Alcohol and Diets - How does drinking affect your diet?

Alcohol and Diets - How does drinking affect your diet?
So you've committed to making the lifestyle change and have
changed your eating habits for the long term. Or maybe your
going on a short diet to shed a few extra pounds because
spring and summer is on the way and you want to see if that
swimsuit from last year still fits. But you also enjoy a
drink or two with friends and neighbors. How will drinking
affect your diet plans? Here are a few key point to
remember when mixing alcohol and diets.

Since you're going to have an alcoholic drink, ORDER A
DISTILLED PRODUCT like vodka, gin, or whiskey on the rocks
or with a diet soda mix, a low-carb beer, or a glass of dry
red or white wine. If you are on a low-carb diet, any
alcoholic beverage with less than 7 carbohydrates per
serving is considered low-carb, and remember that one
serving of alcohol is 12 ounces of beer (not a six pack!),
5 ounces of wine (that's the small glass, not the goblet),
or 1.5 ounces of a distilled spirit (that's definitely much
smaller than my typical serving size!).

If you're going to have a couple of drinks, START WITH A
GLASS OF WATER. Actually, don't stop there. Have more water
between drinks but remember, the USDA recommends no more
than one serving of alcoholic drink per day for women and
two drinks maximum per day for men. Alcohol tends to
dehydrate people - one of the reasons why you have the
hangover in the morning - so drinking plenty of water
before, during and after your one or two drinks will help
keep you hydrated.

If you're drinking wine and know the carbohydrate count for
the brand, CONSIDER A WINE SPRITZER. Mix 2.5 ounces of wine
with an equal amount of seltzer or soda water and garnish
with a thin slice of lemon or lime. Now you can enjoy two
drinks for the carb count of a single serving of wine!

Now here's where we really get into how alcohol affects
your diet. There is a fuel hierarchy that your body uses
for energy sources. ALCOHOL COMES FIRST IN THE FUEL
HIERARCHY, followed by fat, protein, and then
carbohydrates. WHEN YOU DRINK, YOU STOP THE WEIGHT-LOSS
PROCESS. Sorry, but it is true. Your body needs between 1
and 2 hours to burn off a serving of beer, wine, or
distilled spirits. Once the alcohol has been processed,
your body will revert back to utilizing fat, protein, and
carbohydrates for energy. Simply put, THE MORE YOU DRINK
AND THE MORE OFTEN YOU DRINK, THE SLOWER YOUR WEIGHT LOSS.

Which means if you're working hard all week with your diet
and exercise routine, eating right and taking your
nutritional supplements, but then party like mad on
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights then you are at best,
just maintaining your weight. If you're not in the diet and
exercise routine during the week, but still partying, then
you're probably gaining weight due to the empty alcoholic
calories. Moderation is the key.

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Ron Godlewski has written many articles on health,
wellness, and maintaining vitality as we manage our weight
through lifestyle diets. You can obtain more information on
the importance of vitamin supplements while dieting at
http://www.pillfreesupplements.com and receive a FREE quart
of Body Balance or call him toll free at 1-888-LFI-CUST
(1-888-534-2878).