Friday, July 08, 2011

Alcohol Makes Weight Loss More Difficult

Alcohol Makes Weight Loss More Difficult

ATLANTA, Ga. - People who are struggling to lose weight even while watching what they eat may need to look carefully at what they drink. One doctor blames difficulty losing weight on a habit he calls “eating under the influence”.
Studies have shown that alcohol can make you feel hungry, even when you’re not. Experts also say that drinking alcohol can make people crave carbohydrates.
Weight loss expert Dr. Howard Shapiro says, "Eating under the influence means you have a couple of drinks and you have too many and all of a sudden your blood sugar is down, you get hungry and you grab the first thing you can find. It’s usually fast food, high calorie food.
In addition to that effect, alcohol is high in calories. Two glasses of wine adds up to about 300 calories. Drinking that much six nights a week can add up to two pounds of weight gain in a month.
Finally, drinking alcohol can make it more difficult to burn up the calories you take in. Alcohol slows the body’s process for metabolizing fat and carbohydrates. It also can prevent the body from taking in vitamins and nutrients.
Dr. Shapiro advises people who are trying to lose weight to give up alcohol for a week or two. He says they may find that doing so makes it easier for them to shed the pounds.

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