Frequent alcohol drinking and weight gain!?!

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haley1297
haley1297 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so I am just curious about what y'all's personal opinions or experiences are when it comes to alcohol intake and weight gain. For the last three years I have become quite fond of having a few beers after work every day. When I first met my boyfriend four years ago I couldn't stand beer and only drank on the weekends at parties and other social gatherings. I was at a healthy weight and ate how ever I pleased and would only gain the occasional 5-10 lbs which I could easily lose with a little dieting and exercise. Well once I started to acquire the taste for beer I have been drinking bout 4-6 lite beers a day almost everyday, it doesn't get me drunk because I guess I have built a tolerance but I have over the period of drinking like this for 3 years gained 75lbs and it seems no matter how much I diet or exercise I can't seem to lose a lb I don't know if it's due to the alcohol or the fact I was on BC for three years or just me aging (I'm now in early-mid 20's) any thoughts? I've read several articles that say for women drinking vs not drinking doesn't affect weight gain. And I don't usually binge eat when I drink either. THANKS!!!
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Replies

  • hei_ma_ma
    hei_ma_ma Posts: 61 Member
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    You are probably drinking more calories than you think, thus the weight gain. Even light beer has about 65-120 calories per bottle, depending on the brand.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    300 calories per day in beer
    x 365 days
    x 3 years
    =328,500 calories
    divided by 3500 calories per pound of fat
    =93.86 lbs of fat

    Edit to add: I'm not judging. Check my diary. I often drink beer.
  • AnnieRN6
    AnnieRN6 Posts: 48
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    Haley, I'm going to say this as gently as I can. As a registered nurse, and with a lot of background in working with people with histories of alcohol and drug use, I have to say that your problem isn't your weight. Your problem is alcohol. If you're drinking 5-6 beers per day, you have a drinking problem. Before you tackle your diet, you need to address that first. If you were my best friend, I'd say the same thing. I also have to question the relationship you have with your boyfriend. To go from, "I don't like the taste of beer" to "I drink 5-6 beers a day" is a big red flag to me that you aren't in a healthy relationship.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
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    In addition to the calories from the beer, you are likely eating more. Alcohol reduces inhibitions, this includes the self-regulation while standing at the fridge. Everyone I know that is successfully losing weight is drinking more water, less beer and is working out more.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Beer has a lot of calories. If you don't burn those calories, you gain weight. Simple. If you want to drink so much beer that it puts you over your daily calories, you'll have to make up for it elsewhere. (more activity, less food)
  • LuvonLuv
    LuvonLuv Posts: 68
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    Since I lost weight, I try to keep alcohol consumption to a minimum, because I've observed with myself that when I do have, I tend to put on a few pounds that somewhat seem harder to lose than if I'd put on weight with overeating. I also feel very bloated with beer, so if I do have alcohol, it's not beer anymore. Of lately, I would take a water pill after socializing with alcohol to rid my bloated feeling alot faster. My personal opinion is that 4-6 beers would definitely make you gain weight. I see it with my husband also - he has alcohol, his stomach and weight rises significantly, especially if it's beers...he reduces or stops alcohol, his weight reduces. In fact, I actually fight the urge to have too much alcohol at gatherings specifically because I gain weight.
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
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    IMO that is definitely far too much alcohol to be drinking without health or weight consequences. Try stopping for a while and see what happens. Good luck.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    You need to count all of the calories. Also, if you are combining it with eating out, you will likely be eating more calories than if you were at home and able to track exactly how many calories you are eating. In the winter, I drink 1-2 drinks 1-2 times per month, rarely eating out. In the summer, it is 1-2 drinks 1-2 times per week, and eating out a lot. I have a lot harder time losing weight in the summer because of that.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,583 Member
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    I drink beer. Huge beer. 10-15% ABV.

    ... but I make sure I have a good estimate of what it is... and fit it into my calories.

    a light beer isn't like a diet cola, it still has calories. Make them fit, exercise more, or pass on them altogether.

    If you're drinking a sixer a day, you're not leaving yourself a lot of room in your calories for stuff you actually need.

    getdrunknotfat.com is a good estimate, and there are also a few calculators out there that will tell you roughly the caloric content per bottle.

    That said: if beer is putting you over on your calories regularly, then yes, you'll gain.
  • Bounce4
    Bounce4 Posts: 288 Member
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    I would hazard a guess that it does affect weight gain. Go alcohol free for 6 weeks and see what happens.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
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    300 calories per day in beer
    x 365 days
    x 3 years
    =328,500 calories
    divided by 3500 calories per pound of fat
    =93.86 lbs of fat

    Edit to add: I'm not judging. Check my diary. I often drink beer.

