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Why Some People Can Drink Alcohol Without Getting Fat

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

Alcohol has been implicated as a factor that may hurt your efforts to lose body fat. Whether alcohol is “fattening” has been a very controversial subject because technically speaking, alcohol is NOT stored as fat; it is oxidized ahead of other fuels.

Whether moderate drinking is healthy has also been a subject of controversy. Many studies show that cardiovascular health benefits are associated with moderate beer or wine drinking (which has been of particular interest lately with reservatrol in the news so much), while other studies show improved insulin sensitivity. Some experts however, say that alcohol has no place in a fitness lifestyle.

A recent study published in the journal Obesity adds new findings to our knowledge about alcohol, insulin resistance and abdominal obesity. Analysis of the results as compared to other studies also gives us some insights into why some people seem to drink and get fat while others seem to drink and get thin!

The truth about the beer belly phenomenon

This new study, by Ulf Riserus and Erik Inglesson, was based on the Swedish Uppsala Longitudinal cohort. The researchers found that alcohol intake in older men did not improve insulin sensitivity, which contradicted their own hypothesis and numerous previous studies.

They also said there was a very “robust” association between alcohol intake, waist circumference and waist to hip ratio. They pointed out that a high alcohol intake, especially hard liquor, was closely associated with abdominal body fat, not just overall body mass.

Abdominal fat accumulation is not just a cosmetic problem, it can be a serious health risk. Abdominal fat, also known as “android” or “central” obesity, increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, glucose intolerance and elevated insulin levels.

Many other studies have also found a link between alcohol intake and abdominal fat, but this too has been controversial. A study that was widely publicized by the BBC in 2003 dismissed the concept of the “beer belly.”

Nevertheless, it looks like there’s some scientific support to it after all (or at least a “liquor belly” according to this newer study).

Hormones may be strongly involved because high alcohol intake has been shown to decrease blood testosterone in men, and also increase cortisol levels, which can lead to visceral fat accumulation.

Why is there so much controversy? Why the discrepancy in research findings about alcohol’s influence on obesity, abdominal fat, and insulin sensitivity?

Well, here’s the real story of why some people don’t get fat when they drink:

A lot of the confusion is because epidemiological research cannot show cause and effect relationships and mistakes can easily be made when drawing associations based on limited data.

With the nature of these longitudinal studies, you have to look at the lifestyle and nature of drinkers in general (or in this study, hard liquor drinkers). Also, the Swedish study focused on older men, so age may have been a factor. You may be more likely to deposit alcohol right on your belly as you get older.

When you hear that alcohol increases belly fat, you also have to look at what else is going on in the life of the drinker, particularly what the rest of a person’s diet looks like, and how alcohol intake affects appetite and eating habits.

Research says that alcohol can mess up your body’s perception of hunger, satiety and fullness. If drinking stimulates additional eating, or adds additional calories that aren’t compensated for and which lead to positive energy balance, then you get fat. You may also get fat in the belly, no thanks to what booze does to hormones.

Another thing that confounds the reports on whether alcohol contributes to weight gain is the fact that the game changes in heavy drinkers. We know that alcohol contains 7.1 calories per gram and these calories always count as part of the energy balance equation… or do they? With chronic excessive alcohol consumption, it’s possible that not all of these calories are available for energy. Due to changes in liver function and something called the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS), alcoholism may be a real case of where some calories don’t count. Many alcoholics also skip meals and eat less with increasing alcohol consumption.

Alcohol metabolizing pathways notwithstanding, even if binge drinkers, daily drinkers or heavy drinkers consume most of their calories from alcohol, if they eat very little, and remain in a calorie deficit, they will not get fat. Compound this with the hormonal effects and you witness the skinny, but under-nourished, unhealthy and atrophied alcoholic (the person you’d think would be most likely to have a beer belly).

It’s the calories that count

The bottom line is, the idea that alcohol just automatically turns into fat or gives you a beer belly is mistaken. It’s true that alcohol suppresses fat oxidation, but mainly, alcohol adds calories into your diet, messes with your hormones and can stimulate appetite, leading to even more calories consumed. That’s where the fat gain comes from.

If you drink in moderation, if you’re aware of the calories in the alcohol, if you’re aware of the calories from additional food intake consumed during or after drinking, and if you compensate for all of the above accordingly, you won’t get fat.

