Blame it on the alcohol!

Blame it on the alchol!

I'm constantly approached by people in the gym with all kinds of questions. Some of them are from idle admiration, some from beginners who want to get bigger/leaner and sometimes from other serious lifters who have a decent physique but want to get better. The most often asked question is about alcohol, and how it fits into the fitness lifestyle.
Bottom line: People want to go out, drink and have fun but dont want it to hinder their fitness goals.




The negative effects of alcohol are many ofcourse, but I primarily worry about 2 things:
a. Number of calories from the alcohol itself.
b. Its effect on various hormones in the body.

I focus mainly on these 2 aspects because I party pretty hard myself, this means there are many days where I drink my share of Long Island Iced Teas, Vodka redbulls or mojitos.

First, from a calorie stand point, it obvious makes sense to avoid drinking beer.
A friend of mine who trains pretty hard but drinks beer every night( and has problems losing weight as a result, no surprise ) asked me what to do about it? I said drop the beer and maybe switch to vodka? Its terrible advice from a health standpoint ofcourse, but people make their choices and my suggestion was aimed at helping him lose weight without disturbing his lifestyle.
I suggested a strong drink like vodka with a mixer like diet coke or sugar free redbull because, mainly because it'd get him drunk quicker, which means he will drink less during the night.
Just to compare calories between vodka and beer:
1.4 oz(about 40 ml?) of vodka( 1 serving ) contains roughly 100 calories.
12 oz(360 ml) of beer contains roughly 100-200 calories(depending on the brand)

How much beer would one drink in a night? Most people would get 500-800 calories off it easily in a single night thus throwing their whole macronutrient intake off balance. So I suggested something different.

What about the effect on hormones in the body?
1. Disrupts the kreb's cycle in the body(which hinders fat loss)
2. Decreases testosterone and increases estrogen levels in the body(yikes!)
3. slows down protein synthesis
4. Increases cortisol and free radicals in the body.

Which basically means, drinking alcohol regularly is the worst thing one can do if their goal is to look better.
If you are going to drink however, some useful tips:
1. Drink atleast 1 litre of water before going to bed.(prevents hangovers and helps keep muscles hydrated)
2. Drink a protein shake before going out for the night.
3. Use a testosterone boosting supplement like ZMA and eat a high protein meal upon waking up. This is key to keep the body's homeostasis as undisturbed as possible.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun, definitely go out and have a fun time, I always do. Just remember that moderation is the name of the game.