Hello and welcome to the intermittent fasting gems with Jen podcast.

I'm your host Jen, a middle aged Michigan mama, wife and teacher who

in 2021 stumbled upon this crazy cool thing called intermittent fasting.

And before I knew it, I'd lost 46 pounds in four months and

gained an incredible lifestyle filled with complete food freedom.

If you're hungry for unique, no nonsense fasting tips that actually

work, you're in the right place.

So whether you're walking the dog, folding that last load of laundry, or

cruising to your nine to five, let's start fasting our way to freedom together.

Hello, my fabulous fasting friends today is a really good day.

And I first want to take a minute to personally thank each and every one

of you for being a listener of my new intermittent fasting gems with Jen podcast

that I just launched three months ago.

Um, it really does mean so much to me.

And today as I'm recording this episode, I hit my very first big podcast

milestone of 1000 unique listeners.

And I have you to thank for that.

So again, Thank you so much.

I am loving this podcast thing.

I'm having so much fun learning so much, and I truly do feel beyond

blessed to have your support.

All right.

So today we are going to be diving into intermittent fasting and.

alcohol, the good, the bad, and the ugly, all of it.

In this episode, I'm going to explore the effects of alcohol on fasting.

We'll discuss how alcohol affects the rate of weight loss.

And I'll leave you with some tips on how you can make a plan for yourself

that will help you strike a good balance between intermittent fasting and still

being able to enjoy an occasional drink without totally derailing

your health and weight loss goals.

Okay, so let's first get real about how alcohol affects our bodies.

Actually, alcohol can have some pretty complex effects on the body, which

is why it's crucial to understand its impact if you're looking to be

successful with your intermittent fasting health and weight loss journey.

First, when we consume alcoholic beverages, our body prioritizes

metabolizing the alcohol.

So when you drink alcohol while trying to lose weight, your body

focuses on breaking down the alcohol first instead of burning fat.

This does slow down your weight loss because your body

puts burning fat on hold.

Second, the extra calories from alcohol are often referred to as

empty calories because they don't offer any substantial nutrients.

And these extra empty calories can add up pretty quickly if you're not careful

and this can make weight loss and weight management much more challenging.

Alcohol can also have a direct impact.

impact on intermittent fasting due to its effects on metabolism,

blood sugar levels, and digestion.

Since alcoholic drinks become a priority for the body to metabolize,

weight loss processes, often associated with intermittent

fasting, temporarily come to a halt.

So let's talk about some of these other fasting related processes.

Number one is fat burning.

Alcohol metabolism takes precedence over fat metabolism, causing a

pause in the body's ability to burn stored fats for energy.

Number two is ketosis.

If you're following a ketogenic diet, keto diet approach to intermittent

fasting, alcohol consumption can disrupt and easily knock you out of ketosis

as the body focuses more on processing the alcohol instead of the fats.

Number three is insulin sensitivity.

Alcohol can disrupt insulin levels and lower insulin sensitivity.

temporarily affecting the body's response to insulin and glucose regulation,

which is essential for weight loss.

Number four, there are issues with caloric intake, as mentioned earlier.

Number five is hunger regulation.

Alcohol can disrupt hunger regulating hormones, leading to increased

appetite and potentially affecting eating habits during our eating window.

Number six is nutrient absorption.

Alcohol can interfere with nutrient absorption, which can impact the

utilization of vitamins and minerals that are also crucial for weight loss.

And finally, number seven has to do with metabolic rate.

While the body metabolizes alcohol, other metabolic processes, including

fat oxidation, can slow down, affecting our overall metabolic rate.

However, it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.

And I promise, all hope in your social life is not in vain.

lost.

Understanding how to moderate drinking and strategically time alcohol

consumption within your eating window can help minimize its negative

impact on fasting and weight loss.

Okay, let's shift gears a little and talk about the best time to consume alcohol.

When intermittent fasting.

The timing of alcohol consumption within an intermittent fasting schedule

can influence its impact on both your fasting benefits and weight loss goals.

Ideally, since alcohol will most definitely break your fast, it's

obviously best to consume alcohol during your eating window, rather

than during your fasting window.

It's also a good idea to keep in mind that consuming alcohol earlier in

your eating window allows your body more time to process it before you

enter into another fasting period.

However, breaking a fast with alcohol alone can be unhealthy and dangerous,

and I'm going to go ahead and repeat that tip one more time in case you missed it.

Breaking your fast with alcohol alone is unhealthy and dangerous.

I may or may not be speaking from personal experience here, but moving on.

First, consuming alcohol in an empty stomach may quite likely amplify.

And I mean amplify its effects, big time.

Potentially leading to much quicker intoxification and adverse reactions.

Next, breaking your fast with alcohol and no food in your stomach can easily lead

to dehydration, as alcohol has diuretic properties that promote water loss.

And then finally, dehydration can affect bodily functions, including digestion

and metabolism, which can hinder the overall benefits of intermittent fasting.