Now, with that said, you might be wondering: “You mean I can drink and still lose fat? I just need to keep in a calorie deficit?”

Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. But before you rush off to the pub for a cold one, hold that thought for a minute while you consider this first: The empty alcohol calories displace the nutrient dense calories!

When you’re on a fat loss program you have a fairly small “calorie budget”, so you need to give some careful thought to how those calories should be “spent.” For example, if a female is on a 1500 calorie per day diet, does she really want to “spend” 500 of those calories – one third of her intake - for a few alcoholic drinks, and leave only 1000 for health-promoting food, fiber and lean muscle building protein?

I realize some people may answer “yes” to that question, but then again, if some people spent their money as frivolously as they spent their calories, they would be in deep trouble!

To summarize this into some practical, take-home advice, here are 7 of my personal tips for alcohol consumption in the fitness lifestyle:

(1) Don’t drink on a fat loss program. Although you could certainly drink and “get away with it” if you diligently maintained your calorie deficit as noted above, it certainly does not help your fat loss cause or your nutritional status.

(2) Drink in moderation during maintenance. For lifelong weight maintenance and a healthy lifestyle, if you drink, do so in moderation and only occasionally, such as on weekends or when you go out to dine in restaurants. Binge drinking and getting drunk has no place in a fitness lifestyle (not to mention hangovers aren’t very conducive to good workouts).

(3) Don’t drink daily. Moderate drinking, including daily drinking, has been associated with cardiovascular health benefits. However, I don’t recommend daily drinking because behaviors repeated daily become habits. Behaviors repeated multiple times daily become strong habits. Habitual drinking may lead to heavier drinking or full-blown addictions and can be hard to stop if you ever need to cut back.

(4) Count the calories. If you decide to have a bottle of beer or a glass of wine or two (or whatever moderation is for you), be sure to account for the alcohol in your daily calorie budget.

(5) Watch your appetite. Don’t let the “munchies” get control of you during or after you drink (Note to chicken wing and nacho-eating men: The correlation to alcohol and body fat is higher in men in almost all the studies. One possible explanation is that men tend to drink and eat, while women may tend to drink instead of eating).

(6) Watch the fatty foods. When drinking, watch the fatty foods in particular. A study by Angelo Tremblay back in 1995 suggested that alcohol and a high fat diet are a combination that favors overfeeding.

(7) Enjoy without guilt. If you choose to drink (moderately and sensibly), then don’t feel guilty about it or beat yourself up afterwards, just enjoy the darn stuff, will you!

To see a complete fat burning system that takes you by the hand, step by step and shows you what to eat, what to drink (and what not drink), how to exercise and how to stay motivated, visit: www.burnthefat.com

What’s up?!

I hope your day is going well. Today, I’d like to give you a free gift. Take a minute to download it, and read through it whenever you get a chance.

It’s written by Tom Venuto, a fitness professional who contributes to this site regularly (and many, many others!).

So let’s cut to the chase. Here’s what this free guide is all about: 

• First off, Tom is interviewed by a clinical hypnotherapist named Tom Nicoli
• Tom explains why fad diets don’t work (…what 9 out of 10 people are missing!)
• How the 80/20 Principle works fitness miracles
• The 4 Pillars of of Health & Fitness
• Calorie Investing?!?!
• The Scientific Method: The 8th grader’s solution to fitness problems

…And plenty more! You get the idea, now download it for FREE:

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Now that you are past the rookie stage in bodybuilding, the next step would be to push things up a notch and take on an intermediate bodybuilding routine. This is the level where you are no more a beginner and nor are you too far from becoming a pro. Here are five apt exercises that should be part of the ideal intermediate bodybuilding routine:

Intermediate Bodybuilding Routine Workout #1 - The Incline Press with a Dumbbell: This exercise is designed to mainly work you chest while benefiting your shoulders and triceps as well. Here, you need to lie on an inclined bench at 45 degrees. Next, bring the dumbbells from your tights to your shoulders. Lift the weights over you chest with your palms facing forward and then lower them in a slow manner. Remember to inhale when you lower the weights and exhale when you raise them.

Intermediate Bodybuilding Routine Workout #2 - The Push Down: This exercise focuses on your triceps, chest and shoulders. Here you need to hold on to two parallel bars as far apart as your shoulder width. Then, lift yourself with straight arms, supporting your entire body. Next, lower yourself to a point where your elbows are bent but shoulders stretched and repeat this technique for 3 to 5 times per set.

