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Introduction: Why can't I lose belly fat?
Let's talk about the top thing that can stop your ability to lose your midsection, your belly fat. You're probably thinking it's sugar, right, or carbs. But there's something else that's of equal magnitude in preventing you from losing your belly fat. Let's say, for example, you're at the gym, you're doing exercise, you're doing sit-ups, and this midsection just does not come off no matter what. When I go to the gym, I do see a lot of people exercising for months without much loss. There are also people on keto and people doing intermittent fasting who still just cannot lose that belly.
So today we're going to talk about this really important barrier in getting your stomach flat. But I'm warning you, you may actually not like what I'm about to tell you. In fact, you may click off after hearing this. But realize I'm going to give you some good news. I'm going to give you a solution to this. I hate when someone gives you a video of bad news, bad things happening in the world, but they then don't give you a solution.
The #1 thing that will stop you from losing belly fat
So what am I talking about? I'm talking about alcohol, specifically wine. A lot of people are drinking wine, yet they're eating healthy, they're doing keto, and they're doing fasting, but they still just cannot lose their midsection. A lot of times they'll hear the concept that pure alcohol is not a carb, so therefore it's keto friendly, because ketosis is all about lowering your carbohydrates. Or maybe they've heard that there's such a thing as keto friendly wine, because there are no residual sugars in the wine. A lot of times wine actually has residual sugars, small amounts, but they still have sugar. That also includes a category of mixed drinks with added sugar, or beer that has hidden sugars. But typically, if we look at pure alcohol, it's not a carb and it's not a sugar. It's something else. It doesn't even necessarily increase your blood sugars or even insulin directly. Indirectly, it creates very severe insulin resistance, but not directly.
Is alcohol keto-friendly?
I was traveling recently, and I was at the airport and needed to get some water, and all they had was a bar. So I went to the bar and asked for some water. He says, "You sure you don't want to drink?" I said, "No, I'm good." He said, "Come on, you only live once, go ahead, have a drink. You work hard, you play hard." So I think in a social setting it's a bit more difficult to say no. And you see these commercials where people are drinking alcohol, beer, and wine, and they all look so healthy. They should probably show what a heavy drinker looks like when he or she drinks alcohol. Probably not the picture of health.
So what is the problem with drinking alcohol like wine for your belly? Well, it all has to do with the liver. Liver cells, called hepatocytes, treat alcohol like a poison, so they have to get rid of it. There are a couple of different things that happen. Initially, it turns alcohol into a more reactive, more poisonous substance, which I'm not going to get into the names of, but the liver goes through this process to try to get rid of alcohol. The effect of this toxicity on the hepatocyte, the liver cell, is that it injures the liver cells, creates trauma, and can kill them. In this biochemical breakdown, you develop fat on that liver cell, the hepatocyte, which then starts turning your liver into a fatty liver. With that also comes a lot of inflammation and scarring as a byproduct. If that keeps going for a period of time, you can develop cirrhosis, which increases your risk of liver cancer and all sorts of other issues.
How alcohol causes belly fat
The other problem with alcohol is that it greatly increases estrogen in men, and at the same time it lowers testosterone. You've probably heard of the benefits of drinking alcohol in moderation. Recently, they found that was just a marketing thing put out by industry. In fact, they found no benefits of drinking any amount of alcohol at all.
The other problem with alcohol is that it's an empty calorie. Alcohol has calories. If you look at the calories per gram, a carbohydrate has about four calories per gram, protein has four calories per gram, and fat has nine calories per gram. Alcohol has seven calories per gram, so it's almost as much as fat calories. But it's not nutrient-dense calories; it's empty calories, which means it has to use certain nutrients to metabolize it. It uses up nutrients like B1, folate, other B vitamins, zinc, and copper. Alcohol depletes these nutrients, especially B1, so the more alcohol or wine you drink, the less B1 you're going to have. That creates all sorts of side issues like anxiety, worry, excessive thinking when you're trying to go to bed at night, nervous tension, restless leg syndrome, and plain fatigue, as well as a hangover.
Fifty percent of the population drinks alcohol, so chances are you're in that category, and five percent of that fifty percent are heavy drinkers. This video is all about increasing awareness, primarily focusing on your belly, because as the liver becomes more fatty, that fat has to go somewhere. It spills off into the area around the organs as what's called ectopic fat, and then between the organs as visceral fat. That's why the belly starts expanding. If you're doing the ketogenic diet or intermittent fasting and drinking alcohol on the weekends, it's going to be really hard, if not impossible, to get rid of this belly fat because of what happens to the liver after you drink alcohol. Alcohol blocks the ability to oxidize, or burn, fat for a period of time, a lot longer than you might think. Let's say you had a couple glasses of wine. Don't expect to burn fat for probably 48 to 72 hours after that episode. So even if you don't drink daily and only drink every three days, alcohol really affects the brain, cognition, and mood. It affects the endocrine system, the hormone system. I already mentioned the lowering of testosterone and increasing of estrogen. It also affects your gut and the gut microbiome, which has a whole bunch of other issues connected with it. It affects the heart and creates many negative effects.
The truth about alcohol benefits
What should you be doing? Realize the effects of alcohol, and maybe you just want to stop it altogether, especially if you want to get rid of this belly. If you can't do that because of the cravings you have, take a look at the real reason why you are drinking. Is it to reduce stress? Is it more for social situations? Avoid the environments where you keep getting yourself into trouble. Don't gather where other people are drinking. Find some friends who are non-drinkers, don't keep alcohol in the house, and find other ways to reduce stress. There are a lot of things that can help, like certain herbs. Lemon balm tea is a good one. Ashwagandha herb is another good one. B1 is one of the best things for stress reduction; try to find a natural one. I've found recently that if you take it right before bed, it helps your sleep as well, and you'll go right to sleep, then wake up feeling really refreshed. Especially if you've been drinking alcohol or wine, it fulfills a deficiency, and you'll feel a lot better within minutes.
Other problems with alcohol
Another thing you can do if you just can't give up alcohol is to dilute it, for example with sparkling water in your wine. Fill it up with water so you have half and half. Now you're drinking an amount that has half of the negative effects. Another option is to take milk thistle before a social activity where you're going to be drinking wine. What's so interesting about milk thistle is that it protects the liver against poisons, such as Tylenol poisoning, snake bites, and mushroom poisoning. It's a very unique natural herb that can also help if someone has cirrhosis, liver inflammation, or fatty liver.
Action steps
The last solution I'm going to recommend is kombucha tea. Try to find one with the least amount of sugar. Kombucha has an interesting texture; it feels like a carbonated beverage similar to beer. It's kind of thick and acidic, and it gives you a nice relaxed feeling. It even has a tiny amount of alcohol in it, but it's a good transitional product off alcohol. So go ahead and get some kombucha tea and use it as your substitute.
Now that we've covered the wine and alcohol situation, there are other things that can also help you get rid of your belly fat. If you haven't seen this popular video, I've put it up right here. Check it out.