What’s the verdict on the ground in terms of alcohol and the effectiveness of intermittent fasting for weight loss? Does it sabotage your efforts or can you have the odd cheeky drink at weekends? What’s your experience been?
Weight loss-wise, it’s just another source of calories. Doesn’t have an impact outside of that.
Lifestyle-wise, I don’t recommend drinking during your fast. If you’re in a social situation where you are going to drink, go ahead and have some food, too.
Alcohol breaks a fast because it has calories (7cal/gram).
Alcohol stops fat loss because it stops lipolysis (breakdown and mobilization of fat from adipose tissue).
Alcohol hinders your progress by impairing your ability to consciously choose the best foods for your diet and your weight loss goal and by increasing cravings for fatty foods.
Alcohol should not be consumed on an empty stomach. If you choose to consume alcohol, always do it in your eating window and never during a fast.
I cut out alcohol during lockdown. It was the single biggest thing I did for my health and fitness.
There are zero benefits to consuming alcohol and it activity makes it harder for your body to burn fat.
The biggest benefit for me was the impact quitting had on my sleep. Restful sleep makes everything else fall in to place. In terms of how I look my skin looks amazing and I noticed that my workouts seemed more effective. I was no longer as bloated and it was easier to lose fat in stubborn places. Even a couple of drinks a week make a difference. It’s easier to get away with a cheeky drink when you’re younger. In your 40s you start seeing the impact more.
I’m 50. Friends my age are all complaining about menopause/peri menopause symptoms, complaining about weight gain, belly fat and generally feeling blah. I don’t have any of these issues and I put it all down to the fact they drink and I don’t. They are also very active, mindful of what they eat etc. The major difference between us is alcohol.
I only drink once a week at most and I make sure I have enough calories left over so I don’t go over. And I only drink it during my non fasting time. I’ll probably cut down to like once a month. I know it’s best to just not drink at all
So not worth the calories when you look at high they are and how quickly alcohol adds up. I steals necessary food calories and it damages the body.
I gave up drinking indefinitely because it’s how I gained the 60+ pounds in the first place.
Great points by everyone and I must say it confirms in my mind that the best solution is probably to just knock it on the head completely. That’s easier said than done though. When Friday evening rolls round it’s pretty tough to resist the temptation.
I don’t think OP is asking if alcohol breaks his fast, it’s kinda obvious it does.
You can loose weight while still drinking on weekends. It can really slow down your progress though. Alcohol is a lot of empty calories, and bad side effects (munchies, degraded sleep, less motivation for workout…). I still drink but I try to be mindfull of the quantity and type of alcohol I have