The simple answer to this question is yes! Like all other nutrients, alcohol, at the end of the day, is calories and we all know that if you are at a positive energy balance (caloric surplus), you will gain weight, if you are at a negative energy balance (caloric deficit), you will lose weight…. it’s as simple as that. So, the question should not be ‘Can I drink alcohol and still lose weight?’ because that’s obviously true provided you are in a caloric deficit. The question that we should be asking is ‘Does alcohol impair my fitness goals?’ To answer this question, we first must understand what happens in your body when you consume alcohol. Let’s get into it.
When you drink alcohol, it is first absorbed in your bloodstream and then goes straight to the liver. Unlike other nutrients, your body treats alcohol like it would treat poison which means that it quickly wants to eliminate the alcohol before metabolising other nutrients from food and/or beverages. Because your body does not have storage for alcohol, unlike carbs and fats (stored as glucose and triglycerides), all other macronutrients (protein, fats, carbs) are put on a back burner and stored rather then being metabolised and utilised. This is especially the case for dietary fat, where we see that fat oxidation/burning is severely slowed down after the consumption of alcohol.
It is important to point out that alcohol itself isn’t directly making you fat. What is making you fat is the excess calories that are consumed and stored as fat when alcohol is present. Take a night out for example, the first thing everyone wants after drinks is food and it’s highly unlikely that that food is healthy low-calorie food. Let’s say you have a burger and fries, when these nutrients are consumed, your body will ignore metabolising them instantly because it is still trying to eliminate the alcohol in your system. Instead, it will store them as unused energy and unused energy is converted to fat. So, basically that burger and fries will enter your system and chill there as unused energy for a little while and then (because you’re most likely to fall asleep) all that energy will be converted to fat because it is not utilised.
The main thing that you really should avoid is a post drinking binge (easier said then done, lol). My advice would be to lower your fat and carb consumption throughout the day and have a meal planned when you come back from your night out if you feel hungry.
Alcohol makes you hungry
A 2010 review on alcohol and apatite revealed that alcohol is the least satiating energy source so, the more you drink the hungrier you get and, funny enough, the same study found that alcohol magnifies the ability of food to stimulate appetite so even when you are eating, you might still feel hungry.
How does this affect your fitness goals?
Interestingly, light consumption of alcohol has been shown to boost testosterone by ~17% in men which explains the increase in libido after consumption *wink wink.* However, even though testosterone is an anabolic hormone, this boost is unlikely to play a role in your gains, so relax fellas. A number of studies have concluded that muscle protein synthesis is surprised after the consumption of alcohol, one 2014 human study by from Parr et el, found that heavy consumption of alcohol (8-9 drinks) reduced muscle protein synthesis by 37%.
Should I stop drinking then?
Hell NO! if you enjoy having a drink then sure you can still go out and enjoy yourself as long as you are staying on track with your diet and training. Here are my tips to follow:
1. Keep your calories for carbs and fats low during the day before drinking
2. Avoid late night binges
3. Drink the day before a rest day, that way you can get enough sleep and fully recover
4. Consume a lot of water before sleeping
5. Avoid high sugary drinks e.g. cocktails
6. Always stay in control, don’t be that person who must be carried out PLEASE!! This is not even related to fitness, but I just had to add it in there!
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