How Alcohol Interferes With Your Weight Loss

Alcohol consumption has become a well-established part of human culture and has now become as acceptable as eating and drinking. Alcohol is mainly used for two purposes- as a social facilitator and as a leisure drug that makes people ”feel good”. It is consumed on a large scale and in spite of its negative impact on our health in multiple ways, people continue to consume it. If you love your health more than anything else, an experienced Personal Trainer suggests you to steer clear from it as its regular or excess consumption can lead to diminished performance, mental impairment, diabetes, liver diseases, excessive body weight, and much more.

If you are seeking to lose weight then alcohol consumption is one of your main enemies. The main reason, which is often not discussed, why any form of alcohol can pose problems for those wanting to shed weight is that it supplies ”empty calories” to body, which means calories without any nutritional value. It simply postpones the fat burning process and adds to the total fat storage in your body. Let’s read about the main concerns of alcohol consumption.

1. Alcohol Supplies More Calories than Proteins and Carbs

Alcohol supplies twice as many calories when compared with proteins and carbohydrates, and little less calories than fat. In other words it supplies 7 ”empty” calories per gram which lack beneficial nutrients for healthy metabolism. Alcoholic drinks hasten fat storage as they contain calories from other sources, like fats and carbohydrates. The affect these contents have on body are different- carbohydrates hasten fat storage while fats will contribute to already stocked fat contents in the body. The result is added body fat.

2. Alcohol Loosens the Inhibitions

Many people like to consume alcohol because of its sedentary affect. They will keep it gulping down without realizing the affects it is having on their body. Alcohol is deceptive in the sense that it works through the system in a quick time, often before the drinker comes to realize the number of drinks they have had. The result of this relaxed thinking could translate to extra calories consumed and extra fat gained. Those drinking alcohol often also eat salty and fatty snacks with it, which could mean that there is a double supply of calories to your body. Alcohol can very easily demotivated you from your weight loss program as it tends to stimulate your appetite and you are tempted to increase your intake of other foods at the time of consumption.

3. Alcohol Damages Your Liver and Kidneys

Regular and excessive consumption of alcohol can damage your stomach, liver and kidneys, leading to serious health problems. Over time, regular and excessive consumption of alcohol tends to show its affects in the form of weak liver and kidneys. Weak liver results in poor digestion of food, which eventually interferes with a healthy metabolism and your efforts to lose weight.

4. Alcohol Reduces Testosterone

When you schedule an appointment with an experienced Personal Trainer, of all the other things he will tell you to refrain from consuming alcohol on a regular basis because its consumption reduces testosterone, which has a powerful fat loss effect. Lowered testosterone means fewer gains in lean muscle mass and less muscle translates to less metabolism rate. Higher metabolism rate burns more calories and vice versa. Alcohol interferes with the production of testosterone and prohibits testosterone from showing its powerful fat-burning effects.

Wrapping It Up

Given the effects of alcohol on your overall health and its interference with your weight loss management program, you should avoid consuming alcohol. But that is not to say that you shouldn’t have it at all. Consuming alcohol once in a while in a moderate amount is not bad for your health. You can have 2-3 standard drinks three to four times per week and it should be perfectly fine. Remember, moderation is a key and keeping a check on your alcohol content is crucial when you’re trying to lose weight. The best you can do is to totally eliminate it from your lifestyle until you achieve your weight loss goal. A credible Personal Trainer can help you to achieve your fitness goal through disciplined lifestyle which includes healthy and low-calories foods and physical training sessions.