Your plan is to stop drinking alcohol – goal – quit drinking and lose weight

August 20, 2020

Your plan is to stop drinking alcohol – goal – quit drinking and lose weight?

Quitting alcohol can have profound benefits to you both mentally and physically this is not in question!

But let’s look at one very specific benefit that kicking the booze can bring – weight loss.

In fact, often people come to the decision to quit drinking for that very reason alone. All of the other amazing benefits of quitting drinking will just be a side-effect for these people.

Or maybe this is one of your big motivators? Your reason is to quit alcohol to lose weight? For whatever reason – the benefits of quitting alcohol are immense, and losing weight can just be one of them fantastic ones ๐Ÿ™‚

What you will learn about quitting alcohol and weight loss

We could literally fill this page with a list of the positive aspects that banishing booze from your life has on your health. But when quitting alcohol, controlling your waistline comes along almost effortlessly. I say ‘effortlessly’….quitting the booze is far from effortless, but look at this loss as an amazing side effect from your alcohol-free lifestyle choice.

With losing fat, for some it is instant, for others, it takes a bit of time. But one thing is for sure, if you are trying to lose weight, quitting alcohol is an absolute leap in the right direction.

Trying to lose weight? Quit drinking alcohol!

I don’t know about you, but in almost all of my social circles, people are obsessed with their weight. This could be weight gain or dropping a few pounds, but very few people that I know are actually happy with their weight.

Most people I know are not actually happy with many aspects of their appearance – I think that is human nature really. But weight and diets always seem to be a top contender in the world of human worries.

People are always trying new fads and diets that come around. From passing phases (think about all of those DVDs that come out around Christmas with your favourite soap stars in them) through to the solid science approaches like keto diets. When quitting alcohol and weight loss could be just around the corner for you.

These diets do produce results, yes. But one thing that would hinder even the most tried and tested diets would be alcohol intake. Simply put – increasing alcohol intake and losing weight becomes harder. If you Quit alcohol, weight loss is far easier. In fact, giving up alcohol altogether will help regulate your body’s weight in a trustworthy chosen approach.

If you are trying to lose weight – consider cutting out alcohol and you will reap the rewards!

Can stop drinking alcohol cause weight loss

Are you looking to lose weight? If so, then you should think about cutting out alcohol. Alcohol is high in calories and can cause many people to pack on pounds. Surprise! Cutting out calories will also help with your weight loss goals.

But what if I told you there was a way of reducing the number of calories that you consume without having to cut back on volume or food choice?

It’s true – by cutting out alcohol, it’s possible for many people to see significant results in their weight loss journey.

“The first step is identifying when we drink alcohol and how much we are drinking each time (make sure it isn’t more than 2 drinks). The next important thing is figuring out which alcoholic beverages are contributing the most to your waistline. For most people, it is likely wine or mixed drinks that are the biggest problem areas when it comes to weight loss.”

What this means is you may need to cut back on drinking these types of alcoholic beverages if they are causing you not only weight gain but health problems as well. If you do decide to quit alcohol altogether then I can almost guarantee that in time, your body will thank you for it!

But what happens next? Many people switch from booze to sugary snacks and coffee with creamers – both high-sugar options which can lead them down an even worse path than before!

This needs to be avoided at all costs by replacing bad habits with good ones instead. You might want some ice cream or a cookie when you get home, but make sure it’s a healthy one not an unhealthy one.

You should also look to cut out all added sugars from your diet – this includes high-fructose corn syrup which can be found in some of the sweetest drinks and foods on the market! If we aren’t careful about our carbohydrate intake then weight loss will become very difficult indeed.

The next thing is going for water or green tea over coffee with creamers during the day too as these are much better options than typical sugar-filled beverages that contain little nutritional value.

Alcohol isn’t just bad for your waistline either – have you ever had blackouts where you wake up feeling awful? Or been hungover after a night downing shots? Alcohol has been known to cause stomach problems too, so now is a good time as ever to stop drinking it.

water can help <keywordmarkbg>lose weight</keywordmarkbg> when quitting alcohol

Finally, try and eat at least one or two meals during the day before you start up with your evening alcoholic beverage – this will help keep those hunger pangs under control until later on! Cutting out alcohol might seem like an impossible task but trust me- if you focus on these changes then weight loss can happen very quickly indeed. You could be losing pounds within weeks of making the switch from alcohol back to healthier habits instead.

Just remember that whatever path you choose โ€“ whether itโ€™s cutting down on drinks, quitting altogether or going for moderation โ€“ make sure it’s what works best for YOU and YOUR lifestyle. Good luck!

Why losing weight after quitting alcohol goes hand in hand

If you are trying to lose weight and eat healthily, one of the simplest ways to reduce your calorie intake is to give up drinking.  Using basic mathematics, you can remove hundreds (if not thousands) of calories per day by cutting down or removing booze from your daily life – quitting alcohol & losing weight really do work well together.

Alcohol is often referred to as ’empty calories. this is because alcohol is packed with calories – not has no nutritional value. The calories you are getting from alcohol do not offer anything to ‘fuel’ your body and the calories often only add to your waistline.

Alcohol carries empty calories - quitting can massively help weight loss

In my professional capacity (as a then mental health nurse) I have spoken to countless people who have tried giving up alcohol and lost weight – some intentionally, and some purely as a by-product of quitting the booze.

Personally when I quit I noticed that my face seemed less bloated and my clothes seemed to fit me better. OK, I was exercising, but I had always exercised. But doing it without alcohol – maybe there was an element of me being to exercise harder or with more vigor? Ok, that might have played a part…but again that is the added bonus of not drinking every night.

