1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,240 Hello guys, and welcome back to the Healthy Not Complicated 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:05,880 podcast. Today we're going to be talking 3 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:09,680 about and diving into a topic that I'm asked about all the 4 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:13,160 time. Does alcohol stop fat loss? 5 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:16,520 Can you consume alcohol and still lose weight? 6 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:18,840 Can you reach your goals? We're going to be breaking it 7 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:23,000 down today and the answer might not be what you want to hear. 8 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,560 Now, most people think of alcohol in terms of calories and 9 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:29,360 in terms of if it's high in sugar. 10 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,600 So I think a lot of people know that things like cocktails that 11 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:35,840 are high in sugar not going to be the best option. 12 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:41,200 Obviously more sugar, more calories and things like spirits 13 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,240 which are lower in calories. So a lot of people will 14 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:48,280 gravitate towards a vodka soda in order to consume less 15 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:54,320 calories, but it might not. And I guess spoiler alert, it 16 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,520 really isn't about calories when it comes to fat loss. 17 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:02,640 Yes, that is 1 component to it. But the main thing to consider 18 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,760 when it comes to consuming alcohol is actually the alcohol 19 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:10,520 itself, which isn't sugar. It's not a carbohydrate, it's 20 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,200 not a form of fat, it's not a form of protein. 21 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,280 It is actually a fourth macro nutrient, and it behaves 22 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:20,000 differently in the body than the other three do. 23 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,240 So a lot of people will think that as long as the alcohol 24 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,720 they're consuming fits into their calorie limits for the day 25 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,600 that it's OK. And yeah, like I said, there's a 26 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:33,160 little bit more to the story than that. 27 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:36,560 So if there's one thing you take away from this video, it's that 28 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:40,720 when alcohol is in your system, fat burning actually gets 29 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,920 paused. And this is because, I guess I'm 30 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,040 jumping ahead a little bit, but this is because your body 31 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,600 doesn't care about the calories that you just ate at dinner. 32 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:56,600 It actually sees alcohol as a toxin, which it is, and it wants 33 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,680 to get the alcohol out of your system as quickly as possible. 34 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:03,000 So anything you eat while alcohol is in your system, it 35 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,440 basically gets put on pause. It gets stored away for your 36 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,240 body to deal with later until all of the alcohol is out of 37 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:12,720 your system. And that is the key difference 38 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,280 between alcohol and any other calorie source. 39 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,440 So in today's episode, we're going to talk about how exactly 40 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,560 alcohol stops fat burning. We're going to talk about what 41 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,600 it does to your hormones, especially testosterone if 42 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:29,160 you're a man, because that is another key component here. 43 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,480 We're going to talk about how it depletes other nutrients, 44 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,960 specifically magnesium and B vitamins, and the bigger impact 45 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,400 that it has on your health, specifically causing 46 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:44,480 inflammation, causing oxidative stress, and what that means for 47 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,640 your health long term. And then most importantly, some 48 00:02:47,640 --> 00:02:52,400 solutions because yes, we're going to be talking about, well, 49 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,800 I guess yes, alcohol isn't good for you in any way in terms of 50 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,360 your physical health. And we'll get into why that is 51 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,400 throughout this video because I talked a little bit about how 52 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:04,160 it's a toxin and it stops fat burning. 53 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,560 But there is a little bit more to it than that. 54 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,000 It does have a few more cons, some of which can be mitigated. 55 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:11,920 So we're going to talk about solutions to that. 56 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:15,560 What I really want to get across because I know cutting alcohol 57 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:21,600 entirely out of your life isn't practical for a lot of people. 58 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:26,120 I know a lot of people will say it's easy, just cut it out, it's 59 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,840 bad for you, end of story. But the truth is, is that 60 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,680 alcohol does have some benefits in terms of, I guess, social 61 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,080 benefits. So your physical health, 62 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,680 nothing, it's not going to help you physically, but socially 63 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,680 there are benefits. It can loosen you off, it can 64 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,000 make you more relaxed, it can make you more social. 65 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:48,240 Of course, there's a tipping point and we're going to get 66 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,680 into that as well. But I guess there are ways to 67 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:56,400 consume it in a better way when you do consume it and we'll get 68 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:58,680 into that towards the end of today's episode. 69 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:00,520 Now if you're new here, if you've never listened to the 70 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,040 podcast before, my name is Kate. I'm a nutritionist. 