Can
you drink alcohol and still stay lean? I hear from a lot of people... They want
to get lean, but they don't want to give up drinking alcohol.
Now, we aren’t talking about alcoholic type of drinking, but referring to just talking moderate social drinking here.
Of course, if you have no problem abstaining from alcohol, then that will certainly be the best thing for your health and your body. But, I still think most of us can drink in moderation, and still stay perfectly healthy and lean.
So for those who do like to partake in some social drinking, here are a few tips that can help you to stay single-digit bodyfat lean, while still drinking occasionally.
1. Alcohol gives you extra empty calories, as it has 7 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates and protein, and 9 calories per gram for fats. On nights that you 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. 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!
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. 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. By the way, Club soda is the lowest calorie social drink.
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.
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.
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.
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, then 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.
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.
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.
Now, we aren’t talking about alcoholic type of drinking, but referring to just talking moderate social drinking here.
Of course, if you have no problem abstaining from alcohol, then that will certainly be the best thing for your health and your body. But, I still think most of us can drink in moderation, and still stay perfectly healthy and lean.
So for those who do like to partake in some social drinking, here are a few tips that can help you to stay single-digit bodyfat lean, while still drinking occasionally.
1. Alcohol gives you extra empty calories, as it has 7 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates and protein, and 9 calories per gram for fats. On nights that you 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. 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!
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. 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. By the way, Club soda is the lowest calorie social drink.
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.
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.
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.
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, then 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.
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.
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.
And last
but not the least, make sure you get some dancing (if possible) in your night
out – to burn those extra calories away!
Don't be Lazy... Be Lean!
Don't be Lazy... Be Lean!
Regards,
Reema Sarin & The
BOLLYFIT Team
FOUNDER
‘BOLLYFIT’
BOLLYWOOD DANCER,
ACTOR, MODEL, ANCHOR
& CHOREOGRAPHER
Email: reema@bollyfitreema.com
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