The Adler Blog

How is everybody doing? Things in NY are great, both Scott and I are trying to put on weight (muscle that is). So far, we managed to get some good lean gains with getting too fat

Since Jon wrote such a great post yesterday , I felt I should pick up on this struggle with alcohol and just lay out some facts so that everybody can decide for themselves.

Drum roll please……
Anybody, who is trying to lose weight, will come across the question whether to drink or not to drink. Does alcohol kill you six-pack or is it ok to have a drink? If so, how many? Will red wine make me live forever?

Let’s look at the facts:

1. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, which adds up quickly.
2.It increases your metabolic rate. However, the increase in BMR is for a very short term only.
3. The digestion of alcohol stops fat loss almost completely. Here is how. Alcohol gets broken down into acetate, which holds first priority for energy usage. You have to imagine acetate as similar to President Obama’s motorcade: as long as he is driving on 5th Ave, nobody else will. Your body will not burn any fat until the acetate is gone, which can last up to 12 hours. So if you drink 4 times per week, it translates into 48 hours of non-fat burning….you do the math.
4. Attention, guys! Heavy drinking (5 drinks or more per sitting) will lower your testosterone which means less muscle and more body fat.
5. Excessive (same threshold as above) alcohol usage hampers your recovery so you won’t be able to train as hard as you might need. Coordination is also impaired for up to 48 hours.
6. Alcohol stimulates the appetite and lowers inhibitions. Chicken wings, anyone? Bar food is notoriously bad; I have never found steamed vegetables in a beer garden.
7. Considering the potential health benefits of wine and beer, the jury is still out on that. It occurs that resveratrol, a substance found in grapes, might be helpful to lower the risk of heart disease. But to achieve that, you don’t necessarily need to consume wine; grapes will do.

In my opinion, all points above seem to make alcohol a very bad choice for a serious dieter. In addition, mixed drinks and cocktails are extremely high in sugar and should be avoided at all costs – a piña colada can set you back 600 calories.

However, the best diet is the one you can stick to. If you don’t drink, keep it that way. If you enjoy a glass of wine or beer, do it twice a week. In the long run, happy dieters are usually more successful.

So there you have it: the lowdown on alcohol.
Train hard!
Scott and Maik