Now.. as President of the Chardonnay Fan Club it pains me greatly to say this.. but in the battle of the bulge, alcohol is not your friend. So much so that, eliminating alcohol is one of my top tips if you are following a weight loss program of any sort.

Now this doesn’t mean you must abstain forever but there is no point in eating well, following an exercise program, and doing everything else right – only to undo all your efforts with a glass of your favourite poison. Whilst each drink contains approximately 100-150 empty calories, that’s not the only reason I recommend you opt for an alcohol-free stint in order to get the results you want…

Alcohol Inhibits Fat Burning

Studies indicate that alcohol blocks the body’s ability to oxidise (burn!) fat and speeds up its ability to store fat – YIKES. [1] [2] It appears that just over 2 standard drinks down regulates fat burning by 73% which is bad news if you’re trying to slim down.

Alcohol Lowers Testosterone

So this one is more for the boys, and gentlemen – this is a biggie.

In one study alcohol was found to suppress testosterone levels by almost 7% in just 3 weeks.[3] This is bad news if you’re trying to build muscle.

In another study testosterone levels dropped, on average, by 23% between 10-16 hours after the guys started drinking. This study also found that cortisol levels were elevated, on average, by 36% and growth hormone was heavily suppressed. [4] This perfect storm sets you up for muscle loss and fat gain.

It also appears that if you’ve had a good workout, and then go drinking – you make things even worse. This particular combination actually prolongs the lowering of testosterone. [5]

Many alcoholic drinks, particularly beer and bourbon, also contain phytoestrogens which – in combination with lowering testosterone levels, may result in the phenomenon we call man-boobs.

Alcohol Reduces Muscle Mass

Alcohol also affects the way your body uses absorbs and uses protein, and even small amounts can lead to decreased protein absorption which can, in turn, compromise your muscle mass. It does this by decreasing the digestive enzymes your pancreas makes [6] and, because alcohol damages the lining of your gut (stomach and intestines), it also affects absorption and utilisation [7, 8].

This is important for both men and women as your muscle mass is critical for weight loss because:

• the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism is
• muscle is where you store your carbohydrate – the more you have, the more carbohydrate you can get away with eating and not put on weight
• having adequate levels of muscle is important for blood sugar and insulin balance (which affects appetite and weight loss)

Alcohol Affects Sleep

Alcohol relaxes us by working on something called the GABA receptor. This relaxing effect can certainly be enjoyable but some people may turn to alcohol for this purpose, especially when stressed – to detrimental effect.

Specifically looking at sleep – whilst a few drinks may help us to fall asleep quicker, alcohol actually prevents us from having a normal healthy sleep as it disrupts the second half of our night [9] and this has devastating consequences:

• because of the impact alcohol has on sleep, it significantly decreases growth hormone production (by at least 70%!) [10] – growth hormone, as the name suggests, help muscle repair and growth
• the interruption to the quality and quantity of sleep will also see you consume, on average, an extra 500+ calories a day – which is certainly not good news. [11] This is likely a compensatory mechanism by the body to find energy when you feel tired – but it does not help you in your weight loss efforts

So all in all, if you’re going to put in the time and effort to take the best care of you to get your weight where you want it to be – do yourself a favour and dodge the drinks, just for a little while.