Optimize Your Health, Fitness & Vitality with Brien Shamp

Can you drink alcohol and lose fat?

This can be a very common question.  When a long holiday weekend is upon us, you know what that means…generally a deviation from the weekly plan.

Choose Water over Alcohol.

Drinking water in place of alcohol will keep you hydrated and keep your energy level high. It will also help to avoid tacking on unnecessary calories. The biggest problem is the sugar calories in alcohol. We can only handle so much sugar before we create hormonal imbalances. Hormonal imbalances lead to fat gain among other things. If you are tired of water and want a special cocktail, try a club soda with a little cranberry juice and lime.

Decide how many drinks you are going to have before you go out.
Also, choose light, or wine vs. sugary drinks and alternate between an alcohol beverage (if you have to drink) and water (same goes for soda). This cuts 100’s of calories! Also, if you are going to drink, combine the alcohol with fat & protein, rather than more carbs. Some do not know that alcohol is a carbohydrate. Two carbs (alcohol and chips) do not make a right. Try some cheese or nuts with the alcohol and this will balance your fat burning hormones much better.

Brien Shamp brings you 22 years of experience as a Body Transformation Expert, Personal Trainer, Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach, Massage Therapist, Strength Coach for College & Pro Athletes and Reiki Practitioner. In 2011 he was nominated one of the top ten trainers in the country. Brien has a degree in Biomechanics from UC Davis and extensive graduate studies in Exercise Physiology from SF State. Brien won first place in the Met-Rx World’s Best Personal Trainer Contest in 1999 and was nominated Best in the Bay by KRON 4 for Weight Loss in 2009. He is an active author in Parenting on the Peninsula, Ms. Fitness Magazine and his FREE Blog with thousands of subscribers at www.BrienShamp.com.