I got some good news for you, you can drink alcohol and still lose weight.
However, that does not mean you can get hammered every weekend and expect that fat will melt off your body.
All this means is you can drink in moderation and still achieve your weight loss goals.
You do not have to avoid social settings, nor do you have to practice the push away when it comes to all alcoholic beverages.
Below I am going to go over the best ways to drink alcohol and still lose weight!
Check it out by scrolling below.
How Many Drinks Can You Have and Still Lose Weight?
As I mentioned above, getting hammered is going to be detrimental to your fat loss and weight loss goals.
Why?
For a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the human body reacts to alcohol as a toxin. Essentially, humans were not designed to drink alcohol in large quantities.
Secondly, when you drink alcohol, your body puts all other metabolic duties to the side and takes care of metabolizing the alcohol. Your liver’s main concern is to remove the toxins from the alcohol you consumed as quickly as possible. This is why metabolizing carbs and fats get put on pause.
Furthermore, when you consume alcohol, it decreases fat oxidation and increases fatty acid storage. What this means is that your body’s ability to burn fat goes down and your body’s ability store fat goes up!
Lastly, muscle protein synthesis goes down completely so your body’s ability to build muscle takes a massive hit.
Therefore, with this knowledge, drinking 1-3 drinks of alcohol is ideal when you do drink.
Why is it ideal?
Well, you’ll be able to mitigate the effects of alcohol by keeping your alcohol intake low.
What Happens When You Eat With Alcohol?
This is where things take a real tumble downhill.
As noted above, when you drink it reduces fat oxidation, but when you drink and eat at the same time, it essentially stops your ability to burn fat altogether.
Your body puts a COMPLETE halt in terms of your body’s ability to burn fat or metabolize it all together.
This is why when you are dieting, limiting your alcohol consumption is vital!
The keyword I used above is limiting, not avoiding because you can drink, it’s the amount you drink that really takes a toll on your body!
What Is The Lowest Calorie Alcohol?
1. Nude Vodka Soda
- Calories = 100
2. Bud Light
- Calories = 110
3. Coors Light
- Calories = 102
4. Molson Canadian Light
- Calories = 67
5. Gin and Tonic
- Calories = 148
6. White Wine (5 oz)
- Calories = 120
7. Red Wine (5 oz)
- Calories = 125
8. Tequila (1 shot)
- Calories = 64 calories
Tips Before Going Out
When going out with your friends or family for some drinks, plan accordingly.
If you know you are going to a certain restaurant at night, it is ideal for you to get your high protein meals throughout the day and save your carbs and fats for the particular place you are going to eat at.
However, if you are okay with just going out and letting loose with drinks and food, well, read below on how to help your hangover the next day!
How To Help Your Hangover The Next Day
There is no doubt that the hangover is painful.
Headache, nausea, extreme fatigue, dizziness and sometimes even vomiting.
Obviously depending on your tolerance and the amount you consumed, the next morning can surely be rough for you.
The marketers out there know that the hangover is brutal and this why they have come up with some “hangover cure products.”
But how much can they help you? If at all?
Well, there is no real evidence of a “hangover cure,” but there are some ways you can reduce the symptoms of a hangover that does not involve you getting conned into buying one of their products.
Below are some of the ways you can reduce not only your chances of a hangover but if you do have one, decrease the amount of pain and suffering you feel.
Drink Water Throughout Your Night:
- Because alcohol is a diuretic, it makes you a frequent washroom visitor. When this happens, you become more and more dehydrated. When you become dehydrated, it can cause you to feel fatigued, dry-mouthed and have your head hurting. Simply by drinking water throughout your night, you can mitigate a lot of these symptoms you feel!
Do Not Drink On an Empty Stomach
- This a trouble waiting to happen for yourself. You may have heard your friends, family, or even yourself say to layer the stomach before you start drinking. Well, this is where that holds true! Having a protein-rich meal with some carbs will greatly reduce your risk of a hangover and muscle protein breakdown!
Drink in Moderation
- Hangovers happen when you drink like alcohol is about to be banned again. The whole theme of this article is you can drink but in moderation. For this reason, stick to 1-3 drinks and you will pretty much reduce your risk of a hangover significantly!
Avoid Sugary Drinks
- You ever have a night where you consumed an excessive amount of shots and a lot of em were the fruity kind? And the next day you wake up with a blistering headache? Yes, it’s not fun. Therefore, when you drink to avoid the number of sugary drinks you have and mix your drinks with water. However, a splash of pop won’t hurt if you go that route!
Get a Good Amount of Rest
- The only way to reduce your risk of a hangover and the intensity of it is to get a good sleep in. Sleeping allows your body to rest and recuperate after a late night of drinking and partying.
Eat a Nutrient Filled Breakfast The Next Morning
- When we naturally wake up, our blood sugar levels are lower. This is normal, however, when you drink alcohol it is amplified that much more. This can explain why hangovers are that much worse. Someone may have told you to have some greasy food the next day to reduce your hangover. Don’t know how much truth there is to that, but eating a protein-rich meal with carbs and fats can help stabilize your blood sugar levels and help stimulate muscle protein synthesis again.
Last Words
While you can still drink alcohol and lose weight, it is best done in moderation and not in the amounts you typically would have.
As noted above, alcohol hinders your ability to lose body fat and your ability to build muscle.
Therefore, sticking to 1-3 drinks when you do drink is optimal for you.
Lastly, do not forget to eat a nutritious meal the next day and drink a ton of water. Your body will be asking for it from a night of drinking!
If you want to learn more about alcohol and fat loss, check out this video by Layne Norton talking about this very topic. You can click here to watch it.
Personal Trainer
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