How Alcohol Affects Weight Gain
When you’re trying to manage your weight, your focus is typically on the foods you eat. However, what you drink is just as important – especially when it comes to alcohol. Although some scientific studies suggest that red wine may have certain health benefits, alcohol consumption is more likely to undermine your weight loss efforts – be it a self-guided diet or a medical weight loss program.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), moderate alcohol use is two drinks or fewer per day for men; one drink or fewer per day for women. However, even this amount can affect your weight if that evening glass of “healthful” red wine is a daily ritual.
Reasons Why Alcohol Use Can Cause Weight Gain
Empty calories – Alcohol provides calories but offers little to no nutritional value, without essential nutrients like protein, fiber, vitamins, or minerals. At 7 calories per gram, alcohol is nearly twice as calorie-dense as protein or carbs.
To put it in perspective, here’s the caloric breakdown for the most popular types of drinks:
- Regular beer – about 150 calories.
- Glass of wine – about 125 calories.
- Cocktail – 400–500 calories or more.
Metabolism – Alcohol slows down your metabolism, making it less efficient at burning fat. Your body prioritizes processing alcohol, leading to decreased fat oxidation and potential fat storage.
Increased appetite – Alcohol can stimulate appetite and increase cravings for high-calorie, often unhealthy foods – such as those high in fat and salt. It can lower blood sugar, which triggers hunger. It can also lower inhibitions, potentially leading to poor food choices.
Hormonal changes – Alcohol may affect hormones that regulate appetite, hunger and stress, potentially contributing to weight gain. For example, it can affect testosterone levels, which play a role in muscle formation and fat burning.
Impact on muscle growth – Alcohol can hinder muscle protein synthesis, essential for muscle growth and repair. Building muscle helps improve metabolism to burn calories.
Fat storage – Studies suggest that excessive alcohol consumption is linked to higher levels of ectopic fat, which is fat around organs like the heart, liver and intestines.
William E. Newsome, M.D., Medical Director and co-owner of Solutions Weight Loss, brings his own insights to this matter.
“The biggest issue with alcohol is not just calories, but the fact that the liver is responsible for both burning fat and eliminating alcohol. Being that alcohol is a foreign substance to the body the liver has to divert attention to, the process becomes one of elimination, placing fat-burning on hold. That can slow down the weight loss process and contribute to weight gain.
“I typically advise my patients against anything that can slow down progress, including alcohol. But I’m also realistic, so if someone has a special occasion and they want to drink, I ask that they limit it to one or two non-sugary drinks – for example, vodka and seltzer. But again, my preference is no alcohol.”
Moreover, according to Healthline, when alcohol is consumed, it’s burned first as a fuel source before your body uses anything else. This includes glucose from carbohydrates or lipids from fats. When your body is using alcohol as a primary source of energy, the excess glucose and lipids end up as adipose tissue – otherwise known as fat.
Why Alcohol Causes a “Beer Belly”
Speaking of fat, the so-called beer belly is caused not only by beer, but by all forms of alcohol. It refers to the accumulation of excess abdominal fat – particularly visceral fat – associated with heavy alcohol consumption. This fat accumulates around the midsection and can pose health risks beyond just cosmetic concerns. All of the factors listed above contribute to the development of a beer belly. Aside from the effect it has on weight and body shape, this condition increases the risk of heart disease, liver damage, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.
Can You Drink Alcohol While on a Medical Weight Loss Program?
As noted earlier by Dr. Newsome, patients following a medical weight loss program are advised to abstain. Alcohol on its own can have the effect of lowering blood sugar, which may be worsened if taken in combination with a GLP-1 medication. This can lead to hypoglycemia, which may cause shakiness, dizziness and confusion – and could require emergency treatment.
Ultimately, it’s best to ask your doctor about alcohol consumption during medical weight management. Ethical physicians specializing in medical weight loss – such as Dr. Newsome – take a complete medical history of each patient in order to create a safe, effective treatment plan. Being honest about your alcohol use and having a candid talk with your doctor will help you achieve the best possible outcome.
The Solutions Weight Loss Experience
In addition to taking the medical history of each patient, those under the care of Dr. Newsome and his entire dedicated team can expect one-on-one individual attention on every step of their medical weight loss journey. During your first appointment, he will measure your body mass index (BMI), take your vital signs (body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure) and talk with you about your medical history to learn about any health conditions you’ve had or currently have.
During this appointment, Dr. Newsome will also have an in-depth conversation with you about your weight loss goals. Based upon your consultation, Dr. Newsome will evaluate and prescribe for you the best GLP-1 medication treatment plan to achieve your goals. We offer high-quality, safe and affordable, compounded GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide – which you probably know under brand names like Wegovy®, Ozempic®, Zepbound®, or Mounjaro®. Research shows that when combined with one-on-one physician coaching, low-calorie diet and lifestyle changes, they are the safest and most effective approach to achieve sustainable weight loss.
Because we prescribe, compound and dispense these medications, shortages of the brand-name drugs that often occur will never affect your access. In fact, you can leave our office with your medication the same day – offering you both confidence in the quality of your GLP-1 medication AND convenience! We also offer a prescription program for name brand GLP-1 medications. Moreover, we understand that people have busy schedules that may not allow them to visit our office on a weekly basis. That’s why we can dispense up to 12 weeks of your weight loss medication at a time.
Our Proven Track Record in Getting Results for Our Patients
Solutions Weight Loss internal results prove our medically supervised program is effective at driving long-term improvements to metabolic health and weight loss, with an average of 21% weight loss at 12 months; 19.1% at 18 months, and 18.9% at 24 months. Our members have also decreased their waist circumference by 7 inches, on average. These results are superior to the weight loss seen in clinical trials for GLP-1 medications. Regardless of which medication they take, our members have demonstrated significant and sustained results!
See what makes Solutions Weight Loss the #1 weight loss clinic in Florida! Schedule your consultation with Dr. Newsome here, or call 407-413-5503, and experience the benefits of today’s metabolic approach to sustainable weight loss! Don’t wait another day to start living your best life!
