Sometimes taking supplements can be the missing piece to your health and fitness puzzle. If your diet isn’t excellent they can definitely help you fill in the gaps, nutritionally speaking. They are also great for gals who just want to get super fit and improve their health beyond what they previously thought was possible. Even for people who have pretty solid diets, taking certain supplements can give them that extra edge.
The following is a list of ten of the best supplements for women. (Many of these are great for men as well).
1. Flaxseed and fish oil
These are both great sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids. They are different and both beneficial because they each provide two separate types of omega-3 fatty acids.
Fish oil can obviously be obtained through eating a diet rich in fish, but many people can benefit from supplementing with fish oil pills. Most people can derive benefits from taking between 2 and 6 grams per day. If you want to try to eat enough fish to get all of the omegas you need, keep in mind that 3.5 ounces of fish will yield about 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids. Some examples of health fish include mackerel, tuna, salmon, sturgeon, mullet, blue fish, anchovy, sardines, herring, trout, and menhaden.
Whether you get your fish oil from supplementation or from consuming fish, you can be confident that you will improve multiple things including: mental health, triglyceride levels, heart health and high blood pressure. Women and men as well can also see reproductive health benefits. Additionally, fish oil has been said to help with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, dyslexia, movement disorders, obesity, kidney disease, weak bones, and others.
Another great supplement, flaxseed – as mentioned above – also provides healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It is different than fish oil and has a few added benefits. To start with, flaxseed provides fiber for health digestive function. Secondly, flaxseed is one of the few non-seafood sources of alpha linoleic acid, and omega-3 fatty acid that is one of the basic building blocks of cells. Another great thing about flaxseed is that it contains high levels of polyunsaturated fats. A full 42 percent of flaxseed is oil and 70 percent of that is healthy polyunsaturated fat. The omegas found in flaxseed oil as well as the other healthy components are what make it as beneficial as fish oil for a variety of conditions.
2. Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that keeps your nerves and red blood cells healthy. It’s used to convert carbohydrates into glucose within the body, so that’s why it helps with energy production and decreasing fatigue in the body. B12 is also helpful for nerve health and reducing depression and stress related disorders. Among B12′s other benefits include: maintaining digestive health, protecting against heart disease by reducing cholesterol levels, and protecting against stroke and high blood pressure. It’s also vital for healthy skin, hair and nails; it assists in cell reproduction and skin cell turnover and can even protect against breast, colon, and lung cancers.
When people are deficient in B12, they often report feeling fatigued. People at the highest risk of B12 deficiency are strict vegetarians, heavy drinkers, smokers, and pregnant and breast-feeding women. Often times people who have one or more types of gastrointestinal problems will have difficulty absorbing B12 properly. Since B12 is water-soluble, it is hard to overdose and it’s a pretty safe bet to supplement regularly if you think the intake from your diet isn’t adequate.
3. DHEA
When women have hormonal imbalances, vitamins are often not enough to help them feel better. This is because vitamins are typically not enough to restore unbalanced hormones. Hormonal balance is very important for women though, especially those aged 35 or over. And the most important hormones for women to be concerned with are estrogen and progesterone.
Dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA for short, is a steroid hormone (also known as a pro-hormone) that comes from cholesterol and is secreted by the adrenal glands. DHEA is used to make all of the major sex hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This powerful hormone is important for this metabolic pathway and it decreases as we age.
Besides DHEA, the adrenal glands also produce stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Adrenal exhaustion can often be the cause constant fatigue as is created when the body deals with chronic stress, poor nutrition, dieting, and emotional turmoil without any relief. When this happens it means your adrenals are exhausted from excess production of cortisol and have trouble producing enough DHEA. This results in hormonal imbalance. Many women have some signs of adrenal imbalance or “adrenal fatigue” including symptoms of low DHEA levels, such as: extreme fatigue, decreased muscle mass, decreased bone density, depression, aching joints, loss of libido, and lowered immunity.
