Does Alcohol Make You Gain Weight? (The 4 Biggest Problems)

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Often, when you set out on a weight loss journey, you may consider whether alcohol and weight loss mix and whether you’ll need to give up alcohol completely in order to make the most of your efforts. The answer I’m going to give you today is ‘No, not completely.’ That may make some of you happy to hear!

In fact, when it comes to the question “Does alcohol make you fat,” it’s not actually the alcohol that causes you the problems. There are 4 predominant issues that I cover in this video and below that actually cause you to gain weight if you drink often. Let’s dive on in and find out what they are!

**Problem #1 - Blunted liver processing and metabolism

When you drink alcohol, your body considers it a poison and focuses its efforts on metabolizing it before anything else. Because of this, the livers' job of metabolizing fat is severely blunted. Studies have shown that this process, necessary to stop your body from storing excess fat, can be affected by up to 75%!

Also, when your liver is busy trying to metabolize alcohol, it gets severely depleted of your vitamin and mineral resource, especially B vitamins. One particular symptom of a lack of Vitamin B is tiredness. Think back to your last hangover – Now you probably understand why you felt so tired!

**Problem #2 - Increased storage of fat from food and sugary drinks

Building on top of weight gain and alcohol problem #1 comes the issue of fat being stored more readily due to the blunting of your liver function to metabolize fat. During times of drinking alcohol you should be more choosy about what you eat, opting for foods that are higher in protein, but lower in carbs and fat.

Even a meal that you would normally think of as healthy, such as salad, avocado, and salmon, could end up causing you to store more fat. This goes back to the blunting of the liver function and it is not being able to keep up with metabolizing the extra calories effectively.

Your choice of drink will also be important, as anything that is sugary, like cocktails, will obviously be higher in Carbs than a straight drink like a vodka soda.

**Problem #3 - A negative effect on sleep

The next problem of alcohol and weight gain is its negative effect on sleep, particularly sleep quality and duration. The main impact is when it comes to REM sleep as this is when your body is usually producing necessary hormones for your body to be at its optimum. That moves us to the next problem.

**Problem #4 - A negative effect on hormones

When it comes to weight gain and alcohol, this problem is a big one too. If you’ve been around our channel or our website, you’ll know that hormones have a massive impact on your weight loss efforts.

Even after just 2 or 3 drinks, alcohol lowers Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone levels, while increasing levels of Estrogen. This creates a very favorable environment for weight gain, which is exactly what you don’t need.

So when it comes to weight loss and alcohol, my recommendation would be to limit the number of times you drink; when you do drink, drink plenty of water, and make wise food choices to go with them.

Your friends here at the FFP,

-Dr. Balduzzi + The Men's Health Experts @ The Fit Father Project

**Disclaimer: This information is for reference purposes ONLY and cannot replace personal information you can and should discuss with your Doctor. If you have any concerns about your health, you should see your Doctor immediately. Results vary by individual, so we do not guarantee you will get the same results as any shown here or on our website.

[gildersleevefan]

June marked my 19th anniversary of being sober. For people who can drink, great. But for me, last 19 years are miles ahead of what life was like when I was drinking.

[senttel]

Had no idea that it's the food rather than alcohol, that determines the weight gain when drinking, learned a ton - thank you! Keep them daily uploads coming!

[nicolemartin]

Wow this was very eye-opening! I've always liked the sugary drinks such as margaritas, daiquiris, etc. versus simple cocktails, but I never realized how bad these are! And especially combined with fatty foods on a night out. I'm so glad I found this video! Dr. Balduzzi did an excellent job of explaining all the negative effects. I'm definitely going to change my drinks + food choices from now on. thank you!

[sarefin]

Thank you so much for getting straight to your points without a bunch of blah blah first. Too many youtubers seem to love a long lead-in and I click out if the point isn't dealt with very quickly. Great job and great info!Thanks for sharing!

[zorrosp]

I use to go gym and have a drink on weekends I never gained weight, but I stopped the gym about 9 years ago carried on with the alcohol gained 6 stones ! Joined gym today time to cut out the alcohol and back in the gym ! Alcohol is the devil's juice:(

[vanessaceaton]

I think your points are right. We should be more aware about drinking alcohol.

[WalkingEmDry]

I used to drink a six pack a day of beer Once i quit alc i lost 10kg and now i cannot gain any weight No matter what i try.

[malcolmmetty]

this channel is proving to be really different based on the topics it covers, glad you focused on the relation between alcohol and weight gain.

[xsarahjanedhelx]

I hadn't considered that the type of food one eats whilst drinking makes that greater impact. Thanks for the info!

[ThePinkSpider]

Stopping drinking is probably the best thing I ever did for myself. And Preach! Nobody believes me when I tell them alcohol affects sleep. They keep drinking and not sleeping ad still don't believe me! Nutso.

[shotokantiger]

No wonder I had problems with my sleep whenever I consume alcohol, even though in moderation. This was a very educative video, thanks doctor.

[zenaidatlntno]

I THINK THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO TAKE VERY CAREFULL OF OUR BODY AND TO MAKE SURE TO START WITH THE THINKING OF STOPPING ALCOHOL FOR OUR HEALTH

[agafonovas]

I guess I always new it just by observing my weight with alcohol and food intake combinations. Thanks for explanation, good stuff.

[mdmonowar]

Yes. I think Alcohol lead to gain our body weight. If we control our body weight we should try to avoid alcohol. Thanks for sharing this video.

[jillyoung]

This is just what I needed to hear! Research done! Thank you so much.

[Iso]

I stopped drinking alcohol when I realized that it could potentially slow my progress in the gym. That combined with alcohol's testosterone inhibiting effects and I have no reason to ever grab a "drink".

[kuneeyakanna]

wow this is really amazing. i wish everyone should go through this. i will definitely follow your suggestions.

[andrewanderson]

It's ok to drink. Still losing 2lb a week typical cut rate, I drink 1-2 drinks per night. Count each calorie and make sure you maintain a calorie deficit each day and you're good. Don't get caught up in preferential fat storage windows, it's true but makes little difference. Cals in cals out is king. Now get to work!

[bonsummers]

Moderation is key. I do great with modest consumption of quality beer and wine. Whereas, for examples, I find olive oil (extra virgin fresh harvest) isn't healthy for me (inflammation), starches less than healthy for me (congestion), , ...

[Itsme]

I don’t know if anyone else has this experience but if I drink an alcoholic beverage I gain 3-5 pounds for 1-2 days and then I drop back down. If I drink more than one it compounds the effect. I think my body retains water after a drink and it takes a couple days to release it all.