Alcohol & Fitness

You can certainly make it work if you drink in moderation and watch what else you eat. However, I would HIGHLY recommend cutting out all alcohol if you're serious about getting in shape. Way too many empty calories there.

Being well into my 30s now, I stay away from it as much as I can. Even after just a few I can tell I'm sluggish the next day. Can't really hit my macros with those empty calories in there. But around the campfire during hunting season, hard to resist some good cold brews.

I just got back into cardio and core. I only notice it on my belly.

I could always improve diet and have an occasional drink to see if that works though.

I won’t try to speak for anyone else but for me it is no bueno. I gave it up at the beginning of the year completely and dropped 38 lbs. I had a couple of glasses of wine a few weeks ago and it took me 2 days to shake the crappy feeling so I’ll just Pass. Doesn’t bother me a bit and I feel much better.

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got tired of feeling like shite

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Same here. Don't miss that morning headache and regret.

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cutting it out this year almost completely has helped me drop about 30 lbs coupled with other improvements in lifestyle 

Now I'm more of a once a month drinker and keep it to about 3 drinks 

Too many empty calories and not good for fat loss if that's one of your goals

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This is in keeping w my experience. If it's a couple beers here and there w meals and I'm in the shape I'm in now then there is no difference at all. But I'm talking under 5 a week.

Anything else and I can feel it in performance and I tend to slump back into even higher volume.

Basically with v. without alcohol as a major component of my life is the difference of about 10lbs regardless of activity level. I sit at 170 without and in my top fitness state. Change to beer everyday boom I'm pushing 180 fast.

And sleep is worse w alcohol, leading to increased cortisol leading to body fat retention.

Then there's the mental state. I find in my 40s it really messes w brain chemicals worse than it used to. The only positive to that is long exercise is what fixes it. But that's harder on the body due to the inflammatory nature of alcohol.

And in ketosis, man it does some whacky stuff. It's easier to become dehydrated in ketosis so there's that. And I think beta-hydroxybuterate and ethanol must have a strange interaction.

In short, it just isn't worth it to drink much. I basically abstain. I keep a few good beers in the downstairs fridge so I have to make a trip to get one, and I try to get really hydrated before I drink a need [eta: typo for beer--Freudian slip?], so I'm not downing it out of thirst and then streaking through the quad.

Dear Diary, my name is McLemore, hi McLemore.

I'll have a few Bourbons once or twice a week. Beer makes me feel like absolute crap so I rarely drink that

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I think it does step to the front of the energy-burning line,

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IIRC your body sees it as a toxin so it stops processing calories/fat first in order to process the alcohol and get it out of your system so yes it hinders calorie burning.

ETA: What the post above me said.

There is certainly no blanket answer that fits everyone.

I have no doubt that if you drink a 'substantial' amount and are way overweight, cutting out the drinking is probably one of the easiest and quickest things you can do to start to reign yourself in.

That being said, drinking for me doesn't keep me from staying in shape. Sure, it's probably keeping me from being a 7% body fat, shredded hunk of head turning beach bod; but I can easily maintain <15% body fat while drinking whatever the heck I want. I'm talking 5 beers a day kinda stuff (I'm not advocating that, just using it as an example). Last year I was able to get down to 10-11% body fat without changing my drinking habits. This year I cut my drinking WAY back and did not notice any substantial benefits in weight loss, strength gain, energy, or sleeping habits.

Point being, yes if you're out of shape and trying to help yourself in every way possible eliminating drinking should be at the top of the list. But some people can definitely be fit and in better shape than most people while still putting back a cold one whenever they feel like it. Just have to be able to stay in control and not let it lead to other bad habits (go to the gym when you're supposed to, don't get drunk and have a 4th or 5th meal, etc).