TikToker shares the exact amount of alcohol you'd need to gain 1lb of fat

02 December 2023 , 15:23

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A TikToker has calculated how much of each drink you need to gain a pound in weight (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

If you are worried about putting on the pounds by drinking during the festive season then you might get a surprise when you hear how much alcohol it takes to put on weight.

A wellness influencer has shared on TikTok a breakdown of drinks including wines and champagne, cocktails such as espresso martinis, vodka-based drinks and beers such as Heineken and Guinness. It takes roughly 3,500 'excess' calories – calories above someone's regular diet – to add a pound of fat.

Brit Nicole Powell, who has more than 25,000 followers, said in her video that you would need to drink nearly 30 glasses of white wine and 40 flutes of champagne above and beyond your normal diet to gain one pound of body fat,

While for those who prefer beer it would take more than 15 pints of Heineken and 30 12-ounce bottles of Corona to start worrying about your waist size and you would have to have more than 50 shots of tequila and 60 shots of sambuca before putting on a pound.

Of course, these measures depend on each person's metabolism too, so based on age, genetics, and other factors, so some might need fewer or more calories to gain weight. According to the Daily Mail, in the video, which has more than 700,000 views, Ms Powell said she made the calculation based on an equation by researcher Dr Max Wishnofskly.

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Dr Wishnofskly found that one pound of body fat is equal to about 3,500 excess calories in research from 1958, which means that you would have to consume 3,500 calories worth of alcohol on top of your average daily calories.

According to the NHS, while an ideal daily intake of calories varies depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, among other things, generally, the recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 for men.

Beer is one of Britain's favourite drinks and has a great deal of tradition attached to it in this country. It is also cheaper than spirits and wine and the calorie content varies widely for light and dark beers, but a pint typically runs about 200 calories.

A Heineken, for example, has 227 calories per pint. Ms Powell said this means you can have 15 pints before putting on a pound of body fat, while with Guinness it is 210 calories per pint, which comes out to 17-and-a-half-pints before you rack up extra weight.

Corona Extra, however, comes in a smaller serving size, which is a 12-ounce bottle with 148 calories. It would take 27 bottles to gain a pound of body fat. Most wines come in slightly lower in calories than beer, though the serving smaller. The average glass, which is five ounces, is around 120 calories. You can expect sweeter wines to have a higher calorie value, somewhere around 160.

Ms Powell said that you can have 26 medium glasses of white wine before putting on body fat. Then there's all those bubbles, such as champagne and prosecco, where you can drink 37-and-a-half six-ounce flutes before you add weight.

TikToker shares the exact amount of alcohol you'd need to gain 1lb of fat

You can drink a lot of bubbles, such as champagne, before putting on weight (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

When it comes to cocktails expect many more calories due to mixing different spirits, juices and syrups and Ms Powell said that it would take 15-and-a-half passion fruit martinis, which are mainly made with gin and vermouth, to put on a pound. You can also drink 15 espresso martinis, made with vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso, and syrup.

If a vodka and Coke is made with Diet Coke, you can drink 64 singles or 32 doubles before that weight jumps up and it would take 66 shots of sambuca before you put on a pound.