As you go about your diet plan, one thing that you’ll definitely think about at some point or another is the influence that alcohol is going to have on how you feel.

Those who are drinking as a regular part of their weekly schedule are never going to see the results as those who aren’t.  But, what if you only have a few drinks on occasion? Will this be detrimental to your progress?

I on occasion even indulge with some drinks with some friends and it is perfectly ok.

Let’s have a quick look at what you need to know about the impacts of alcohol on your body weight and fat loss progress.

Alcohol And Calories

The very first problem with consuming alcohol as part of your daily diet is the fact that it’s going to provide you with many empty calories. If you happen to be adding a mixer to the alcohol, it gets even worse.

Many mixed drinks can easily come in at well over 300 or more calories, so this will really put a dent in your total fat loss progress.  In addition to that, alcohol will also impair your judgement when it comes to making smart food choices, so you could end up feasting on wings, nachos, and pizza while drinking as well.  On an average night out you could easily consume 2000 calories or more, which is almost a half-pound of body fat added.

Alcohol And Fat Burning

Moving along, the next thing that you’ll want to note is the impact that alcohol has on the fat burning taking place in the body.  As soon as you consume an alcohol beverage, all fat burning is going to come to an immediate halt.

The body will see this alcohol is as a toxic substance and immediately its main game plan is to get rid of it as fast as it possible can.

It’s only after the alcohol has been removed from your body that you will continue on with the fat burning process.

Alcohol And Recovery

Finally, the last big problem with consuming alcohol as part of your diet is the fact that it will hamper your recovery ability.  If you drink relatively soon after a workout session, you won’t be rebuilding and repairing your muscle tissues nearly as quickly as you otherwise would, so you won’t be making as quick of progress in the gym either.

Since your effort and progress in the gym is a key factor influencing how quickly you get that lean body that you desire, this is really going to hinder your results.

So there you have the main reasons why boozing is not going to help you with losing.  If you want to have one or two drinks once or twice a month – fine, it likely won’t impact things all that much.  But, if you’re going out every weekend and downing five to ten drinks per night, expect a very long road ahead with your fat loss goals.  Not only will you not see fat loss occurring, but you may just gain body fat instead.

What does your social drinks schedule look like? Be honest 🙂

(Dave and I like having a glass of wine every Saturday night)