The reason a pot belly is often called a beer belly is because beer is high in calories, and when people consume lots of beer on a regular basis, they have a tendency to gain weight. Gaining fat is the result of your body storing excess calories -- calories that are not needed for your body to perform. The average beer contains approximately 149 calories and the average light beer contains approximately 110 calories. It's easy to see how these excess calories can start to add up quickly. By making the right choices you can avoid having a beer belly.
Step 1
Limit your consumption of beer as much as you can. Drinking one beer per day is actually healthy, since beer has a small amount of vitamins, minerals, protein and carbohydrates; however, drinking more than one beer per day is not. If you can, eliminate your consumption of beer entirely.
Step 2
Replace beer with other types of alcohol. Distilled liquors, such as vodka, rum, gin and whiskey, do not contain any carbohydrates. A 1-ounce shot of distilled liquor also contains fewer calories than a 12-ounce beer -- about 65 calories.
Step 3
Exercise vigorously for at least 20 to 30 minutes, three times per week. Beer is just calories. Although heavy consumption of alcohol is bad for your health, the calories consumed from alcohol can still be worked off, preventing weight gain. The more active you are, the less likely it is you will develop a beer belly.
Step 4
Eat a healthy diet consisting of lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, and nuts and seeds. Avoid or eliminate processed and fried foods from your diet. If you eat lots of high-calorie junk foods in addition to drinking beer, you will only increase the amount of calories you are consuming, making it harder for you to maintain a healthy weight.
Step 5
Calculate the number of calories you should be eating each day and monitor your calorie consumption. You can find out how many calories you should be eating to maintain, lose or gain weight by using an online calculator, such as the one at MayoClinic.com. By not consuming more calories than your body requires each day, you will ensure you do not gain a beer belly.
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