Be careful what (and how much) you drink!
The other day I mentioned that I often have a couple drinks on Saturday, 
one of my two “high carb days” for the week. I’m able to stay very lean and still enjoy myself on the weekends because I do so in moderation, and I choose my drinks wisely. This is very important.
You could eat a perfect diet and exercise until your face turns blue and still have a difficult time losing fat if you’re not careful with your alcohol consumption.
First, alcohol has 7 calories per gram, almost as much as fat (9 calories per gram), and almost twice as many calories as a gram of carbohydrate or protein (4 calories each per gram). So even just a couple of drinks can set you back 300 – 400 calories.
In addition, when you consume alcohol at the same time as food, your body tends to burn the alcohol first, sparing fat.
Suppose, for example, you cut your calories from fat down to a
recommended 20 percent. That’s great. But if you consume 10 percent
of your daily calories (approximately 2-3 drinks) from alcohol, it is as
though your diet has 40 percent fat, proportionate to calories.
Furthermore, studies show that alcohol makes people hungrier; and
at the same time, it lowers their inhibitions, so they are more likely to
binge. The more you drink, the less you care about what you are eating
and how it might be sabotaging your progress.
As you can see, fat loss is not nearly as easy or effective if you drink too
much alcohol. This is not to say you have to cut out alcohol altogether.
Alcohol, just like fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar, can be consumed in
moderation.
If you drink on a regular basis, try cutting back to one glass, or a glass
every other night, or just on the weekends. Also, try a light beer with
fewer calories. And when you have a cocktail, use diet soda or Crystal
Lite as the mixer.
(I made up an amazing low-calorie, sugar-free margarita recipe, if you
want it)
