Alcohol – friend or foe? What are the facts.
Alcohol has many effects on the body, some of them you are probably well aware of (hello day after headache and dry horrors), but there are other effects you may not be so well aware of. Here is a brief rundown.
Yes, alcohol does contain more calories than fat or protein (almost twice as many,) but it is the effect that alcohol has on your fat metabolism that is worth knowing about too. Your fat burning ability is reduced by as much as 73% after only two alcoholic beverages. What this means is that any food eaten at the same time as you are drinking is more likely to be stored as fat, than burnt for fuel.
Alcohol in the body is converted to acetate and when your blood levels of acetate rise, your body uses acetate for fuel, at the expense of using fat. Normally too, the more you drink, the more you tend to eat. Your liver will then be busy converting the alcohol to acetate and those nibbles you are inhaling will be converted into extra fat. Who needs that?
Alcohol also stimulates appetite and of course decreases willpower, so it can be yet another way to interfere will your fat loss goal.
From a hormonal point of view, alcohol decreases your testosterone level and increases your muscle wasting hormone cortisol. Not the best idea for anyone trying to build muscle. More bad news, alcohol increases your estrogen level, meaning a beer belly for men and an increased cancer risk for both men and women. There are many, many studies pointing to alcohol being a risk factor for a variety of cancers.
The take home message is, think about how much you are drinking and work on a goal of drinking less, and drinking less frequently. Put alcohol back into the treat category.
Hanna’s testimonial
Hanna came to see me late last year as she was struggling to lose post baby fat. She did a great job and sent this through to me last week.
That really is the goal, to gain the knowledge to eat healthily and in a sustainable manner long term, so that you lose the excess fat and keep it off. That might look slightly different for everyone, but the basics are the same.
Eat more vegetables. We are hearing more and more about plant-based diets, but if you focus on half of your lunch and half of your dinner being based around vegetables, that goes a long way to good health.
Watch your portions. Even if you mostly eat ‘good food’, if you eat more than your body requires you will re-gain the lost weight.
Make exercise a regular part of your life. Just about every long-term weight loss client I have met has worked out a way to include exercise in their life. Exercise not only helps with fat loss, it also helps with mental and physical health.
Eat ‘real’ food, food that doesn’t contain additives and preservatives. Most of our food should need to be refrigerated (veggies, fruit, eggs, dairy, proteins, nuts, seeds, etc) as without preservatives it won’t keep too long.
If you are busy, or not interested in making too many of your meals, look into the various Food Bag options around and give them a try.
Good ones to look at are:
The Fresh Start is lower in calories and more suitable for weight loss.
Homemade Pizzas
While there are recipes for pizza bases on my website - I find it easier sometimes to keep a bag of wraps in the freezer and use them as a base for a quick pizza. At this time of year we have lots of basil and tomatoes in the garden so I threw this together last night.
I spread tomato paste on the wrap, sprinkled mixed dried herbs over, then sliced mushrooms and tomatoes, scattered the basil over and topped them off with grated tasty cheese. You could add whatever veggies you had to hand. I had intended to make my own tomato pasta sauce and use that, but it was too hot and I couldn’t be bothered!
Offer for ex clients
The 6-week offer needs to be started by the end of this month, here are the details.
If you are looking for accountability it might be just what you need to get you back in the groove.
The offer covers:
1 x 45-minute appointment to set goals, do a body composition check and write a new plan.
5 x 15-minute weekly follow up appointments.
Appointments are available between 9am and 5pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only.
Appointments must commence no later than Thursday 26 March and finish no more than 8 weeks after the first appointment.
The total cost for the 6 appointments is $225.00.
Payment must be paid in full at the first appointment with no extensions beyond 21 May and no refunds.
Enjoy the warmth and make the most of the beautiful array of seasonal fruit and veggies while they are around. Please get in touch if you would like help with your nutritional goals.