Alcohol affects your body in numerous ways, and most of them are not so great. An occasional drink isn’t necessarily a big deal, but it’s important to educate yourself about how alcohol can affect your fat loss efforts. So, how exactly does alcohol affect fat loss?
Alcohol = Empty Calories
When you drink alcohol, you’re consuming calories without getting much nutrition out of the deal. Alcohol is high in calories. Seven of them per gram, to be exact. That’s nearly twice as many as you’ll find in protein and carbs. A single can of beer generally contains around 100 calories from alcohol alone. If you’re trying to cut fat, you’re working against yourself when you drink.
Drinking Can Lower Testosterone Levels
Men who drink may experience reduced testosterone levels. If you’re a man, healthy levels of testosterone are necessary to get the best results from your diet and exercise efforts. While you shouldn’t worry too much about a beer or cocktail here and there, you should know that alcoholic men often have significantly lower levels of testosterone than other men.
Alcohol Can Make You Lose Focus
Drinking can certainly obscure your better judgement. When you’re intoxicated, you might lose sight of your bigger goals -- and the discipline needed to achieve them. You’re more likely to stray from your diet when drinking (loosened inhibitions often lead to bad food choices). What’s more, you may be unable to properly grasp the consequences of eating that second helping of calamari.
Alcohol can lead to poor food choices
Bad Decision Juice – when you drink, you end up eating junk foods you normally avoid. One bad decision leads to another. Normally alcohol is consumed at social events where high calorie food is served. If you have had a couple of drinks you are much more likely to hone in on the cheeseboard! Not only that, if there’s any time you may be tempted to compromise your nutritional morals, it’s probably after you’ve been drinking. After a night out, you’ll probably feel like skipping the next morning’s workout. This can quickly become a habit if you’re not careful.
Drinking Taxes Your Health
Too much drinking over the long term can lead to health problems, making it more difficult to stay in shape. When you’re not in good health, all your fat loss goals fall by the wayside. Keeping your body clean and healthy is the foundation of good fitness. Any potential health benefits from drinking alcohol – such as the antioxidants found in red wine – are never going to outweigh the risks and drawbacks that come with drinking alcohol.
A Final Word on Alcohol and Staying in Shape
This may sound like a lot of doom and gloom. However, all this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy drinks with friends now and then, just be aware of the pitfalls and take steps to minimise the negative effects alcohol can have on your mind and body.
Some strategies to fit alcohol into your diet:
- Drink moderately. Be careful not to overindulge when you drink alcohol. You’ll consume fewer calories, and be less likely to make poor decisions about your health and fitness.
- Drink lower-calorie alcohol, and avoid drinks mixed with syrups and sugary beverages.
- Keep healthy foods handy when drinking, so you won’t be as tempted to reach for fattening snacks.
- Drink plenty of water between alcoholic beverages in order to help fill you up and keep you from overdoing it (plus, it’s always good to stay well hydrated).
- Working out after a night of drinking might be just what you need to get back on track. Just remember to drink plenty of water and to replenish lost nutrients by eating a healthy breakfast. It’s also good idea to take an amino acid supplement during and/or after you drink. Our Xtend BCAAs product is a top-selling branch chain amino acid supplement among elite athletes and trainers, this would be a great choice.
If you eat right and are able to be responsible with the booze, there are a LOT of supplements that are proven to help your fat loss efforts and maximize the returns you see from doing things right in other areas of life. Here at Elite Supps we have one of the widest ranges on the market. Take a look at our best-selling weight loss and fat loss aids here.