71 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,160 I mainly specialise in insulin resistance and blood sugar 72 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:08,720 control and reversing these conditions naturally. 73 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:13,640 So everything from just insulin resistance on its own to pre 74 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:18,399 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, PCOS and all the associated diseases 75 00:04:18,399 --> 00:04:21,480 and conditions, that is my specialty. 76 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:27,800 And of course a lot these tie in with metabolic health and these 77 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,200 can lead to weight gain and make weight loss difficult. 78 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,920 So this is all relevant. And today we're focusing on 79 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,840 alcohol and its impact on our body and our metabolic health 80 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,120 and I guess our fat loss or fat gain. 81 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:45,640 I kind of touched on this at the start of the episode, but let's 82 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:49,400 dive a little bit into what it means that alcohol is a toxin 83 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,560 and how exactly it stops fat burning. 84 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,040 So you can think of your metabolism like a traffic light. 85 00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:00,440 Normally your body will burn carbohydrates and fat for energy 86 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,600 if they're available. And depending on if you're not 87 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,280 exercising and also depending on your metabolic health, protein 88 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:08,800 plays a slightly different role in your body. 89 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:12,840 Your body won't use it for energy as a default, but when 90 00:05:12,840 --> 00:05:17,760 alcohol comes in, metabolising any other nutrient for energy 91 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,280 gets put on hold. It's basically switching that 92 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:23,600 traffic light to red. Everything stops and alcohol 93 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,600 takes priority. And side note here, but this is 94 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:32,040 also why when you consume alcohol after a workout, your 95 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,680 muscle synthesis is down regulated. 96 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:38,880 So it becomes a lot harder to build and to maintain muscle 97 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,560 when you're consuming alcohol after a workout. 98 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:44,480 So if you do a workout and then you head to the pub and you have 99 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:50,040 a beer, it's going to slightly take away from the muscle you're 100 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:52,360 able to build. It's going to take away from how 101 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,240 quickly you're able to recover physically. 102 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:58,960 I really want to stress that it doesn't have to be all or 103 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:00,600 nothing. Basically. 104 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,680 Not everything, but there are pros and cons to a lot of things 105 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,760 in life and we don't have to look at everything so black and 106 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:09,000 white. I know a lot of people get 107 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,040 really caught up in trying to improve their health and they 108 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:14,960 get really caught up in these online communities that are very 109 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,240 rigid with exactly what you can eat, exactly what you can do, 110 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,120 and people can be very passionate about it. 111 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:25,080 But I know that that is not practical for most people. 112 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,160 And honestly, if you try to be perfect, you're going to end up 113 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,160 failing because it's impossible to be perfect. 114 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,040 I say this all the time, but it's important to make the best 115 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:37,560 choices you can in any situation as often as you can. 116 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:39,640 Any choice you make is going to be on a spectrum. 117 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:41,360 There's always going to be better things you can do for 118 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,200 your health, and there's always going to be worse things you can 119 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,200 do for your health. So just trying to move the 120 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:50,200 needle more towards the better end of that scale, that's what's 121 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,120 going to matter. But anyways, a little bit off 122 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,800 topic. Let's get back to alcohol and 123 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:57,720 why it's a toxin. So your liver is the main site 124 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:03,240 where alcohol gets metabolised. It converts alcohol into these 125 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:05,440 substances that your body can use for energy. 126 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:08,600 But while that's happening, your body shuts down fat oxidation. 127 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:10,560 It says, Nope, we're not burning fat right now. 128 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:13,440 We've got this toxin to deal with and fair enough. 129 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,280 And that's why alcohol doesn't just add calories. 130 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,640 It changes how your body uses other calories. 131 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,680 You could be in a calorie deficit, you could be 132 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,280 intermittent fasting, you could be making all the right food 133 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:26,800 choices. But if you're drinking 134 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,480 regularly, that could be the reason that your fat loss is 135 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,960 stalled because your body is not able to spend enough time in 136 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:37,560 that fat burning state. And This is why that late night 137 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,840 fast food run you'd go on after a big night of drinking can 138 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:46,000 actually really set you back. Maybe you grab a pizza after a 139 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,520 night out or you go through the drive through at McDonald's. 140 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,680 Your liver is already working overtime to process the alcohol. 141 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:54,080 Fat burning is paused. So anything you're eating at 142 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:56,360 that time just gets stored as fat. 143 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:58,560 Your body goes, OK, we'll deal with this later. 