Roll on a few months, and people were commenting on how well I looked. And, let’s be honest…we are our own biggest critics, right? I honestly felt that I looked better than ever before. But hearing it from others? That is a comment that I will NEVER get bored of hearing ๐Ÿ™‚ And I have again heard the same story from so many others who have decided to become alcohol-free.

Stopping drinking alcohol can cause weight loss – having it can cause weight gain

Sounds obvious right? But it might not be as obvious as it seems. Many people who drink, try to combat any ‘badness’ from drinking with regular exercise. But by tracking the alcohol calories that you consume, you will find that they are not your everyday ‘normal calories’

Why does alcohol affect weight gain

There are a few reasons why alcohol causes weight gain really. Let’s explore…

Consuming alcohol will make you less active, burning less calories all round. When we are on the booze, it is HIGHLY unlikely that we are motivated to go out on a quick jog (unless it is last orders at the bar) or be getting ready for a gym session. This lack of motivation to exercise will lead to less physical activity, fewer calories burned and more fat on our bodies.

Calories from foods contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Calories from drinking your favourite tipple come from the actual alcohol itself – and alcohol is a toxic substance for your body. Your body is fully aware of this and does not store it in the same way as regular calories. Quitting alcohol and weight loss often happens due to not having all of these extra calories.

“Galanin increases appetite for fats, and consumption of fat causes more galanin to be produced,” Gruchow said. “Alcohol intake also results in increased galanin production.” 

William Gruchow

When we consume alcohol, we simply have a desire to eat more fatty foods. So….we are now drinking something that contains more calories, and makes us eat more food (which contains more calories)…and not only that BUT alcohol has a desire to eat the fattier foods! W e gain weight when we have a drink? Giving up alcohol and weight reduces. Go figure ๐Ÿ™‚

When a person exercises and uses alcohol calories as fuel, it slows down the body’s natural use of other calories. This means that drinkers must choose between food or alcohol to keep their weight in control much easier.

Just how much weight is in alcohol

According to NHS Live well

One glass of wine has 133kcals, one double measure of Gin has 95kcals while one pint of beer (5%) has a whopping 239kcals!! 

When you consider that the recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 for men (as arough guide_) – all of those drinks soon add up.

Reducing alcohol intake and exercise will accelerate weight loss

Alcohol is a source of empty calories that can lead to weight gain, liver damage, and other serious health problems. In this blog post we will go over how many calories alcohol has and the other harmful effects it can have on your body.

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. Alcoholic beverages vary in their calorie content and percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV), so it’s important to know both when you’re trying to keep track of what you’re drinking or looking for ways to cut back on intake.

The average beer has about 150-200 kcal per 12 oz serving; wine varies from 120-250 kcal per 5 oz glass, as does hard liquor such as vodka, whiskey, tequila etc. which typically contain around

How much weight should I expect to lose if I stop drinking Alcohol – should I really consider quitting alcohol for weight loss?

If you stop drinking alcohol, and combine this with regular exercise, you should expect to lose around 1-2 pounds of weight/fat per week.

This might not sound like some of those ‘lose weight quick’ plans and fads that you read online, but let’s break this down.

Depending on your current weight and the amount of actual fat that you currently carry – it would not be unrealistic to drop 8 pounds of unwanted weight in a 4 week period.

Living an alcohol-free lifestyle for around 3 months could see you dropping over one and a half stone!

This is just one of the amazing benefits of living an AF life.

Alcohol has a lot to answer for in our lives. Stop drinking, and lose weight! And help you to shed pounds is just one of the amazing benefits of getting rid of alcohol.

Can you drink alcohol and still lose weight? That is the question that many people ask themselves when they are deciding what to do with their diet. If the answer is “yes, I can,” then you should be focusing on how much alcohol can you drink before it starts to affect your weight loss.

Losing weight can be tricky for some people, but there are always ways around it! In this blog post, we will discuss whether or not drinking can affect your weight loss goals, and if so what steps can be taken to help maintain a healthy lifestyle while also enjoying an alcoholic beverage here and there.

Can I drink alcohol and still lose weight?

You can still have a drink and lose weight. It is basic maths, which means that if you are burning more calories than whatโ€™s being ingested then of course there will be some loss in height or fat distribution over time due to energy expenditure exceeding intake on an ongoing basis (i.e., daily). The obvious issue here becomes whether one would like their bodyweight changes/losses affected by all those โ€œempty calories.”

The most straightforward solution – something many people do without even considering its applications- could involve simply cutting out drinking altogether for certain periods of time.

This would be the simplest approach to take, provided one was willing to commit. This is a good way to healthily drop those pounds.

It will definitely help you become thinner and healthier if you cut out alcohol completely from your diet for certain periods of time. You can still drink and lose weight as long as this doesnโ€™t become a habit. You can still drink alcohol and not gain weight as long as this doesnโ€™t become an addiction.

You can still drink alcohol and lose weight as long as this doesnโ€™t become a lifestyle. This is a good way to get leaner, provided one was willing to commit.

This will definitely help you become thinner and healthier if you cut out alcohol completely from your diet for certain periods of time. You can still drink alcohol and lose weight as long as this doesnโ€™t become a habit or an addiction. It is basic maths, which means that if you are burning more calories than what’s being ingested then of course there will be some loss in height or fat distribution over time due to energy expenditure exceeding intake on an ongoing basis (i.e., daily).

So, in short, yes you can still lose weight when drinking alcohol – but you are putting yourself up against it! If you are hoping to lose weight, quitting alcohol is one of the best things that you can do for your health and weight balance. 

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