’s not just you; many people experience temporary weight gain after consuming alcohol. This can be a confusing and frustrating experience, especially if you’re trying to maintain or lose weight. Some evidence suggests that sleep-deprived people eat more food and find it harder to resist tempting snacks than usual. Most studies on alcohol’s effects on appetite have been conducted in animals.

An Alternative to Booze for Anyone Looking to Lose Weight

This is why you enthusiastically shove cold slices of pizza in your face the day after drinking. So to recap where we are currently, you’ve just consumed anywhere from 1,000-2,000 calories at the pub, and now you’re inhaling another 1,500-2,000 calories of high fat, high sodium food. Drinkaware has a wonderful, reality-inducing tool that lets you calculate exactly how many calories you’re consuming when you go for drinks.

Alcohol Intake and Obesity: Potential Mechanisms

The trillions of microbes in your colon and large and small intestines are critical to proper digestion. They also help fend off inflammation and support healthy metabolism. But when you ingest too much alcohol for your liver to process in a timely manner, a buildup of toxic substances begins to take a toll on your liver. Dr. Sengupta shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body. The more you drink, the more you wake up to increasingly unstable moods and stress, leading you to drink (and eat) more.

How To Quit Drinking Alcohol: 15 Tips From Someone Who Did It

“I prefer to drink my calories,” he told us, pointing to the bottle of red wine he had ordered. This he did—by consuming the entire bottle. In reality, there’s no evidence that drinking beer (or your alcoholic beverages of choice) actually contributes to belly fat. Alcohol can also influence hunger via several central mechanisms.