144 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,040 We're just going to store it. It's going to be stored energy. 145 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:03,880 We can use it later. And This is why drinking and 146 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:06,520 late night eating are such a dangerous combo. 147 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,240 Not to mention, you wake up the next morning, you're probably 148 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,520 hungry. You probably are craving 149 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:15,000 something greasy. You go and get a fast food bacon 150 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,440 and eggs sandwich. You run back to McDonald's. 151 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:21,800 And that's shortening your fasting window even more because 152 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:25,240 your fasting window isn't going to start until all the alcohol 153 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:27,960 is out of your system. And let's face it, if you had a 154 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,560 really late night of drinking, then you might wake up and still 155 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,840 not even be in a fasting state. There still might be alcohol in 156 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:36,799 your system. But even if you aren't binge 157 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:40,600 drinking, even if you're just having a glass or two of wine, a 158 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:45,320 couple of beers every evening, or even just 3-4 nights a week, 159 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:50,160 this can also impact your ability to lose fat for the same 160 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:52,560 reason, just on a little bit of a lesser scale. 161 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,480 And that again comes down to making better and worse choices 162 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:58,120 and everything being on a spectrum. 163 00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:02,280 Of course, if you're just having one glass of wine a few nights a 164 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:06,960 week, that's going to be way, way better than going on a huge 165 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,120 binge drinking night on the weekends. 166 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,440 But it's still not ideal. And if you're really struggling 167 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:15,200 to lose fat and you can't figure out where you're going wrong, 168 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:17,840 this could be why. Because I have a lot of clients 169 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:21,000 who will come to me and I'll be feeling a little bit stuck. 170 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,680 They'll feel like they were losing weight at 1st and their 171 00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:26,920 weight loss is plateaued. Now, sometimes this can be due 172 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:29,360 to things like undiagnosed insulin resistance. 173 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,400 Obviously I talk about that all the time because when insulin 174 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:35,320 levels are high, that also stops fat burning. 175 00:09:35,560 --> 00:09:39,600 Your body thinks that there's energy available, so it starts 176 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:41,600 storing more fat instead of burning it. 177 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,720 And you spend less time during the day in a fasted state, so 178 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:49,360 you're burning fat less often. It can also be if you have 179 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:53,480 slowed down your metabolism by reducing calories over an 180 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,200 extended period of time. Calorie restriction. 181 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:00,720 If you are eating too low for your energy needs short term, 182 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,440 that can lead to weight loss. But over time your body realises 183 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,640 that it's not getting as much energy as it needs and it starts 184 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:08,480 to adjust. It starts to cut down on 185 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,560 processes in your body to save energy. 186 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,640 So that's why people who are chronic dieters will experience 187 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:16,840 things like brittle nails or hair loss. 188 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,000 It's because the body is down regulating those processes in 189 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,080 order to save energy. It realises it's not getting as 190 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:26,320 much energy as it needs in order to keep these things functioning 191 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,120 properly. So it starts to cut corners. 192 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:32,960 It obviously wants to keep things like your heart beating 193 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:35,160 and your lungs working. Those are the priority. 194 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,600 But it can cut back in other areas like your skin, your hair, 195 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,320 your nails. But another issue that I see a 196 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:46,040 lot of times is people who are drinking regularly and even if 197 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,320 they're not overeating, even if they're eating within their 198 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:53,640 energy needs and they should be burning fat, they just aren't 199 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:57,640 losing weight. And it's because that wine every 200 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:02,000 night, that couple of beers every few nights adds up and not 201 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,440 in terms of calories, as we said before, it adds up in the sense 202 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:10,320 that it's taking more time away from your fat burning state and 203 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:12,280 you're spending more time in fat storing. 204 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:15,400 So let's talk about alcohol and hormones. 205 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,480 And the main one we're going to focus on is testosterone. 206 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:23,200 For men, alcohol lowers your testosterone from 20 to 25% 207 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:27,520 within just a few hours of drinking, and that is a huge 208 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,560 decrease. Now testosterone, it isn't just 209 00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:33,920 a sex hormone. It's important for maintaining 210 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:37,520 energy, for building and maintaining muscle, and also for 211 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:40,840 fat burning. If testosterone is low, it is 212 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:44,360 harder to burn fat. So this is just adding even more 213 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:48,240 fuel to the fire or I guess stopping the fire if the fire is 214 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:51,280 fat burning, Lower testosterone means you're not building or 215 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,640 preserving muscle as well, which also helps with fat burning. 