Will drinking alcohol stop me losing weight?

How does drinking affect weight loss?
Everyone says that you can’t drink alcohol while you’re trying to lose weight.
But they say that because they don’t know the science of how alcohol affects your body when it comes to weight loss.

As soon as you know the physiology of how alcohol affects the body then you are equipped and informed to make good decisions so that you can enjoy sipping whiskey without it screwing up your weight loss.

Remember, it is possible to lose weight and still drink alcohol but there are some guidelines and considerations we must think about for this to be success.

Unfortunately, you can’t throw back 5 drinks a night and expect consistent weight loss, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to pour a bourbon or scotch and not feel like you are self-sabotaging?
 
What you drink and how it affects it
One thing that you should know is that Calories are the main driver of whether you lose weight or not. So, let’s talk about how what you’re drinking can affect your Calorie intake and your subsequent weight loss (or lack of it).

For example, did you know that proof can affect calories?

• A 1.5oz pour of whiskey at 80 proof is around 100 Calories
• A 1.5 oz pour of whiskey at 120 proof is 150 Calories
• 12oz of light beer is also around 100 Calories
• 12oz of ‘normal’ beer is around 150 Calories

 
Why does 50 Calories matter?
If you have one drink in one evening, it probably doesn’t. 50 Calories is unlikely to make or break your day. However, over the course of a week or weekend it can add up (and get all sneaky on you).

Let’s paint a picture. It’s the weekend and you’re watching a lot of football. You’re not going crazy with the adult beverages, but you have a couple beers watching College football and then you have a couple 1.5oz pours over dinner.

On Sunday you do something similar: a couple beers during the afternoon and a couple pours of whiskey for SNF.
If you’re drinking light beer/lower proof your total is going to be around 800 Calories.
If you’re drinking regular beer/high proof your total is going to be around 1200 Calories.
That 400 Calorie difference is about the equivalent of going for a 60-minute walk or a 30-minute job.
 
The way I see it you have two options:
Option 1: Drink lower proof alcohol
Option 2: Drink higher proof beverages but go for a 60-minute walk.
(Option 3): Drink higher proof, don’t do anything else…and get fat.
As a successful businessman you have to make the executive decision: Is it worth it?
 
Note: If you want to keep your higher proof whiskey then something has to give and that something is volume. Maybe you have 1oz pours instead of 1.5oz (it really does add up overtime) or you have a single pour instead of multiple in a single evening.
 
It’s not just Calories
We can talk numbers all day, but you can always cancel out the Calories you drink by eating less or exercising. What about the other things that come with drinking?
 
Drinking and sleep
How many times have you heard “I can drink a bunch and it doesn’t affect my sleep”.
Personally, I normally hear it from people who are newer to drinking or they have been doing it for such a long time that they don’t feel it anymore.

A nightcap may even make it easier to fall asleep. What gives?

Well, a drink may make it easier to fall asleep, but it messes with the deep sleep that allows us to wake up feeling rested. Alcohol typically takes hold in the second half of the night, that’s why you might wake up at 2am/3am.
Why is this important?

Reduced sleep actually makes you eat more the next day and makes you feel less full when you do eat.
That means you overeat and then you get fat. Bummer.
What’s the fix? The earlier your stop drinking the better.
 
Drinking and hydration
Everyone knows that alcohol makes you dehydrated. It makes you pee more even though your body doesn’t have much water in it to begin with.

What makes it worse is that as we start drinking alcohol, we typically stop drinking water. Talk about a double whammy.
Working out when you’re dehydrated…SUCKS!

Not only are you less likely to go workout (because you feel bad…because you’re dehydrated) but the workout is going to feel a lot harder.

What’s the fix? Alternating between whiskey and water or just keeping a bottle of water close by while you’re drinking.
 
Finishing up
Now you’re fully in-the-know when it comes to drinking and weight loss.

It may seem like there is a lot of negatives to drinking while trying to lose weight and unfortunately that kind of true. However, all of them can be buffered or adjusted-for so that you can have a drink guilt-free.
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Cheers!