How Alcohol Ruins Your Hardwork

by Coach Vicky

As a challenge to myself, I decided to give up alcohol for all of January and February to coincide with my diet cut and training for my half marathon.

“You’re doing what?!”
“You’re really not going to drink?!”
“One drink won’t kill you!”

These were the most frequent responses I received when I told my friends and family about my dry months. It was a little eye opening to have to stand my ground on my sober decisions to my peers, but knowing how alcohol can really ruin progress kept me motivated to stick to my guns.

[su_note note_color=”#EAEAEA”]Here are the biggest reasons why drinking ruins your hard work and progress:
1. The body stops normal metabolism procedures when drinking
• This means that the body stops what it is doing to metabolize other foods to get the alcohol toxins out. Where does it send the food that it was metabolizing, you might ask? It sends whatever it was currently metabolizing, regardless of macronutrient profile, to fat storage… that even means the plate of veggies you ate to try and be healthy before a night of drinking.

2. Impedes liver function
• Most alcohol is metabolized in the liver where the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is converted to acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is TOXIC to the body, even in small amounts…

3. Drinking alcohol adds unnecessary calories
• Alcohol is NOT an essential nutrient (the body does not need it to survive), but it still counts for 7 calories per gram of alcohol.

4. Drinking lowers your inhibitions while also being an appetite stimulant
• HELLO DRUNK EATING[/su_note]

But if this didn’t sway you to cut the drinking…here are some tips
X Avoid mixers with calories (juices, tonic, sour mix = more calories)
X Stay hydrated during the day!
X Keep your carbs and fats low throughout the day → keep your focus on protein throughout the day
X *Try* to set a drink limit
X Don’t keep tempting, diet sabotaging foods in the house

To figure out how to get this in your macros…

[su_table responsive=”yes”]

# of Drinks	Beer	Wine	Vodka
3	459	375	291
6	918	750	582
9	1377	1125	873

[/su_table]

Take the calories of the drink and divide by 9 for fat or 4 for carbs…
3 beers → 459/9 = 51g of FAT
3 beers → 459/4 = ~114g of CARBS

Drinking a glass or two of wine a week is not going to sabotage your progress, but think before you drink an entire bottle or hit the tequila shots a little too hard on a night out with friends.

During my two sober months, I learned A LOT about my body and my lifestyle choices. Not only would I rather save my macros for food instead of alcohol, but I avoided my classic hungover bacon, egg, and cheese the next day.

Making a habit out of not drinking has made me realize that I really do not need to drink to have fun and Alissa Vitta, author of Woman Code says it best herself,

[su_quote]Celebration is about having the time to spend with friends and loved ones, talking to them, and enjoying those moments. You can do that with a glass of club soda in your hand! You’re also more present to the exchanges that you have when you’re sober, which makes those connections much more powerful…[/su_quote]

So give it a go…challenge yourself to a sober month and appreciate your body and the authentic connections you can make while sober.

If you’re looking to achieve one or more of the following goals, but haven’t found success in other venues, then consider investing in your health through nutritional coaching!

• Lose fat and keep it off
• Eat healthier without eliminating certain food groups
• Improve your athletic performance
• Gain muscle and strength
• Improve your relationship with food
• Have more energy and focus on quality of life
• Find a way to stay accountable

For more info on nutritional coaching services please visit https://crossfit13stars.com/nutritional-coaching/.