216 00:11:54,680 --> 00:11:57,800 Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, so it means your body 217 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,400 needs more energy or burns more energy when you have more 218 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:03,560 muscle. It also helps to control blood 219 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:06,200 sugar better. It helps to take in more 220 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:08,720 glucose. So your blood sugar is going to 221 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:10,280 be lower. But if you're drinking too 222 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:14,600 often, it's suppressing testosterone and you're slowing 223 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,040 down your metabolism in a very real way. 224 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:21,000 But alcohol doesn't just lower testosterone, it also increases 225 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,520 cortisol. In both men and women, cortisol 226 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,720 is an important hormone. It naturally spikes in the 227 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:30,360 morning in order to energise us, to wake us up, to give us energy 228 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:34,920 to start our day. But when our cortisol is 229 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,400 chronically elevated, this can lead to problems. 230 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,200 Cortisol itself can actually push your body to store more fat 231 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,840 because it basically signals your body that there's an 232 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:47,520 emergency. And when cortisol is high, you 233 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:52,040 tend to store fat around your belly, which a lot of people are 234 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:55,800 not a fan of. So now we have high cortisol, we 235 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,000 have low testosterone, we have a toxin in our system. 236 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:04,480 This is just the perfect storm for fat storage and not for fat 237 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:07,120 pruning. Next, let's talk about nutrients 238 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,640 because alcohol actually dehydrates you. 239 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,440 And with this dehydration, you don't just lose fluid in your 240 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:15,360 body. You don't just lose water, but 241 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,600 you also lose nutrients. Main ones you lose are things 242 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:20,800 like sodium, potassium, and magnesium, which are 243 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:22,920 electrolytes. But you're also going to lose 244 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:25,920 some key B vitamins. And this is part of the reason 245 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:27,920 why you experience a hangover the next day. 246 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:32,320 It's dehydration, but not just from water, from the loss of 247 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:35,600 electrolytes as well. Because being low in things like 248 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,080 sodium and magnesium can cause headaches. 249 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,200 It can cause fatigue and cause you to feel nauseous. 250 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,840 And that's why consuming electrolytes after a night out, 251 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,120 before a night out, just staying hydrated with electrolytes in 252 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,320 general can really help with a hangover because it's not just 253 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:54,840 about dehydration, it's about nutrient depletion. 254 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:58,160 Your body literally doesn't have the tools it needs to function 255 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:00,280 optimally. And this is the perfect time to 256 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,560 mention sodium and their everyday hydration salts because 257 00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:05,400 these electrolytes are a game changer. 258 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:08,960 Now, of course, today we're talking about alcohol and I just 259 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,960 mentioned these can be very helpful if you have a hangover, 260 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:16,920 but a lot of people need electrolytes even if they're not 261 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,520 drinking any alcohol. For people who eat a mainly 262 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:21,960 whole food diet, and especially if they have reduced 263 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,480 carbohydrates in their diet, even if they haven't done that 264 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,240 purposefully, if they've just cut out processed food 265 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,480 automatically, you're going to be consuming less carbohydrates, 266 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:34,400 less sugar. And when you do this, your body 267 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:38,880 actually retains less water. And when it loses this excess 268 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:41,200 water, it also loses electrolytes. 269 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,040 So it's really important if you are eating mainly Whole Foods, 270 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,120 if you have limited processed foods in your diet, especially 271 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,880 if you've made a conscious effort to reduce carbohydrates, 272 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:52,560 that you are taking electrolytes. 273 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,640 Because if you don't, you're going to experience things like 274 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:58,960 headaches, fatigue, brain fog, muscle cramps if you're 275 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,280 exercising, maybe even muscle cramps if you're not exercising 276 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:04,680 during the night. And that sodium is the best on 277 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,480 the market because their hydration cells contain sodium, 278 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:10,760 potassium, and magnesium in the right ratios to help restore 279 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:12,760 balance. A lot of electrolyte supplements 280 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,200 out there do not contain enough sodium, so they aren't able to 281 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,520 move the needle on your hydration very much. 282 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,400 I use Soddy not just after drinking, but also when I'm 283 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,280 fasting or training hard. It makes a huge difference in 284 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:28,160 how I feel the next day. If you've ever felt sluggish, 285 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,800 headachy, or just off after drinking, 9 times out of 10 it's 286 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,520 an electrolyte issue. So in the context of today's 287 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,160 video, if you want to minimise the damage and bounce back 288 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:40,760 faster, grab a packet of Soddy's Everyday Hydration Salts before 289 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,320 bed or first thing in the morning after drinking. 