Mark Hallman

Science​ ​explained: How​ ​to​ ​drink​ ​alcohol and​ ​stay​ ​fit Alcohol​ ​is​ ​awesome. I'm​ ​not​ ​gonna​ ​bullshit​ ​you,​ ​there's​ ​nothing​ ​I​ ​find​ ​more refreshing​ ​than​ ​a​ ​giant,​ ​glowing,​ ​bubbly​ ​pint​ ​of​ ​beer. But,​ ​wait,​ ​I​ ​hear​ ​you​ ​gasping​ ​while​ ​holding​ ​your​ ​box​ ​full​ ​of chicken​ ​and​ ​broccoli,​ ​"You​ ​can't​ ​drink​ ​and​ ​stay lean/muscular/fit,​ ​that's​ ​just​ ​not​ ​possible!".​ ​Wrong. Why​ ​you​ ​should​ ​drink​ ​alcohol If​ ​you​ ​wanna​ ​stay​ ​fit Okay,​ ​ ​that​ ​subtitle​ ​is​ ​not​ ​entirely​ ​true. If​ ​you​ ​don't​ ​drink​ ​alcohol,​ ​there’s​ ​no​ ​reason​ ​to​ ​start. It​ ​can​ ​lead​ ​down​ ​to​ ​alcoholism,​ ​loads​ ​of​ ​metabolic​ ​and cardiovascular​ ​diseases​ ​and​ ​in​ ​general​ ​your​ ​life​ ​could​ ​crumble. But,​ ​if​ ​you​ ​do​ ​love​ ​a​ ​shot(or​ ​10)​ ​of​ ​whiskey​ ​there​ ​and​ ​then,​ ​you can​ ​still​ ​make​ ​progress​ ​in​ ​the​ ​gym​ ​and​ ​keep​ ​your​ ​precious gainz. Surprisingly​ ​enough,​ ​moderate​ ​alcohol​ ​consumption​ ​has actually​ ​been​ ​shown​ ​to​ ​provide​ ​a​ ​range​ ​of​ ​health​ ​benefits I​ ​believe​ ​your​ ​diet​ ​should​ ​work​ ​for​ ​you,​ ​not​ ​against​ ​you. And​ ​if​ ​you’re​ ​going​ ​to​ ​stress​ ​yourself​ ​out​ ​by​ ​canceling​ ​your night​ ​out​ ​and​ ​staying​ ​home​ ​watching​ ​reality​ ​shows​ ​while​ ​your friends​ ​are​ ​having​ ​a​ ​good​ ​time,​ ​your​ ​diet​ ​is​ ​not​ ​gonna​ ​work​ ​for you. Before​ ​I​ ​get​ ​to​ ​the​ ​how,​ ​I​ ​first​ ​must​ ​get​ ​to​ ​the​ ​why,​ ​and​ ​talk about​ ​alcohol​ ​and​ ​it’s​ ​effects​ ​on​ ​the​ ​body. Effects​ ​of​ ​alcohol​ ​on​ ​the​ ​body Alcohol​ ​is​ ​actually​ ​classified​ ​as​ ​a​ ​macronutrient,​ ​because​ ​it​ ​does contain​ ​7​ ​calories​ ​per​ ​gram. I​ ​wouldn’t​ ​call​ ​it​ ​a​ ​nutrient,​ ​since​ ​it’s​ ​not​ ​essential​ ​for​ ​human life,​ ​but​ ​hey,​ ​let’s​ ​go​ ​with​ ​it. The​ ​difference​ ​between​ ​alcohol​ ​and​ ​other​ ​macronutrients,​ ​is that​ ​those​ ​calories​ ​can’t​ ​be​ ​stored​ ​as​ ​fat​ ​but​ ​unfortunately, alcohol​ ​does​ ​put​ ​the​ ​brakes​ ​on​ ​fat​ ​burning​ ​while​ ​it’s metabolized. That​ ​means​ ​most​ ​of​ ​the​ ​dietary​ ​fat​ ​you​ ​eat​ ​will​ ​be​ ​stored​ ​as body​ ​fat. Testosterone One​ ​study​ ​showed​ ​that​ ​drinking​ ​30-40g​ ​of​ ​alcohol(about​ ​2-3 beers)​ ​for​ ​3​ ​weeks​ ​lowered​ ​testosterone​ ​by​ ​about​ ​7%. Nothing​ ​to​ ​see​ ​here,​ ​move​ ​along​ ​folks. Now​ ​let’s​ ​see​ ​what​ ​happens​ ​when​ ​you​ ​up​ ​the​ ​dose. Drinking​ ​1.5​ ​grams​ ​per​ ​kg​ ​of​ ​body​ ​weight​ ​of​ ​alcohol,​ ​lowered testosterone​ ​levels​ ​by​ ​23%​ ​on​ ​average. But​ ​hold​ ​up,​ ​let’s​ ​do​ ​some​ ​math. For​ ​an​ ​average​ ​85kg​ ​male,​ ​thats​ ​127​ ​grams​ ​of​ ​alcohol….​ ​Also known​ ​as​ ​9​ ​pints​ ​of​ ​beer. If​ ​you’re​ ​a​ ​fucking​ ​idiot​ ​and​ ​drink​ ​this​ ​amount​ ​every​ ​day,​ ​losing your​ ​gainz​ ​is​ ​the​ ​least​ ​of​ ​your​ ​problems. Muscle​ ​protein​ ​synthesis​ ​rates​ ​are​ ​also​ ​affected​ ​by​ ​heavy drinking,​ ​but​ ​again​ ​this​ ​is​ ​only​ ​with​ ​large​ ​amounts. With​ ​all​ ​of​ ​that​ ​said,​ ​here​ ​are​ ​some​ ​practical​ ​tips​ ​for​ ​minimizing the​ ​damage​ ​from​ ​drinking. Opt​ ​for​ ​lower​ ​calorie​ ​options A​ ​bottle​ ​of​ ​beer​ ​contains​ ​about​ ​150​ ​calories. A​ ​gin​ ​and​ ​tonic​ ​contain​ ​about​ ​170​ ​calories. In​ ​a​ ​social​ ​group,​ ​drinks​ ​are​ ​bound​ ​to​ ​be​ ​ordered​ ​and​ ​passed around,​ ​and​ ​by​ ​the​ ​end​ ​of​ ​the​ ​night​ ​you’ve​ ​wound​ ​up​ ​drinking about​ ​1000​ ​calories​ ​of​ ​alcohol.​ ​Yikes. So​ ​if​ ​you​ ​can,​ ​try​ ​to​ ​opt​ ​for​ ​lower​ ​calorie​ ​drinks​ ​like​ ​vodka​ ​and dry​ ​spirits. Now,​ ​I​ ​know,​ ​this​ ​tip​ ​isn’t​ ​very​ ​realistic. As​ ​I’ve​ ​said,​ ​drinks​ ​are​ ​bound​ ​to​ ​be​ ​ordered​ ​and​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​want you​ ​to​ ​be​ ​the​ ​guy​ ​who​ ​ordered​ ​the​ ​vodka​ ​while​ ​everyone​ ​else ordered​ ​beer. Because​ ​of​ ​that,​ ​this​ ​next​ ​tip​ ​might​ ​be​ ​more​ ​practical... “Save​ ​up”​ ​calories​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​day As​ ​I’ve​ ​mentioned,​ ​a​ ​night​ ​of​ ​drinking​ ​can​ ​amount​ ​to​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of calories​ ​if​ ​you​ ​drink​ ​beer​ ​and​ ​other​ ​fruity​ ​drinks. To​ ​counteract​ ​this,​ ​eat​ ​very​ ​lightly​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​day,​ ​with your​ ​meals​ ​consisting​ ​mainly​ ​of​ ​protein​ ​and​ ​carbs. We’ve​ ​mentioned​ ​that​ ​since​ ​fat​ ​burning​ ​is​ ​inhibited,​ ​dietary​ ​fat is​ ​most​ ​likely​ ​to​ ​be​ ​stored​ ​as​ ​body​ ​fat. This​ ​is​ ​why​ ​on​ ​the​ ​day​ ​you’re​ ​drinking,​ ​your​ ​fat​ ​intake​ ​should​ ​be