subject: The Role Of Alcohol In Your Fitness Program-weight Loss And Alcohol [print this page] Sure, one drink every day can help with different ailments like high blood pressure, but going over this limit will hurt in the long run.
Have you ever noticed what while under the influence, you have crazy cravings for random foods? Your diet goals fly out the window when you have had a few drinks. Your appetite is stimulated, and your inhibitions are reduced.
In addition, the foods traditionally eaten while drinking, like peanuts and chips, are salty. This encourages thirst, so you reach for the drink right in front of you: more alcohol. This is one reason why drinking is counteractive to your weight-loss efforts.
Another reason is that alcohol is not a low-calorie drink! In fact, there are almost seven calories in every gram. Not only are there calories, but they are empty calories. They offer no nutritional value to the consumer. Save your calories for something that will also provide nutrients and add to your health.
In addition to being full of empty calories, alcohol is a diuretic. This means that when you drink, you lose water and become dehydrated. With this, important minerals like zinc, potassium and magnesium are lost.
These and other minerals are vital to the bodys chemical processes. Lose these and your metabolism is thrown off. A high and strong metabolism burns calories quickly, so diuretics that rid the body of minerals should be avoided.
While you may sleep more after a few drinks, studies have shown that this sleep is not very deep. The deeper the sleep, the more actual rest you are getting. Rest is essential to the body in that it allows it to recharge and continue its processes more efficiently. Lack of rest will affect weight-loss negatively.
In addition to these reasons, alcohol is broken down by the body in a different way than other foods. Alcohol, when consumed, diffuses straight through the walls of the stomach and directly affects the brain.
Once it finally makes its way to the liver, it gets priority in digestion. Any carbohydrates and fats needing to be digested are instead transported to be stored. This becomes the dreaded fat. Alcohol has many negative effects on the bodys metabolism, and should not be consumed when you are attempting to lose weight.