So, it's really important to be mindful of your alcohol intake

and strive for moderation to avoid weight gain, as well as alcohol's

additional potential negative effects.

All right, let's shift gears a little bit.

So when it comes to making alcoholic drink choices while following an intermittent

fasting plan, opting for beverages, a little bit smarter choices with lower

calorie carb and sugar content is key.

So Clear hard spirits like vodka, gin, and tequila when paired with

calorie free mixers like soda or sparkling mineral waters are

generally considered better options.

Dry wines, both red and white, are lower in carbs compared to sweeter

varieties, and light beers and low carb beers are also suitable choices.

Okay, grab a piece of paper and something to write with so you can jot this down.

Let's start with the best weight loss friendly beers per 12 ounce serving.

I'm not really a beer girl, but if beer is your jam, you will want to reach for

these five varieties known for their lower calorie and carbohydrate content.

Michelob Ultra, Budweiser Select 55, Beck's Premium Light.

Miller Lite and Corona Premier.

Now, if wine is more your thing, here are five of the best weight loss

friendly wines per five ounce serving.

These smarter choices are known for their lower calorie, sugar, and

carbohydrate content, and they include dry white wines, like I am, Like I

drink wine, but I am not a wine snob.

So I am probably going to say this wrong.

Sauvignon Blanc.

Oh boy.

Yeah.

Again, not.

Um, my thing, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay.

I can pronounce that one, so that's what I usually stick to.

Dry red wine, including Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Someone needs to teach me how to say that.

You can also do Champagne or Brut sparkling wine, Rosé

is good, and also Prosecco.

If you are more of a mixed drink kind of guy or gal, which is what I

tend to gravitate toward, here are five of the most weight loss friendly

mixed drinks that are relatively lower in calories, sugars, and carbs.

Number one, you've got your vodka soda.

This is simply a mix of vodka and soda water, um, or sparkling

mineral water you can use.

It's pretty low in calories and carbs.

You can also add a splash of lime or a citrus twist to

this drink for extra flavor.

Number two would be your gin and tonic but with diet tonic water.

Swap out the regular tonic water for diet tonic water.

This will reduce, um, the sugar and calorie content while still

keeping Enjoying the refreshing taste of the gin and tonic.

Three is rum and diet cola.

Using diet cola as a mixer with rum significantly reduces the

calorie, um, and the sugar content.

Number four, tequila and soda.

Tequila paired with soda water and a squeeze of lime offers a nice

refreshing and low calorie option.

Number five is a light beer margarita.

So mix light beer with freshly squeezed lime juice.

You can, um, add a touch of agave nectar for a lighter version of

the classic margarita if you want.

So as you can see, integrating your intermittent fasting journey with your

social life while continuing to achieve weight loss is entirely achievable.

It does just take some thoughtful planning and of course, mindful choices.

Here are a few more tips to help you to make alcohol and

intermittent fasting work for you.

First, communicate your fasting schedule with your friends and your family so

they understand your fasting goals, your overall health and fitness and weight loss

goals so that they can provide support.

Next, when you're out and about and socializing, opt for lower calorie, lower

sugar, and lower carb alcoholic beverages like the ones that we just discussed.

It's also really important to prioritize protein rich and fiber filled foods

before heading out to social events.

Um, this will help control hunger, so you're more likely to make

mindful food and drink choices.

while you are out enjoying your night.

And finally, embrace intermittent fasting's flexibility by adjusting

your eating window to align with those social events that you have planned.

However, and there's always a big, however.

If you should decide to incorporate some alcohol into your IF journey, it

is still super important to make sure that you consume alcohol in moderation

and to be mindful of your portion sizes.

Because excessive drinking can and will absolutely hinder the benefits

of fasting and it can easily lead to an overindulgence in calories.

Um, hydration also remains a big issue.

essential.

So alternating alcoholic drinks with plenty of water

is always a smart strategy.

And with all that being said, I am going to get real with you right

now and give you the straight truth about my personal experience with

alcohol and intermittent fasting.

Um, and what has and has not worked for me because alcohol has

definitely been a part of both my intermittent fasting weight loss.

and my weight maintenance journey.

All right, so when I was working really hard to lose 46 pounds in

four months from January until the beginning of May 2021, I absolutely

restricted my alcohol consumption.

In the four and a half months that it took me to lose 46 pounds

and reach my weight loss goal.

I only drank on one occasion and that was during a weekend trip to Las

Vegas for my baby sister's birthday.

Um, I was about halfway through my four and a half month weight loss

journey, and I had one to two drinks.

each day for three days and that was it.

That was it on that trip to Vegas.

The rest of the four and a half months, I did not drink any alcohol.

And yes, it was very hard at first, but I've got to tell you, once I decided,

I committed, um, to suck it up and just do it, It became easier and easier.

And then after I started experiencing such fantastic weight loss results,

it really wasn't bad at all.

And I got to tell you, it was totally worth the small sacrifice.

However, I, I use that word a lot, I guess.