Without testing, it is impossible to know your DHEA levels. Aging alone doesn’t mean that your levels will be low. Many of the over-the-counter DHEA supplements are very concentrated and contain very high levels of DHEA so it can be dangerous to experiment with them without a doctor’s supervision. Furthermore, taking DHEA supplements won’t help you if your adrenals are exhausted. Because this is a more tricky type of supplement than some of the others, the best bet is to meet with your doctor to test your hormone and adrenal status, and then determine the proper type of supplementation that is needed (if any).
4. Glutamine
Glutamine is one of the most important amino acids found in the muscles of your body. In fact, it is actually the most abundant free amino acid. It’s categorized as a semi-essential amino acid, which means that under typical circumstances, your body can manufacture enough on it’s own to meet physiological demands. However, at times when the body is dealing with extra stress like exercise, trauma, cancer, burns or sepsis, it can be important to supplement this important amino acid.
Glutamine also appears to be necssary for normal brain function and is used by the white blood cells so it has implications for healthy immune system function. Also of note is glutamine’s ability to protect the body from ammonia toxicity, which can increase from exercise.
Most of the glutamine in the body is found in the skeletal muscle, where it is stored. Hence it can contribute to the preservation of lean muscle when used in supplement form. This is especially true when the body is dealing with extra stress from exercise and needs important nutrients for muscle growth and maintenance. Most people find that 5-20 grams per day is sufficient, depending on body size, and demand.
5. Vitamin C
Vitamin C (also known as abscorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin. Unlike other mammals, humans don’t have the ability to make their own Vitamin C, so we have to get it through our diet. The adrenal glands mentioned above are actually a very important organ when it comes to Vitamin C, because they contain the highest amount of Vitamin C of any organ in the body.
Vitamin C is used in the production of collagen – a core component of skin, gums, teeth, tendons, blood vessels, bones, and ligaments – because it works in partnership with eight other enzymes involved in collagen formation.
Also important is Vitamin C’s role in energy production in the body’s cells. Even small quantities of this crucial vitamin can protect the body’s lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates from damage by free radicals and oxidation by giving the system a way to get rid of toxic metabolic wastes, as well as environmental toxins that can enter the body. Most women can benefit from 1-2 grams of supplemental Vitamin C per day.
Keep a look out for Part 2, where we’ll cover supplements 6-10!
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Getting your body in tip top shape can’t be done overnight but it can be done quickly. The solution is to combine a few tactics that work synergistically to help you get there. The other thing that is absolutely necessary is avoiding all of the detrimental things that will get in the way. If you want results and you want them fast, there is simply no room to screw around. The good thing is that if you follow the ten tips below most everything will take care of itself. Fit these rules into your current routine and get ready to see your body catapult to the next level!
1. Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is one of the easiest ways to consistently burn body fat without having to make any other changes. It can be done every day or periodically and still yield some awesome results. Essentially, this strategy helps to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, thereby maximizing the bodies production of fat burning hormones. Learn more about how to skip a few meals to burn fat or build muscle here.
2. Try a One Day Fast
This strategy is a little trickier than number one but it works. The reason it can be tough is that it involves eating nothing for the entire day. Typically, the best day to do a fast for the entire day is once per week after a day of heavy eating. So, for instance, if you eat a lot of calories on Saturdays, then Sunday can be a smart day to fast. The logic behind this approach is similar to intermittent fasting but there’s another reason it works: fasting after “feasting” allows your body to burn body fat more efficiently since your leptin levels rise and help your body maintain a faster metabolism.
3. Try to Eat your Carbs after Your Workouts
This is a simple tip that is easy to follow and makes a HUGE impact on how your body looks. The idea here is that your body will more efficiently utilize carbohydrates when you consume them right after working out, versus any other time throughout the day. Some people would argue that eating carbs before your workout is the way to go but I would emphasize that you don’t need to eat much in the way of carbohydrate before working out if you want to target body fat. Eating too many carbs before workouts shifts your body from fat metabolism to carb metabolism so your body will burn the carbs before tapping into stored fat mass. Take home point: save your high carb meals for after your workouts.