290 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:44,720 You can check them out by heading to 291 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:47,160 healthcoachkate.com/sodia Electrolytes. 292 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,600 I'll put that link in the description box down below and 293 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,000 use code HTK 15 at checkout to save 15% off your order. 294 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:55,800 They ship worldwide and honestly, they're the best on 295 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:58,040 the market. They taste delicious and they 296 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:02,000 actually hydrate you, which like I said, very important if you're 297 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:05,160 drinking, but also very important if you eat low carb, 298 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:08,320 if you eat whole food, if you're exercising, if you live in a hot 299 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:11,080 climate, if you're sweating a lot, if you use a sauna 300 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:13,520 regularly, you need electrolytes. 301 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,800 OK, but now let's talk about the impact that alcohol has on your 302 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:20,720 overall health long term because when you drink it actually 303 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:24,520 creates toxic byproducts and these can damage your cells. 304 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,560 They can cause oxidative stress. They can increase inflammation, 305 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:30,000 all of which are LinkedIn chronic disease. 306 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:33,760 And this can contribute to long term issues like fatty liver 307 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:35,400 disease. It can increase your risk of 308 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:38,960 insulin resistance, of pre diabetes, of type 2 diabetes and 309 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:42,600 it can even accelerate ageing because it is damaging your 310 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,280 cells. So while the occasional drink or 311 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:48,440 night out isn't going to totally derail you, you don't need to be 312 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:51,200 paranoid about this. It is something to consider. 313 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,800 Consistent drinking creates a lot of hidden damage over time 314 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:57,840 and you will start to notice the impact eventually. 315 00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:00,160 Now, like I said before, we are going to talk about some 316 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,400 solutions here because you don't need to quit alcohol forever. 317 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:07,560 Now of course, if you have issues with addiction or if it 318 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,760 is getting out of control, if you're relying on it, then of 319 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:12,839 course that's a totally separate issue. 320 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,119 But for today's purpose, we're assuming that you do not have 321 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:20,480 these issues, that you are able to consume alcohol in a moderate 322 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,359 amount. Because I have went through long 323 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:27,079 stretches of time where I did not drink at all or I just had 324 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:30,360 like 1 occasional drink. And honestly, my physical health 325 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:33,240 was probably at its absolute peak. 326 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:37,800 Now on top of that, I was also eating extremely healthy. 327 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:44,120 I was limiting all excess sugar. I was probably over exercising. 328 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:47,280 So in some ways my health was really good at that time, but in 329 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:50,560 other ways it wasn't. But one way that my health 330 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:53,400 wasn't good at that time was with my social life because I 331 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:57,760 was very paranoid and very conscious about not drinking at 332 00:17:57,760 --> 00:17:59,480 all. I would say no to things. 333 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,440 I would miss out on things. I would leave early because I 334 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:05,280 was worried about getting enough sleep. 335 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:08,680 And there is a trade off there. Now, I'm not saying you have to 336 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:11,840 drink to go out and enjoy yourself with friends, you 337 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:14,280 absolutely do not. But that is a large component. 338 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:17,280 And I know for a lot of people there is some social pressure. 339 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,120 And I'm not saying give in to the pressure, but don't feel 340 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:22,520 like you can never have another drink again. 341 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:26,560 And don't feel like you have to be super stressed and say no to 342 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:28,680 everyone and make it this big deal. 343 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,160 Because I know at that time I was just really worried all the 344 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,440 time about what people were thinking about my health, about 345 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,120 what time I was going to bed. And that was doing more harm 346 00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:40,280 than good. And now I do have a balance. 347 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:42,440 I will enjoy a few drinks here and there. 