It has become an accepted part of our culture; the weekend unwind sessions, which involve profuse consumption of various alcoholic concoctions. However, if you are serious about controlling your weight, or furthering weight loss, the buck stops here.
Many people do not fully understand what occurs in the body following consumption of alcohol; they think it’s a simple case of calories in – news flash- that’s false.
Alcohol affects the body in many more ways that can be assumed by the average person.
Alcohol is Not a “Normal” Carb
- While alcohol is theoretically a carb, it is very different in one major aspect – its caloric yield.
- Each gram of alcohol yields 7 calories, which is almost double the standard carbohydrate (at 4cal/g) and just shy of fat (9cal/g)
- Alcoholic calories are not shuttled and stored as excess glycogen, but are burned as they come in, this means you receive virtually no nutrition from alcohol.
- All of this applies to solo alcohols, meaning that the average person is doing much worse when they binge. Cocktails, for example, are loaded with sugar and carbs, while some other alcoholic beverages even contain fat.
- Coupled with the fact that insulin is released following consumption of alcohol, you have the perfect storm of blunted fat burning and increased fat storage.
Alcohol Shuts Down Inhibitions
Oh boy, this is a big one. So, you already knew you did badly when you decided to take that “one drink,” but what happens when that one drink results in a second, third and more?
Not only will you likely end up drinking lots more than you bargained for, but you may eat more as well.
Alcohol’s lack of real nutritive value stimulates hunger for food, which in the case of a drinking session many include nachos, wings, fries, and other useless fodder.
The relaxed mindset arising from alcohol consumption puts no brakes on overdoing it, possibly ruining a tough week of work dieting and in the gym.
Alcohol Reduces Testosterone
Did you know that alcohol could also influence the rate at which you build muscle? Yes, thanks to its inhibiting effect on testosterone synthesis, alcohol in turn reduced your potential for muscle growth. Whether you are a man or woman, muscle growth is important to achieve your ideal body weight.
Your metabolism is largely determined by the size and number of muscle cells you have, more equaling higher caloric burning throughout the day. By limiting your potential for muscle gain, you are inadvertently restricting fat burning potential.
Alcohol Can Negatively Impact Functioning of Major Organs, Including the Liver
It should come as no surprise that major organ systems play an important role in the process of fat burning. The liver plays and extremely important role in removing toxins and metabolic waste products, including the burning of fat as fuel.
When liver enzymes are stressed, or abnormally elevated, they do not function as expected. Fat burning takes a major back seat as a result, since the organ is still struggling to rid the body of waste.
Alcohol is especially destructive to this organ during the actual process of detoxification, when chemical intermediates are produced that strain the utility of the liver.
Is all alcohol bad? Not necessarily, at least not when consumed sensibly. We are not advocating you give up alcohol altogether (although if you would, that’s good), but make smarter choices.
Do not consume your drinks with sugary additives, such as juice, soda, or flavored water. Wine is good in moderation, and may deliver some health benefits.
Stay smart, and you will continue to lose pounds on the scale and see it in the way your body changes!
