20 Mar The Effects of Alcohol on Your Weight Loss Program

If you are trying to lose weight or to otherwise get into shape, you might want to take a look at the amount of alcohol you consuming.  Many people fail to realize just how many calories they are sucking down when they drink their favorite alcoholic beverage.  In addition, consuming alcoholic beverages can put up a number of other roadblocks between you and getting in shape.

If you take a closer look at the nutrition label on your favorite alcoholic beverage, you will probably be quite taken aback by the number of calories they have in them.  Just one beer, for example, generally has about 150 calories.  Just one ounce of 80 proof hard liquor, on the other hand, has about 64 calories while 100 proof has 80 calories.  Mixed drinks are also high in calories as well as sugars.

In addition to loading you up with calories, alcoholic beverages also stand between you and getting in shape because alcohol actually prevents your body from burning fat.  Your liver will be too busy burning up the alcohol, which means it can’t spend time burning fat.  It also leads to frequent urination, which can then lead to dehydration.  In some people, alcohol consumption also stimulates the appetite and it can actually prevent the absorption of certain vitamins.  So, not only will it make you want to eat more, your body won’t be able to effectively use the vitamins it receives from the food you do consume.

While this doesn’t mean you have to cut alcohol out of your life forever, you should certainly consider cutting back on how much you consume if you enjoy drinking on a regular basis.  Otherwise, you are likely to become quite frustrated as you experience little success with your weight loss efforts.