5 Tips to Incorporate Alcohol into a Healthy Lifestyle
We all have different philosophies when it comes to alcohol and a healthy lifestyle. Whether you choose to drink regularly, occasionally, or not at all, we encourage you to approach alcohol with a healthy mindset and science-based understanding. Follow our five tips to incorporate alcohol into a healthy lifestyle so you can continue to see results without feeling deprived.
Alcohol is a staple in many social scenes, vacations, and date nights. While you want to live a healthy, sustainable lifestyle, you don’t want to give up something you enjoy. The good news is, you don’t have to! Understanding what alcohol does to your body and working with it is the best way to keep it from impeding your results.
Here’s the hard truth: your body considers alcohol a toxin. When you ingest alcohol, your body stops other important functions in order to metabolize it as quickly as possible. This means if you drink alcohol, fat loss stops in order to get rid of the alcohol. The amount of time it takes to metabolize alcohol will depend on your metabolism, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer—but it could be anywhere from 2-12 hours.
If you drink on a regular basis, you are regularly halting your fat loss efforts, and that could have a major impact on your progress. Follow these five tips to keep seeing results without feeling deprived!
5 Tips to Incorporate Alcohol into a Healthy Lifestyle
1. Be intentional.
Always keep your goals in the forefront—don’t let them become impaired by your alcohol consumption! If it’s causing you to plateau, reduce your consumption or frequency, or take it out of the equation until you’ve reached your goals. Then reassess to see how alcohol fits into your lifestyle.
2. Focus on nutrition.
When you drink, you’re still consuming calories—a lot more than you probably realize—but if you drink your calories, you aren’t leaving room for NUTRITION. Poor nutrition will quickly halt your fat loss and negatively impact how you feel. Make sure you’re eating plenty of nutrient-dense whole foods so you can give your body what it needs.
3. Know how to calculate alcohol into your macros.
Alcohol is the fourth macronutrient along with carbohydrates, fat, and protein. The main difference between alcohol and the other macros is that alcohol is not essential. Because of this, food tracking apps don’t account for it (even though *we* need to!).
Alcohol can be tracked as carbs OR fat (NOT protein), but it does require a little extra math.
HERE’S A MACRO BREAKDOWN:
1g alcohol = 7 calories
1g carbs/protein = 4 calories
1g fat = 9 calories
When you know how many grams of carbs and/or fat to log, simply search the MyFitnessPal app for carbs or fat (rather than the name of the food) and enter the grams you calculated from your drink(s). The standard alcoholic drink typically contains 14 grams of alcohol. For reference, that's 1.5 ounces (or one shot) of 80-proof distilled spirits, a 12-ounce bottle of beer, or a five-ounce glass of wine.
4. Go organic!
Choosing organic alcohol may reduce the toxic load placed on the body when consuming alcohol. So when you’re shopping for your favorite drink or choosing it from a menu, ask about the organic options!
5. Mind your Ps and Qs
While “Mind your Ps and Qs” traditionally refers to minding your manners, one of the suggested origins of this idiom dates back to 17th-century bartenders who would keep an eye on their patrons’ alcohol consumption—their pints and quarts. We should do the same!
Serving size is important so be intentional with when and how much you’re going to drink. If you have room in your macros for one drink on leg day, then stick to it! Don’t sacrifice your progress because you aren’t paying attention to how much you’ve had.
Looking for some delicious alcohol-free alternatives for those times you choose not to impart? Try our popular FASTer Way mocktails!
Margamelon Mocktail
With a little planning and intention, alcohol can be part of a healthy lifestyle. For more great tips and simple daily habits that will change your health (and your life!) join us for the next round of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss. More than 150,000 clients have learned how to burn fat without feeling deprived, and YOU can, too!
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