Hey Tyron here with a really cool guest post from Mike Geary, fat loss and abs expert and creator of The Truth About Six Pack Abs, the #1 Rated Abs Program on the Internet(As Ranked by Clickbank.com).
He wrote an article about how to enjoy drinking alcohol without having to gain belly fat and lose all the results you've gained. Since I know a number of people can't completely give up alcohol (nor do you need to unless you have a problem with it) I thought you'd enjoy this.
In this guest post, Mike lays out his tips for how to accomplish your fat loss and health goals while enjoying a drink here and there.
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
How fat loss, muscle building, and health are affected by alcohol consumption
Hey, Mike Geary here. This topic of should I or should I not consume alcohol seems to be a common struggle I hear from a lot of people... They want to get lean, but they don't want to give up drinking alcohol.
Now, I'm not talking about alcoholic type of drinking (that is obviously a problem)... we're just talking moderate social drinking here.
First, although some people may willingly choose to give up alcohol entirely, I still think most of us can drink in moderation, and still stay perfectly healthy and lean. But there are a few tricks that can help you to not pack on the pounds... and I'll mention those in a little bit.
As for myself, it comes down to choosing what I'm going to be strict about to maintain my fitness lifestyle and what I'm not going to be strict about.
For example, I'm pretty strict about never eating anything deep fried or made with trans fats, never eating white bread, and never drinking sodas or sweetened soft drinks of any kind... but I'll admit that one thing I've chosen to not be strict about is drinking alcohol.
I'm in my 30's now and I certainly don't drink as frequently as I did back in my crazy college days, but I'll certainly enjoy some cold ones when hanging out with friends, going to a bbq or dinner party, or during a night out at the bars and nightclubs.
It's all about balance in your life, and not every aspect has to be perfect in order for you to still get the body and health that you want. You'll drive yourself crazy if you're trying to be perfect.
Of course, if you have no problem abstaining from alcohol, then that will certainly be the best thing for your health and your body.
However, for the rest of us, that actually do like to partake in some social drinking, here are a few tips that have helped me to stay single-digit body fat lean, while still drinking alcohol occasionally.
Tip #1
Obviously alcohol gives you extra empty calories on the days that you choose to drink. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram for carbs and protein, and 9 calories per gram for fats.
On nights that I know are going to involve some drinking, it helps to make sure that dinner is based only around protein and vegetables. You're going to take in a lot of empty calories with the alcohol, so eating a good portion of appetite-satisfying protein along with nutrient-rich vegetables can help to control your appetite and give your body the nutrients it needs.
Plus, most importantly, there's just no room for loads of carbohydrate-rich foods if you're also going to be consuming alcohol. Carbs + alcohol is a perfect recipe for growing a beer belly! Try to keep that evening meal a fairly low-carb meal to save yourself from extra empty calories.
Tip #2
If you want to save your body from adding layers of ugly fat, by all means stay away from syrupy, fruity drinks that are loaded with sugar... this is a double whammy for your gut as you're not only getting all of the empty alcohol calories, but also loads of empty sugar calories. Big fruity drinks such as a margarita can sometimes have as much as 500-600 calories per serving!
Instead, your best bet is to stick with a clear alcohol mixed with club soda and a squeeze of lime or lemon. Vodka with club soda and extra lemon/lime squeeze is my drink of choice at the bars and nightclubs.
Stay away from tonic water mixers! Some people don't realize this, but tonic water is loaded with almost as much sugar as regular soda pop... on the other hand, club soda has no calories at all. It's clearly the lowest calorie way to drink.
Tip #3
If you're going to drink beer, you're better off choosing just 1 or 2 dark beers rather than 5 or 6 light beers. Sure, dark beers have more calories than light beers, but dark beers also have more B vitamins and antioxidants than light beers, so you actually get more nutrition from the dark beer. As long as you keep it to just 1 or 2 dark beers, you may still stay within 150-400 calories.
Tip #4
Try to get in a high intensity full body workout before your night out of drinking. At least you've revved up your metabolism and have your body processing calories a little faster.
Also, trying to get in some sort of exercise the morning after your night out can also help to get your body back to a good state of health. This may not be your best workouts in terms of energy, but it can help to just get your body moving and break a sweat.
Tip #5
Avoid the late-night munchies after a night of drinking! This is where most people do the biggest damage to their waistlines.
Instead, make sure to have some lean protein and vegetables quickly available at home (perhaps some pre-cooked chicken breasts, grass-fed steaks, or even tuna fish and some veggie sticks) so that you can satisfy your late night post-party appetite with lean protein instead of carbohydrates.
The worst thing for your body is loading up on pizza, ice cream, and other carb-rich junk after a night out of drinking.
Tip #6
If you drink multiple drinks socially, try to keep drinking alcohol to only 1-2 days/week maximum if you want to stay lean. On the other hand, if you never drink more than 1-2 drinks per day, I think having 1-2 drinks daily with a meal can still be part of a healthy lifestyle. As long as those calories are accounted for and you still stay within your daily caloric maintenance.
Tip #7
Wine is one of the healthier drink choices... if you must have a drink, you might as well choose wine so you at least get a good dose of antioxidants as well. Red wine is known for it's antioxidant content, however even white wines contain antioxidants as well.
And finally, like I mentioned before, drinking alcohol just adds one more thing to your list that you have to work against in getting the body you want.
Abstaining may always be the best choice, BUT we also need to be realistic and know that social drinking is not something that most people are willing to give up entirely.
For that reason, this list of tips to help manage social drinking in a healthier way can really help you to stay leaner and healthier and still balance a little bit of social drinking into your life.
PS- What are your thoughts about this article? If you enjoy drinking, did it give you some tips you put immediate action to? Please share your thoughts by making a comment to this blog post below, thanks!
Mike Geary is the owner of TruthAboutAbs.com & Busy Man Fitness.com. He's authored the internationally best-selling ebook, The Truth about Six Pack Abs. Currently, The Truth about Six Pack Abs is the #1 ranked Abdominals ebook in the world (as ranked by clickbank.com) with over 263,000 readers in 154 countries to date.
Grab your copy by clicking the link below:
The Truth About Six Pack Abs
PS- If you live in Vancouver, BC and want to experience some of the best rapid weight loss personal training so you can build a lean, strong, health body that'll get your metabolism revved up so you can enjoy some social drinking guilt-free, click the link below:
North Vancouver Personal Training
PPS- Or if you live in Vancouver, BC and want to experience one of the best rapid weight loss fitness boot camps that'll get you lean and strong like the ladies in the video below, please click the link below:
North Vancouver Boot Camp
Tweet This
No comments:
Post a Comment