For a lot of people drinking alcohol is a part of their lives, but their is also reasons that drinking alcohol can effect weight loss, in this blog i explain the impact drinking alcohol has on weight loss.
Reasons why Alcohol effects weight loss:
Empty Calories:
Alcohol is known as “Empty Calories”, this is because Alcohol gives no nutrients to the body that the body needs to function. Alcohol equates to 7 calories per gram which means is is almost as calorie dense as Fats (Fats = 9kcal, Proteins = 4kcal, Carbohydrates = 4kcal per gram)
Affects Hormones:
Consumption of Alcohol disrupts the balance of Ghrelin and Leptin in the body which are the hormones that manage appetite and fullness which make it harder to manage hunger and appetite levels when alcohol is consumed.
Affects food cravings:
When consuming alcohol it can lead to increased food craving and result in poorer food choices which can result in weight gain.
Metabolic Affects:
When alcohol is consumed the body will prioritise burning the alcohol in the body over burning energy from Fats and Carbohydrates.
Affects Digestion:
Drinking alcohol puts a lot of stress on the digestive system when processing alcohol, this affects its ability to absorb other nutrients from other sources as it is prioritising processing the alcohol through the digestive system.
Sleep and Rest:
Alcohol effects your levels of sleep as it can reduce the quality of sleep that you get when you have consumed alcohol and it also increases the period of wakefulness during your sleep. When you have consumed alcohol it also results in your body needing to work harder during sleep to process the alcohol resulting sometimes in you having a higher heart rate during sleep after consuming alcohol.
Dehydration:
The consumption of alcohol can cause dehydration in the body and causes the loss of electrolytes as alcohol causes increased urination. This is why you will often wake up with a headache when hungover, which is caused by the dehydration that has resulted.
Poor food choices the following day:
As alcohol effects sleep, you will all know that when you have had a poor nights sleep and wake up tired, it can result in making poor food choices often high in sugars and fats to try and get a quick boost of energy which is a knock on effect of consuming alcohol on weight loss and progress.
Tips to reduce the effect of alcohol on your goals:
Avoid Alcohol:
Easier said that done but if possible avoid drinking alcohol when possible, nowadays its a lot more socially acceptable to still go to an event but not drink alcohol, society is more tuned to the effects of alcohol and it is much more socially acceptable now to not consume alcohol and the number of people that are choosing not to drink alcohol is constantly increasing.
Non-alcohol/low alcohol alternatives:
Now their is a vast choice of non alcoholic/low alcohol options for beers, ciders etc you can choose one of these options.
Choice of Drink:
If you do have to consume alcohol, their is choices you can make which will effect how many calories you consume for example instead of having Beer/Lager/Cider you could opt for a Spirit with a diet mixer which will reduce the number of calories per drink that you consume.
Hydration:
Keep hydrated before, during and after consuming alcohol which will prevent dehydration. A good tip is to have water in between alcoholic drinks and also consume water before going to sleep after drinking alcohol to prevent dehydration during sleep and avoid the dreaded hangover headache the following day.
Activity before drinking alcohol:
If you know that you are going to be drinking alcohol in the evening, that is no reason to ignore all of your healthy habits, its important to get as much activity in before consuming alcohol and also to eat a healthy diet before consuming alcohol to try and negate any negative effects of the alcohol and give your body the best way of processing the alcohol.
