Without Getting Fat

Alcohol has been implicated as a factor that may hurt your efforts
to lose body fat. Whether alcohol is "fattening" has been a very
controversial subject because technically speaking, alcohol is NOT
stored as fat; it is oxidized ahead of other fuels.

Whether moderate drinking is healthy has also been a subject
of controversy. Many studies show that cardiovascular health benefits
are associated with moderate beer or wine drinking (which has been of
particular interest lately with reservatrol in the news so much), while
other studies show improved insulin sensitivity. Some experts however,
say that alcohol has no place in a fitness lifestyle.

A recent study published in the journal Obesity adds new
findings to our knowledge about alcohol, insulin resistance and
abdominal obesity. Analysis of the results as compared to other studies
also gives us some insights into why some people seem to drink and get
fat while others seem to drink and get thin!

The truth about the beer belly phenomenon

This new study, by Ulf Riserus and Erik Inglesson, was based on the
Swedish Uppsala Longitudinal cohort. The researchers found that alcohol
intake in older men did not improve insulin sensitivity, which
contradicted their own hypothesis and numerous previous studies.

They also said there was a very "robust" association between alcohol
intake, waist circumference and waist to hip ratio. They pointed out
that a high alcohol intake, especially hard liquor, was closely
associated with abdominal body fat, not just overall body mass.

Abdominal fat accumulation is not just a cosmetic problem, it can be
a serious health risk. Abdominal fat, also known as "android" or
"central" obesity, increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, high
blood pressure, high blood lipids, glucose intolerance and elevated
insulin levels.

Many other studies have also found a link between alcohol intake and
abdominal fat, but this too has been controversial. A study that was
widely publicized by the BBC in 2003 dismissed the concept of the “beer
belly.”

Nevertheless, it looks like there’s some scientific support to it
after all (or at least a “liquor belly” according to this newer study).

Hormones may be strongly involved because high alcohol intake has
been shown to decrease blood testosterone in men, and also increase
cortisol levels, which can lead to visceral fat accumulation.

Why is there so much controversy? Why the discrepancy in research
findings about alcohol’s influence on obesity, abdominal fat, and
insulin sensitivity?

Well, here’s the real story of why some people don’t get fat when they drink:

A lot of the confusion is because epidemiological research cannot
show cause and effect relationships and mistakes can easily be made
when drawing associations based on limited data.

With the nature of these longitudinal studies, you have to look at
the lifestyle and nature of drinkers in general (or in this study, hard
liquor drinkers). Also, the Swedish study focused on older men, so age
may have been a factor. You may be more likely to deposit alcohol right
on your belly as you get older.

When you hear that alcohol increases belly fat, you also have to
look at what else is going on in the life of the drinker, particularly
what the rest of a person’s diet looks like, and how alcohol intake
affects appetite and eating habits.

Research says that alcohol can mess up your body’s perception of
hunger, satiety and fullness. If drinking stimulates additional eating,
or adds additional calories that aren’t compensated for and which lead
to positive energy balance, then you get fat. You may also get fat in
the belly, no thanks to what booze does to hormones.

Another thing that confounds the reports on whether alcohol
contributes to weight gain is the fact that the game changes in heavy
drinkers. We know that alcohol contains 7.1 calories per gram and these
calories always count as part of the energy balance equation… or do
they? With chronic excessive alcohol consumption, it's possible that
not all of these calories are available for energy. Due to changes in
liver function and something called the microsomal ethanol oxidizing
system (MEOS), alcoholism may be a real case of where some calories
don’t count. Many alcoholics also skip meals and eat less with
increasing alcohol consumption.

Alcohol metabolizing pathways notwithstanding, even if binge
drinkers, daily drinkers or heavy drinkers consume most of their
calories from alcohol, if they eat very little, and remain in a calorie
deficit, they will not get fat. Compound this with the hormonal effects
and you witness the skinny, but under-nourished, unhealthy and
atrophied alcoholic (the person you'd think would be most likely to
have a beer belly).

It's the calories that count

The bottom line is, the idea that alcohol just automatically turns
into fat or gives you a beer belly is mistaken. It’s true that alcohol
suppresses fat oxidation, but mainly, alcohol adds calories into your
diet, messes with your hormones and can stimulate appetite, leading to
even more calories consumed. That’s where the fat gain comes from.

If you drink in moderation, if you’re aware of the calories in the
alcohol, if you're aware of the calories from additional food intake
consumed during or after drinking, and if you compensate for all of the
above accordingly, you won’t get fat.

Now, with that said, you might be wondering: “You mean I can drink
and still lose fat? I just need to keep in a calorie deficit?”

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. But before you rush off to the pub
for a cold one, hold that thought for a minute while you consider this
first: The empty alcohol calories displace the nutrient dense calories!

When you’re on a fat loss program you have a fairly small “calorie
budget”, so you need to give some careful thought to how those calories
should be “spent.” For example, if a female is on a 1500 calorie per
day diet, does she really want to "spend" 500 of those calories – one
third of her intake - for a few alcoholic drinks, and leave only 1000
for health-promoting food, fiber and lean muscle building protein?

I realize some people may answer “yes” to that question, but then
again, if some people spent their money as frivolously as they spent
their calories, they would be in deep trouble!

To summarize this into some practical, take-home advice, here are
7 of my personal tips for alcohol consumption in the fitness lifestyle:

(1) Don’t drink on a fat loss program. Although you could
certainly drink and “get away with it” if you diligently maintained
your calorie deficit as noted above, it certainly does not help your
fat loss cause or your nutritional status.

(2) Drink in moderation during maintenance. For lifelong
weight maintenance and a healthy lifestyle, if you drink, do so in
moderation and only occasionally, such as on weekends or when you go
out to dine in restaurants. Binge drinking and getting drunk has no
place in a fitness lifestyle (not to mention hangovers aren’t very
conducive to good workouts).

(3) Don't drink daily. Moderate drinking, including daily
drinking, has been associated with cardiovascular health benefits.
However, I don’t recommend daily drinking because behaviors repeated
daily become habits. Behaviors repeated multiple times daily become
strong habits. Habitual drinking may lead to heavier drinking or
full-blown addictions and can be hard to stop if you ever need to cut
back.

(4) Count the calories. If you decide to have a bottle of
beer or a glass of wine or two (or whatever moderation is for you), be
sure to account for the alcohol in your daily calorie budget.

(5) Watch your appetite. Don’t let the “munchies” get control
of you during or after you drink (Note to chicken wing and nacho-eating
men: The correlation to alcohol and body fat is higher in men in almost
all the studies. One possible explanation is that men tend to drink and eat, while women may tend to drink instead of eating).

(6) Watch the fatty foods. When drinking, watch the fatty
foods in particular. A study by Angelo Tremblay back in 1995 suggested
that alcohol and a high fat diet are a combination that favors
overfeeding.

(7) Enjoy without guilt. If you choose to drink (moderately
and sensibly), then don’t feel guilty about it or beat yourself up
afterwards, just enjoy the darn stuff, will you!

To see a complete fat burning system that takes you by the hand, step by step and shows you what to eat, what to drink (and what
not drink), how to exercise and how to stay motivated, visit: www.BurnTheFat.com

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto

www.BurnTheFat.com

References:

(1) Alcohol Intake, Insulin Resistance, and abdominal obesity in
elderly men. Riserus U, Ingelsson E., Obesity. 15(7): 1766-1773. 2007

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified
personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning
specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle"
Tom has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print
magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding,
Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as
on hundreds of websites worldwide.

For information on Tom's Fat Loss
program, visit: www.BurnTheFat.com