You’ve been working hard to reach your fitness goals, but you’ve hit a plateau. Those last few pounds you’re dying to shed just won’t go anywhere.

What’s the deal?

If you’re dieting but continue to drink alcohol, that could be your issue.

Drinking and weight loss have a complicated relationship. If you want to break through your plateau and finally reach your fitness goals, you might want to think about whether or not you’re secretly sabotaging yourself.

In this blog post, we’ll share 5 ways you might be sabotaging yourself, so you can make the changes you need and finally meet your goals.

1. Your Favorite Alcoholic Beverages Are Actually Empty Calories

Alcoholic beverages are often referred to as “empty calories” because they provide little nutritional value.

Even so much as two drinks on a night out can result in a lot of extra empty calories, making drinking alcohol and losing weight difficult.

2. Alcohol Is Contributing to Your Excess Belly Fat

Any food that is high in simple sugars, like beer, soda, or chocolate, will be high in calories, too. How does your body store these extra calories? As fat.

If your favorite beverages are laden with sugar, you’re taking in a lot of extra calories which can easily translate to excess belly fat.

3. Your Appetite Increases

Some say that alcohol slows metabolism, but in small quantities, it can actually do the opposite.

One thing drinking alcohol does no matter what is this: it increases your appetite.

At your next party, provide (or bring) healthy snacks with you, so when you feel that spike in your appetite, you know you’re not consuming more empty calories and adding to your alcohol and weight gain issues.

4. That Nightcap Is Affecting Your Sleep

Sure, a glass of whiskey on the rocks or mixed into a cup of tea before bed may sound like it’s just what the doctor ordered, but you may be doing more harm than good.

Drinking alcohol before bed can lead to increased periods of wakefulness – aka sleep deprivation. This may result in poor energy storage and an imbalance of hormones that affect your hunger – leaving you feeling less satisfied and more hungry than normal.

5. You Cave Into Societal Pressure to Conform

We’ve all learned about peer pressure to drink alcohol…but the fact of the matter is that pressure is real.

You don’t want to look uncool when you’re out with your friends, so you drink.

Giving in to the pressure and not standing up for yourself may be another reason you’re unknowingly sabotaging your weight loss goals.

Stop Letting the Drinking and Weight Loss Relationship Thwart Your Goals

Now that you have a better idea of how you might be sabotaging yourself with these drinking and weight loss issues, you can make informed decisions which will help you break through the plateau you’ve hit.

If you’re still looking for weight loss tips and tricks, check out the rest of our website for more!