Alcohol Belly Fat
It should be pretty obvious that over drinking alcohol is a major contributor to weight gain because of the excess calories alcohol provides. As your body has excess calories, it stores them as body fat over your entire body, but because our bodies tend to carry extra fat around the belly area, it tends to get more of the fat deposits, and hence the "beer belly".
There are numerous studies done on alcohol and weight gain. Most studies cite a correlation between alcohol intake and weight gain, there's conflicting evidence on whether alcohol contributes directly to having a beer belly.
In a study done by the German Institute of Human Nutrition, cases of over 20,000 men and women were analyzed for beer consumption, and a 8.5 year waist circumference change was assessed. The relationship between change in beer consumption and change in waist circumference was studied. Their study found a positive association of beer consumption and waist size in men, but not in women. Men who consumed more beer were found to be at higher risk for gain in waist size. Decreasing beer consumption was also found to increased odds of reducing waist size, but this was not statistically significant. They stud concluded that drinking alcohol and beer causes weight gain, which leads to an increase in waist size; however this does not support the belief that there is a site specific effect of beer on belly fat gain. [1]
Alcohol consumption on waist size in French men and women was analyzed in another study. 3500 French men and women were randomly selected, and alcohol consumption was assessed with a quantitative frequency questionnaire. Their results found that weekly alcohol consumption ranged from 0 to 1655ml, and wine was the main source of alcohol, representing 67% of total alcohol consumed. They found that total alcohol consumption was positively associated with waist-to-hip ratio and waist girth independent of BMI for both men and women. They concluded that alcohol consumption is associated with greater waist to hip ratio independent of BMI. [2]
How to Get Rid of Beer Belly Fat
Now that we've established that drinking beer and alcohol can lead to weight gain and give you that dreaded beer belly, what can you do to get rid of your beer belly fat? First things first - reduce and limit your alcohol consumption. If you're on a fat loss program, avoid drinking completely, and if you must have a few drinks, drink only in moderation. Regardless of whether drinking beer leads to gaining belly fat, it will lead to weight gain if drinking alcohol causes you to have a calorie surplus. When this happens, you will gain weight, and gain body fat.
If the second study above proves true that alcohol consumption is associated with greater waist size, then I have to tell you now that even if it is true that drinking alcohol directly leads to a beer belly, that when it comes to fat loss, there is absolutely no way to spot reduce! There is no magical diet formula or weight loss supplement that can help you specifically target your beer belly fat. If you find yourself carry around a beer gut, you will have to lose overall body fat to get rid of your beer belly. There's no other way around it - of course, unless you opt for surgery.
To reduce body fat and get rid of your beer belly fat, you need a good fat loss program that covers three key areas:
- A good diet and nutrition program that promotes a calorie deficit
- An intense cardio session that helps increase your metabolism
- A weight lifting routine that helps preserve and/or build some lean muscle mass
Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat program shows you the real fat loss methods. Please see below:
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