Drink Less Alcohol
Most people enjoy a drink as part of a balanced healthy lifestyle. But if you're wanting to stay in a healthy weight zone it's important to be mindful of how alcohol affects your progress. It impacts on a weight loss plan far beyond just the calories in the drink.
Appetite and willpower
Alcohol increases your appetite and decreases your will power – a bad combination! You end up eating foods and portions you wouldn’t normally have. Many foods that accompany drinking are very salty which can make you thirsty, causing you to drink more.
Metabolic rate
A heavy meal at night is a bad idea for weight loss at the best of times. It’s much easier for the body to store fat when you go to bed with a lot of food in your stomach. As if this heavy load of calories is not enough, alcohol reduces your metabolic rate. When the body is focused on processing alcohol, it is not able to properly break down foods containing carbohydrates and fat. Everything else you are eating has to get in the queue. These calories are easily converted into body fat.
Habits and hormones
Unfortunately the damage doesn’t end when the evening does. Drinking can help induce sleep, but the sleep you get isn't very deep. As a result, you get less rest, check out my article on sleep to understand how deprivation can trigger hormones and behaviours that throw out your eating and exercise the next day.
Dehydration
Dehydration is another problem caused by alcohol. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it causes water loss. Keeping the body in a hydrated state is very important for weight control. Alcohol strikes metabolic rate again!
Alcohol is so much more than just empty calories. It encourages you to eat additional empty calories and it encourages your body to store them as fat. The obvious recommendation is don’t drink at all but I never ask clients to do anything I wouldn’t do myself! A more realistic recommendation is to drink in a way that limits the damage.
On the day of your evening out try to get some exercise to earn yourself a few extra calories and speed your metabolic rate. Exceed your water target and avoid treats. If your festivities do not include a meal then eat a substantial healthy meal before you go. The more you separate alcohol from other treat foods the less impact the alcohol will have on your weight. Use MyFitnessPal in advance to compare your favourite drinks and make an advance decision about approximately how much it’s appropriate for you to eat and drink on this occasion. Have another glass of water before bed and have a bottle of water in the fridge ready for the morning.
Drinking can be fun and relaxing but it’s ultimately more satisfying to indulge in a way that does not sabotage all your goals. Alcohol should be approached like all treats – moderation is the key.
Appetite and willpower
Alcohol increases your appetite and decreases your will power – a bad combination! You end up eating foods and portions you wouldn’t normally have. Many foods that accompany drinking are very salty which can make you thirsty, causing you to drink more.
Metabolic rate
A heavy meal at night is a bad idea for weight loss at the best of times. It’s much easier for the body to store fat when you go to bed with a lot of food in your stomach. As if this heavy load of calories is not enough, alcohol reduces your metabolic rate. When the body is focused on processing alcohol, it is not able to properly break down foods containing carbohydrates and fat. Everything else you are eating has to get in the queue. These calories are easily converted into body fat.
Habits and hormones
Unfortunately the damage doesn’t end when the evening does. Drinking can help induce sleep, but the sleep you get isn't very deep. As a result, you get less rest, check out my article on sleep to understand how deprivation can trigger hormones and behaviours that throw out your eating and exercise the next day.
Dehydration
Dehydration is another problem caused by alcohol. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it causes water loss. Keeping the body in a hydrated state is very important for weight control. Alcohol strikes metabolic rate again!
Alcohol is so much more than just empty calories. It encourages you to eat additional empty calories and it encourages your body to store them as fat. The obvious recommendation is don’t drink at all but I never ask clients to do anything I wouldn’t do myself! A more realistic recommendation is to drink in a way that limits the damage.
On the day of your evening out try to get some exercise to earn yourself a few extra calories and speed your metabolic rate. Exceed your water target and avoid treats. If your festivities do not include a meal then eat a substantial healthy meal before you go. The more you separate alcohol from other treat foods the less impact the alcohol will have on your weight. Use MyFitnessPal in advance to compare your favourite drinks and make an advance decision about approximately how much it’s appropriate for you to eat and drink on this occasion. Have another glass of water before bed and have a bottle of water in the fridge ready for the morning.
Drinking can be fun and relaxing but it’s ultimately more satisfying to indulge in a way that does not sabotage all your goals. Alcohol should be approached like all treats – moderation is the key.