Boozing and Not Losing?

I may get some hate mail or lose some friends from this post, but as a Fitness Professional its my duty to help people achieve better results from their fitness program. Here goes nothing... One of the barriers I see some struggling with is drinking alcohol. Alcohol consumption is the biggest drug problem in the United States today. Deeply ingrained into our society (no pun intended).

Most of the alcohol drinking takes place on the weekends at parties, social events, or just at home in your living room. However, the last time I checked weight gain, weight loss, and weight maintenance do not follow the 5 day a week calendar. Your body doesn't know its the weekend, your grandma's party, or BFF's wedding. All that your body knows is that you are consuming too many calories. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, which is second to fat (9 calories per gram) and more than carbs and protein (4 calories per gram). If you are attempting to consume a specific range of calories in order to lose weight, consuming alcohol would make it harder. The numbers do not lie in this case. Anyone interested in weight loss or management must count these 7 calories per gram in their total intake. High alcohol consumption = high calorie consumption. We already know that at the end of the day it all comes down to calories in vs calories out.

Here are some examples:

1. Coors Light or Bud Light 12 fl oz = 110 calories
2. Budweiser and Coor’s “Extra Gold” 12 fl oz = 150 calories
3. Martini 4.5 fl oz = 279-378 calories
4. Patron Tequila 12 fl oz = 840 calories
5. Red Bull & Vodka = 3 fl oz = 209 calories

Furthermore, alcohol interferes with the metabolism of protein and fat in the liver, and alcohol causes impaired production of enzymes created by the pancreas needed for fat metabolism. The result of this is that your body will have a strong tendency to store more body fat and a very hard time gaining or maintaining lean body mass. It doesn't matter whether you drink occasionally or frequently, the intake of alcohol has adverse effects no matter what. Aside from dehydrating your body, flushing out the very water your muscle needs to survive, alcohol also decreases protein synthesis, another integral part of muscle growth and maintenance.

Since alcohol is a toxin (poison), a host of physical abnormalities can arise. These abnormalities can reduce your strength, endurance, recovery capabilities, aerobic capacity, ability to metabolize fat, and muscle growth. The intoxicating ingredient is ethanol, a chemical compound that originates from the fermentation of grains. Although its been said that small amounts of alcohol have been shown to increase muscular endurance and strength output, these benefits are very short-lived. After approximately twenty minutes, problems begin to occur. The numerous negative side effects of alcohol outweigh its possible benefits to anyone. Talk about a "Results Killer..."

Bottom line is that "friends don't let friends kill results". Its time to take away those keys, that bottle cap opener, and that cork screw. Bring on the hate mail...

EDUCATION and SAFETY always lead to RESULTS.

Be Well.