Oh, the dreaded beer belly. Alcohol and weight gain are almost as synonymous as peanut butter and jelly. Think about every time you have ever gone out and had a beer or any other drink, and then a second, and a third one. By then you are probably telling yourself how bloated you are, but still looking forward to your next grease-filled meal. 

When you drink alcohol, you will almost always gain weight; not only are there many hidden calories when drinking, but it also sends signals to your brain telling yourself that you are hungry, and in turn, turning to food when you don’t need to. 

Added on weight will only come from a couple of places, overeating or gastritis. Either one will make you gain the added unwanted weight, but we are here to help you keep off the pounds and rid yourself of that beer belly. 

How does alcohol make you gain weight?

Alcohol is high in calories, with each gram of alcohol-containing 7 calories. This is almost as many calories as fat, which contains 9 calories per gram. In addition, alcohol consumption can increase appetite and lead to overeating, which can further contribute to weight gain.

Alcohol can also interfere with the body's ability to burn fat, as the body tends to prioritize breaking down alcohol first over other nutrients. This means that the excess calories from alcohol may be stored as fat in the body, leading to weight gain over time.

An important note is that moderate alcohol consumption is not necessarily associated with weight gain, but excessive alcohol consumption can have negative effects on overall health and increase the risk of weight gain and obesity. Therefore, it's important to consume alcohol in moderation and maintain a balanced diet and exercise routine for overall health and weight management.

Do I need to stop drinking to lose weight?

This is not a black-and-white answer, as it depends on a few factors, including the amount and frequency of your alcohol consumption, your overall calorie intake, and your level of physical activity.

Alcohol is high in calories and can contribute to weight gain if consumed in excess. For example, a typical 12-ounce beer contains about 153 calories, while a 5-ounce glass of wine contains about 125 calories, and a 1.5-ounce shot contains about 100 calories. 

If you consume several drinks per day, the calories can add up quickly and contribute to weight gain without even realizing how many extra calories you intake per day.

If you're trying to lose weight, reducing or eliminating alcohol from your diet can be helpful. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to stop drinking completely, but it's important to be mindful of your alcohol consumption and its calorie content.

If you do decide to drink, choosing lower calorie options, such as light beer or wine, and limiting your intake to one or two drinks per day can be a good approach. Maintaining a healthy diet and working out regularly is important to see the result you want.

How long will it take to lose the alcohol belly?

The alcohol belly, or “beer belly" as most people know it, can be caused by two main purposes: either bloating or weight gain. When consuming alcohol, you are taking in excess calories from those drinks, which can lead to high-calorie intake very quickly. 

Consuming alcohol also has an effect on the neurons in your brain that could lead you to think you are hungry, in turn, causing you to eat more than you typically would. If the alcohol belly is caused by overeating, the best would be to do a lifestyle change and incorporate healthy eating and workouts. This change could reduce the alcohol belly in a couple of months, or it could take years. 

If the weight gain is caused by excess gas and bloating, it could result in gastritis, which causes inflammation in the lining of the stomach. There are two types: acute gastritis and chronic gastritis. If you have acute gastritis, the symptoms of bloating should go away in a day or two. If we are talking about chronic, symptoms may persist for months to years. 

Alcohol’s effect on metabolism

When alcohol is consumed, it is absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach and small intestine, and then metabolized primarily in the liver. 

The liver breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, which is further metabolized into acetate, and then into carbon dioxide and water. This process is primarily carried out by the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase.

During this process, alcohol metabolism can affect various metabolic pathways in the body, including those related to energy production. 

The metabolism of alcohol can temporarily decrease the body's ability to produce energy from glucose, as it impairs the function of the enzyme responsible for converting pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, a key step in the process of aerobic respiration. This can lead to a buildup of lactate in the body, which can cause symptoms such as fatigue and muscle pain.

Read more about how the body processes alcohol HERE

Final thoughts

Alcohol and weight gain go hand-in-hand; you will usually almost always gain weight when you consume a high quantity of alcohol. To combat this, you can eat better, drink less, and stay on a consistent gym regime. Alcohol in small amounts will not result in the beer belly or alcohol gut, but drinking a lot in one sitting may cause a change in your stomach, but should go away in a couple of days.