Weight loss: Another unexpectedly awesome benefit of giving up drinking by Daisy Steele

When I quit drinking, I never expected this weight loss…

When I quit drinking alcohol at the beginning of the year, I never expected my weight loss to be this dramatic. I imagined I might shed a pound or two, but over the last six months I’ve managed to drop a dress size and lose ten pounds. I’m wearing the jeans once consigned to the back of the wardrobe that I never thought I’d fit into again.

Friends keep asking me what’s my secret. When I tell them I simply gave up my wine habit, they’ve been quite surprised. I’ve got five children and all those pregnancies weren’t exactly great for my waistline. I’ve tried all the diets under the sun – the 5:2, the Atkins, going vegan (you name it, I’ve probably tried it) but nothing has had as much impact as giving up booze.

Empty calories: the hidden saboteur

The truth is that alcoholic drinks are full of empty calories and have no nutritional value whatsoever. A few drinks after work may not seem like anything out of the ordinary, but a pint of beer can have as many calories as a large slice of pizza — and a large glass of wine is the equivalent of eating an ice cream.

Calories in popular alcoholic drinks

• A large glass of wine — 220 calories

• A pint of beer — around 180 calories

• Vodka — roughly 100 calories

• Tequila (shot) — 65–70 calories

• Gin and tonic — around 120 calories

In the UK, the average Brit consumes 21 units of booze per week, each unit averaging 85 calories.

That’s 1,750 extra calories per week — simply from alcohol.

By cutting out alcohol entirely, the average person could lose 27 pounds in a year.

Why drinking makes weight loss harder

It’s not just the calories in booze that make drinking bad for weight loss.

1. Liquid calories don’t satisfy hunger

We don’t register them the same way we do food. So after drinking, you can still feel hungry — which is when the greasy takeaway or fridge chocolate comes in. Drinking less makes it easier to stick to healthy food choices.

2. Alcohol derails your metabolism

Skip the gym for the pub, and you burn fewer calories. Add a sluggish, low-energy hangover day after — and your total daily movement plummets.

And honestly, who does feel like working out hungover?

The surprising sugar cravings

I’ve never had a particularly sweet tooth, but when I went alcohol-free, I suddenly experienced intense sugar cravings.

Alcohol contains sugar — and mixers even more.

Considering your recommended daily sugar intake is about 50 grams, discovering that a single vodka cranberry contains 30 grams is horrifying.

And let’s be honest — nobody drinks just one.

I thought I didn’t have a sweet tooth…

But in reality, wine was quietly feeding my sugar addiction.

Sugar raises dopamine — the same “reward chemical” triggered by alcohol.

When you stop drinking, the brain suddenly loses that dopamine hit and goes looking for it elsewhere.

Don’t panic about the cravings

There’s no point stressing about the sudden desire for sugar. A bit of indulgence can be helpful. If you demolished a pack of Haribos or the entire tub of salted caramel ice cream — don’t beat yourself up.

My sugar imbalance sorted itself out after a couple of weeks — though it may take longer depending on how much you used to drink.