Can I drink alcohol and lose weight?
We are often asked, ‘Can I drink alcohol and lose weight?’ Your alcohol consumption will depend upon what you want to achieve. For example if you would like to lose weight then the less alcohol you consume the easier it will be to lose body fat. However, if it is more important to you to have a glass of alcohol each day then yes you can still drink however your weight loss will be slower.
- We suggest you enjoy your alcohol in moderation and choose when you want to enjoy it. Thereby avoiding the ‘having a drink for the sake of it’ situation which we know is a very common occurrence. Enjoy your alcohol by being mindful and planning it into your weekly consumption of foods and drinks.
- Alcohol contains ‘empty calories’ which means that it does not offer you any nutritional benefit. We know it’s nice though!
- Making the lowest sugar choices. Champagne and white wine are amongst the lowest in sugar. Followed by white spirits but beware the mixers which often contain between 8 and 10 teaspoons of sugar, opt for soda water or fizzy water to top up your drink and avoid the sugar. Then it’s red wines, then dark spirits and beers.
- We recommend you follow the government guidelines of alcohol consumption which is 14 units per week for both men and women with two consecutive alcohol free days. To find out what an alcohol unit is view this information by Drink Aware.
- If you are consuming alcohol, alternate these drinks with a glass of water.
We have plenty of delicious non-alcoholic drinks for you to be inspired by here.
Do you find yourself tempted by smoking when you consume alcohol? Become part of the Stoptober campaign to increase your chances of quitting for good.
