The cardinal rules for drinking AND losing weight?
Accept that it will slow your progress down.
Do the maths… drink when it’s worth it.
I’m not going to go on an evangelical rant about the dangers of alcohol. Because I enjoy a drink. Nothing tastes sweeter than that first pint of Peroni after a long week. It’s like an angel pissing on the tip of your tongue.
However, when it comes to your health and fitness goals, We need to accept alcohol for what it is… A high calorie poison. Sounds dramatic… but that’s exactly what it is. It’s doing us no favours. Anything above zero is sub-optimal. But once you accept that. It’s possible to have your cake and eat it too.
Without getting too bogged down in the specific, physiological and psychological processes of alcohol consumption. The main points are:
It’s high in calories.
Significantly affects your body’s ability to recover and repair itself.
The effects bleed over into multiple days.
And that is one of the bigger problems with going out on the piss... It’s not solely contained to that night. We’ve got the day after to contend with.
Unfortunately, all the ‘being good’ during the week can be undone over the weekend.
The sooner you can get back to eating ‘normally’ the better. The sooner you can get back on track. It’s so easy to toss off an entire day eating high calorie, fatty, beige food.
The steps below give you a decent chance of becoming human again.
My hangover cure?
Doesn’t happen too often these days but if I need it… this is what I do:
A sachet of Dioralyte – Drink first thing. The majority of a hangover stems from dehydration. You need to replace the electrolytes in your system. Honestly, it’s like magic. Once you’ve got that down your neck, keep topping up your hydration levels with water.
Fried egg sandwich - Eggs are rich in cysteine, an amino acid that your body uses to produce the antioxidant glutathione (used to breakdown the toxic byproducts of alcohol metabolism). Plus, a fried egg sandwich scratches the junk food itch when you are craving that fatty, beige food. It’s a pretend junk food. Everybody assumes a fried egg sarnie is bad for you… when in reality… they’re very beneficial. Wholemeal toast, 2/3 fried eggs in 1cal spray, little bit of tomato sauce…
3. Go for a walk – Doesn’t have to be far. Just get out of your pit and get some fresh air. Get the blood pumping a little bit, increase the oxygen to your brain, a cheeky release of endorphins… all adds up to a better mood. But before you get to this point… Before you go on the bender to end all benders… Do your sums. Amy will tell you. If we go to a bar and my first drink tastes like ass… I’ll be pretty annoyed. I’ve calculated the cost in my head. It’s costing me £__ It’s costing __ amount of calories It’s costing __ amount of testosterone production and protein synthesis. (My gym gainz bro) A crisp, cool pint of draught Peroni with the wife? Yeah… I’ve done the maths… that’s worth it to me. But a flat, fart-smelling pint of bollocks with somebody I don’t like? No thanks. Look, nobody is expecting perfection. Nobody is expecting a population of teetotallers. You can make room for anything in your diet. Nothing is necessarily off-limits. It’s all a case of quantity. E.G. If you’re getting: 80% of your calories from quality food sources, 10% from junk food, 10% from alcoholic drinks… That’s fine. That’s sustainable. You’ll likely see great results. But if you’re getting: 20% of your calories from quality food sources, 40% from junk food, 40% from alcoholic drinks… You’re in trouble. Something needs to change. We just need to be that little bit smarter, that little bit more aware. Do the maths. Is this drink worth it? If the answers no… Don’t bother then. Find an alternative. But if it’s a yes… Then Cheers. Mine’s a Peroni. (not sure if I mentioned it?)
P.S. If you think the amount you drink is part of a bigger issue, talk to somebody. Don’t suffer in silence. Help is out there.
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