Intermediate Bodybuilding Routine Workout #3 - The Front Military Press: This workout will put stress on your shoulders and triceps. Here, you need to begin by lifting a barbell from your shoulder over your head at the full length of your arm. Make sure you chest and back are straight. You can even do this while sitting on a bench with your feet apart and flat on the floor. To conclude a single rep, slowly lower the barbell before raising it again for the next rep. Do this at least 3 to 5 times per set.

Intermediate Bodybuilding Routine Workout #4 - The Dumbbell Shrug: The dumbbell shrug works on your back a traps. Here you need to stand up straight with your feet apart. Next, place your arms at your sides with two dumbbells in your hands. Then raise your shoulders and slowly lower them. You may also rotate your shoulder when you do this.

Intermediate Bodybuilding Routine Workout #5 - The Biceps Curl: The biceps curl, as the name suggests, will exercise your biceps. Here, you must hold the dumbbells with you palms positioned to face you, then curl the dumbbell from your sides and bring them up to your shoulders. In this exercise, you must ensure that you elbows are in a steady position and shouldn’t move from their place at all. You can also use a barbell instead of a dumbbell.

The above-mentioned exercises are just some of the workout techniques an intermediate bodybuilder should do and the steps mentioned therein are the correct way to go about doing them. You can always innovate and incorporate your own ideas to improve the steps and enhance the effect of the workout. The basic concept of focusing on one body part at a time is still applicable at the intermediate level although you can do as many reps as you want, but remember not to overdo it since you run the risk of injury that way.

Whatever you do, its recommended that you workout under the guidance of a bodybuilding professional trainer, since the trainer will be able to tell you which intermediate bodybuilding routine will give you best results.

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by Mike Geary - CPT, Founder - Truth About Abs .com

I was out recently with some friends and we stopped at a fast food joint. I hate fast food joints, but sometimes everybody else wants to go there, so you just have to make the best of it and find something at least somewhat healthy.

If you’re forced to eat fast-food, here’s a tip to make sure that you’re not doing much damage to your body…ALWAYS AVOID the soda and anything deep fried including french fries, hash browns, and anything breaded like chicken nuggets, chicken patties, or breaded fish sandwiches. These are all absolutely soaked in deadly trans fats from the industrial hydrogenated vegetable oils they use to fry all of these items.

Remember, as I’ve said before, I’ve seen studies indicating that as little as 1 gram of trans fat per day can have serious degenerative internal effects in your body such as inflammation, clogging and hardening of the arteries, heart disease, various forms of cancer…not to mention packing on the ab flab. That’s as little as 1 gram!

Consider that a typical fast-food meal of a breaded chicken sandwich (or fish sandwich), along with an order of fries can contain as much as 10 grams of trans fat! Add on a cookie or small piece of pie for dessert (which are usually made with deadly margarine or shortening), and now you’re up to about 13 grams of trans fat with that entire meal.

If 1 gram a day is slowly killing you, imagine what 13 grams is doing! And that was only one meal that you ate. Some people are consuming 20-30 grams of trans fat per day, and not even realizing what they’re doing to themselves internally. Please realize that nobody, I mean NOBODY, is looking out for your health, except for YOU.

Anyway, back to the topic of how to avoid this stuff and eat a reasonably healthy meal on the rare occasion that you’re forced to eat fast-food. As for drinks, avoid the sodas…they’re nothing but heavily processed high fructose corn syrup which will surely end up as extra belly fat. Water is always the best drink, but if you need something with flavor, try unsweetened or lightly sweetened iced tea.

At breakfast, the best choice is an egg, ham, and cheese on an english muffin (not on a croissant, which is full of nasty trans fats!), or a fruit & nut salad. At lunch or dinner, the best choices are a grilled chicken sandwich, the chili, a grilled chicken salad without croutons (again…croutons = more trans), or even just a plain cheeseburger. The main take-away point from this little fast-food article is that the nastiest stuff at these fast food joints are the sodas and fries, and any other deep fried items.

For any of you that have seen the movie “Super-Size Me”, you saw how eating fast food every day absolutely destroyed that guy’s health, but did you happen to notice the one guy that was the king of eating big macs (or some kind of burger)? I don’t remember what kind of burger it was, but basically this guy has eaten these fast food burgers almost every day of his life for the past 30 years or something like that.

