Alcohol and Weight Loss: Unraveling the Myth

When trying to lose weight or stay healthy, it’s important to understand how what you drink affects your body. Alcohol is a common part of many people’s lifestyles and diets, but there are several common myths about its impact on weight loss. Let’s debunk these misconceptions to help understand the true impact of alcohol on health and weight management.

Alcohol and Weight Loss: Separating Fact from Fiction

• Myth 1: Drinking alcohol can help you lose weight. It’s a common misconception that certain alcoholic drinks can help with weight loss. For example, light beers or dry wines are typically lower calorie options compared to non-light beers and other alcoholic beverages. However, alcohol contains quite a few calories, which can add up quickly and contribute to weight gain. Alcoholic beverages are often referred to as “empty calories” because they provide energy but no nutritional benefit.
• Myth 2: Alcohol doesn’t count in your daily calorie intake. Every calorie counts when you’re trying to manage your weight, including those from alcohol. Calorie content of different beers, wines and other alcoholic beverages can vary widely. For example, a typical beer can have about 150 calories, and a glass of wine might have around 125 calories. Even two or three light beers have about the same number of calories as a candy bar.
• Myth 3: Low-carb alcoholic drinks are weight-loss friendly. While low-carb alcoholic drinks – like light beers, wine and pure alcohol like gin, rum, tequila, vodka and whiskey – have fewer carbohydrates, they can still be high in calories. The calories in alcohol (7 calories per gram) can contribute to weight gain, regardless of the carbohydrate content. Therefore, even low-carb drinks should be consumed in moderation.
• Myth 4: Alcohol boosts your metabolism, helping you burn more calories. Some people believe alcohol can speed up your metabolism, aiding in weight loss. But this isn’t entirely true. While alcohol consumption does cause a slight temporary increase in metabolic rate, this effect is not significant enough to contribute to weight loss. In fact, alcohol can slow down your metabolism over time, making it harder to lose weight. When you drink alcohol, your body prioritizes metabolizing it over other substances because it cannot store alcohol like it can proteins, carbs, and fats. As a result, while your body is focused on eliminating alcohol, it processes food more slowly. This slower digestion can cause excess calories to accumulate, potentially leading to weight gain.
• Myth 5: Adding alcohol to your diet will help you lose weight. Losing weight usually requires a combination of dietary changes, healthy eating, regular physical activity and lifestyle adjustments. Simply adding alcohol to your diet without making other changes is unlikely to lead to weight loss. In fact, the CDC recommends considering the calorie content of alcoholic drinks as part of a healthy diet when trying to lose weight.

Understanding the real impact of alcohol on weight loss can help you make more informed decisions and better choices that support your health and fitness goals. Remember, moderation is key and being mindful of what you drink is just as important as watching what you eat!

Resources

If you need help to quit or limit your drinking, the Department of Defense provides screenings to help identify what type of support you need and what treatment would work best for you. They offer inpatient, partial inpatient and outpatient treatment options.

Military OneSource

Support for Military Personnel & Families | Military OneSource [militaryonesource.mil] is a DoD supported service offering 24/7 confidential support and is specialized in helping military members, families and veterans. Services are provided CONUS and OCONUS via call-in, live chat and text on their website and mobile app.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration You may also call the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free and confidential treatment referral and information service (provided in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders and is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Check out additional resources for Service members here [ownyourlimits.org].