Drinking Alcohol May Not Cause Weight Gain By Raymond Hinish

It's a common misconception that alcohol and weight loss are mortal enemies. The reality may be surprising... In fact, scientists have discovered that alcohol may not be a deal breaker as it pertains to burning fat.

Alcohol does contain calories, in fact, it has just 2 calories per gram less than fat, so it makes sense that avoiding alcohol would promote weight loss. The reality is not so neat and simple.

Alcohol may actually benefit your metabolism when you keep it to moderate levels. First, moderate alcohol intake can activate an enzyme called AMP kinase which improves insulin sensitivity, lowers triglycerides, lowers blood glucose, and lowers body weight.

Finally, moderate alcohol intake increase the activity of catecholamines, neurotransmitters that burn fat by keeping the metabolism burning.

Now the down side. As you know, there are a number of consequences to drinking alcoholic beverages. First, alcohol does come with calories, and, depending on the drink that you choose, often quite a few calories. If you choose low carb, low-calorie drinks then you can get by with relatively few calories.

Next, drinking is often associated with eating poor quality, high-fat, high-carb bar food. This can certainly place some strain on your metabolism and can, in and of itself, negate any positive benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption.

Scientists discovered that alcohol doesn't make you do stupid thing, it simply makes you not care about doing stupid things. This means that alcohol knocks out the mental breaks that prevent you from acting on impulses and thoughts. The result is you may find yourself eating a whole bag of Oreo cookies or chips when you get home from the bar. This is perhaps the biggest problem with drinking, it causes you to eat foods that are not so fat loss friendly.

So, what do you do? Drink alcohol? Avoid it like the plague?

1. Avoid greasy bar food when drinking. Make sure that you eat something healthy before heading to the bar.

2. Order alcoholic drinks that are low-carb and low-calorie. Some great choices include: rum and diet cola, dry red wine, MGD 64, and Michelob Ultra. Avoid sugary drinks at all cost.

3. If you're looking to burn that spare tire, my recommendation is to avoid alcohol altogether. If your trying to maintain your weight, limit daily alcohol to no more than one glass or one "party night".

4. Remember that alcohol can interfere with healthy sleep, so plan on getting a few extra hours of sleep after your "party night"

5. If you have a particularly bad night, try using a meal replacement shake for weight loss support. Meal replacements can give your body the break it needs to burn some of the extra fat.

Although it may sound like alcohol promotes fat loss, it is no fat loss miracle. That being said, it may not be the evil fattening beverage that many believe it to be. So, for now, keep alcohol to a minimum and if you throw down a couple of glasses of red wine on the weekend, don't worry too much about it, go ahead and enjoy it.

Dr. Ray Hinish is a licensed pharmacist, a personal trainer & Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach. He blogs on Cut the Fat Podcast & hosts the Your Prescription for Health radio show. He has a nutrtion practice at The Expert Nutrition Center in Maryland

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