Did you notice that he stated that he almost never eats the fries or soda, even though he eats the burgers every day? And he’s not necessarily overweight. Now I’m not saying that fast-food burgers made with their refined white bread and low quality beef and cheese are the healthiest thing, but the point is…it’s the fries and sodas that are the real health disaster.

Alright, so next time you’re out at one of these places, remember these tips and choose smart!

By the way, if you haven’t heard yet, McD’s has added a nutrition label to all of their food wrappers now. Remember that as little as one gram of trans may cause some internal harm and now you can actually see how many grams of trans fat you’re eating right on the food wrapper. That might change your mind about finishing it.

For a fully comprehensive program on losing as much body fat as you want by following a smart, scientifically designed training and nutrition program, check out The Truth about Six Pack Abs.

by Melissa Levine

Wellness is not merely the opposite of being sick. However, when you say “I’m not feeling well,” you probably don’t mean that you’re lacking in your personal relationships, concern for the environment, or passion for your vocation. Instead, for the most part, people conceptualize “not feeling well” as a physical ailment.

By contrast, the term wellness as used in the field of alternative medicine encompasses much more than physical health. Certainly, physical health is part of achieving wellness, but it’s one of only several components that we’ll touch on below.

In essence, wellness means reaching your full potential as a person. Wellness is an all-encompassing term that refers to optimal states of emotional, physical, and mental well-being. You are striving for oneness of your mind and body.

In many ways, you are probably already participating in activities that contribute to wellness. You might exercise, recycle, or read on a regular basis. Each of these activities is encouraged in the pursuit of wellness. The difference, though, is that you’re not performing these activities as part of a conscious plan to be your optimal self.

Conscious awareness is the cornerstone of wellness. Wellness is a decision we make, and we take personal responsibility for achieving it. The aspect of personal responsibility is apparent in the National Wellness Institute’s definition of wellness: wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices towards, a more successful existence.

No one hands us wellness on a silver platter. Besides, you wouldn’t want them to. The journey is just as important, and enjoyable, as the destination.

One reason to seek wellness in your life is that it reduces, or even eliminates, the need to rely on drugs, prescriptions, or alcohol to find physical well-being or what we might believe to be “happiness.” When we seek wellness, we also find that we are less likely to blame others or make excuses for our problems. You come to learn that health and happiness are solely your responsibility. Taking on personal responsibility is actually quite empowering.

As mentioned above, wellness is achieved by balancing each of these six types of wellness:

• Intellectual
• Emotional
• Spiritual
• Environmental
• Social
• Physical

Others feel that wellness is actually made of 8 parts. In addition to the 6 components listed above, they add vocational and cultural wellness.

When you focus on improving on each of these areas, you’ll find that you’re developing personal qualities that you’ve probably been seeking your whole life:

• Good sense of humor
• Loving and nurturing nature
• Concern for the environment
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Purpose-driven
• Strong ability to cope with the ups and downs of life
• Excellent physical health
• Fun-loving
• Free of addictive behaviors and dependence on substances

Remember, wellness is a choice. The first step towards wellness is simple and you can take it right. Say to yourself, “I choose to be well.” Base your daily and long-term decisions on this goal and watch yourself reaping the rewards of balance, happiness, and good health.

About the Author

Melissa Levine of Wild Divine is an expert in meditation, biofeedback, wellness, alternative medicine and the mind body connection. Visit Wild Divine, http://www.wilddivine.com to read Melissa’s blog posts and learn more about Healing Rhythms, the award winning biofeedback guided meditation program featuring practices from Deepak Chopra, Dr. Andrew Weil and other leading experts.

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com
www.BurnTheFatInnerCircle.com

“Body wraps” have been around for ages in the weight loss and spa industry. Claims include loss of body weight, loss of body fat, and loss of inches. Infomercials for rubber “waist belts” are also back on TV and similar claims are made for these types of wraps as well. What few people realize is that there is a huge difference between losing fat and losing inches. When your body fat decreases, your circumference measurements will usually also decrease, but “fat” loss and “inch” loss are not one in the same. If you don’t know how to tell the difference, you could be falling for one of the oldest, most notorious fitness and weight loss scams in the book.

