Alcohol calories can really slow down your weightloss especially if you’re the type of person who indulges in a couple of "harmless" glasses of wine or a couple of beers each week. Just 4-5 glasses of wine per week (pretty common for most of my clients) adds nearly 600 calories to your weekly calorie intake and 3-4 light beers on weekends can add a minimum of 220 calories to your weekly calorie total.
In addition to the extra calories, alcohol wreaks havoc on your hormonal balance and this is the primary reason why weightloss and alcohol just don’t mix (at least initially). Below are the three primary issues with alcohol and tips that will help you indulge without stalling weightloss.
Alcohol Calories Are Empty Calories
One of the primary issues with alcohol calories is that they are empty calories so even if you are sticking to an ideal calorie intake for weightloss the alcohol calories are displacing calories that you could be getting from foods that contain vitamins and minerals your body needs for weightloss. Solution If you’re just starting a weightloss plan or struggling with stubborn fat the best thing you can do is abstain from drinking any alcohol for at least 4 weeks. Replace those alcohol calories with healthy foods that boost weightloss. It’s a minor sacrifice that will get you results fast.
Alcohol Destroys Your Fatloss Hormones
Weightloss is only possible when your body is producing the right types of hormones that signal your body to used stored fat as fuel. After you consume alcohol your body produces cortisol, the stress hormone that causes your body to store fat. It also slashes testosterone for 24 hours. Testosterone helps your body maintain lean muscle and burn fat (all women have small amounts and having too little means no or slow weightloss). According to experts "Drinking alcohol creates an estrogenic environment which promotes water retention, weight gain, bloating, and anxiety all while blocking fatloss". Solution If you’re on a weightloss plateau or your losing weight too slow it’s best to cut way down on your alcohol intake. 1-2 drinks every 15 days seems to work best for most people.
Alcohol Kills Your Will Power
Researchers in Denmark's found that when a group of subjects were given a meal and allowed to eat as much as they wanted, they ate more when the meal was served with beer or wine vs. a soft drink. Other studies have also found that alcohol stimulates your appetite especially your appetite for carbs, it also loosens inhibitions and kills your willpower which makes it tougher to say no to seconds, sweets, and other high calorie foods. Solution If you must drink at a social function or because it’s something you’re not willing to give up entirely while trying to lose weight always drink a big glass of water before you indulge in alcohol. As Paul Chek likes to say "the best solution for pollution is dilution". Water will help your body flush out the alcohol faster and also helps you feel full so you may not feel as tempted to binge on foods that won’t help you lose fat.
Want to give up alcohol for weightloss? Try The Easy Way to Stop Drinking
