Alcohol and Weight Loss: Can You Drink and Still Lose Weight?

Without stating the obvious (that alcohol is often high in calories), quitting alcohol has helped my weight loss journey in so many ways.

(yes, I know I stated the obvious anyway)

Hi, my name is Megan, and I am now 1 year and 4 months sober.

But why?

Did I quit alcohol because I knew I was going to try to lose weight? Nope.

But, conveniently, the two go hand in hand.

Now, let’s be clear – I was never a big drinker. It’s not like I had any sort of problem that I needed to quit. Don’t give me any credit for being so strong for sticking to it – it wasn’t that hard.

I enjoyed the odd drink here or there. A nice cold cocktail on a hot summer day. A social drink while out with friends or at a family BBQ.

But really – I didn’t even like alcohol that much. Unless it was full of sugar, that is. Shocking.

So, I just gave it up. Quit. Boom. Done.

I can honestly say that it has not bothered me once. I have never in 1 year and 4 months been like “ugh, I’d do anything for a drink right now!”

Okay – now let’s be honest. Let’s get deep.

Between you and me, there was a bit more to it. New Years 2024. My husband and I went out to a bar, had a couple drinks with friends, and then a stranger on the street took a picture of us afterwards.

That picture. It haunts me to this day. The way I looked at that photo and realized that things had gotten bad, so bad. I knew I was overweight. I knew I was obese. But that picture solidified it all for me. I had a problem and I needed help.

I needed to make significant changes in my life or I was going to die.

So, the next morning I woke up and decided the first of many changes I was making in my life was giving up alcohol.

So how has not drinking helped me to lose weight?

Well, for starters, drinking alcohol can often contribute to cravings for fat and sugar.

Having a drink here and there, socially, is fine of course. However, when having that drink also encourages you to snack a little more, crave the carbs, order the side of poutine instead of the healthy salad – it’s a little bit counter productive when trying to lose weight.

Alcohol also messes with your metabolism.

When your body must choose between metabolizing the food that you eat, or the alcohol that you’re drinking – it’s going to choose the alcohol first. This slows the rate that it metabolizes your food intake, which slows the fat burning process. Rude, I know.

Most of all though, and this has nothing to do with science and nothing to do with facts, not drinking alcohol has helped me to feel like an overall healthier person.

Yep. It’s that simple. I just feel healthy. I feel like my mind is clear. It makes me feel good knowing that I’m not giving up one addiction and choosing another.

Not drinking alcohol helps me feel strong. It helps me believe that I can do anything that I put my mind to.

It also gives me way more things to be proud of in life.

I’m proud that I am able to live each day without needing a drink.

I’m proud that I can be the absolute best mom I can be without needing any sort of crutch to get me through.

I’m proud that I’m setting a good example for my children. They can see that having a drink after a hard day doesn’t need to be the norm. They can see that having a drink around a bonfire isn’t 100% required. They will know that ordering a drink while out to dinner with friends isn’t mandatory.

They will understand that drinking is a choice, and that they, like me, are capable of choosing not to drink even if the social environment around them is influencing them otherwise. That they can have just as much fun, laugh just as much, and dance just as long while not drinking.

Does this mean they won’t ever drink? No. But at least they’ll know that there’s options, and the options don’t always have to include alcohol.

Weight loss isn’t just as simple as giving up unhealthy food.

Losing weight is a journey.

It’s a lifestyle change.

A complete transformation of going from an unhealthy person to becoming a healthy one, and that might mean changing more in your life than just your physical size.

Let me know in the comments below:

What is something that you’ve given up that isn’t directly related to weight loss, but has helped you on your lifestyle transformation journey?