Are you truly serious about losing weight? Then go beyond calorie counting and into the nuances of what makes a healthy lifestyle. Commit to drinking less alcohol.
Alcohol consumption can definitely become a slippery slope situation that derails your weight loss agenda.
After drinking a few glasses of wine or several cans of beer, the munchies soon follow. This is a metabolic response. Your body is trying to clear the excess alcohol from your bloodstream, and food, especially carbs, does a good job of accomplishing that.
Another major reason to cut down on drinking is of course to preserve your health. When you weigh less and are no longer constantly playing with your blood sugar by adding alcohol to your system, you give your organs a break and allow your body to rest and repair.
Being kind to your body is the true recipe for a successful, healthy life style and weight loss plan, and that includes not overdoing the alcoholic beverages.
Below find some tips for training yourself to drink less while on the path to weight loss and healthy living.
Swap out the beer and wine for fun soft drinks.
Flavored seltzer has become a thing… just be sure to choose the non-alcoholic kind. There are now many different flavors of seltzer to liven up your hydration repertoire.
Many of these club soda type beverages do not contain sugar… so they’re a great way to keep the pounds off while also avoiding alcohol.
Stop hanging around with people who drink to excess.
If you do this though, be prepared for a reality check in finding out who your true friends are. In addition to getting closer to your weight loss goals by avoiding alcohol, you might also enjoy the benefit of being around people who actually have interests other than getting wasted.
Think of it as tripling your personal betterment by losing weight, being healthier and also enjoying more satisfying relationships.
Try tea.
They call it teetotaling, so you may as well go full-on with that sentiment on your path to kicking the excess booze. You’ll find a vast array of herbal teas on the shelves of your favorite grocery store or other retail outlet. Whether it’s a chamomile formulation to help you relax, a refreshing berry blend for a midday boost, or a mint medley with a splash of fruit juice… there’s no limit to the possibili-TEAS.
Herbal tea makes for a healthful beverage that keeps you on the weight loss path while staying on the wagon.
Stay home.
It’s hard to be at a restaurant or bar without a drink in your hand. Do yourself a favor and skip the expensive, calorie-laden outing which will likely also find you slightly intoxicated, adding insult to injury.
Why does alcohol consumption lead to weight gain?
Alcohol raises blood sugar.
Many alcoholic beverages contain high amounts of sugar – with sweet, spiked beverages like wine coolers, mixed drinks and sangria topping the list. Beer is notoriously high carb. But even if you’re a shot guy or gal, you’ll still be messing with your metabolism.
The alcohol alone raises your blood sugar, which is why doctors deem it off limits for diabetics. When we’re drinking socially, we tend to keep striving for that buzz. In choosing sweet mixed drinks, we also flood our system with table sugar.
This creates extra work for the pancreas, never mind what we already knew about putting stress on the liver as our body struggles to process all of that booze and sugar at once.
Drinking leads to eating.
As mentioned, your body instinctively knows when it’s over the blood alcohol safe limit. When this happens, we kick into a metabolic state, and food cravings hit hard– especially cravings for starchy food–in an attempt to absorb and process the alcohol.
Opting out of the post-libation snacks? Your body’s chosen alternative to not eating when you have caught a hard buzz is to possibly throw up– and as grown adults we typically want to avoid that inconvenient and debilitating circumstance.
Drinking and fattening snacks go hand in hand.
It’s not uncommon to find an array of unhealthy snacks available to people who are drinking socially. You might be enjoying a few cocktails at a friend’s house, or you might be at home catching a wine buzz and then diving into the late-night stash of forbidden goodies.
Of course, if you’re enjoying a meal at a restaurant or bar then there’s always the temptation of wanting to order something from the appetizer menu to top off the night. None of this is conducive to sticking with your healthy weight loss plan.
Ways to distract yourself from drinking to excess:
Go for a walk or a jog.
Sometimes we feel the stress of the day hitting hard at around 5 or 6pm. It’s all too easy to grab that bottle of wine from the liquor store or crack a beer as you walk in the door from work.
The healthiest way to alleviate stress that also happens to be great for keeping the weight off is by passing on the alcohol, and instead heading out to run off the calories or even just do a brisk walk.
Enjoy a healthy snack.
Keeping the fridge stocked with healthy fresh fruits and vegetables is a much better way to stick to your weight loss plan than is lining the refrigerator door with your favorite alcoholic beverages. Instead of grabbing a can of Bud, you can reach for a handful of berries or something equally fresh and satisfying that is also good for you.
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