A Cambridge personal trainer post by Callie Durbrow
I Wanna Lose Fat, But What About Alcohol??
I got a few questions about this recently from clients and I wanted to share a few things with you. People were asking me what the effects of alcohol were on workouts, performance, fat loss and just why they feel straight up sh#$#y when they had a few drinks the night before. (Basic answer to this is that when your body is used to feeling good with exercise and good food and you pump it full of toxins, even just a drink or two, you WILL notice).
Everyone knows that alcohol is not good for you, but pretty much everyone indulges in a few drinks from time to time, especially in the summer. So, this post is not meant to say NEVER drink but I will be honest, if you want to get serious about losing fat, you will cut out alcohol. It’s one of the fastest ways to see results.
[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtMy5IBmX7E&ob=av3n[/pro-player]
According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association in their article Alcohol Consumption and it’s Effects on Performance, here are some things to think about….
1. Alcohol can lead to as much as a 3% drop in hydration levels in just 4 hours. This can lead to loss of coordination, judgement, strength, power , speed and focus.
2. Causes blood vessels to dilate which can lead to swelling in areas of the body and can often set you up for injury.
3. The carbohydrates in alcohol are not converted to glucose (sugar in the blood, used for energy) and instead are used to make fatty acids that are stored as fat mainly in the liver.
4. If you eat high fat foods in conjunction with drinking, the body will use the alcohol as a fuel source first and then end up storing the food as fat.
So what happens if you want to drink a glass of wine or two? Is it going to derail your fat loss success?
Not exactly…here are some tips to keep it as healthy as possible….
1. Don’t drink on an empty stomach- you’ll be more tempted to grab the not-so-good-for-you appetizers at happy hour if you go in hungry. Eat your normal day’s food and focus on protein to keep you full.
2. For every serving of alcohol, drink 8-12 ounces of water
3. Avoid alcohol 24-36 hours after experiencing extreme soreness or aches/pains
4. Avoid drinking while taking any inflammatory drugs (Tylenol or ibuprofen) as this can lead to stomach irritation or internal bleeding.
So, just consider what your goals really are when it comes down to drinking. Have a few here and there to unwind but if you really want to get lean, cut out the booze as much as possible 🙂
Leave me a quick comment about what kind of changes you noticed when you cut out alcohol.