ALCOHOL AND WEIGHT GAIN
Alcohol consumption features prominently in the diet within western cultures. Taken at meal times or on it's own in social environments, it regularly forms a percentage of our daily calorie intake. The high calorie content of alcoholic beverages can add up - pushing our daily intake over the recommended daily amount which can contribute to weight gain.
It's a common misconception that drinking alcohol makes us fat. It certainly has contributing factors, but consuming alcohol on it's own, doesn't directly make us fatter. However, according to studies made on the effects from consuming alcohol, Dr Di Pasquale shows us that alcohol does affect our metabolism in ways that can contribute to changes in weight and body fat.
Learning how we process alcohol will help us to understand how these metabolism changes affect us and making a few adjustments to our diet etc. will mean we'll still have fun without experiencing the negative side effects. There's a lot of useful info out there on the internet. I've highlighted a few points from my learnings and included links below with some simple to follow tips at the end...
Rocket Fuel
Alcohol contains sugars that are broken down into acetate that are used for fuel in the body. Alcohol has the second highest energy per gram content (7kcal per gram - second only to pure fat at 9kcal per gram). It's quick for our body to use and this type of fast-access fuel that gets used up first. This is because the energy sources are quickly absorbed but as the body cannot store the energy that we take in from alcoholic drinks, it will exhaust the alcohol energy sources first before taking in fuel from other foods, including quality nutrient-rich sources.
"The bottom line is, the idea that alcohol just automatically turns into fat or gives you a beer belly is mistaken. It’s true that alcohol suppresses fat oxidation, but mainly, alcohol adds calories into your diet, messes with your hormones and can stimulate appetite, leading to even more calories consumed. That’s where the fat gain comes from."
Socialising Versus Fitness
Socialising and drinking is fun. It's boring having to nag and berate ourselves to stick within limits on the drinking but there has to be a clear objective when training for a particular goal. If the goal is to train the body and be trim for the summer, to fit in a wedding dress or if it's just to keep a basic level of maintenance, it's essential that all the hard work in the gym isn't in vein. So, maybe we just need to implement a few basic adjustments to our socialising and drinking habits to help avoid putting extra weight on.
– Eat Well: Simple one this - but how many times have we gone for drinks without eating first - only to grab a dirty burger or some greasy fast food as an after thought? Aim to eat a protein-rich, good fats, fresh veg and healthy fibre laden meal before going out. Something that isn't going to slow us down but will digest slowly, keeping blood sugar levels in check. We should avoid the temptation for eating greasy foods the following day too and opt for a healthy and nutritious breakfast instead.
– Hydrate: Drinking some water between every other alcoholic drink will slow down alcohol intoxication and will help flush the alcohol out at the end of the night, plus it might not leave us with a hangover in the morning.
– Choose Wisely: Some drinks are higher in calories than others. Mixers are a rich source of processed sugars and cocktails can contain up to twice as many calories as a light beer or wine spritzer.
– Move Around: Dancing after a few drinks will certainly help burn off the excess sugars but if we're not planning on strutting our stuff, it pays to be standing and animated rather than sedentary. Even, fitting in a brisk walk on route to the cab office/public transport etc. before returning home will speed the metabolism up enough to burn off some of the alcohol. And if it's possible to resist the temptation to lay around on the mornings after and take in some exercise instead to burn off excess sugars, there's a better chance of missing out on the hangover too.
At the end of the day - we all have to decide what we want from our dieting, exercising and socialising and find a balance. There's no point avoiding friends and fun for the sake of vanity - and likewise, we can't be beating ourselves up about over-indulging from time to time if it defeats the object of cutting loose & having a fun in the first place. It just helps us to have a better understanding of what it means to consume many extra calories in alcohol and fatty foods.
Rocket Fuel
Alcohol contains sugars that are broken down into acetate that are used for fuel in the body. Alcohol has the second highest energy per gram content (7kcal per gram - second only to pure fat at 9kcal per gram). It's quick for our body to use and this type of fast-access fuel that gets used up first. This is because the energy sources are quickly absorbed but as the body cannot store the energy that we take in from alcoholic drinks, it will exhaust the alcohol energy sources first before taking in fuel from other foods, including quality nutrient-rich sources.
"The bottom line is, the idea that alcohol just automatically turns into fat or gives you a beer belly is mistaken. It’s true that alcohol suppresses fat oxidation, but mainly, alcohol adds calories into your diet, messes with your hormones and can stimulate appetite, leading to even more calories consumed. That’s where the fat gain comes from."
Socialising Versus Fitness
Socialising and drinking is fun. It's boring having to nag and berate ourselves to stick within limits on the drinking but there has to be a clear objective when training for a particular goal. If the goal is to train the body and be trim for the summer, to fit in a wedding dress or if it's just to keep a basic level of maintenance, it's essential that all the hard work in the gym isn't in vein. So, maybe we just need to implement a few basic adjustments to our socialising and drinking habits to help avoid putting extra weight on.
– Eat Well: Simple one this - but how many times have we gone for drinks without eating first - only to grab a dirty burger or some greasy fast food as an after thought? Aim to eat a protein-rich, good fats, fresh veg and healthy fibre laden meal before going out. Something that isn't going to slow us down but will digest slowly, keeping blood sugar levels in check. We should avoid the temptation for eating greasy foods the following day too and opt for a healthy and nutritious breakfast instead.
– Hydrate: Drinking some water between every other alcoholic drink will slow down alcohol intoxication and will help flush the alcohol out at the end of the night, plus it might not leave us with a hangover in the morning.
– Choose Wisely: Some drinks are higher in calories than others. Mixers are a rich source of processed sugars and cocktails can contain up to twice as many calories as a light beer or wine spritzer.
– Move Around: Dancing after a few drinks will certainly help burn off the excess sugars but if we're not planning on strutting our stuff, it pays to be standing and animated rather than sedentary. Even, fitting in a brisk walk on route to the cab office/public transport etc. before returning home will speed the metabolism up enough to burn off some of the alcohol. And if it's possible to resist the temptation to lay around on the mornings after and take in some exercise instead to burn off excess sugars, there's a better chance of missing out on the hangover too.
At the end of the day - we all have to decide what we want from our dieting, exercising and socialising and find a balance. There's no point avoiding friends and fun for the sake of vanity - and likewise, we can't be beating ourselves up about over-indulging from time to time if it defeats the object of cutting loose & having a fun in the first place. It just helps us to have a better understanding of what it means to consume many extra calories in alcohol and fatty foods.
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