Knowledgeable Member
I know I should avoid drinking but maybe once a week I like to go out. I dont have more than 3 or 4 drinks and we usually are at a bar and grill type place so I will eat a meal right before we go out and when im there I always will get something like chicken or steak and potatos. I am currently bulking and do not put on fat easily so im really not counting calories. My question is what is worse beer or a mixed drinks? And am I really hurting my gains doing this once a week?
Staff ~ HRT Optimization Specialist
Depends on the mixed drink. Vodka is pretty calorie light if I remember correctly.
Anabolic Member
Yeah stick with vodka and soda water. With mixed drinks it's most of the time not the alcohol that's the problem it's the amount of soft drink and the sugar it contains. Also remember that alcohol has been linked to muscle breakdown. So limit it as much as possible. In moderation and as long as it fits into your macro's I don't see it as a huge problem...
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
Either straight shots, or mixed drinks w/ no calorie mixers - i.e. diet soda, sugar free juice, seltzer, etc.
Bear in mind that most hard liquors contain about 100 calories per shot. They add up fast! Personally, I've given up drinking all together - with the exception of social functions. For me, it's just not worth it - i'd rather look and feel great.
New Member
Crown Royal and Diet Dr Pepper is a good one ! Its about 65 cals and taste great !
AR's Diet Pimp! ~HOF~
^^^ this!!!Originally Posted by Gefell
Member
Alcohol is my down fall. I am a beer drinker. Fixing to start cutting so that consumption is fixing to go waaaay down.
Junior Member
Nice thread, I was wondering the same thing. I thought I read somewhere that drinking can lower your test levels? Any truth to that?
That don't kill me, can only make me stronger
Read your facts. ALL liquor/beer has calories and even vodka/diet coke or crown/diet coke has 100 calories
Staff ~ HRT Optimization Specialist
How Alcohol Diminishes Muscle Gain
-> Empty Calories:
Alcohol is empty calories. It doesn't have any nutrients, but does have a caloric value of 7 calories per gram. In just one shot (1.5oz) of 80 proof vodka there's nearly 100 calories. For those of you trying to lose fat, forget it if you are drinking. Not only will the high calorie content of alcohol have a negative effect on your total calorie intake, but it also slows down your metabolism by disrupting the Kreb's cycle .
Since the Kreb's cycle isn't working correctly, fats cannot be broken down. In short, your body is trying so hard to digest and metabolize the alcohol, that fat burning stops all together.
-> Dehydration:
Alcohol consumption also hurts muscle growth. Not only due to hangovers lowering your workout intensity, but it actually lowers protein synthesis by 20%. Twenty percent! There are several reasons why it does this. For one, it dehydrates your muscle cells. As many know, hydrated and even over hydrated muscles (like when you take creatine) allows for a much higher anabolic environment.
Because your cells aren't holding as much water, it becomes much harder to build muscle. The second reason why alcohol can severely hurt muscle growth is because it blocks the absorption of many important nutrients that are key to muscle contraction, relaxation and growth including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and potassium.
-> Slows Down Protein Synthesis:
OK, so above I lied, there's actually a third way that alcohol slows down protein synthesis, I just wanted to dedicate a big part of this article to it. For those of you that don't already know this, ALCOHOL LOWERS TESTOSTERONE AND INCREASES ESTROGEN! Yes, you read that right. In one particular study, men's testosterone levels were measured before and after consumption of alcohol.
Protein Synthesis
The process by which nitrogen from amino acids is linearly arranged into structural proteins through the involvement of RNA and various enzymes. Protein synthesis is muscle growth. The more efficient you can make this process the more efficiently you can build muscle.
-> Lowers Testosterone Levels:
At the most intoxicated state, testosterone levels had dropped to an average of 25% lower. It was also interesting to note, that when blood alcohol levels were the highest, testosterone was at its lowest. Alcohol has also been shown to cause a quicker aromatization of androgens into estrogens, which would explain why heavy drinkers often get gynecomastria (bitch tits) over a period of time.
For those of you taking andro (and I'm sure you already know my views on andro) I would absolutely avoid alcohol since you already are in risk for gynecomastia with the high androgen levels in your blood. By drinking, you are further putting yourself in risk for aromatization. We should also note, that in a study done with rats, alcohol reduced Insulin like Growth Hormone -1 (IGF -1) by up to 42%. That's a huge drop in IGF -1.
One thing I found unusual due to the drop in testosterone while drinking is that most guys get really horny. Beyond getting beer goggles, why is it that drinking makes you horny? What I found out is that because alcohol lowers testosterone levels so significantly, the body is struggling to bring them back up by releasing LH, in very large quantities.
What's also interesting to note is that LH is just as responsible for arousal as testosterone . Unfortunately alcohol reduces testosterone levels at the Leydig cell, not the pituitary, so the LH is ineffective in raising testosterone levels .
~AR's Nice Guy
why do you need to have 3 or 4 drinks... i dont get it. if i drink i drink to get drunk not because its fun to have 3 drinks. priorities i guess
Associate Member
yea I hear that, I basically stopped drinkin all together- just like what windex posted, way to many negative effects to justify one night of gettin hammered.
Associate Member
yea I hear that, I basically stopped drinkin all together- just like what windex posted, way to many negative effects to justify one night of gettin hammered.
Junior Member
Ha
Me personally the same situation but when I get home I'll have a gatorade, maybe some peanut butter on brown bread.. and smash the water intake... as for the day after I would have quite a nutritious breafast to help recovery...
but drinks preferred?
Vodka soda is good with a twist of lime or lemon.
