Is it possible to enjoy one or two pints or glasses of wine within a health and fitness lifestyle? I believe you can. The problem comes when you are looking to lose fat.
You see alcohol is empty or dead calories. And no matter what you say when you are looking to lose fat then totalling up the number of glasses of wine you knocked back at the office night out or your nephew’s christening can seriously damage your daily calorific intake.
Imagine having a daily budget of 1500 calories and consuming 750 of those on wine or beer? That doesn’t leave much to take in fresh veggies, meats and fruits.
It comes back to the central principle of good eating – choose foods dense in nutrients over just the plain old fashioned ‘calories’. Choose an orange over a jaffa cake, a carrot over carrot cake, a cup of herbal tea over a latte or a huge bowl of freshly prepared salad over a plate of pasta.
So yes, in this respect alcohol will seriously frustrate your fat loss efforts. It is devoid of any nutrients and becomes empty calories.
I don’t know what it is with Irish and alcohol. There are several theories floating around from being the most Omega-3 deficient country in the world leading to heightened levels of stress and depression to the ingrained culture that surrounds the Irish and ‘craic’.
When some people are under stress, they resort to alcohol but it is not a solution — it can plunge them into further depths of despair. Irish people consume more than 37 gallons or 296 pints of alcoholic drinks per person each year. In other words, the average Irish person drinks about 11.4 cups of an alcoholic drink each week.
At a deeper level try and shed those Man-boobs or ‘moobs’ as they are affection ally known with a diet rich in beer. It just won’t happen. The reason being is due to the lowering of male testosterone by alcohol leading to an increase in organ fat accumulation alongside an increase in our bodies’ stress hormones.
Ever seen the alcoholic’s Weight lifting team? No – neither have I. In fact studies have shown that alcohol abuse will shrink your testosterone levels to that of a castrated rabbit leading to the obvious side effects. Ladies take note.
What’s more – have you ever noticed the munchies? These are direct result of your alcohol consumption and can add an additional 750 calories (Burger and Chips) to your daily intake. Again, a disaster if you are looking to burn fat.
So here are a few tips and tricks with regards to alcohol and burning fat:
1) Alcohol has no place on a fat loss programme. Put a deadline on your fat loss programme and get ready to pop the cork on a bottle of Moet when you reach your goals. Leave the alcohol during your programme.
2) Binge drinking has no place anywhere really, not if you want to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle. The two just don’t sit well together.
3) Try and avoid the munchies if you do head out at night – this can wreak havoc with your waistline. Fatty foods in particular will cause excessive fat gain.
4) One or two glasses of red wine can actually be beneficial and included on a healthy maintenance programme once or twice a week. This is due to the high levels of Resveratol – a powerful antioxidant and anti-cancer substance found in red wine. It goes without saying that under no circumstances should pregnant women drink alcohol. There is plenty of resveratol in dark grapes and boiled peanuts.
If you are able to handle it and are consuming, in particular red wine, in moderation then alcohol can be part of a healthy lifestyle. However, the trick is to know when enough is enough. If you are looking to burn fat then stay away all together.
Alcohol truly is a substance where the God is in the details and the dosage makes the poison.
John Lark is a fat loss specialist combining exercise, nutrition and lifestyle strategies. He is based at The Sphere Fitness Studio , Leinster Clinic, Maynooth. Download your ‘5 Top Fat Loss Methods’ report at www.spherefitnesstudio.com
