Intermittent Fasting and Alcohol
Can You Drink While Fasting?
“Can I drink alcohol while intermittent fasting?” you might wonder. Will all of my hard work and progress be undone?”
While winding down for the evening, everyone enjoys a glass of wine. It’s soothing and a common part of many people’s evening routines.
Drinking socially with friends is always enjoyable, and there’s nothing wrong with it when done in moderation.
Intermittent fasting is a popular weight-loss method as well as a healthy lifestyle modification.
You don’t have to limit your food choices with intermittent fasting; you just have to limit the amount of time you eat. This makes your day a lot easier and requires a lot less planning on your part.
Find out if and how much alcohol you can consume while fasting intermittently.
Here’s What You Need To Know About Alcohol and Intermittent Fasting
Because no calories are consumed during the fasting period, alcohol will obviously break the fast. You have the option of drinking alcohol during your meal times. Just keep in mind that there are some precautions to take. Alcohol will have an impact on your new healthy lifestyle’s success.
Although drinking alcohol in moderation isn’t always harmful, it does have consequences.
Even if you aren’t required to eliminate entire food groups, making healthy choices will undoubtedly aid in the success of intermittent fasting. This includes the choices you make regarding alcohol.
How Alcohol Impacts The Success of Intermittent Fasting
Alcohol has a negative impact on fat burning, metabolism, and other bodily functions. Because alcohol is calorie-dense, a small amount of it can compensate for the calories you’re not eating during your fast, offset your calorie intake, and void your calorie restrictions.
Consuming alcohol instead of healthy foods will almost certainly result in a calorie surplus rather than a calorie deficit.
Intermittent fasting will be more effective if you limit your alcohol consumption.
Alcohol Consumption and Fat Burning
he majority of people use intermittent fasting to lose weight. Alcohol, on the other hand, has been shown to prevent fat breakdown. Have you ever heard of the term “beer belly”? It’s a true story! Belly fat is dangerous, and excess fat is usually stored around the abdomen.
Some evidence suggests that alcohol has a direct impact on fat burning. (1)
Cell Autophagy
Because alcohol affects metabolism, it’s possible that consuming it will prevent your body from entering cellular autophagy. According to Priya Khorana, PhD, in nutrition education from Columbia University, autophagy is the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells. (2)
Short-term cellular autophagy aids in the recycling of old proteins, which can improve cellular health and function. Weight loss will be increased if you engage in this process on a regular basis, but under controlled conditions. (1)
Controlled cellular autophagy, such as that seen with intermittent fasting diets, is also linked to increased energy and decreased inflammation.
Lowered Inhibitions
It’s also worth noting that alcohol lowers inhibitions both while drinking and afterward. The more you drink, the more likely you are to stray from your fasting and weight-loss plans. You’re more likely to choose comfort food, which is usually higher in calories, even if you’re hungover.
There are a few interesting studies that demonstrate this, which are listed below:
In a study of 19 adults, fat breakdown was significantly reduced 5 hours after eating an alcohol-rich meal compared to a meal rich in protein, fat, and carbohydrates. (4)
Excessive alcohol consumption has also been linked to increased levels of body fat in a few other studies. However, this relationship is not visible with light to moderate drinking. (5,6)
Drinking light to moderately does not appear to have a significant, if any, link to weight gain, whereas heavy drinking is thought to have the opposite effect.
Choosing Better Alcohol Options
Keep in mind that consuming alcohol will cause your fast to be broken. Try to limit your drinking to only when you’re eating. Intermittent fasting and the amount of alcohol allowed to be consumed have no specific guidelines or limits. Simply keep in mind the number of calories in each drink. The key to success is moderation.
There are definitely better options than others in terms of calorie and sugar intake. This is true not just for intermittent fasting or dieting in general, but for overall health and wellness. Even low-calorie alcoholic beverages have an effect on short-term metabolism.
Red (dry) wine and hard spirits, on average, have fewer calories than beer, (white) sweet wines, beers, and other fruity drinks. The more calories it contains, the sweeter it tastes. A mixed drink made with club soda and lime will be lower in calories than a margarita or rum and coke. You can even make a low-calorie drink by mixing wine with soda water.
Even if you choose low-calorie beverages, that doesn’t mean you should drink more. Limiting how much you drink accomplishes several goals. It allows you to get your calories from more nutritious sources (food) and returns your body to a healthy, functional, fat-burning state faster. The sooner your body is functioning normally and healthily, the sooner you’ll be able to return it to a state where intermittent fasting can continue to benefit it.
Overall, drinking alcohol in moderation and only during mealtimes is unlikely to jeopardize your fasting efforts. Your fasting state will not be harmed if you drink during your eating window.
Drinking Impacts Weight Loss In General
Metabolism
Alcohol is broken down first, and then the food you eat is stored as fat. Because it recognizes alcohol as a toxin, our bodies process it first. This means that the body’s metabolism suffers and the overall process is slowed until the alcohol is metabolized. (7) Your body burns the alcohol first, leaving the rest to be stored as fat.
Inflammation
Inflammation is another side effect of excessive alcohol consumption. Intermittent fasting, on the other hand, has been shown to reduce inflammation. Drinking alcohol, obviously, negates this advantage.
Inflammation has been linked to a slew of negative health outcomes. It can cause a variety of diseases, as well as bacterial imbalances in the gut and other chronic conditions. (8)
Calorie Consumption
As I previously stated, an obvious concern with alcohol and weight gain is the additional calorie intake. A typical alcoholic beverage contains around 150 calories. Beer, for example, contains 150 calories, white wine contains 125 calories, and a rum and coke contains 185 calories. (10) Alcohol is frequently high in empty calories. This means that the calories you’re consuming are nutritionally worthless.
Filtering Toxins
High alcohol consumption can impair the liver’s ability to filter toxins, resulting in organ damage. (9) Your liver is responsible for filtering any toxins that enter your body, and drinking alcohol can cause alcoholic fatty liver. This will alter the way your body filters toxins as well as the way carbs and fats are stored.
Sleep
Sleep is an often-overlooked aspect of weight loss. Sleep is essential for your overall well-being and can also help you lose weight.
Alcohol consumption does not result in a restful night’s sleep, contrary to popular belief. It may appear that having a nightcap is a good idea, but studies have shown that alcohol has the opposite effect.
Hormones are affected by a lack of sleep. You’ll have a stronger appetite, and it might even alter how your body reacts to food.
Balance
Whether you’re on an intermittent fasting diet or not, alcohol consumption has health consequences. However, you can strike a balance between your diet and alcohol consumption.
Alcohol consumption in general may make weight loss more difficult.
Conclusion
Everything is fine in moderation, in my opinion. It is contingent on how you compensate. If you feel like having a drink, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just do it if it will help you relax or unwind. Just don’t overdo it and don’t make a habit of it.
Sources:
- (1)https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-and-alcohol
- (5)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338356/
- (2)https://perfectketo.com/alcohol-during-intermittent-fasting/
- (3)https://www.insider.com/can-you-drink-while-intermittent-fasting-2018-9
- (4)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20534949
- (6)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21790610
- (7)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20212182
- (8)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5513683/
- (9)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18216378
- (10)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2842521/