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Ultimate Guide to Alcohol

Ultimate Guide to Alcohol
December 9, 2020 info@gymproject.co.uk

Ultimate Guide to Alcohol 

Alcohol plays a big part in many of our lives, especially at this time of year. Alcohol is one of the first things to be cut when someone is looking at cutting their calorie intake. We are firm believers in finding balance with your nutrition, to ensure you reach your goals in a sustainable way.

So below we will look at how you can still enjoy a drink whilst working towards your fitness goals!

 

Moderation 

As with all diets , depriving yourself or food and drink that you enjoy, just ends in cravings. The more miserable your diet, the more you are likely to have a blowout. So a sustainable diet, can (&should, if you enjoy it) include alcohol.

Alcohol Pitfalls 

When looking at alcohol it is good to be aware that it is almost as calorie dense as fat. Alcohol contains 7Kcals per gram (fat = 9Kcals), so it doesn’t take much for the calories to add up. On top of this, we are likely to consume more calories when consumed in a liquid form.

But the problem is not alcohol’s caloric load per se, but how the body metabolises it. The body has a hard time converting alcohol to fatty acids for storage. This means very little alcohol is actually stored as fat. Before you get carried away celebrating, alcohol gets priority over any other macro nutrient. This means that other calories in your system are ignored by the liver when alcohol is in the system.

After just 3 units, your liver decreases fat burning by 75% and stops metabolising carbs. This means any carbs or fat in your system have a high chance of being stored as fat.

 

Preparation Is Key 

The same as eating out, preparation is key if you are planning a big night out. The best way to do this is look at your calories across the week and make smart drink choices.

If you know you are going out on Saturday, you have between Monday & Friday to prepare. If you plan on drinking 500kcals on your night out,  you can deduct 100kcals a day leading up to your night out.

For Ex.

7 Days @ 2000kcals a day = Weekly Average 2000kcals

5 Days @ 1900 Kcals + 1 Day @ 2500 KCals = Weekly Average 2000Kcals

In reality, it is very easy to consume over 500kcals on a night out, this is where smart choices can act as some damage limitation.

 

Drink  Calories x 1 Drink  Calories x 3 Drinks  Calories x 5 Drinks 
Single Vodka & Lime 70kcals 210 Kcals 350Kcals
Small red Wine 130 Kcals 390 Kcals 650Kcals
Jager Bomb 160Kcals 480Kcals 800Kcals
Lager 225Kcals 675Kcals 1125Kcals

The more knowledge we have on our tipple of choice, the better we are able to plan. As you can see above there is a huge difference in drinks choice.

Knowledge is Power

If spirits are your tipple of choice, there is a big difference depending on your drink. As a rule of thumb the lighter the spirit, the less Kcals.

 

Drink  Calories x 1 Drink  Calories x 3 Drinks  Calories x 5 Drinks 
Vodka 52 156 260
Gin 52 156 260
Jack Daniels 75 225 375
Tequila 52 156 260
Rum 61 183 305

Finally, the mixer you choose has a big bearing. For example a single vodka and coke contains 108kcals, whilst a diet coke and vodka  contains almost half the calories.

Our Advice For The Big Night 

If watching your weight:

Opt for a pale spirit and diet mixer.

If you want to get the beers in, opt for a bottle rather than a pint

Once you start drinking, try and avoid eating until you wake up in the morning.

When you get home, pop a multivitamin and get at least a pint of water down you.

The Day After 

If you did over indulge the night before, don’t worry about it. Dust yourself down and get back on track.  Don’t let 1 night spiral out of control into a whole weekend of going wild!

If you did successfully keep to your allotted kcals on the night, you don’t need to do anything extra! If you did, try and factor this in to the next few days.

Make sure you keep on top of your hydration the next day, you will more than likely be dehydrated.

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