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Drinkers, please enter...

2K views 42 replies 29 participants last post by  copcar 
#1 ·
so im on this diet, well not a diet but eating better, and im working out everyday... problem is that i still drink like a fish, usually tons of draft bud light at applebees... so what do you guys recommend, cause i know i wont ever stop drinking...


thanks
 
#5 · (Edited)
I wouldn't worry too much about it right now. If eating better and working out is new to your routine, then you'll start to see progess. Once you hit a plateau, you can then assess what you need to change to accomplish more gains.

If anything, cutting back on the beer should be something you can do right now.

I'm no expert by any means, but I know for some people, making a drastic change in your lifestyle all of the sudden is a set up for failure. Making little changes over time makes it easier for them to become a habit and a new way of life. This is my case anyway. I've started a strict meal plan to lean out before and when I didn't see results quick enough, I gave up or got tired of eating like that real quick.
 
#11 ·
A shot of 40 proof liquor is approximately 100 calories. The benefit is that liquor doesn't have any carbs like beer does. However, beer isn't necessarily the problem. Beer has empty calories that your body can't use. Alcohol will be processed as sugar and burnt off fairly quickly. It's the eating habits that go along with drinking. Like the 10 jack in the box tacos at 3 in the morning, or the half a large pizza left over in the fridge. Keep in mind, you're probably gonna eat those and go to sleep, storing all those fat calories, or eat them in the morning and probably be hungover most of the day, not doing anything too physical.

That's my understanding at least.
 
#13 ·
Alcohol is a diet killer. When you drink, your body uses almost all of it's resources breaking down the alcohol and processing it. Which means all your food metabolism pretty much stops. So what you eat isn't processed and pretty much all goes to fat storage. And most people tend to eat more after a night of drinking which makes things even worse.
 
#14 ·
I find myself eating constantly when I drink. It's like my brain really has no idea my stomach is full, and when I see something I like, and I am drunk, I just eat it. I never even hesitate and tell myself I don't need it. It really is a bad side affect. I think I ate a whole block of cheese this weekend.
 
#17 ·
I try run double on days I know I'll be drinking and run when I wake up the morning after. A few puffs of ganja after your post-drinking munchies helps with the metabolism of what's left in your stomach and is a great hangover curb as well.
 
#18 ·
Alcohol is what is called empty calories which means the body usually turns the alcohol into sugar which is stored. Soft drinks are the same. So more cardio is a must but until you stop drinking beer or at least slow down then you are spinning your wheels.
 
#19 · (Edited)
pretty much anything clear will be ok if you are the occasional drinker. If you are alchaholic, then you are fucked and might as well just keep drinking lol. Unless, you are just super focused and want to run 10 miles a day!

but if you can find the self control to cut out the beer/ shots all together your results will be amazing.

But really, I don't know if I coulda quit the drinkining if I didn't have a steady supply of ganja to smoke...I found weed to really help craving control, but it's the opposite with most people lol.
I just started drinking again on the weekends if I go out and I haven't noticed any difference and I'm only doing like 30-40 mins on the elyptical 7 days a week. (2-3 miles) That machine is not hard ither.. I started off doing 10 mins, then 3 days later 30-50 min was no problem.
 
#20 ·
but if you can find the self control to cut out the beer/ shots all together your results will be amazing.
Don't listen to this guy. Look how skinny homeless people are and they drink every day! :D

As far as the clear VS. colored thing, I'm not sure there's too much truth to that. There are two reasons colored liquor is colored. One, take whiskey, it's aged in a barrell, and that reason alone will give it it's golden brown appearance. Because of this, impure alcohols can be left in the whiskey. These "impure" alcohols are believed to possibly cause worse hangovers (not proven), but it's also there to add flavor, which is a good thing for certain liquors. On the opposite side, you have vodka which ideally is flavorless/odorless, and all of those impure alcohols are removed, which MIGHT result in less of a hangover, but you don't get flavor....and you're a pussy for drinking a bitch drink. :D
 
#30 ·
I think the biggest problem with drinking (besides the calories) is DEHYDRATION
Really makes DOMS even worse, if youre working out hard.
if you drink a small amount it isn't very obvious, but if you drink and piss like crazy - you are dehydrating your muscles a lot!
Fluids are apparently very important to recovery!
 
