Alcohol consumption is a societally ingrained part of most social gatherings. People have also come to rely upon it in solitude, as a tool for unwinding at the end of a stressful day.  Although commonly used as a social lubricant and stress reliever, Alcohol can lead to a host of health concerns. Today, we will focus on how alcohol can be a primary saboteur of achieving or maintaining your ideal weight.

1. Increases Caloric Consumption: Alcohol contains almost twice the number of calories per gram than proteins or carbohydrates. This highly concentrated source of calories often results in greater caloric consumption than opting for a nutritious meal. In addition, the nutritionally devoid calories of alcohol are being layered on top of the nutritionally necessary calories needed to fuel the body. Eliminate the alcohol and focus on giving your body the nutrient rich calories it needs to run at full potential.

2. Stimulates Appetite: The empty calories provided by alcohol leave the body yearning for more carbohydrate and sodium rich foods. This happens because the body depletes its stores of carbohydrates to metabolize the alcohol, triggering cravings for more carbohydrates. Alcohol also has a diuretic effect, which results in electrolyte loss. This stimulates the body’s natural inclination to replenish what has been lost by eating high sodium foods such as chips and dip. If you eliminate alcohol from your diet, you will be less tempted to consume more food than what your body actually needs.

3. Lowers Inhibitions: We may enter into a social engagement with the intent of making healthy food choices, but adding alcohol to the mix may cause those good intentions to go up in smoke right along with your aspirations of losing weight. Alcohol lowers inhibitions leading not only to poor food choices, but also to overindulgence in all the wrong foods. Eliminating alcohol will help keep you in the driver’s seat when it comes to making health conscious choices.

4. Slows Metabolism: Since the body can’t store alcohol, it must metabolize it right away.  This may sound ideal at first, until you understand how it works. Since body’s energy is being used to metabolize alcohol, this inhibits its ability to metabolize fats and sugars.  This ultimately slows the metabolism and leads to weight gain.  Pushing the alcohol away and nourishing your body with nutritious food choices will help to keep your metabolism running optimally.

If achieving your ideal weight is a priority, it’s best to decline the alcoholic beverages and instead opt for a sparkling water or diet soda.  The nutritional experts at Arizona Medifast Weight Control Centers can help educate and support you as you make this and other lifestyle changes on your weight loss journey. Please call today at (602) 996-9669 to schedule a complimentary consultation with our compassionate and knowledgeable team.