However, after reaching my weight loss goal, I have been able to enjoy

alcohol more often while still being able to maintain my weight loss.

So that is encouraging, um, to know that yes, you might have to suck it up for.

A few months until you get where you want to be, um, because now I

can enjoy the occasional alcoholic drink and enjoy time with my friends

and family at social events, but I definitely do have to set boundaries.

Um, I feel that.

I have used the last few years to, um, figure out a great

way to make both intermittent fasting and alcohol work for me.

So this is the system that I use now to enjoy alcohol occasionally

while still being able to maintain my intermittent fasting weight loss success.

Okay.

Number one, I absolutely do not drink any alcohol during the week.

So Sunday through Thursday, I do not, um, have any alcohol.

Number two, on Friday and Saturday nights, I make sure to stick to

the most weight loss friendly drinks that I mentioned earlier.

Uh, my personal favorites are vodka or tequila mixed with

sparkling flavored mineral water.

I also enjoy an occasional bloody Mary.

Um, That's just, I, I just really crave those and I am careful not to consume

too much alcohol setting and sticking to a strict two drinks per night rule.

Number three, I make sure to alternate each alcoholic

drink with a glass of water.

Number four, I always enjoy alcohol during my specified

eating or drinking window only.

When I'm in the fastest state, I choose to fast clean and I stick to only black

coffee, herbal teas and water, um, carbonated water and regular water.

So.

Number five, and this is a big one.

I almost always drink apple cider vinegar, ACV, after consuming,

after a night of consuming alcohol.

This can be a very helpful way to kind of mitigate the effects of alcohol

on, uh, health and weight loss.

ACV contains, and I've talked about this in several other podcast

episodes already because I, I do believe in it, but so much.

ACV contains acetic acid, which has been, um, studied for its potential

to improve insulin sensitivity and help regulate blood sugar levels.

So I simply mix.

a tablespoon of Bragg apple cider vinegar with some lemon water and like, you

have to make sure it's diluted, but, um, don't ever drink ACV straight up.

But like I said, mix it with a little bit of lemon water.

And, I drink that right before I head to bed.

It's very, very helpful.

All right.

Cheers to you enjoying a guilt free glass of wine.

or an occasional fancy cocktail with club soda, because finding a healthy balance

with intermittent fasting, alcohol, and your social life absolutely can be done.

As we wrap up this episode today, I want to give a very special thank you and a

shout out to our October Intermittent podcast guest, Danielle Frankel.

Danielle gave us so many IF takeaways and tips for success

in her October 10th episode.

And here is a quick recap of her very helpful tips and strategies.

First, she says it's just as important what you are doing in

your eating window as what you are doing in your fasting window.

Next, if you are planning to attempt an extended fast of 36 hours or

more, it's very important that you go slow and build up to it.

Eating a high fat diet one to three days prior can also be extremely helpful.

If you've hit an intermittent fasting weight loss plateau, do not be afraid to

try combining fasting plus OMAD plus keto.

I agree.

That definitely is a winning formula that can start to speed things up.

Next, she says, focus on eating plenty of low carb vegetables

like spinach and Brussels sprouts.

Pink.

Ooh, I loved this one.

Pink Himalayan salt can help to boost energy levels.

So true.

It can also be used to help satisfy your sweet tooth and

support a sugar detox of the body.

And try to incorporate plenty of low impact cortisol lowering

exercise into your day, including walking, biking, and yoga.

And if you're trying to get into ketosis faster, try adding more strength, um, or

weight training to your daily routine.

Finally, Daniel's shiniest gem for us was this.

Hunger is absolutely not an emergency.

Hunger will pass and the results will absolutely be worth it.

Fasting is like a muscle, so it gets easier over time.

Just trust the process and make sure you do not quit.

5 minutes before the miracle happens.

Be sure to tune into the next episode of the Intermittent Fasting

Gems with Jen podcast, which will be released on November 10th.

In this episode, I'll be chatting with Amy, a middle aged mama who found

incredible weight loss and health success with intermittent fasting.

Hey, everybody have a blessed and beautiful day.

Thank you.

Hey, thank you so much for choosing to spend part of your day listening

to this episode of the intermittent fasting gems with Jen podcast.

If you think these tips could help a friend or a family member, please

consider sharing this episode with them.

And if you really enjoyed the show, taking a minute or two to leave a positive review

Would be so appreciated tune in for new 15 to 25 minute episodes released on

the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month episodes will feature solo shows filled

with IF hacks that have worked for me, as well as episodes where I get to chat with.

fun folks of all ages who've experienced incredible success

with intermittent fasting.

If you have questions or want more unique intermittent fasting health

and weight loss tips, tricks, and recipes, please visit my website

and blog at sowhatifwithjen.

com.

Finally, we'd love to welcome you into our free intermittent fasting program.

Fasting Facebook support group.

So what if with Jen?

Find all of these links in the show notes below.

And as always, I hope you spend your day loving without fear and

laughing until your cheeks hurt.