#31 ·
Alcohol and growth hormones
One major issue with the consumption of alcohol has to do with its effects on the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone is the substance in the body that plays a very large role when it comes to building muscle, stimulating other cell growth and development, and promoting optimal bone growth. When this hormone is low, you aren’t going to get the same amount of muscle development as you would when it’s at an optimal level.

Growth hormone is predominately secreted during the early sleeping hours of the night and because alcohol tends to disrupt the natural sleep rhythms that occur, it will decrease the amount of growth hormone released. This decrease can be up to as much as 70%, so it will really short-circuit the progress you are able to make.

Alcohol and testosterone
The next factor to consider is alcohol’s effect on testosterone. As you likely know, testosterone is another huge hormone associated with muscle growth and is the reason why men carry a great deal more muscle mass than women (since men have more testosterone flowing through their bodies).

When you consume alcohol, however, a substance is produced in the liver that is toxic to the release of testosterone. This substance decreases the concentration of testosterone in the body, resulting in lower muscle mass and definition.

Alcohol and recovery
Another area that alcohol affects when it comes to muscle building is your ability to recover. Since alcohol is a toxin to the body, energy is going to have to be expended in order to remove it from the system and to recover from any negative effects it has had on the tissues.

Since this takes time and energy reserves, you won't have as much energy in store to recover from your workouts, therefore you will not be as fresh when you return for your next gym session.

Alcohol and muscles don't usually get along, so consume with care...
 
#32 · (Edited)
Alcohol and dehydration
Dehydration is another issue you have to watch out for if you choose to drink alcohol while trying to build muscle and work out. Since alcohol acts as a diuretic in the body, unless you are sure to replace the extra fluid with water or another non-alcoholic beverage that doesn’t contain caffeine, your natural water balance will be disrupted.

Dehydration has a number of negative effects on the body, from inducing feelings of fatigue to causing low physical performance, making you feel hungrier (which is especially problematic while dieting), and disrupting the ability of the muscle cells to produce ATP -- which is your primary source of muscular energy.

Alcohol and glycogen synthesis
Aside from ATP, the next source for muscular work is stored muscle glycogen. Unfortunately, though, when you consume alcoholic beverages, alcohol synthesis will take precedence over glycogen synthesis, resulting in decreased stores in the muscle cells.

When you go to do your next workout, your body will have less energy to run on, causing fatigue to set in early.

When your workouts are ended prematurely , you won’t derive as many benefits in terms of increases in strength since the necessary overloading stimulus (which is partly defined through volume of weights lifted) will not be increased.

Alcohol and aerobic ability
If you aren’t as concerned with your strength levels and figure this means alcohol is a safe bet for you, you may want to think again. Even when it comes to aerobic activities, alcohol affects performance.

In this scenario, alcohol can cause an increase in blood pressure throughout the body and a corresponding increase in heart rate.

Since your heart will already be working at an increased rate during aerobic activities, the additional stress from the alcohol will only amplify the heart rate and make the exercise feel harder than it should.

Alcohol and body fat
Finally, the last issue surrounding alcohol consumption is that it contains calories, and these do add up quickly. Typically, you’ll likely find yourself drinking beer, wine or hard liquors, which do contain fewer calories than the fancier, sweeter-tasting cocktails that women often drink, so at least that's an advantage.

Still, at seven calories per gram, after three or four drinks, these calories would equal a good-sized meal. Unless you are going to cut down on food intake in order to make room for these calories (which is rare, as usually you’ll actually find yourself snacking on high-calorie items such as nuts, pizza, wings or nachos), fat gain will result.

Just something I found over a year ago before I started working out, didn't know alcohol could slow or kill your gains! Hope this helps anybody's questions to drinking and workingout.
 
#34 ·
Vodka soda is worse than beer.

Shot of vodka is 100 calories. Mix it with soda that is another 100+ calories per 8 oz, plus the 20+grams of carbs. Diet soda...yes. Regular, no way.

I actually found out that Fresca makes a pretty good margarita mix. It's just carbonated. Plus it's calorie and sugar free.

Vodka also mixes pretty well with the cheap carbonated flavored waters that you can get at wal-mart.
 
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