The affects of alcohol on weight-loss

So you’ve decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle. You’ve started exercising, making healthier food choices. You’ve turned in your soda habit for water and you’re noticing your clothes aren’t as tight and your starting to drop weight.

There’s one item you didn’t consider removing from your weight-loss efforts... Your social life is picking up; you’re finding yourself amongst friends 2-3 nights a week, where you’re surrounded by booze, YIKES!!! It’s the one deadly sin you didn’t consider leaving behind when you adopted your healthy lifestyle. What’s a little alcohol going to do to your weight-loss efforts anyway?

Chew on this fat and learn how alcohol negatively impacts your weight-loss efforts. When you drink, you stop the weight-loss process. Sorry, but it is true. Your body needs between 1 and 2 hours to burn off a serving of beer, wine, or distilled spirits. Simply put, the more your drink and the more often you drink, the longer it will take to lose weight.

If you’re working hard all week; eating right and exercising, but then party like a rock star on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights then you are at best, just maintaining your weight. If you're not in the healthy eating and exercise routine during the week, but still partying, then you're probably gaining weight due to the empty alcoholic calories.

Even moderate alcohol consumption can affect your athletic performance, for up to 48 hours after drinking. This can increase your risk of dehydration due to its diuretic effects, impair your body’s ability to regulate body heat which will impair endurance, reduce your blood sugar levels which lowers energy levels needed for prolong activity and interrupt sleep patterns interfering with truly restful and restorative sleep.

Just when you thought we were done with this topic…there’s more. Alcoholic beverages spike your blood sugar; making you hungry and it slows down your metabolism. As we age our metabolism start to slow down, the affects of alcohol only adds to that. Once the munchies set in, we are out of control eating things we never thought we’d be eating. Now we’ve really got ourselves into a mess.

The best way to lose weight is to limit your intake to 1-2 drinks a week or completely stop drinking. You’ll feel better, sleep like a baby, avoid the munchies and are more likely to lose the weight you’ve worked so hard to leave behind.

Cheers!