It’s cold out, and you need some warming up, bring on the alcohol right? I’m gonna say hard pass for me, here’s why…

Does alcohol make you gain belly fat?

Yes, absolutely it does! And here’s why: alcohol is packed with “empty” calories.

Even those low-calorie seltzers, like White Claw, still pack a punch, minimizing your ability to lose belly fat. Plus, alcohol makes you hungry and usually leads to poor food choices, which means you end up overeating.

Here are 3 primary macronutrients you need to know about:

• Protein (4 calories per gram – think meat, fish, eggs)
• Carbs (4 calories per gram – think starchy foods like potatoes, vegg, rice, bread, etc)
• Fat (9 calories per gram – think butter, avocados, nuts)

But what about alcohol? It’s its own thing, its own macronutrient.

Alcohol is considered the 4th macronutrient. Coming in at 7 calories per gram, not a Protein, not a Carb, and definitely not a Fat.

But here’s the catch – Alcohol has NO nutritional value. NONE! No vitamins, no minerals, no fiber!

When you drink, your liver goes to work breaking down alcohol and turns it into acetaldehyde—a toxic molecule. This toxin is one of the main reasons you can’t burn fat while drinking. So yeah, alcohol is a toxin your body needs to get rid of, and that’s why it messes with your fat-burning process.

When you drink, your body immediately shifts into “emergency mode” to break down the alcohol, putting all its focus on detoxifying the alcohol before anything else. During this time, your metabolism slows down, halting fat-burning processes. Depending on the amount you drank and your body size, this can take anywhere from 12 to 36 hours (according to the NIAAA, 2021).

In simpler terms, consuming alcohol—even just one drink—can pause your body’s fat-burning process for up to 36 hours. That’s nearly 2 days of zero fat loss just because you decided to have a drink. It may seem like a small thing, but that can add up over time. So yes, even one drink can temporarily prevent your body from burning fat. And if you’re drinking a few times a week? The impact adds up, slowing down your overall progress.

While your body focuses on dealing with the alcohol, any calories consumed are stored for later. This happens because the body simply can’t process those calories while it’s busy breaking down the alcohol toxins. So, when you’re drinking alcohol, you’re effectively stopping weight loss from happening.

So, should you stop drinking altogether? Ideally, yes, if you are trying to lose weight. 

Will it hinder your progress in diet and exercise? Yes, it can if you drink daily or excessively.

So what can you do if you can’t cut alcohol completely? Limit yourself to 1-2 drinks a week or less (preferably none). If you have already had a few drinks in ya, there isn’t much you can do except be mindful of your future activity level and dietary intake to help prevent unwelcomed fat storage.

So now you know alcohol is a toxin that can stop your weight loss for up to 2 days. Will you drink again? The decision is yours. The question is, how badly do you want to lose fat?

Stay Strong!

~ Coach Ame