Does Beer Really Cause a Beer Belly?

A party is not a party without a frosty cold beer. The unusually pleasurable effects of Beer adds to the life on every party. Beer companies know this by proof of their billions of dollars in revenue every year. However, few of us realize the consequences of beer drinking. There is link between drinking large quantities of beer and developing what is referred to as a beer belly, but it certainly isn't the only cause of an expanding waistline in men and women. Scientist have stated that beer drinking is not a direct cause of belly fat. However, beer drinking is an indirect reason for belly fat. Meaning, beer alone will not make you fat unless you drank cases of it regularly which is totally unhealthy. Beer contains no fat, but it's packed with calories (between 100 -200 per 12oz can). Liquid calories, and Liquid calories make you gain weight faster. Alcohol is a source of empty calories, meaning it has almost no nourishing value. If you're trying to lose belly fat drinking more than 4 - 7 drinks of alcohol per day is not good for you. Why?Beer drinking delays fat loss - Beer is a depressant. Depressants slow down the bodies metabolism resulting in your body burning less calories.That nice head of foam - on that ice cold beer has a price. That foamy heady carbonation increases your hunger.There's estrogen in the beer. - Hops, a main ingredient in beer is one of the most powerfully estrogenic plants on Earth. Estrogen in men causes a direct lowering of testosterone levels.Beer drinkers exercise less. It's no surprise that inactivity can add to an expanding waistline. Many times after a night of drinking you might find yourself visiting your favorite fast food restaurant gorging yourself with burritos, burgers, and fries. As mentioned earlier, drinking alcohol often goes hand-in-hand with eating large quantities of unhealthy foods. Beer drinkers tend to enjoy snacks, chips, and high fat content finger foods. To add to the issue, many bars offer free, unhealthy food to encourage to flow of drinking...beware!One formula that grantees you will gain weight is if, your consumption of calories exceeds your burning of calories. You will always ends up with extra body fat. A diet rich in fat, carbohydrates, and high caloric processed foods will lead to weight gain in the belly. If you are consuming these foods while drinking, the carbohydrates will be turned into fat much faster because your body is processing the alcohol. Men tend to develop the rounded bulge or beer belly, where as the fat gain on women tends to be distributed between their thighs, butts, arms, and bellies. But a beer, all by itself, won't significantly affect your weight one way or another.In a perfect world I recommend that you don't drink if you're trying to lose that beer belly. But, this is the real world and people are going to indulge in alcohol. Here's some tips to help keep your belly-fat-loss-plan on track when you know you're going to let lose and toss back a couple.

Drink lots of water - Alcohol dehydrates you, (this is the main cause of the dreaded hangover) Drink water and plenty of it before during and after your night of libations.Eat more Proteins and Less Carbohydrates - Cut back on bad fats and sugar based carbohydrates such as pastas, cakes, and white bread. Fat contains 9 calories per gram while in contrast proteins contain 4 calories per gram.Develop a Workout plan- In order to reshape your body you must gain more muscle. Muscle burns more calories. Add strength and cardio training to increase your fat burning efforts. Having a few beers can make even the most energetic of us a bit lethargic balance it out with an up-tempo workout plan.Abdominal Exercises - In order to get wash board abs you need to first trim your belly fat. Crunches alone will not give you six pack abs.Listen up. The effects from having that extra belly fat around the midsection will surprise you. There are a number of illnesses that are caused or aggravated by beer belly fat. Aside from directly causing a number of health issues, having a beer belly can also increase your likelihood of developing long term health issues. Look, I'm not saying give up beer.. just the beer belly. Belly fat is unhealthy.A beer belly is the result of the quality and quantity of food eaten during and after beer consumption. Beer bellies don't happen over night, it's a long and delicious road. In reality, the beer belly we get often times has less to do with beer and more to do with the high fat accompaniments. For most men and women their beer belly is more a result of lifestyle than a frosty cold one.Beers with the highest calories per 12oz servingSierra Nevada Bigfoot: 330 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: 231 Sierra Nevada Stout: 225 Steel Reserve: 222 Olde English High Gravity 800: 220 Anchor Porter: 209 Samuel Adams Boston Lager: 180Guinness Extra Stout: 176Pete's Wicked Ale: 174Harpoon IPA: 170Heineken: 166Killian's Irish red: 163Long Tail: 163Molson Ice: 160Busch Natural Ice: 157This list will never be exact due to brewers changes in recipes. Do not use it for exact dietary calculations but as a guide.