Alcohol and fat loss.
I always ask my clients what their non-negotiables are when creating a plan. Unsurprisingly many say alcohol. I want a program that works alongside their life for long term so even though alcohol does not create an environment conducive to training and fat loss, if they are highly unlikely to stick to that long term I let them keep it in with a few caveats.
Protein is 4 calories per gram, fat is 9, alcohol is 7. Your body does not recognise the number 7. So when alcohol hits your system your body systems shut down in emergency. This down regulates the metabolism and makes it much more difficult for you to process and metabolise food. That kebab you ate at 3am has way more consequences while drinking than it would usually. Because alcohol down regulates the metabolism it is much better to shorten the window in which you drink. In terms of fat loss, stabilising hormones & metabolism research shows it is much better to get wasted once a week than it is to drink moderately throughout the week. Whilst binge drinking has way more negative consequences for most than slowing the fat loss process, you get the picture. Here are a few hacks :
Shorten the window in which you drink.
The day before alcohol, the day you drink and the day after, have a low fat diet, then resume as normal. Yes, that means pizza is probably the worst you can do whilst hungover.
Alcohol calories must be reflected in your overall cost for the week so you need to make cuts to food to include it.
Be realistic. Drinking alcohol will slow down your process but if you’re unlikely to live without it, make some changes to consumption and I’d recommend regular time off. For instance drink every two weeks instead of every week for better results.
