Does Alcohol Make You Gain Weight?: Everything You Need to Know

Does Alcohol Make You Gain Weight?

Excessive alcohol consumption can make you gain weight by changing your hormones related to regulating weight. It impacts your hunger cues and metabolism and decreases the body’s ability to burn fat. Over time, that can lead to weight gain, specifically around the waist and stomach area. Alcohol also has to be metabolized by the liver. When there is a lot of alcohol to metabolize, the liver will first break down all the alcohol, leaving the fat and other substances to accumulate.¹

Calories in Alcoholic Beverages

There are different calorie counts per drink, and knowing how many calories are in each drink is important information to know. Some examples of how many calories there are in alcohol include:

How Much Alcohol Makes You Gain Weight

Drinking a heavy amount of alcohol is linked with weight gain. Heavy drinking means daily consumption of 4+ drinks. Light to moderate drinking, in addition to regular exercise, will not necessarily lead to weight gain.

How Alcohol Affects Body Composition

Body composition can be impacted by what you eat, the amount of sleep you get, and how much water you drink. Alcohol can also affect your body composition in many ways, including:

Hormones

Alcohol impacts the function of certain glands that help to regulate your body. When this happens, it can lead to weight gain. The hormones impact the function of all the organs and regulate the production of hormones, such as cortisol.³

Makes You Feel Hungry

Alcohol lowers your inhibition, so your decision-making is impacted. This may make you choose foods you don’t typically eat or give you the feeling of hunger even if you are not hungry or just ate.

Increases Abdominal Fat

Alcohol has a lot of calories, and certain drinks can have more sugar. This, in addition to the over-utilization of the liver, can lead to weight gain around the abdomen. In addition, your liver works to break down alcohol before fat, so heavy drinking over a long period of time will lead to increased weight gain.

Alcohol Changes Your Metabolism

Alcohol changes the hormones that regulate your metabolism. Your metabolism functions by changing calories into energy. When you are drinking alcohol, which impacts hunger, hormones, and sleep quality, your metabolism might slow down over time.³

The Concept of Empty Calories

Empty calories are calories that do not provide vital nutrition. Alcoholic beverages are high in empty calories, and mixed drinks and cocktails are even higher in empty calorie count. Some drinks have as many as 500-600 calories per 8 oz, and it is better to get calories from foods that have nutrition that help to repair your body, build muscle, and burn fat.

Alcohol’s Impact on Sleep

Alcohol can make you sleepy initially, however, use for a longer period of time and multiple drinks per night will make that night’s sleep quality worse. Alcohol can change your body temperature and heart rate, and those changes can make it hard to stay asleep or sleep for a long enough time. Poor sleep can also contribute to weight gain.⁴

Can You Lose Weight if You Stop Drinking?

Your weight will likely decrease if you stop drinking just due to taking fewer calories and taking away substances that negatively impact your hormones related to weight stability.

How to Limit Weight Gain When Drinking

It is possible to drink alcohol and not gain weight.

Ways to limit weight gain while drinking include:

• Eat: Eating a meal before you drink can reduce the amount of additional food you eat and help you absorb the alcohol slowly over time.
• Drink lightly: Having just a drink or two won’t necessarily contribute to weight gain.
• Avoid sugary drinks: Mixed drinks and cocktails can include a lot of extra sugar and calories.
• Drink low-calorie drinks: There are a number of new drinks on the market that are 100 calories or less, from beers to spiked seltzers.
• Set a limit: Give yourself a set limit on the number of drinks you drink.
• Drink slowly: Avoid drinks that require you to drink them quickly, as you will end up drinking more.

When to Seek Professional Help

If you or someone you know is dealing with the overuse of alcohol and is concerned about the impact on their life, it may be time to talk to a professional. Working with a therapist in person or online can both be viable options. You can try an online therapist directory to find a therapist, and also consider an online therapy platform if virtual therapy is better for you. It is important to consider a therapist who has experience with alcohol use and working through those issues. Together, you and your therapist will be able to determine if you can benefit from medication management. If so, there are many psychiatry options online and in person. online.