What's going on, guys?
Sean Nalewanyj on www.SeanNal.com.
And in this video today I want to explain the relationship between alcohol and fatloss,
and go over what the potential problem with drinking is and what it isn't when it comes
to leaning down because there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding on this topic.
Now before I jump into it, if you enjoyed this video make sure to hit the subscribe
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So what the problem isn't when it comes to alcohol and fatloss is the alcohol itself.
Meaning there's nothing inherently fattening about alcohol and it is possible to consume
some alcohol as part of your diet and still lose fat consistently just as much fat as
you would otherwise as long as you exercise some reasonable moderation and you track the
calories.
Just like there's nothing inherently fattening about eating a slice of pizza or having a
couple cookies, how alcohol actually affects your results all depends on how it fits into
the overall picture as a whole.
In order to lose fat you need to maintain a calorie deficit.
Alcohol contains calories and if you track those calories as part of your diet just like
if you track the calories from piece of pizza or a cookie you can still maintain a nett
deficit, get in all of your other macro and micro nutrient needs and you can still lose
fat while having a few drinks here and there.
So as long as you don't go overboard, meaning you're having no more than the equivalent
of about one to two drinks per day for a male about half that amount for a female, or you're
going out and having a higher number of drinks but doing it less frequently, like having
a night out with your buddies and drinking a bit more heavily but just doing it every
now and then, alcohol itself is not going to be a problem from a pure fat burning or
muscle building perspective.
There's a lot of myths on this floating around but no, it won't suppress testosterone to
any serious degree unless you consume a huge amount and even then the effect is temporary.
It won't reduce protein synthesis to any serious degree and it won't affect recovery either
unless you're doing very high volume training or endurance training.
And again, you'd have to be drinking a fairly heavy amount for that to be a problem.
And I did a detailed video on this last year that I'll link below, and I'll also link some
studies below on this as well.
So, alcohol itself tracked and in moderation is not going to significantly negatively impact
fatloss.
However, where drinking can become a real problem and where it can legitimately throw
your fatloss program and your physique off course is from the behavioral changes that
it can produce which then carry over to your program as a whole.
Meaning, maybe you go out drinking and you do take the calories into account and it all
fits into your intake for the day.
No problem there, but what do you end up eating at the end of the night, for example.
Are you really going home and eating you know a chicken breasts with sweet potato or are
you sitting at McDonald's at 03:00 A.M.
eating a 20-piece Chicken McNugget meal with five sweet and sour sauces and a large fries.
Big difference there.
You're probably also not going to get the best sleep in the world.
Maybe you have a bit of a hangover.
So how does that affect your motivation the next day?
Are you going to say, “Okay, that was a fun night time to get back on track let's
get back into the gym get back on track with my diet.”
Or are you going to say, “Screw it.
I already messed up last night so I'm just going to relax on the couch and watch Netflix
and order some pizza.”
And if that happens, how is that going to affect your training?
Are you now going to feel discouraged and skip a workout or skip a cardio session?
Is your diet going to get even worse?
And if those things happen how does it affect you moving forward?
When friends ask you to go out drinking again the next weekend are you going to say, “No,
I drank last week I'm going to take it easy and stay in.”
Or are you going to give in and go ahead and repeat that same process again.
Little fluctuations in calorie intake or a missed workout here and there are not going
to be a big deal but if it's happening too frequently it obviously will add up.
And since fatloss primarily comes down to overall nett energy balance, burning more
calories than you consume in the overall picture, enough little spikes and calorie intake and
enough missed workouts and your deficit can end up being significantly cut down or erased
altogether.
Or you could even end up in a surplus and start gaining fat.
So that, as I see it, is the real potential problem with alcohol and fatloss or even alcohol
and muscle growth.
In a vacuum with all the variables controlled, moderate alcohol consumption is not going
to be an issue.
But for certain people it's the spillover effect.
That's what you really have to worry about.
