As part of my commitment to staying current on the research, I have stumbled upon two pretty important pieces of research that may surprise you.  So let’s get to it.

1.   As Long as You Don’t Add Sugar, You can Drink Alcohol and Still Lose Weight…

A popular myth is that you can drink clear alcohol and as long as you count the calories in the alcohol (7 calories per gram) you will be fine.  Because carbohydrates and protein contain 4 calories per gram, and fat contains 9 calories per gram – the reasoning is that 7 calories in alcohol are simply calories and nothing more.

Well, according to research carried in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, alcohol puts the brakes on fat metabolism (your body’s ability to burn fat as energy) in more ways than one.  In the study, eight people were given two vodka drinks separated by 30 minutes.

Fat metabolism was checked both before and after each drink.  It turns out that even hours after drinking both drinks, fat metabolism dropped by an incredible 73%.  What is happening?

When you drink alcohol, your liver converts it into a substance called acetate.  (The acetate levels in the subject’s bodies were 2.5 times higher than normal).  And it is the acetates in your body that make losing blubber almost impossible.

Your body prefers burning acetate to all other sources of fuel (fat being one of them), and basically shuts down its normal process of burning off any other source of energy.

In other research, alcohol has been shown to increase appetite.  When you combine alcohol with meals, studies have shown you tend to eat more.  And since the alcohol is going to serve as your body’s primary source of fuel, all the calories go directly to your waistline.

And finally, alcohol increases your cortisol levels and decreases your testosterone levels for about 24 hours after you imbibe.  And this definitely is not good for trimming down or adding muscle!

2.  Healthy Additions Are Slimming…

According to some new research from the Kellogg School Management at Northwestern University, a core contributing factor to obesity is our belief about the relationship between a meal’s healthiness and its impact on weight gain.

People mistakenly believe that eating healthy foods in addition to unhealthy ones can decrease a meal’s calorie count.
In the study, 934 people were asked to estimate the calorie count of several meals.  Some were shown “unhealthy” meals, and others were shown the same meals with a healthy option.

An example is that some people were shown a bowl of chili alone – and others were shown the same bowl of chili with a small green salad.  Other food pairs included: a cheeseburger with celery sticks, a cheese waffle sandwich with a small apple, and a meatball pepperoni cheese steak with a celery-carrot side dish.

The results were pretty scary.  Those who viewed the chili alone thought it contained 699 calories.  Those who saw the same bowl with a green salad thought it only had 656 calories!!!

So, by “adding” healthier food, people thought the calorie count went down.

Researchers call this, “The Negative Calorie Illusion,” and it applied in all four food pairings.  Even worse is that this illusion was TWICE as strong in people who are considered “weight-conscious.”

So now you know: if you are counting calories you have to stick to the numbers.  Healthy additions will bias the estimated damage of your meals.

Knowledge is Power

I hope this information has been helpful.  There are plenty more weight loss myths out there!  If you know of any, please put them in the comments section below.  I am going to compile a big list and share them later.

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