As a society, we like to indulge in drinking alcoholic beverages from time to time. And it seems that at different stages of our lives, we tend to drink more than usual, which can have adverse consequences (I’ll leave that to your imagination!).
But what most people don’t realize is how drinking alcoholic beverages affect their metabolism and the “hidden” way it causes you to gain weight.
When you drink alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, mixed drinks, etc.), regardless of the percent alcohol by volume, you suppress your resting metabolism up to 60% according to some of the latest medical research. In fact, it can remain suppressed for up to FOUR DAYS following an evening of festive drinking, even if you drink just 1–2 glasses of wine!
A Simple Example
Let me explain what happens using a simple example…
Let’s say you have a measured Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) of 1400 kcals/day… using highly-sophisticated and scientific instrumentation to calculate the measurement. This means that doing nothing, your body burns 1400 calories per day to keep your body processes and muscles operating at a baseline survival level.
Now let’s say you go out with your significant other or friends on Saturday night and have 2 glasses of wine. If we then measured your RMR on Sunday, your RMR would likely measure about 900 kcals for the day instead of your normal 1400 kcals. So what happens to the 500 calories that aren’t burned on Sunday? That’s right, you store them as fat on your body.
Then on Monday, let’s say we measure your RMR again. What do you think it will be? From personally testing thousands of individuals in our Center, I can tell you that it will only be about 150 kcals more than Sunday. Humm… so what happens to the 350 kcals you normally would burn but don’t? You guessed right again… it gets converted to fat and stored on your body.
Now it’s Tuesday and let’s say we measure your RMR once again. What do you think it will be? How about approximately 150 kcals more than Monday. And what happens to the 200 kcals you normally would burn but don’t? You guessed right again… it gets converted to fat and stored on your body.
Are you beginning to get the picture? Even if you don’t overeat at all from Saturday to about Wednesday, you could end up storing almost 1,100 calories your metabolism doesn’t burn as fat… that’s almost one-third of a pound of body weight on the scale… all because you indulged with just 2 glasses of wine 4 days ago!
Seems unfair, doesn’t it? And it is. This one splurge on a weekend… maybe every weekend… or maybe several times a week can thwart most of your weight loss or weight maintenance efforts. That is, of course, unless you know the strategies to follow Before, During, and Afterwards… even on the Next Day.
What To Do BEFORE:
- Eat a high-protein meal — skip all “white carbs”; eat only veggies, no fruit.
- Drink 32 oz. of fresh water with a whole lemon squeezed in it.
- Be sure you perform some exercise — 30 min. strength-training is best, but a short 12-min. interval cardio routine will do.
- Take 2 capsules of Metabolism DAY that contains 6 natural ingredients – helps to support your metabolism and facilitate more effective alcohol metabolism.
What To Do DURING:
- Red wine is best. Avoid Beer and White Wine — they both trigger a higher insulin response making them a perfect drink for easily gaining body fat.
- Focus on eating more protein-based foods and snacks — helps regulate your response to any sugar in the alcohol.
- Limit to 2 drinks — beyond that, the liver becomes compromised and shuts down your ability to metabolize alcohol without consequence.
What To Do AFTERWARDS & THE NEXT DAY:
- Drink at least 16 oz. fresh water with lemon right before you go to bed.
- NEXT DAY: Drink 128 oz. of fresh water with 1–2 whole lemons squeezed in it — helps to alkalize the body and decrease inflammation.
- NEXT DAY: Eat primarily veggies and vegetable juices throughout the day.
- NEXT DAY: Take 2 capsules of Metabolism DAY that contains Raspberry Ketones to help damage control to fat cell function.
While consuming alcoholic beverages can be fun and an integral part of being social, for the person trying to manage their weight effectively, drinking alcoholic beverages on a regular basis can easily cause you to gain 12–15 pounds of extra weight a year… all under the radar!
And yes, while drinking alcoholic beverages does add to your overall calorie intake, the more subtle effect is how it diminishes your body ability to burn the usual number of calories as just part of your normal metabolism’s burn rate.
Need more proof? Have you ever heard of the “freshman 15”?
Rich Farina, M.S. is a Metabolic Health and Conditioning Specialist with over 30 years of experience helping thousands of individuals lose weight, rebuild their metabolisms, and improve their health in his Metabolic Testing & Weight Loss Centers.
He holds both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Exercise Physiology and Public Health respectively and is a passionate advocate of using proven, scientific principles in his approach to exercise and nutrition.
He is a contributing author, professional speaker, and advisor on topics that include weight loss, human performance, and medical fitness.
He continues his deep-seated passion to help people improve their health and longevity through his own line of premium, all-natural nutritional supplements called Truthentics™. The Truthentics™ brand of nutritional supplements is specifically designed to help people compensate for nutritional deficiencies and bring their bodies back into balance.