Dry Martini is a classic
And if your drinking scotch... just have it on the rocks... whats the point of ruining the taste with shitty sodas..
Beach Bodybuilder ~Elite-Hall of Fame~
Me too. I rarely drink, maybe 4-5 times a year and it's normally when all my mates get together. I last drank in August and I'll drink again Dec 18th. I like getting drunk every now and again. Don't like the day of felling sh!tty afterwards though.
Vodka plus diet Red Bull. Rock and Roll!
Anabolic Member
Mate,
you are voicing the concern many of us here have. on the one hand, you want to be dedicated to your art. on the other hand, you want the freedom to have a balanced life.
On a sliding scale from 1 to 5, where as 5 is constantly busting your ass at the gym, totally dedicated to your diet, counts every calorie, and every thing is dialed in.
I'd say, imho, that unless you are a 5, then you should be ok to drink in moderation once a week.
Just be aware that this could bring a couple of problems, at least for me as I've experienced it....
If I drink, i lose motivation the next day (aint nothing worse than going to the gym with a hangover) - i know you said 4 or 5 drinks, but I'm Irish, and 4 or 5 i'm just warming up!
If you drink, usually you are doing other things at the Bar n Grill also... those tasty hordourves, the desert.... drinking reduces willpower.
If you are on AAS, you are already taxing your liver and other internal organs. Adding alchohol only makes it worse
So unless you are a 5, you should be OK with once a week and in moderation.
After all, there is so much more to life than just what goes on in the gym. It's a balancing act, and you should decide what your priorities are
Cheers
---Roman
Anabolic Member
oh, and drinks preffered?
straight shots of tequila
jack and diet coke
dry martini - shaken not stirred
TNT - tanqueray and (diet) tonic
Knowledgeable Member
Thanks for the reponses guys. No I am not currently on a cycle if I was trust me alcohol would be out of the question. I like to think im very deticated to my training and diet and if I do plan on going out I will up my water intake that day (and the day after) I also eat a good high protein and high carb meal before I leave. While I am there I tell my self if im going out to do something bad for my body (drinking) I try to eat extra good that day and the day after to "off set" my night of drinking. I know it sounds stupid but thats the only way I would let myself go out and drink.
Productive Member
The main problem is the day after, your end up going carb crazy and feeling shit for two or 3 days which will hamper workouts and mood.
If you do drink, make it a low fat drink followed by a bottle of water. This will see you piss after each round and keep you hydrated.
~AR's Nice Guy
since i never said what i do drink. its either rye and diet coke or vodka water bar lime. vodka water kills 2 birds one stone i guess but i havent drank since july and that was in punta cuna so i drank and ate whatever i wanted
Member
When I do drink I have shot of vodka and a few MGD 64's seems to be the lowest cals I'm know drinking is not good but I'm not gonna sit around like a lump of shit my test is high and I need to go chase puss
Knowledgeable Member- Recognized Member Winner - $100
I hear ya, but I like to screw sober. I don't drink much, so (when I was single) I would just get diet coke and everyone would assume it was a dark mixed drink. I also did this because I have been known to make incredibly stupid mistakes when drinking. If I threw a ton of Test on top of that they would be epic mistakes. Heh.
Junior Member
Even if you go out and have a massive night.. Just keep some Gatorade or powerade in the fridge and smash it when u get home... It really helps with the dehydration aspect.. And peanut butter will be good for your stomach lining... Also in the morning I find that berroca works well to get over the "early" hangover and just have a decent breakfast ... None of that bacon eggs shit...
American Bedoo
Singha only in Thailand and @ around 4 per night max
Beach Bodybuilder ~Elite-Hall of Fame~
Chang is the order of the day when I've been to Thailand!
Banned
Just a short story about drinking. I used to love my beer! Hell, i drank every weekend from friday night till sunday night, on juice or not. I would take occasional breaks but they were only for maybe 2-3 weeks. Well, earlier this year i had just came off PCT, still working out, but a buddy threw a party w/a lot of people i hadn't seen since high school. I went to the gym earlier in the day and drank plenty of water in anticipation of the evening. Not too much water, but what i thought was enough.
So, i go to the party and had a great time. The next morning i get up to take my wife to work, run errands, clean her car and shit like that. Well, i had a cup of coffee then one for the road. About 20 minutes later my stomach started cramping. The cramping wouldn't let up. I had to come home to relax. I laid down on my couch in hopes that the pain would subside. Nothing doing. So, i go use the restroom but nothing there either. Took pain relievers, nothing. All along, the pain is getting worse and i'm now vomiting. Pain is out of this world. I'm now pacing the floors considering the ER. All of a sudden a pain hits my stomach as if someone just hit me w/a ball bat and i fall to the floor. I call my wife. She has a friend bring her home.
When she got home she said i looked like death and helped me to the car and off to the ER i went.
After X-Rays the Doctor informed me that i had acute pancreatitis. Basically meaning that my pancreas shut down on me and i was severely dehydrated! As it turns out, pancreatitis is deadly. And the #1 cause is alcohol consumption. As i did my follow ups, all 3 doctors told me to never pick up another drink or it will turn into chronic pancreatitis and possibly death. I spent 5 terrible days in the hospital eating ice chips w/no sleep.
Not trying to scare anyone, just want people to know what COULD happen. Hell, i'm healthy. Not like i was a drunk or something. Needless to say, my drinking days are over.
Knowledgeable Member
^^^ Wow bro you got lucky.... great everytime I have a drink this will be in the back of my mind haha
American Bedoo
dont drink while on cycle
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