Ideally, for fat loss goals, you would not drink alcohol. However, our experience with clients has shown that this is unrealistic in most cases. This is because its an important part of their lifestyle.
Over the years we have developed two rules that clients have successfully implemented to minimise the negative impact on fat loss. With them you can drink alcohol while not interfering too drastically with your ketogenic diet and fat loss goals.
Rule 1: Select Keto Friendly Alcohols
Most alcoholic drinks contain a lot of carbs. These carbs need to be avoided to maintain your ketogenic diet and its appetite reduction effects.
So you should stick to the select alcohols without or with very low carbs. By order of preference you should restrict alcohol intake to these types:
Clear Liquor or Spirits: Gin, Vodka, Tequila or Whiskey
You can add Soda Water with a slice of lemon or lime. And if you are choosing slimline tonic water, use Schweppes or Britvic. Avoid using Fentimans and Fever-Tree.
Bone Dry & Dry Red Wines: While wines vary a general guideline is that it's best to focus on "Old World" countries like Italy and France.
Some wines to try are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti DOCG, Montepulciano, Primitivo, Shiraz and Grenache red wines. You can also try wines from the Rhone Valley such as Cote du Rhone
Brut or Dry Champagne
Rule 2: Limit Alcohol to 2 Days Per Week
To support your fat loss goals, we have found through client experience that drinking alcohol no more than twice a week is important.
Alcohol has properties that translate to it interfering with fat loss goals. So by restricting intake to two days per week, we keep that interference under control.
Specifically, there are two main ways that alcohol can interfere with your fat loss goals.
Alcohol Prevents Fat Burning Because It Gets Preferentially Burned
When you consume alcohol it is preferentially burned over fat and other calories.
So it effectively prevents fat loss while it is in your bloodstream. The two primary mechanisms for this are that:
The body prioritizes the processing of toxic substances over others. Alcohol is recognised by the body as a toxin, so it is prioritized.
There is no storage mechanism for alcohol in the body. So it can't be stored for processing or use later like fats or carbohydrates (glycogen).
Drinking Alcohol Stimulates Food Intake
When drinking alcohol people tend to eat more. There are a variety of mechanisms being explored in research as to why this takes place.
These include amongst others:
Direct appetite stimulation via altering hormone levels and stimulating specific brain regions involved in appetite
Indirectly by causing blood sugar fluctuations which may lead to increased hunger
Actionable Takeaways
Be aware that drinking alcohol can stall your fat loss goals.
Consume alcoholic drinks no more than twice per week.
When drinking alcohol stick to keto-friendly alcoholic drinks such as clear liquor, dry red wines, whiskey, brut or dry champagne.
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