There's no question that drinking lowers your willpower and makes things harder to resist.
And if you're somebody who struggles with willpower in the first place, when it comes
to food, then that could be a legitimate issue for you.
Just like how some people can eat one doughnut and enjoy it and move on without a problem,
for other people it can be a trigger food where one doughnut leads to two doughnuts
which leads to five and so on.
A doughnut is not inherently fattening in and off itself it's the quantity of donuts
and how those donuts end up affecting the overall picture.
So if you're serious about leaning down and achieving a great physique, you have to know
yourself, okay.
Everybody is different and you have to be honest with yourself and say, “Can I go
out and drink socially and have, maybe, three or four drinks, take the calories into account
and then call it a night and carry on as usual.”
Or “Does three or four drinks usually spiral out of control for me?”
Or, “Yeah, I want to go out one night have more of, like, a party night, drink a larger
amount, can I have that one big night and just let loose and have my calories temporarily
spike up a little bit and then get right back on track?
Or, “Is that big night likely going to affect me negatively moving forward.”
Am I going to be tired and eat more the next day or in the next several days?
Am I going to skip workout to lose motivation, et cetera.
If you know that you can drink in moderation without any issue then you're probably fine.
And you can strike a good healthy balance for yourself there.
Or if you have maybe more of an addictive personality or you struggle with willpower,
especially when it comes to food, maybe you decide that abstaining altogether at least
for the time being while you focus on your fitness program is the better choice.
Or maybe you do have a drink or two here and there but only in certain settings, meaning
that you avoid those typical party scenarios where people are drinking more heavily and
you just stick to more casual settings like a restaurant or a small gathering or something
like that.
Now, what are some things you can do to minimize alcohols spillover effects?
I'll give you a few tips here before closing the video out.
Number one, if you're drinking more heavily then don't do it the night before a workout
since you'll have a higher chance of skipping and if you do train then your performance
likely won't be as good.
That'll give you a day to recover, or maybe two days to recover, and to get your motivation
back and to hit the gym when you're feeling fresh again.
Or at the very least try to schedule your easiest workout on that day rather than the
more challenging ones.
Secondly, save up some calories during the day for later on in the night.
You probably don't want to be drinking on a completely empty stomach but at least earlier
on the day you can eat a little bit lighter, because that'll create a bit of a calorie
buffer so that if you do have a higher calorie meal later on the effect it won't be as significant
overall.
Third, have a set limit in mind for how many drinks you're going to have that night before
you start drinking.
It doesn't guarantee that you're going to stick to it, obviously, but it's something
that I personally find really helpful because I'll end up spacing my drinks out a bit further
rather than just getting caught up in it and letting things get a bit out of control.
Fourth, one tip you can try is to have a pre-prepared meal ready for you at home for later on.
So if you know that there's a meal ready for you when you get back and all you have to
do is just pop it in the microwave, that'll lessen the chance that you will end up binging
on fast food or some other really high-calorie takeout food at the end of the night.
And fifth is to rehydrate.
Most people don't need to be told this, but alcohol is very dehydrating and replenishing
those fluids after you drink will go a long way in minimizing any potential hangover which
will also minimize the chances that you'll fall off track with your nutrition and your
training.
The better you feel after a night of drinking the better off you're going to be in terms
of your fitness program and vice versa, and if besides drinking water there are other
things you know that personally help in terms of reducing your hangover, have the discipline
to do those things before going to bed.
So bottom line here guys, alcohol itself is not a problem when consumed in moderation.
It doesn't ruin fatloss in and of itself.
You can drink socially in moderation and still lose fat and achieve a great physique.
But what can ruin fatloss is how the alcohol affects the overall picture.
So, know yourself and know what your strengths and your weaknesses are and structure your
training and diet and your potential alcohol consumption based around that if you truly
want to succeed at this and get into the shape you're after.
So, I hope this was helpful for you.
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Thanks for watching, guys.
And I'll see you in the next video.