Can I drink alcohol while working out? Will drinking make you fat? Remember these four key points, it’s okay to party occasionally

Can I drink alcohol while exercising? Will drinking make you fat? The question about alcohol is also what many fitness enthusiasts want to know.

First, let’s look at it from a caloric perspective! Remember what I mentioned earlier, your weight gain or loss depends on the calorie surplus or deficit. That is, when the calories you consume today exceed the body's needs, your weight will increase. Conversely, if the calories you consume today are lower than the body's needs, your weight will decrease.

Will drinking make you fat?

Alcohol also contains calories, 1 gram of alcohol contains about 7 calories. If you add the calories from the alcohol you drank today to your preset calories for the whole day, if you have a calorie gap, that is, the total calories are still lower than your TDEE, then you don’t have to worry about gaining weight!

There are many myths about whether drinking alcohol will make you fat. Many people associate alcohol with obesity. In fact, alcohol itself is not stored as fat. On the contrary, when you drink alcohol and eat other foods, the excess calories will easily be stored as fat. Also, when you are drunk, you are less able to control your desire for high-calorie food. If your total calorie intake for the day exceeds the limit, the excess energy will be converted into fat and stored by the body.

Effects of alcohol on the body

Some of the alcohol we drink is metabolized by the brain, which is why we feel drunk, while the rest is metabolized by the liver.

Alcohol affects the body's choice of fuel, that is, how the body uses energy. Normally our body converts carbohydrates and fats into energy for the body to use, but when you drink alcohol, the body regards metabolizing alcohol as the most important thing and focuses on metabolizing alcohol. The rate at which fat is oxidized and decomposed into energy will slow down, causing the fat you eat to be more easily converted into fat for storage.

At this time, carbohydrates are relatively less likely to be converted into fat, which is why it is more important to consume less fat than less carbohydrates when drinking. But if you still have a calorie deficit for the day and do not exceed TDEE, you don’t have to worry about gaining weight because there are no excess calories that can turn into fat!

Does drinking alcohol affect muscle gain and fat loss?

Drinking one glass of wine or so will not affect the testosterone that stimulates muscle growth. There is no need to worry about alcohol having a negative effect on testosterone if you drink a small amount of alcohol in the short term.

But please note that I am talking about "a glass of wine" here (laughs). If you continue to drink, changes will occur. Within 10 to 16 hours after drinking 120 to 150 grams of alcohol (about three glasses), the testosterone level in the body will drop by 23%. At this time, muscle protein synthesis will decrease, leptin will decrease, and cortisol will increase. These two hormonal changes are not conducive to fat loss. It will not return to normal levels until 36 hours later.

Therefore, excessive alcohol will affect muscle protein synthesis, especially after training, it will inhibit muscle protein synthesis by 37%, which means that excessive alcohol will hinder muscle recovery. However, if you drink alcohol and supplement protein after training, the inhibition of muscle synthesis will be reduced to 24%. Protein cannot prevent the negative effects of alcohol, but it can reduce this inhibitory effect.

The conclusion is that a small amount of alcohol will not affect post-training recovery and muscle protein synthesis. The key lies in the amount of alcohol.

How to drink without getting fat?

How to drink without getting fat? It's just to create more calorie deficit! For example, on the eve of drinking, you can try to choose low-calorie, high-fiber, bulky foods. In short, low-fat, low-carbon foods. You can even exercise before partying to create more calorie gaps. When drinking, consume more protein and try to avoid choosing bartends and cocktails with high sugar content. You can choose some low-calorie beer or drink shot directly.

Remember the following points, and you can go partying with your friends with peace of mind:

1. Drinking a small amount of alcohol will not affect muscle gain, fat loss and recovery after training.

2. Alcohol will inhibit muscle protein synthesis after training, but supplementing protein after training can slow down the inhibitory effect.

3. Try to create a calorie deficit before drinking.

4. Try not to eat high-fat foods after drinking.

Should I train the day after drinking?

I usually don't train the next day after drinking, because I don't know whether the amount of alcohol I consumed the day before has inhibited my muscle protein synthesis, and the training effect will not be very good. It is better to have a good rest at home.

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