Alcoholic beverages like beer and wine are a popular way for people to drown their troubles and forget about the world for a while. Drinks of this nature can be very effective – inebriation does wonders for helping someone forget about all the stress and pressure that comes with modern life. However, alcohol can wreak havoc on someone’s plans for losing weight, even if a lot of people don’t realize it. This is true when people drink so much that it begins to accumulate, but sometimes, even small amounts can do a lot of damage to well-designed weight loss plans.
Metabolic breakdown
Alcohol and weight loss share an interesting relationship, partly because the chemical is broken down differently from most other foods and beverages. It actually hinders you from losing weight. Normally, the body gets energy from carbohydrates, shifting to fats and proteins only when needed. This is not the case when alcohol is present in sufficient amounts. Alcohol molecules don’t actually need to be digested and are diffused by the stomach as soon as they get there, which means they can reach the brain and liver within minutes. This causes carbohydrates to be changed into body fat, since the body doesn’t think it needs to convert them to energy immediately.
Diuretic properties
The diuretic properties of alcohol also make it detrimental to losing weight. This means that it causes water loss and dehydration. With that water loss, the body also loses some nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, zinc, and calcium. These are vital to maintaining the body’s fluid balance and basic chemical reactions, and having them at insufficient levels can cause a number of unwanted effects. Fluid retention is problematic for people who are overweight, but that doesn’t mean alcohol and weight loss plans go hand in hand.
Sleep connection
A good night’s sleep is considered critical for losing weight. Alcohol may seem to help weight loss by inducing sleep, but it is not the kind of sleep that helps. It is considered shallow and of poor quality, resulting in a smaller amount of actual rest. This also has the effect of causing a sharp increase in the amount of acid that the stomach produces, causing problems with the cellular lining.
Alcohol and weight loss are two things that don’t generally go together. While a small, moderate amount of alcohol is usually fine for someone on a diet, it is not good to go out and get drunk. Small amounts are controllable and the effects are usually not dramatic, but the more alcohol that is consumed, the more potent it becomes. Instead of alcohol, a balanced diet and exercise will help you in losing weight more effectively and safely.
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