348 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:46,360 And so here are some tips so that you can do the same and not 349 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:50,360 have it impact your fat loss in any meaningful way. 350 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:54,200 Now I just want to re emphasise that anytime you drink, fat loss 351 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:56,320 is paused and that's the trade off. 352 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:01,240 Now that doesn't mean never drink with food, that is OK. 353 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:05,880 But when you can cut back. And that might seem like an 354 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:10,560 obvious thing to say, but if you are just saying yes to an 355 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:14,720 occasional one drink here and there, and not really because 356 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,640 you want to but just because everyone else is drinking, then 357 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:19,480 that might be a good place to cut it out. 358 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:22,080 Or if you are finding yourself at home and you just like to 359 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,440 have a beer before bed, maybe cut out that. 360 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,560 Maybe save your alcohol for social situations where you can 361 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:30,280 enjoy it with friends. Because even these small 362 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:33,280 reductions can allow your body more fat burning during the 363 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:35,280 week. Progress comes from cutting 364 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:37,840 back, but also from being consistent. 365 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,800 Now, I've talked about this briefly, I think towards the 366 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:44,360 beginning of the episode, but the type of alcohol you drink 367 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:48,600 does obviously matter as well. So things like sugary cocktails, 368 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:50,440 yes, these do have more calories. 369 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:55,000 And that can be a problem too because, well, the sugar is 370 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,600 still entering your bloodstream. It is still spiking your blood 371 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,800 sugar and your body isn't using it immediately for energy. 372 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:04,320 So it is being stored as fat. If you have something that is a 373 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:09,520 lower calories or drier, like a dry red or white wine or yeah 374 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:12,640 just spirits, vodka soda, that sort of thing, that is going to 375 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:15,520 be less calories and that's going to mean less is stored as 376 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:19,080 fat. So drier, low sugar options are 377 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:21,360 going to be better. Repeating myself here. 378 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:25,200 It's not just about calories. Yes, that is 1 component, but 379 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:28,360 the alcohol is really the main issue. 380 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:33,080 But again, it's about making consistent changes overtime and 381 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:35,120 justice. Making the best decision you can 382 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,080 as often as you can. Doesn't have to be every time. 383 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:42,000 You don't need to be perfect, but just try to make small baby 384 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,560 steps whenever you can. All right, so we've covered a 385 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:46,840 lot in this video. Let's quickly recap some of the 386 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:49,240 key points. The main takeaway, of course, is 387 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:52,360 that alcohol stops fat burning whenever it's in your system. 388 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,480 So from the moment you drink until it is completely out of 389 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,120 your system, your body is not burning fat. 390 00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:02,400 And that is the number one reason why it hinders fat loss. 391 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:06,240 But it also lowers testosterone, it raises cortisol, and it 392 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:08,200 depletes key nutrients in our body. 393 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:09,880 So does this mean you can never drink again? 394 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,640 And no, of course not. If you do want to cut alcohol 395 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:17,040 out of your diet completely, you are going to see the benefits. 396 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:19,760 But as I mentioned before, there is a trade off. 397 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:21,920 Alcohol does have social benefits. 398 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:25,160 As much as some people want to deny that and make this a black 399 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:28,760 and white issue and say it's terrible for you, Yeah, I'm not 400 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:32,360 debating that it is terrible for you in a physical sense, but 401 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:34,960 there is a reason why people consume it. 402 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:38,560 It does make you more social. It does allow you to open up and 403 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:42,000 to relax more. And as long as you are consuming 404 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,800 it responsibly, that is a pro. So I have a challenge for you 405 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,240 this week and it's pretty simple. 406 00:21:48,360 --> 00:21:51,360 It's just to pay attention. Notice how often you drink. 407 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:54,040 Notice what your triggers are for reaching for a drink. 408 00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:56,600 Is it after you've had a stressful day at work? 409 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,560 Or do you only drink on social occasions? 410 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,640 Take note of this and make adjustments from there. 411 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,280 Are there places? Are there times when you can cut 412 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,880 back? Do you have to have a beer on a 413 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:10,920 Monday night? Just something to consider. 414 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,360 And if you do drink, don't forget to replenish your 415 00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:15,880 electrolytes with Soda's everyday hydration salts. 416 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,480 Again, they ship worldwide and I'll put the link in the 417 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,200 description box down below. But that is where we are going 418 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:23,640 to wrap up today. Thank you guys so much for 419 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:26,720 listening for watching. If you're listening on Spotify, 420 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,240 make sure to give me a review. If you've listened this long, 421 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:33,320 hopefully it's a five star review, but no pressure. 422 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:36,200 If you are watching on YouTube, make sure to give this video a 423 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,320 thumbs up. I really appreciate it. 424 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:40,840 Thanks guys for watching and I will see you in the next one. 425 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:41,360 Bye.