6 Weeks and No Alcohol? Weight Loss Expectations and Reality

Apr 28

6 Weeks and No Alcohol? Weight Loss Expectations and Reality

Six weeks, no alcohol, weight loss. It’s a story we hear a lot. But is it really that simple? And if you ditch the booze for that long, how much weight can you expect to lose?

Well, it's true that alcohol is incredibly calorific. Drinking just three beers can be the equivalent of eating a whole loaf of bread. And those calories are mostly empty.

So it makes sense that giving up alcohol could see you drop some extra kilos. But everybody and every body is vastly different. So it can be tricky to put a precise number on weight loss expectations.

Let's take a look at what we do know.

What happens after 6 weeks of not drinking alcohol?

Giving up alcohol brings with it some great health and overall wellness benefits. And many of those can be enjoyed even by people who are only going alcohol-free for a short spell:

Their blood pressure reduces
Their sleep improves
Their memory gets a boost
Their levels of concentration and general mood pick up
Their mental health improves as their levels of anxiety and depression decrease
They’re better hydrated, with brighter skin, fewer headaches and better organ function
Any skin issues like eczema, rosacea or red and puffy skin improve
They experience a general reduction in inflammation
They see a reduction in belly bloat, acid reflux and indigestion
Their liver health gets a boost, with reduced liver fat, improved liver function and a lower chance of liver cancer
They find it easier to lose weight

All good things, right?

And in the long term, there are even more positive impacts. The risks of stroke, cardiovascular disease and even certain cancers, all decrease.

How much weight can I lose in a month if I stop drinking alcohol?

The answer to this question will depend partly on how much alcohol you usually drink.

The NHS recommends that no-one drinks more than 14 units of alcohol a week. And those drinks should be spread out over at least three days.

Now it’s time for some maths!

Let's take the upper limit of 14 units a week. The NHS lists the calorie content of 5 % beer at 239 kcal per pint. Each pint contains around 3 units of alcohol.

So let’s say you were generally having around five pints a week (15 units). That brings your calorie count from alcohol to 1,195 kcal a week.

For every 500 calories you drop from your diet per week, you could lose between half a pound to a pound in weight. So in our example, you could lose between 4 and 8 pounds if you gave up alcohol completely for a month.

Prefer wine to beer? Let’s look at another example.

If you drink two 175 ml glasses of wine, four times a week, that’s 16.8 units of alcohol per week. Cork that bottle, and you’ll reduce your calorie intake by just under 1,264 kcal per week.

That’s a whopping 5,056 kcal over four weeks. And eliminating it from your diet could mean weight loss of between 5 and 10 pounds over the whole month.

The maths seems to make sense. But unfortunately, very little in life is quite so simple!

Calories are just one component of the weight loss equation. Sex, genetics, activity levels and a range of other factors play a part too. So everybody will respond slightly differently to changes in their diet.

That’s what makes it so important to look at the picture as a whole. And if healthy weight loss is your goal, don't be afraid to chat to a professional about what might work for you.

Of course, keeping weight off means sticking with healthy habits. If those calories make it back into your diet without any other changes to your lifestyle, the weight will return too.

But remember, it’s not all about weight.

Quitting alcohol can give you a slimmer waist, even if you’re not seeing a change in the numbers on the scales. That’s because you’re likely to experience less bloating. And your improved hydration will also reduce puffiness and improve your skin’s tone and texture.

How long does it take to lose weight after giving up alcohol?

How quickly you lose weight will probably tie in to how much you usually drink.

The more alcohol you generally consume, the more empty calories you’ll be taking in. And according to the rule of calories in versus calories out, the more weight you'll lose when you cut them from your diet.

If you were previously drinking five pints a week, you could lose up to a pound by the end of your first alcohol-free week.

So if you’re asking yourself, “Why am I losing weight quickly after quitting alcohol?”, it may be that a high proportion of your calories were previously coming from booze.

But there’s no hard and fast rule here. Some people find it takes longer before they see a reduction in their weight. And you may find that your rate of weight loss drops the longer you abstain from drinking.

How does stopping drinking lead to weight loss?

Stopping drinking often leads to weight loss—but it doesn’t always.

In 2018, the University of Sussex conducted research on over 800 people participating in Dry January. That’s an initiative spearheaded by Alcohol Change UK, which sees participants giving up alcohol for the whole month.

In general, the people taking part reported better sleep and saving money. And 58 % found they lost weight. But that means that 42 % did not.

So what’s going on?

Research backs up the fact that heavy drinking can contribute to weight gain. But it also shows that, for moderate drinkers, alcohol doesn’t necessarily have the same effect. And that means that stopping drinking doesn’t automatically lead to weight loss.

Calorie intake aside, we’re just not 100% clear on the how or why. Could it be that moderate drinkers are more likely to have healthier habits overall? Or is it a question of genetics?

While the science is still a bit iffy on the mechanism, there are a number of ways cutting out booze could lead to weight loss.

Alcohol and calories

Alcohol itself is high in calories, and those delicious mixers lump a whole lot of sugar on top of that. So if you drop those drinks from your diet, you lose the empty calories too.

But wait—there's more.

You know how when you grab something to eat during a big night out, it tends to be the low-fat quinoa salad with lean chicken breast? Kidding, of course. Let's be honest, we’re more likely to devour a kebab or fried chicken after several drinks.

We all know that drinking lowers inhibitions. So our good intentions about healthy eating, or only staying for a couple of drinks, can quickly fall by the wayside. And some small-scale studies also suggest that alcohol stimulates our appetite by up to 30 %.

All this means that ditching alcohol may also see you making better food choices overall.

Alcohol and energy

Studies show that when heavy drinkers need energy, their bodies start by burning the alcohol in their system, rather than stored fats. So by eliminating alcohol, you give your body a chance to work off what’s in the pantry.

On top of that, when you stop drinking, odds are you’ll have more energy day to day. That makes you much more likely to feel like exercising than when you’re attempting to sleep off a hangover!

Alcohol and sleep

Here the science is clear: better sleep plays a role in weight loss. Poor sleep disrupts the hormones that regulate hunger and satiety, leading to overeating and dodgy food choices.

So it’s not a stretch to think that better, sober sleep equals better hormone regulation. And that, in turn, sets us up for better all-round health.

Will I lose belly fat if I stop drinking alcohol?

Popular culture tells us beer and a beer belly go hand in hand. The truth is that where you store your calories is more closely tied into your genetics than what you're drinking.

Women tend to store excess weight pretty evenly all over their bodies. Men, on the other hand, store more in their bellies. Historically, men have been more likely to be beer drinkers. Hence the beer belly legend.

Legends aside, belly fat is closely tied to serious health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. So it's worth keeping an eye on your waistline, regardless of your tipple of choice.

Individual genetics again has a large role to play in where you lose weight first. But research suggests that men tend to lose more weight from around their middle, and women from their hips.

6 weeks, no alcohol, weight loss: the bottom line

We wish we could give you a straightforward answer as to how much weight you’ll lose when banishing the booze. But the truth is, it’s different for everyone.

The best way to find out how it will work for you is to try!

What we can guarantee is that, even if you don’t drop weight, you’ll end up gaining other health benefits. We’ll drink an alcohol-free beer to that!

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