    Quoting for math! :drinker:

    It's not the beer per se, it's the extra calories. I drink too, and brew my own. But you have to make it fit.
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    4-6 lite beers a day is way too much. pardon the snark, but i'm just curious if you've developed a taste for beer, why do you drink the icky lite stuff and not the good craft stuff? regardless, try cutting back.

    i hope that works for you...

    signed, a sober gal (i had problems with alcohol--not weight gain, but monumental life problems and couldn't find a way to responsibly drink, so i just cut it out altogether).
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
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    Ok so I am just curious about what y'all's personal opinions or experiences are when it comes to alcohol intake and weight gain. For the last three years I have become quite fond of having a few beers after work every day. When I first met my boyfriend four years ago I couldn't stand beer and only drank on the weekends at parties and other social gatherings. I was at a healthy weight and ate how ever I pleased and would only gain the occasional 5-10 lbs which I could easily lose with a little dieting and exercise. Well once I started to acquire the taste for beer I have been drinking bout 4-6 lite beers a day almost everyday, it doesn't get me drunk because I guess I have built a tolerance but I have over the period of drinking like this for 3 years gained 75lbs and it seems no matter how much I diet or exercise I can't seem to lose a lb I don't know if it's due to the alcohol or the fact I was on BC for three years or just me aging (I'm now in early-mid 20's) any thoughts? I've read several articles that say for women drinking vs not drinking doesn't affect weight gain. And I don't usually binge eat when I drink either. THANKS!!!

    Hmm. Have you looked into substance abuse treatment?
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
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    Ok so I am just curious about what y'all's personal opinions or experiences are when it comes to alcohol intake and weight gain. For the last three years I have become quite fond of having a few beers after work every day. When I first met my boyfriend four years ago I couldn't stand beer and only drank on the weekends at parties and other social gatherings. I was at a healthy weight and ate how ever I pleased and would only gain the occasional 5-10 lbs which I could easily lose with a little dieting and exercise. Well once I started to acquire the taste for beer I have been drinking bout 4-6 lite beers a day almost everyday, it doesn't get me drunk because I guess I have built a tolerance but I have over the period of drinking like this for 3 years gained 75lbs and it seems no matter how much I diet or exercise I can't seem to lose a lb I don't know if it's due to the alcohol or the fact I was on BC for three years or just me aging (I'm now in early-mid 20's) any thoughts? I've read several articles that say for women drinking vs not drinking doesn't affect weight gain. And I don't usually binge eat when I drink either. THANKS!!!

    Hmm. Have you looked into substance abuse treatment?

    Agreed. 5-6 beers a day isn't exactly normal behavior, in my opinion.
  • 1stday13
    1stday13 Posts: 433 Member
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    300 calories per day in beer
    x 365 days
    x 3 years
    =328,500 calories
    divided by 3500 calories per pound of fat
    =93.86 lbs of fat

    Edit to add: I'm not judging. Check my diary. I often drink beer.
    ^^That^^ I drink I gain, I don't drink I lose> I enjoy drinking "a lot" and sometimes I do. When I drink it is usually way too much. So I try to stay away from it. I work it into my calories for the day. Sometimes that means I may only be able to eat 1 serving of pretzels or stick of Cheese. ( not healthy!) So if you are drinking only the "lite" beer, lowest I have seen is 68 calories x 6=408 calories a day. you would need to add that in to your calories for the day. I pretty much agree with what everyone else has said. Good luck !:drinker:
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    Plenty of people have already done the math for you. But just to reiterate, if you drink 5-6 light beer a day, every day, you're consuming around 600 calories a day in beer alone. That's like adding an extra meal to your day. Anything that has calories can affect your weight if you're consuming it blindly and in excess.

    I'm not against drinking. I drink once a week or so. Sometimes light beer, sometimes microbrews, sometimes a mixed drink. But I try to determine the calories of what I'm drinking and account for it in my diet. I think you might want to work on creating a little more balance in your diet. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit (which means consuming fewer calories than your body requires to maintain its current weight). If you enter your goals and information into the site, MFP will do the math for you. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to enjoy a drink occasionally, but it shouldn't make up such a large part of your caloric intake. If you find yourself having trouble cutting down on your alcohol consumption, you may want to seek help.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    the thing is that even if you have enough calories 'saved' for the alcohol, it's hard to hit all your marcos on your reduced calories
  • Autk79
    Autk79 Posts: 283 Member
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    I gained 30 pounds in one year just from drinking 3/4 times a week and for me anyway drinking leads to hangover food which is greasy. I personally cannot lose weight if I drink like I use too
  • Edensienna
    Edensienna Posts: 180 Member
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    Cut back to one or two beers per night... Or even drink only at the weekends. Give it a try and see if it boosts your weightloss :)

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