Weight Loss, How Alcohol Will Make You Fatter
Nov 27th, 2008 by Ricardo d Argence
So much information on weight loss has been put out there over the years. New diets here and a new gadget over there. There has not been a lot of information give to us on the effects of alcohol when you’re trying to lose weight. That is what we will look at here today.
Alcohol like most everything else contains calories, however, there are a few major differences. The first problem is that all the calories from alcohol are worthless, this means is that not one single calorie from alcohol has any nutritional value, they are empty calories.
The calories consumed from alcohol must be processed by the liver. Calories from alcohol are like bullies they must be burned first, that will leave all the other calories patiently stored and we all know what stored calories are, nothing else but fat.
When drinking alcohol, you will consume twice as many calories of carbohydrates and proteins that come from food. What this means is alcohol provides seven calories per gram as opposed to carbohydrates, which contain four calories per gram. Simply put, when you gulp four 12-ounce beers then you might have consumed about 600 calories! It is easy to see how prolonged use of alcohol could pack on the pounds.
A last note about alcohol’s caloric effects involves mixers. Many popular alcoholic drinks are actually a mix of different substances. These additive ingredients can cause the calorie total to add up quickly. For example, one long island ice tea has an astounding 740 calories. You could get half of the calories recommended for one day in just one drink.
An important factor in losing weight is speeding up your metabolism. A definition of metabolism is the cumulative energy resulting from cellular electrical, physical, and biochemical activites and interactions. Or more simply put the rate at which your body processes calories into energy. It has been proven by a study from the New England Journal of Medicine that alcohol slows down the body’s metabolism. It states that a person on a 1250 calorie diet, who has ingested 250 calories from alcohol could have reduced their metabolic process by as much as 36%. This indicates your body is handling calories almost forty percent less effectively.
Many who drink alcohol on a regular basis report that initially they feel much better. However, alcohol is a depressant and as such can lead to actual depression. It is definitely harder to diet when you are depressed, in fact most will eat more in an effort to comfort themselves. A vicious cycle if you stop and think about it. This depression can affect motivation as well making you less likely to continue on any kind of exercise program.
Water plays a significant role as far as basic health is concerned, but it is also vital for muscle building. Muscles need a pretty big amount of hydration so that they can preform correctly, with having this, there is a chance they will become week and inefficient. When alcohol is consumed the kidneys need a great quantity of water to flush toxins from the system thus causing dehydration.
While a moderate amount of alcohol is good for the system regular drinking and drinking to excess is harmful. Along with all the problems it can cause with weight loss, you have the added medical issues to be concerned with. The bottom line is this if you are overweight and trying to lose it you may be better served by abstaining from the use of alcohol. At least until your weight is under control, if you must drink red wine is considered the safest alternative.