The truth is, body wraps and waist belts do not shrink fat cells or burn body fat - no matter what type of wrap is used: bandages, plastic, foil, vinyl, or rubber and regardless of what you are wrapped in: herbs, minerals, enzymes, seaweed, clay, or mud - it doesn’t matter. Fat can only be lost with a caloric deficit from a reduction in food intake, an increase in activity or ideally, a combination of both.

Whenever you see fat loss claims for wraps or any other product which doesn’t involve a caloric deficit created though nutrition or exercise, the “scam alarm” should go off in your head, and you should always stay away, no matter how compelling the sales pitch.

Furthermore, the companies making fat loss claims would be in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if they were investigated and caught because claims for body fat reduction from wraps cannot be supported with scientific evidence.

The FTC as well as numerous state attorney general’s offices have already taken action against body wrap companies in the past for false advertising and unsupported claims. Some companies simply had to stop making false claims, others had to pay stiff fines as well. The problem, from a legal and ethical standpoint, is the claim being made. Remember, “inches” and “fat” are not the same thing.

Some types of wraps can definitely take off inches (for example, they might reduce the circumference measurement of your waist, hips, arms and legs), but it’s not fat, its water weight and fluid, and the results are temporary.

Suppose this claim is made in an advertisement:

* Lose Up To 15 inches in 1 Hour! *

This is legal advertising because the claim “lose inches” might be supportable (if enough circumference measurements are taken with a tape measure at enough sites, that might add up to a total of 15 inches in circumference loss)

However I believe that these types of claims are misleading (and probably intentionally so), because “inches” is not the same as body fat but the product vendors know that you might easily confuse “inches” with “fat.”

Contrast that claim with this one:

* Lose Body Fat without diet or exercise in 1 Hour!*

That claim is totally false and scientifically unsupportable.

Again, body wraps cannot burn fat or “shrink fat cells.”

If fat loss could be achieved with body wraps, it would be very easy to test and prove.

Body composition (body fat) testing (rather than measurements of inches) could be performed before and after the wrap, and the answer (”does it work”) would become easily exposed.

Since it doesn’t work, you won’t find any wrap people accepting your challenge to allow you to do independent body composition testing, nor will you find a shred of scientific evidence showing reduction of body fat from wraps.

Unfortunately, bogus fat loss claims are still quite widespread, as a simple Internet search for “body wrap” will demonstrate. The most frequently used claims however, are for loss of “inches.”

The inches lost simply come from loss of fluid. And guess what - those inches (and or water weight) will come right back in days if not hours, as soon as you completely re-hydrate yourself.

Other claims made for body wraps include detoxification, improved circulation and tighter, smoother and clearer skin. Most health and fitness researchers, as well as government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will tell you that these claims are “debatable” and mostly anecdotal.

Some experts even warn that certain types of wraps can be dangerous, mainly due to the rapid and excessive fluid loss/dehydration.

If you want to get wrapped because you find it relaxing or you consider it a “spa-like” treatment, that’s one thing. Just remember, wraps have absolutely nothing to do with fat loss.

I’d suggest completely avoiding any companies that advertise fat loss when it’s only water and inches you’re losing, because a dishonest company is one you don’t want to patronize at all.

One last thing – this is a timely subject because although “body wraps” have been around for ages and it’s old news, I noticed that infomercials for “waist belts” or “sauna wraps” are back on TV in force and I see that they are replaying the ads over and over again, which means people are buying it.

Everything I just said about body wraps also applies to those rubber waist belts too.

On a web search I just did for those rubber belt waist wraps, I noticed some of the websites are STILL making claims like “Melt fat” (totally bogus, unsupported and illegal claim).

Other sites seem to be wary of the FTC paying them a visit, so they do a whole song and dance around the legal issues by saying stuff like, “sweat away inches,” “therapeutic heat”, “target your problem areas” and so on. Even if these claims are not illegal, the promotions are still deceptive…

The professional fitness model is pictured taking off the rubber belt, revealing ripped six pack abs below… as if those abs are a result of wearing the belt! Wishful thinking! These are professional models, folks. They got the abs the same way everyone else with abs got them - with a calorie deficit from a combination of strict diet and hard training!

Wraps and waist belt products might take off some inches or water weight, but they can’t take off a single ounce of fat. Buyer beware.

Programs like Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle are focused on FAT LOSS, not water loss or loss of inches. When body fat decreases, circumferences in inches will also decrease, but “fat” lost and “inches” lost are not one in the same.

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