Author Karolina Rzadkowolska explains how sharing her lifelong struggle with her weight and quitting alcohol solved more health hurdles than she had imagined.
In addition to embodying more health in your life, many people see them lose weight or change their body composition as they break from alcohol.
Personally, I’ve had a hard time losing the last 4-9 kilograms for more than 10 years. My twenties were full of fierce battles over diet plans, anxiety about my body, and a lack of understanding why losing weight was such a difficult battle.
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Before continuing, let me say that your weight and shape do not define your value. The number of scales does not matter. I want you to love your body because you feel you are alive in it. I want you to feel comfortable on your skin regardless of size.
I want you to feel good and healthy. That said, alcohol has a profound effect on our metabolism and changes the way our bodies process food. I think it’s important to know this information.
10 years of diet planning
When I was a teenager, my mother enrolled me in ballet classes. And when I was in high school, I spent most of the night in ballet classes, dancing at competitions, and attending a full-time ballet school in New York City in the summer. Then I went to college.
I slowed down my dance and drank a lot of drinks instead. By the time I graduated, I had added at least 9 kilograms to the frame. I believed that as I got older, my metabolism worsened (don’t worry about eating pizza rolls or drinking gin and tonic). I tried to lose some weight, but eventually I stopped being considerate and returned to the party.
After UCLA, I went on to graduate school and the problem got worse. By the time I was 24, I was about 16 kilograms above my base weight. I scratched my head and was confused that it was even possible to inflate it that way, and I felt at a loss when I tried to lose weight (without giving up drinking) but didn’t. rice field.
In this way, the endless diet and exercise plan I learned began, which lasted for the rest of my twenties.
I fought long and hard with weights. I did juice cleansing. I ate quinoa. I had low carbs, intermittent fasting, and high intensity training. I participated in the gym. I participated in a yoga studio. All my efforts and spiritual energy did not move the needle very much. And when I lost weight and stopped it, it was unbearably difficult.
When I got engaged at the age of 26, I finally got it even higher and lost 4 kilograms for the wedding. There were so many early morning training videos and few carbs. Again, the numbers on the scale don’t define our value, but maybe you also had a hard time losing weight?
End the weight loss struggle
Since I became a drinker, I have been pursuing weight loss and weight loss endlessly, but I was always worried about my appearance. I’m tired. But when I stopped drinking, it was finally easier, even if I was eating carbs. I found this easy compared to what I have experienced over the years.
By the time I was thirty, I had a fairly healthy lifestyle, and although I hadn’t made any conscious or intentional changes, my body composition had changed completely. I could see more muscle and less fat. And I lost a little over two kilograms, but at best I’ve never felt so comfortable on my skin.
Why Alcohol Leads to Weight Gain
I can’t promise how a break will affect your body, but I’ll talk about the effects of alcohol on your metabolism and weight over time. You see, when it comes to alcohol, it’s not just calorie-in and calorie-out. Alcohol ruins your metabolism in a much more sinister way.
It was a great relief to learn about these effects, as my problem wasn’t just old. My complex relationship with alcohol made weight loss very difficult.
Do not drink calories
First of all, yes, calories are important. Have you ever heard of a diet rule that says “don’t drink calories”? Many of us stick to this and throw away sodas, sweet fruit juices and sweet coffee drinks. But you don’t count alcohol, right? Or, drink “light” alcohol, hoping that it will not have much of an effect.
However, alcohol packs empty calories. It is the second most energy-dense (non-) nutrient after fat. This means that it is high in calories and low in nutrients. A glass of wine has 110 to 180 calories. Beer clocks are between 100 and 200. Some heavy IPAs can reach 300 calories. 300 calories! It’s basically a McDonald’s cheeseburger. But let’s be honest. Most of us go beyond just one drink. Add 500 calories a day on a daily basis several times a week to see how fast they add.
Alcohol switches you to “starvation mode”
But not only empty calories, but other factors are also affecting you. Drinking alcohol stimulates your appetite, so you eat more. It describes all those greasy midnight treats. In addition to increasing appetite, alcohol paralyzes the signal that tells your brain that you are full. Do not register the feeling of fullness after grazing or snacking until it is too late.
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and University College London have discovered that alcohol switches the brain to starvation, increasing hunger and appetite. They published findings on how ethanol affects the body, brain and behavior of mice. Alcohol not only increased appetite, but also reduced metabolism and energy levels. Similar reactions occur in humans.
Hello, nourishment
Alcohol blocks the absorption of certain nutrients and vitamins. These are depleted when the body is in the process of detoxification. This is amazing. Most of us do not choose kale or broccoli for the taste. We eat them for the nutrients that are right for you that your body needs to be healthy. But what if your alcohol consumption interfered with these efforts?
Alcohol itself lacks important nutrients and interferes with the absorption and use of folic acid, zinc, vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K. By blocking the absorption of nutrients, alcohol makes you again. You feel hungry because your body lacks those nutrients. Alcohol is always hungry, not just when drinking.
Metabolism is slow
In addition, the body needs to burn these extra calories, cannot store alcohol as an energy source, and instead needs to burn immediately. This may sound good, but it’s not. Nutrients, proteins, carbohydrates and fats are stored in the body, but alcohol is not. That is, your body needs to dispose of it immediately, which takes precedence over burning calories from the food you eat.
A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed a 73% reduction in metabolism 3 hours after drinking 2 drinks. All other major nutrients that your body was supposed to burn are instead stored as fat.
It prevents you from getting healthy
Weight loss seems to be a difficult battle when you drink alcohol, but what about getting rid of all these extra calories and stored energy? Well, alcohol also significantly affects your ability to be physically healthy. You may recall how aerobic fitness works in physical education classes.
By strengthening your heart and muscles, over time, you become more efficient at pumping blood and supplying oxygen to your body. Therefore, many athletes have a much lower resting heart rate.
Alcohol has the opposite effect. It beats your heart faster and raises your blood pressure, but there is no associated physical activity. The heart is less efficient at pumping oxygen into the body, and over time alcohol increases both heart rate and blood pressure. If you’re trying to beat your best, drop the alcohol and see what happens.
Low energy
Alcohol also impedes muscle growth by reducing protein synthesis, slowing the body’s healing ability and recovery from training, and depleting energy.
Alcohol causes a decrease in testosterone levels (necessary for muscle growth) and increases cortisol. Therefore, in addition to consuming more calories, eating more, blocking nutrients and abandoning metabolism, energy loss, aerobic fitness, and muscle mass are added to the list.
Knowledge is free
Do you know what was released after you knew how alcohol stopped my weight loss efforts? I wasn’t the only one who noticed the problem. Alcohol plays a much greater role in weight gain than general knowledge tells us.
Fortunately, many report the results of weight loss after not consuming alcohol for 3-6 months. Please be patient as it takes time for your body to adapt to this new normal. Some people do not lose weight, but see a slight change in their body composition.
Depending on your lifestyle and drinking habits, weight loss may be faster, slower, or not one of your goals. Remember that when you stop drinking, your hangover, lethargy, and lack of motivation will disappear. Every day, the benefits are compounded and it is almost inevitable that you will lead a healthier lifestyle.
This is an edited excerpt from Euphoric: Karolina Rzadkowolska’s 8-Week Plan to Abandon Alcohol and Regain Your Life (Hachette, $ 32.99).
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