How to handle alcohol when you want to lose weight

I’m always pleased to hear from people who have read my book, or bought my online course, and found that the content gets them thinking and asking questions. This email from Kate came out of the blue via info@theappetitedoctor.co.uk saying,

“I have just read ‘How to Retrain Your Appetite’ which I loved! My question is regarding drinks/alcohol and whether there are any hints and tips on how these fit into the plan? Thanks, Kate”

It was good to be nudged to write about alcohol, as it is an issue that comes up often for people when they start to look at their unhelpful eating/ drinking habits.

 

The questions, and some answers

Kate posed a series of specific questions, so I’ll answer them in turn with my thoughts…

 

1. Are you likely to feel hungrier quicker after a meal which includes alcohol because of the empty calories?

In short, yes, but the issue is complex. In itself, alcohol has only a weak satiating effect compared with food*, so your appetite system is not registering as much intake-per-calorie as it would for the same calorie-content of food. In other words, a slice of cheese on toast might have the same calories as the glass of red wine you wash it down with, but the toasted cheese will be much more satiating – it will keep you fuller for much longer.

Also, alcohol has the effect of stimulating the appetite if drunk before or early in a meal. That’s why care homes and hospices, with residents who have a reduced appetite, often serve sherry just before a meal, to help increase the amount eaten.

 

2. Can alcohol be used in the same way as a snack to last you until your next meal?

I would strongly advise against using alcohol in this way. I think it’s important to think of your overall diet (I mean overall food and drink intake – not weight loss regime) as all the foods and drinks other than alcohol, with alcohol as something you might add in as a treat.

One of the effects of alcohol on the brain is disinhibition, so when you consume it you are potentially reducing your capacity to inhibit the impulse to eat. If your weak spot is something High Fat Sugar/ Salt (HFSS) such as chocolate or crisps, it may be harder to regulate your HFSS intake if you’re ‘snacking’ on alcohol. HFSS foods are the most energy dense foods, and the ones which are particularly associated with weight gain.

 

3. I assume water is encouraged as staving off hunger?

Good question – when you drink water, your stomach wall stretches. This is the immediate neuronal fullness signal I talk about in my book. So the immediate consequence of drinking water is a reduction in feelings of hunger. But water passes through the stomach very quickly so it is only useful as a very short-term fix. My suggestion would be that if you are feeling hungry and there is a short time (say 20 minutes) to your next meal, having a glass of water might make it easier to wait.

But also remember, that tolerating the mild hunger will mean that your body will switch to burning a bit of stored energy, and the hunger signal will be turned off. So tolerating mild hunger means the feeling comes and goes, rather than rising continually.

If you’ve got longer though, you’d be wise to find a small snack to tide you over. Let’s say it’s an hour before lunch and you’re already -3 on the Appetite Pendulum^â. Something small that is quick to digest will be helpful so you arrive at lunch definitely hungry. You can discover what works for you as this type of snack, through trial and error. For me this short-term tiding over works with a handful of cherry tomatoes or grapes. But my appetite is not yours and what is important (not to mention joyful) is to discover what lovely snack will do the job.

 

4. Should drink be treated in the same way as food as part of the plan or are there any key differences?

The key difference is that alcohol needs to be an add-on, that is accounted for. The main thing is to focus on nourishing yourself with food and add in a glass of your favourite tipple as and when. The current guidance on alcohol is that there is no “zero risk” level of alcohol consumption. The UK government advises that 14 units of alcohol per week or less to keep associated health risks at a low level.

 

5. I find that alcohol doesn’t fill me up as much as food, so I guess there is a danger of putting on weight because of this?

What Kate has noticed here perhaps relates to research which shows that whereas different food macronutrients are compensated for (you eat less of one thing if you’ve eaten something else), adults do not compensate appropriately for consuming alcohol by eating less. This means you’re eating the same amount food-wise and adding the calories from the alcohol.

So you’re absolutely right that there is a danger of gaining weight when you drink alcohol with a meal.

 

6. Can you drink unlimited diet drinks eg diet coke because they contain no calories?

The question, as Dr David Katz, author of “The Truth about Food” always poses is, “what are you eating (or drinking) this instead of?” This is such an important thing to remember. If you currently drink lots of sugary drinks – sodas – then the diet versions may be a better option, but if you’re currently drinking water then shifting to a sugar-free soda would absolutely not be recommended.

Current guidelines in the UK NHS are to “drink water – try adding chopped fresh fruit, cucumber or mint for more flavour; tea and coffee; herbal teas and sugar-free squash or cordial”. So sugar-free non-fizzy drinks are actively encouraged. People I’ve worked with have come up with delicious drinks to enjoy in the evening in place of wine.

They tend to involve something fizzy (sparkling water or elderflower or ginger beer) with ice and maybe sprinkle in a strawberry and some fresh mint leaves. Redolent of a Pimm’s Number 1 without the gin. Oh, and research shows that if you drink this nectar from a heavy glass, you’ll experience it as more satisfying than the same thing drunk out of cheap plastic.

 

Tips for reducing how much alcohol you drink without even noticing

• What helps us drink less without really being aware of it, is drinking from a thin glass (eg a champagne flute) rather than a wide one (like a red wine glass).
• And when the glass is straight-sided (champagne flute again) rather than open-slanted (think a martini glass), we drink with a smaller sip size. This slows our drinking down, even though we may not realise.
• Having a glass of water on the go alongside the alcohol, so you are alternating the two drinks, means you are drinking – but at half the rate.

 

Want to learn more about changing how you eat?

If you’re feeling a bit stuck with managing your weight, Appetite Retraining may give you really useful food for thought. By addressing one specific unhelpful eating/drinking habit at a time, your behaviour-change goals become achievable and crucially, sustainable.

You can check out my website for free resources, sign up for my free occasional newsletter,  read my book for much more, and for a really deep-dive I’ve recorded an online course that walks you through the life-enhancing journey of changing how you eat. So that you get more pleasure from food than you ever did before, and feel more in control around food.

 

References

* Kwok A, Dordevic AL, Paton G, Page MJ, Truby H. Effect of alcohol consumption on food energy intake: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Nutrition. 2019;121(5):481-495. doi:10.1017/S0007114518003677