A beer belly is typical for men because of the peculiarities of the accumulation of fat in the body: their fat reserves mainly in the waist area.
In addition, alcohol changes male hormonal levels, which also contributes to the accumulation of fat.
Let’s take a look at the reasons why you have beer belly and why beer increases body fat.
In the popular understanding, a beer belly is a symbol of a man’s weakness before alcohol. But in reality, everything is not as simple as you might think.
Table of Contents
1.Genetic predisposition
Genetics is a real lottery.Nature prescribes us with illnesses, bad dispositions, and sometimes the most real deformities.
Genetics determines metabolism: how much fat is deposited under the belly, and how much in other parts of the body. Therefore, in pubs, there are almost always two friends who drink equally. But one has a belly hanging on his knees, while another is tucked up, as if he leads a sober lifestyle.
Beer is high in calories
Beer contains from 43 to 45 kilocalories per 100 grams of drink. Considering how much beer his devoted fans can drink in the evening, the numbers are daunting.
One bottle of beer contains about 215 calories, one liter – 430, and two liters – 860. This is about a third of the daily calorie intake for a young man leading a sedentary or moderately active lifestyle.
Add to that the regular meals throughout the day and the beer snacks, which are also often high in calories, and you have a huge excess of calories.
Beer increases your calorie intake
A 2001 study, Stimulation of appetite by alcohol, found that drinking alcohol before lunch increased overall calorie intake. After 330 milliliters of alcoholic beer, the study participants consumed an average of 1,744 kilocalories, after non-alcoholic beer – 1,548 kilocalories, and without beer at all – 1,521 kilocalories.
Taking into account the calorie content of alcohol, the calorie intake of people who drank beer increased by 30% compared to those who did not.
Beer changes hormones
International studies found that drinking beer daily for six weeks lowers testosterone levels in men by 11.7%.
Testosterone is a male sex hormone that helps burn fat and build muscle.
One old study of men acutely intoxicated with ethanol confirms that testosterone remains depleted for 24 hours after high alcohol intake.
Decreased testosterone directly affects fat and muscle content. Fat burning is slowed down, as is muscle building. The smaller the muscle, the fewer calories are spent on maintaining them and, again, the slower the fat goes away.
Beer is processed first
Ethyl alcohol contains about seven kilocalories per gram. Since alcohol is toxic to the body, the body tries to process these calories first, and carbohydrates and fats that come with alcohol are stored as fat stores. Of course, if you do not have time to spend them.
Until the body has processed these “empty” calories, the rest will be stored as extra fat.
How to get rid of a beer belly fast?
- First of all, you need to eliminate the reason – to reduce the amount of beer and other alcohol consumed, so as not to suppress testosterone production, not to interfere with the body from losing weight and gaining muscle mass.
- Sweet and fatty – this is a lot of calories, it is better not to eat this at all or eat only occasionally (practice cheat meal).
- Vegetables, except for potatoes, are low in calories, high in vitamins and fiber. You can eat as much as you want.
- Fruits are low in calories. The sweeter the fruit, the more calories it contains. Choose savory ones and eat as much as you like. Don’t eat much anyway.
- Don’t forget about meat (beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit) – a lot of protein, you need to eat to build muscle.
- The more calories you burn, the faster the fat goes away. Cardio workouts and high-intensity interval workouts work well. Strength training will burn fewer calories, but it will provide faster muscle growth and a faster metabolism for a longer time than prolonged cardio.
Now you know how to get rid of beer belly forever!
Stay fit and be with us!
