5 Ways to Beat the Beer Belly
Want to whittle that waistline? You can enjoy a drink and still shed those excess pounds. Just follow our easy tips.
Want to whittle that waistline? You can enjoy a drink and still shed those excess pounds. Just follow our easy tips.
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It's not called a beer belly for nothing - excess alcohol is a common culprit behind abdominal fat. And abdominal fat can be dangerous, increasing your risk of weight-related problems ranging from cardiovascular disease to high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea and some types of cancer.
The bigger your waist measurement, the higher the risk, and a measurement of over 37 inches for men, or 32 for women, means it's time to do something about it. If you drink a lot of beer, or any alcohol - cutting back is a good place to start.
Blame the Beer?
Calories consumed in excess - no matter what the source - will be stored as fat. If your intake is too high and/or you're not expending enough energy through physical activity, you're sure to pile on the pounds.
Men are especially at risk for abdominal weight gain, and not just because they may drink more beer. In 'nutrition-speak' men are typically 'apple' shaped, meaning fat tends to concentrate around their waist. Women tend to be 'pears', with more fat around their hips and thighs. However, you can enjoy alcohol in moderation and drop the excess weight.
Follow our Gut-be-Gone Rules:
- Choose lighter beer over the full-strength brew: It's lower in calories.
- To slow your beer consumption, quench your thirst first with water then alternate beer with non-alcoholic beverages, preferably low-calorie ones like diet coke or lemonade, or better yet, water.
- Feel like a nice cold beer? Why not go for a walk and then have it? Not only will walking or jogging one mile burn some of the calories in an average drink, but keeping active has many other health benefits as well. So get moving!
- Swap calories from alcohol with calories from other foods. For example, if you'd like a drink, pass on that bag of crisps or other treat (but don't sacrifice healthy choices such as fruits and vegetables in favour of more booze, which is low in nutrients).
While moderate drinking has documented potential benefits, particularly on cardiovascular health, overindulgence is dangerous. According to the Food Standards Agency, men can drink up to 3 to 4 units a day, without significant risk to their health. A unit is half a pint of standard strength (3 to 5% ABV) beer, lager or cider, or a pub measure of spirit. A glass of wine is about 2 units and alcopops are about 1.5 units.
Smart Snacking
When you’re around alcohol, there’s often food around too, and this makes it more tempting to eat. And the majority of calories consumed at parties isn't necessarily from the alcohol as much as from the high-fat snacks that usually come with it. Instead of nuts, cheese or crisps, try:
- Crunchy vegetable crudités such as carrots, peppers, celery and courgette. Swap creamy dips for salsa or bean dip
- Pretzels
- Popcorn (but skip the butter)
- Toasted pitta bread
The Moderation Strategy
Many men trying to lose weight give up early because they fear they will have to go hungry and/or give up booze while on a diet. But the key to weight loss is clever eating, not starving yourself or giving up everything you like. So have the occasional beer, if you like. Moderation is the key!
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