Alcohol and summer weight gain

Alcohol and summer weight gain… oops… Do you struggle with it? So many go back to work after a relaxing holiday with a few or a lot of extra pounds on the scale. But I have to say I also enjoy a good drink.. Delicious: a glass of crisp white wine or rosé. Nice red wine with a delicious local meal. I love it! But those extra pounds on the scale… summer weight gain and weight gain in general often has to do with how you handle alcohol. Here are my tips for a summer without a headache and without the summer weight gain.

The reason you gain weight from alcohol

Alcohol causes weight gain in four ways:

• it stops your body from burning fat,
• it’s high in kilojoules/calories: I always compare the calories you drink to the equivalent of a healthy meal and for example 4 glasses of wine or beer add an extra meal a day and if you do this regularly this can quickly change your weight on the scale
• it can make you feel more hungry than without (remember the binge eating and the trips to the night shop when you were in college?)
• it leads to craving salty, greasy and less healthy foods. (in my case it’s potato crisps, I admit)

Apart from that you will also see weight gain immediately after an evening of too much of the stuff as alcohol dehydrates your body and so your body goes into defense mode with water retention as a result. Add to that higher temperatures which amplifies the effect. This alone can often be around 1 to 4 pounds of weight gain.

So here are my tips on avoiding summer weight gain from alcohol:

• General rule: for every glass of alcohol (or soda) drink at least 1 glass of pure water. In hotter weather even more!
  Before going to bed, have a detox drink with herbs that purify your liver. In fact, alchohol is tough on your liver. So you also need to support it to keep it healthy. At home I drink DETOX 3 from Bioradix on a regular basis or after a night out, but when traveling I find it easier to take capsules and then I take Hepudrain from Natural Energy. This natural herbal supplement includes artichoke and milk thistle, both very valuable helpers for your liver and digestion. Take with a BIG glass of water and do the same thing in the morning. You can get these products with a nice discount from Optiphar with code TAKEYOUTIME: check out other discount codes below or check my favourite products page for those and more discount advantages.
• Don’t drink yourself sick. Make choices: if you drink gin and tonic(s) and a few glasses of wine and a nightcap, you are asking for it: a big hangover. Don’t overdo it. Enjoying does not equal drinking. Often people don’t even taste what they are drinking anymore, they just chug it. Fresh white wine or rosé is not a thirst quencher. Drink water constantly to avoid quenching your thirst with alcohol. You will feel so much better tomorrow.
• Why don’t you try an alcohol free version? I also enjoy Carlsberg 0,0% and I also like Monin’s Orange Spritz as an alternative to Aperol Spritz (but this one does have quite a few calories). Alcohol free gin is also an option. I personally do not like alcohol free wines so I’ d rather go for the real stuff there. But do check out the huge range of alcohol free and low-calorie drinks and ask yourself the question if fun is only and always related with alcohol.
• Avoid alcohol during the day and especially in hot weather. Keep it for evenings. After all, alcohol dehydrates your body fiercely.
  Don’t drink alcohol but soft drinks? Sodas with sugar and artificial sweetener are also best avoided. I personally find a glass of red wine healthier and much tastier than a Coke Zero or Coke Light.
• Think ahead and take a long walk before you go to an occasion and take one after it. Also take extra movement on the day after the event, this will flush out any water retention you might have. I combine those walks with cellulite and water retention reducing leggings. Read my other article about that HERE.
• Driving and alcohol? A big NONO Choose a designated driver in your company or stay overnight.

My conclusion on alcohol and summer weight gain?

First of all I want you to really enjoy what you drink and eat. Life is about enjoying yourself although it does not always have to be with alcohol. With my above tips I wish for you  that you do not return from a relaxing holiday feeling demotivated and ready to give up on your good intentions living a healthy lifestyle. I recently got a message from a client that usually gains around 4 to 10 pounds on vacation… with my tailormade lifestyle tips on handling food and drinks on holiday she only gained 2 pounds which she lost within a few days getting back on track with her health program in my practice. Those messages are my favourite pick-me-up “drink”! That is why I enjoy motivating people to live their best and healthiest life to have the energy to fulfill all of their dreams.

My name is Lies Helsloot and I call myself the first TAKE YOU TIME™ Mentor. I am the author of 3 books (“Walk Yourself Slim & Happy. How taking More Steps can Change Your Life”, “Move yourself slim and happy”(English translation coming soon) and “The Complete Guide to healthy Hair“), I blog here at takeyoutime.com and coach individual clients, groups and companies around the world to live a happy, healthy life and more work-life balance with my 7-step concept of self-care called TAKE YOU TIME™. For more motivation and free training and challenges, be sure to sign up for the newsletter on this site and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Or get in touch to know about my online- and coaching programs.

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