Alcohol Slows Down your Metabolism

2tone2014
2tone2014 Posts: 2 Member
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
So i have a question, and wanted to see if anyone knew the answer to this:

Just like many of you, I also enjoy having a beer or two ... or three...on the weekends, or whenever i go out with friends. Now i know alcohol slows down your metabolism because your body (specifically your liver) will work on processing the alcohol first before anything else.

But for how long does it slow down your metabolism?

Let's say you drink on a Friday. Does it affect your metabolism 2 days after you consume alcohol? or just for that period where your body is trying to process it?

Replies

  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,046 Member
    Dude I dont think I want to know the answer to this...................I drink a glass or two or three of wine EVERYnight!
  • AlisonMacKay
    AlisonMacKay Posts: 112
    I think if you happy with your weight loss with drinking then I wouldn't worry about it. If you are unhappy try cutting back to eliminating it to only on rare occasions. I too have a drink every now and then and I still lose 1-2 per week.
  • Last_15
    Last_15 Posts: 129
    curious about this :)
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    I don't think that alcohol slows your metabolism. The fact that the alcohol burns the alcohol calories first has nothing to do with the rate at which the calories are actually burned. But I will concede that I may be wrong on that.

    But on the off chance that I'm right. :p Once you burn the 150 calories per beer for example, you would start burning fat and or carbs. So probably an hour or so depending on what you're doing.
  • Abells
    Abells Posts: 756 Member
    It def spends a lot of time trying to metabolize the alcohol. If you think about it you're body burns about 1/3 oz of alcohol per hour (I was trained in TIPS as a bartender that's how I know) So one beer is 12oz -- so do the math there -- takes about 36 hours to burn that one beer completely. You can still lose weight but eventually that will catch up with you. I stopped drinking completely to lose weight faster and feel better and now I drink again but not often and I do not drink beer. I drink JD straight up. I found that beer has left me super bloated all the time just as soda does.
  • ncqueenbee
    ncqueenbee Posts: 147 Member
    I think it depends on how your body reacts to drinking. I have a couple of lite beers or a wine spritzer about twice a week, always including them in my caloric count. I've cut out alcohol altogher at times and it has not affect my weight loss on way or the other.
  • Abells
    Abells Posts: 756 Member
    My comment is how long it takes your live to process it.
  • mjp202
    mjp202 Posts: 50 Member
    Here's my take from doing a little research:

    Your body cannot store alcohol like it can with other energy sources, so it metabolizes alcohol first. While your body is metabolizing the alcohol, the rate at which is metabolizes other energy sources slows dramatically. I haven't seen anything that suggests that it slows down your overall metabolism over the long run.

    Alcohol has other detrimental effects, it represents empty calories, and it can cause you to consume more food. But I don't think Alcohol enjoyed in moderation will necessarily prevent you from achieving your fitness and weight loss goals, provided you are maintaining a healthy calorie deficit and consuming the right nutrients.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/130545-the-real-effect-of-alcohol-on-your-waistline
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