Alcohol and Fat Loss 35/84

When you're trying to lose fat, there are a ton of things that you need to consider, like what to eat, how much to eat, what workouts to do, how often to do them, etc. There are some things that you know are good and some that you know are bad. There are some that you assume are good and some that you assume are bad. But there are some factors where people really don't have much of an idea of how they're going to affect your weight loss. Alcohol can be one of those things for a lot of people.

At some point, I have to have the discussion with all of my clients about what alcohol does to weight loss and why you really should stay away from it, or at least cut back heavily. I have three points that I always bring up and that recently become four, so I wanted to share them with you all here.

1. Calories

There are only four things in the world that have calories when we consume them; carbohydrates, fats, protein, and alcohol. Carbs and protein both have 4 calories per gram and fat has 9. Alcohol is almost up there with fat at 7 calories per gram. Don't think too hard into the numbers but just think about it this way, every time you drink alcohol you getting almost double the calories than if you ate the same amount of carbs or protein, and they can add up quick.

2. Body Fat

Of those four substances, the calories from alcohol are the only ones that can NOT be converted and used for energy. This means that all of those calories are either excreted of stored directly as body fat.


3. Muscle Building

Alcohol considered a poison in the body and as soon as you take some in it becomes a priority to get it out. It takes precedence over everything else like; healing damaged muscle cells, replacing dead cells, fixing you immune system, and pretty much anything else. What ends up happening (as far as we care) is that the alcohol will prevent muscle protein synthesis, which is how muscles heal themselves and get bigger. We all love bigger muscles so probably stay away from booze post workout

4. Even More Calories

This one doesn't apply to everyone but it's still important. Rather often, alcohol does not show up alone, it's mixed with something to make it taste less harsh and that's usually something sweet. Sweet things usually have sugar and sugar has calories. That was kind of a round-a-bout way that most people end up mixing their drinks and adding even more calories to their night because of it. This can even include beer, which has a ton of carbs, and wine, which can have a lot of sugar. The best options, if you are going to drink, are to just take it straight (not shots), on the rocks, or mixed with something like tonic water.

All though this info is great, I doesn't really give you much usable information so I want to give you an action plan as well. First, if you do drink, think about when you do it and more importantly why you do it. You need to be come more in tune with your alcohol consumption. Do you actually need to drink? Are you just drinking because everyone else is? Could you be drinking something else? Our mind often forms associations with places and things and it can be hard for us to break these. For example, let's say every time you see a certain friend you have a beer or two. If you keep this up for long enough, whenever you see that person you brain will expect that you're going to have a beer and you'll get a craving for it. You have an association in your mind between this friend and beer. Once you realize this association exists then you can fight against your brain and start to break that craving. This happens way outside of alcohol as well, so start to think of where your brain has these associations that could be hindering your progress.

 Next, change up what you drink to something that has less calories. Instead of adding Coke to your rum, switch to something on the rocks, and take you time drinking it. Learn to enjoy your alcohol instead of just trying to get hammered.

Third, if you're tracking macros then subtract the alcohol calories from carbs or fat, NOT from protein. You need to make sure you're getting your protein each day and you cannot sacrifice it for alcohol. If you're not tracking then you need eat less carbs and fat throughout the day in preparation for drinking. This was, at least you can keep your total calories about the same.

Bottom line is, alcohol is TERRIBLE for fat loss. But, when used responsible it can be added from time to time without making a massive detriment to overall progress. Alcohol, just like anything else, needs to be used in moderation and you need to be conscious of when, where, and why you're drinking. Finally, My Free Fat Loss and Free Muscle Gaining Tips are done! And I have to say that they're looking pretty awesome. Those will be free to anyone who subscribes here. Subscribing will also let you join the private Facebook group that will give you the ability to see this new program that I will be running soon. This group will allow for much more engagement with each other than my Facebook page so I can make sure you guys are getting all of the info you need.

See you tomorrow!

Facebook: Greg Herceg - Personal Trainer
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Email: gsherceg@gmail.com