Impact of excessive drinking on weight loss:

1. When you drink too much alcohol, you suppress your body's ability to utilize fat as energy as the alcohol becomes your primary source of energy.

2. Excessive drinking results in a decrease of testosterone production and an increase in estrogen levels which leads to increased body fat percentage, water weight and man boobs(Gynecomastia).

3. An excess of alcohol impairs your central nervous system and causes dehydration which are some of the causes for your metabolism to slow down. A sluggish metabolism makes you more likely to store calories as fat.

4. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram and if you overindulge in it, your calorie count will add up pretty fast accumulating more fat to your waistline. And it's mostly empty calories(no nutritional value). A regular beer easily contains 150 calories, a 2 ounce hard liquor can easily have 100 calories while a pina colada a whopping 300 calories. You should not be fooled with the misconception that drinks don't have many calories due to the fact that drinking liquids doesn't register as a calorie intake sometimes. Empty calorie foods are not beneficial for weight loss and anyone on a weight loss diet knows they should have nutrient-dense foods.

5. Too much alcohol in your blood lowers your body's ability to use protein, vitamins and minerals effectively and also inhibits nutrient absorption. Protein synthesis and your immune system are weakened and this is counterproductive for weight loss.

6. Alcohol acts as a natural diuretic and as such, it depletes valuable nutrients from your system like potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium which are critical for weight loss.

Impact of moderate drinking on weight loss:

7. Studies have shown that a moderate and regular consumption of red wine can actually aid weight loss. Drinking red wine stimulates the release of appetite-suppressing hormone Leptin and prevents overeating. In addition, the nutrient and antioxidant Resveratrol, a natural compound found in red wine is a natural appetite suppressant which can improve metabolic function in overweight and obese people as well as diabetics. This has the effect of triggering your fat burning hormones. Red wine also represses estrogen production in fat cells which is beneficial for weight loss.

If you're contemplating to lose weight, you should definitely abstain from alcohol abuse as the latter will hinder your weight loss efforts but drinking in moderation from time to time will not pose any major threat to your weight loss aspiration and goals.