For those of you who don’t know, we at Moteiv also manage fitness workshops in different US states and this has to be one of the most asked questions (if not the most asked), right there with “I’ve tried everything but can’t seem to lose weight, what am I doing wrong?” and “I barely eat anything, how do I keep gaining weight?”
Sadly, we don’t have the time to go over these other questions, but we’re definitely going to tackle alcohol today and finally answer if you should be drinking alcohol while drinking, why it’s bad for losing weight and what to do to boost your weight loss efforts. So, stay tuned, we’ve got a lot to talk about!
Why Does Alcohol Stop Fat Burning?
We all know that alcohol promotes weight gain, but did you know that alcohol stops fat burning? Let me explain…
Our body treats alcohol as poison, so it shuts down all other metabolic processes and pathways to focus solely on metabolizing alcohol and getting it completely out of our system. And, depending on how much you;ve had to drink, alcohol may completely shut down your body’s fat burning capabilities for as much as 12 and up to a staggering 36 hours!
Once alcohol is fully metabolized and out of your system, the body will slowly “go back to normal”, allowing other metabolic processes to kick in and begin processing sugars, simple carbohydrates and, eventually, fat.
You see, it’s not that alcohol makes us gain weight (which it does since light beer packs as much as 100+ calories), but it also prevents the body from metabolizing anything else for as much as 36 hours… and if you get in the habit of drinking on a daily basis, you can see how this effect can compound and result in a significant weight gain over a period of several months (even worse, years).
So what should you do, can your alcohol drinking be inline with your weight loss and fitness goals? Well, it can actually. For example, we encourage our clients to plan out their night of drinking on (or day before) their cheat day. On a cheat day we’re not trying to lose weight anyways, so alcohol won’t be stopping anything that important!
How To Speed Up Your Weight Loss Despite Alcohol
We’ve said it before that timing plays quite a big role in your weight loss effects, if you don’t want to give up on alcohol.
Of course, there are the usual:
- Working out
- Managing your diet
- Making sure you have an active lifestyle etc.
But what happens when these are just not enough? God knows we’ve had such clients… clients who say they are adhering to our exercise and eating regime but don’t seem to make any progress.
This is usually when they turn to supplementation, to give them that “edge”.
So, what are some of the most common supplements people reach for?
If we’re talking about natural supplements, some common ones “in the wild” are:
- Magnesium – the interesting thing about magnesium is that, if our body is lacking it, it can experience a weakened ability to utilize sugar. Magnesium is also essential for protein synthesis and energy production, so if your body is lacking in it, it can affect your weight loss journey negatively. Magnesium supplementation is safe even if you are drinking alcohol, of course.
- B Vitamins – B vitamins are important in producing energy by breaking down carbohydrates.
- Conjugated Linoleic Acid – some research suggests CLA can help you feel ful for longer, thus reducing your desire/need to eat.
- Glucomannan – the way this natural supplement works is by blocking fat in your body from being absorbed. There is some anecdotal evidence corroborating these claims, but we’re still lacking some full-blown scientific research.
Being in the fitness community, we’re hearing a lot of chatter about the latest peptides craze that swept the nation. There’s been a lot of talk about semaglutide and its massive weight loss effects on diabetic, obese patients. The drug has seen such massive success, that even non-diabetics started using it with tremendous results.
Another such drug is tirzepatide. Some scientists deemed it as the “weight loss miracle drug.” We haven’t recommended it to our patients per se, but we’ve had some started to use it on their own and there’s no denying it, it’s working wonders for them.
There is one more drug being mentioned – AOD-9064. Though we also haven’t tested it on our patients yet. you can buy AOD-9064 online at some online suppliers freely without a prescription. It is said that AOD also helps with joint pain and cardiovascular health, so there might be something to this peptide. Though we’re still waiting for more tests and studies to be done.