quite​ ​low(0.3g​ ​per​ ​kg​ ​of​ ​bodyweight). I​ ​also​ ​suggest​ ​you​ ​do​ ​what​ ​I​ ​do,​ ​and​ ​that​ ​is​ ​fast​ ​until​ ​an​ ​hour​ ​or so​ ​before​ ​drinking,​ ​at​ ​which​ ​point​ ​you​ ​should… Eat​ ​a​ ​high​ ​protein​ ​and​ ​high​ ​fiber​ ​meal​ ​before drinking Eating​ ​something​ ​before​ ​drinking​ ​slows​ ​down​ ​your​ ​digestion and​ ​thus​ ​decreases​ ​the​ ​rate​ ​at​ ​which​ ​alcohol​ ​makes​ ​it​ ​to​ ​your bloodstream. The​ ​best​ ​option​ ​are​ ​foods​ ​that​ ​take​ ​longer​ ​to​ ​digest,​ ​that​ ​means slow​ ​digesting​ ​proteins​ ​like​ ​casein​ ​or​ ​egg​ ​protein,​ ​high​ ​fiber foods​ ​like​ ​vegetables​ ​etc. This​ ​effectively​ ​enables​ ​you​ ​to​ ​drink​ ​more​ ​alcohol​ ​while​ ​getting less​ ​drunk. If​ ​you​ ​just​ ​want​ ​to​ ​get​ ​hammered​ ​straight​ ​away,​ ​eat​ ​some​ ​light meals​ ​during​ ​the​ ​day(again,​ ​low-fat,​ ​high​ ​protein)​ ​and​ ​chug your​ ​drinks​ ​all​ ​at​ ​once. Stay​ ​hydrated Alcohol​ ​is​ ​very​ ​dehydrating,​ ​and​ ​this​ ​can​ ​affect​ ​the​ ​intensity​ ​of the​ ​hangover​ ​you​ ​get​ ​next​ ​morning. Before​ ​drinking,​ ​drink​ ​a​ ​shit​ ​load​ ​of​ ​water,​ ​and​ ​when​ ​you​ ​go​ ​to the​ ​bar,​ ​order​ ​a​ ​big​ ​jug​ ​of​ ​water​ ​if​ ​you​ ​can​ ​and​ ​sip​ ​water between​ ​drinks. Don’t​ ​eat​ ​like​ ​an​ ​assface​ ​when​ ​you​ ​get​ ​home Yes,​ ​I​ ​know​ ​that​ ​cake​ ​in​ ​the​ ​fridge​ ​looks​ ​sooo​ ​good​ ​when​ ​you’re drunk​ ​and​ ​hungry. That’s​ ​why​ ​I​ ​suggest​ ​you​ ​prepare​ ​yourself​ ​something​ ​to​ ​eat before​ ​you​ ​go​ ​drinking. I​ ​personally​ ​can’t​ ​stomach​ ​chicken​ ​or​ ​anything​ ​like​ ​that​ ​when I’m​ ​drunk,​ ​that’s​ ​why​ ​I​ ​suggest​ ​making​ ​some​ ​healthy​ ​sweets which​ ​are​ ​very​ ​tasty​ ​and​ ​low​ ​calorie. If​ ​you’re​ ​looking​ ​for​ ​recipes,​ ​I​ ​suggest​ ​searching​ ​the muscleforlife.com​ ​site. It​ ​has​ ​a​ ​ton​ ​of​ ​recipe​ ​lists,​ ​so​ ​you​ ​can​ ​basically​ ​find​ ​any low-calorie​ ​version​ ​of​ ​your​ ​favorite​ ​treat. Conclusion Getting​ ​drunk​ ​is​ ​fun,​ ​but​ ​it’s​ ​not​ ​gonna​ ​do​ ​wonders​ ​for​ ​your physique. But​ ​that​ ​doesn’t​ ​mean​ ​you​ ​need​ ​to​ ​exchange​ ​your​ ​social​ ​life​ ​for six​ ​pack​ ​abs. If​ ​done​ ​infrequently​ ​and​ ​when​ ​using​ ​these​ ​tips,​ ​progress​ ​can still​ ​be​ ​made​ ​and​ ​your​ ​gainz​ ​can​ ​be​ ​preserved. Happy​ ​drinking.