4. Limit your Overall Carb Intake
One of the easiest ways to get your body lean fast is to get your system to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. And the best way to do this? Limit your carb intake. Doing this almost always yields great results for most individuals. For some people, their main problem is simply consuming too many carbs. Most people will see results from dropping their carbohydrate intake to between 50 and 100g per day.
5. Keep your Protein Intake High (but not too high)
Focusing on keeping your protein intake high has several key benefits in regard to burning body fat. First of all, it helps with satiety so you stay more full and are less likely to load up on carbs. It is also a key component in muscle growth and maintenance, so it helps the body improve metabolic functioning. One thing that people may not realize is that while high protein consumption is good, taking in too much can sometimes get in the way of losing weight or burning body fat. Gluconeogenesis – the process by which the body creates glycogen from protein – can sometimes contribute to fat storage. Bottomline: most active people can get the benefits of protein by consuming up to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
6. Only So Much Sodium
Sodium is an important compound needed during exercise and it’s often given a bad wrap. The thing is, we do need sodium but – like anything else – too much can be bad. The main problem with sodium is not that it limits fat burning directly but that it can cause water retention in tissues. This results in a “puffy” look and can get in the way of dropping body weight. The key here is to avoid overly salty foods, processed options, and most all fast food type meals. The other indirect way that reducing sodium intake causes you to burn more fat is that to do so you reduce your intake of foods that are typically also very carb and fat laden.
7. Wash it Down with Water
Believe it or not, drinking more water will help your body burn more body fat. There are a few reasons. First of all, drinking more water helps with satiety so it sometimes helps people eat less. Water also helps saturate tissues so it can help with the muscle building process, which ultimately will boost your metabolism. Finally, drinking lots of water quenches your thirst so you’ll be less likely to fill up on other, more calorie dense liquids such as soda, alcohol, juices, or sports drinks.
8. Limit your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol is often viewed as a diuretic – and it is – but it’s still laden with calories that contribute to weight gain. Although a few drinks a week may ultimately be beneficial to health, drinking more often just adds calories to your daily total. The problem is that instead of decreasing carb and fat intake while drinking (which is what I’ve mentioned in the article how to drink and lose weight) most people eat their normal diet and end up adding a bunch of calories and at the end of day in the form of alcohol.
9. Add ALA
Alpha Lipoic Acid, also known as ALA for short is a an antioxidant that is made by the body natural but can be taken in supplement form as well. Studies (and anecdotal reports) have shown promise with ALA for the treatment of complications from diabetes and other metabolic disorders. The key behind ALA’s effectiveness is it’s ability to help the body manage blood sugar. ALA is essentially what’s known as an insulin mimetic. This means that it mimics insulin in the body and can assist the body in lowering blood sugar after meals. The other incredible thing that alpha lipoic acid has been shown to do is make the body more likely to store carbohydrates as muscle glycogen or in the liver as opposed to body fat. This gives the muscles more energy and makes the body more resistant to creating new fat cells when consuming excess carbs. The dosages vary but people have recommended intakes as low as 50mg and as high as 1200mg per day depending on your goal. I have personally seen good results in the form of improved body composition from consuming 600-900 grams per day with meals.
10. Count on CLA
Conjugated linulaeic acid or CLA is a relatively newly discovered “good” fat that helps the body with fat metabolism. Not only does CLA help with fat burning but it also has been shown to possibly assist with muscle building and even preventing cancer. The amazing thing about CLA is that it seems to preferentially target body fat in the abdominal region. Click here to get more info on the benefits of this powerful antioxidant.
For more tips on how to get ripped stay tuned for Volume 2!
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Most of us eat all the time without giving it a second thought. We snack on this or that and typically just eat when we’re hungry instead of at specific selected times. So much of our energy goes into figuring out what to eat that we often totally forget that when we eat can have just as much significance on getting the body you want. Don’t get me wrong, food choice is very important. I’m not about to tell you that you can get away with eating junk as long as you are strategic about your timing. Sorry to rain on your parade.
What I am saying though is that controlling when you eat done in conjunction with controlling what you eat will have a greater impact on your weight loss, fat burning, or muscle building efforts than focusing on either independently. The real juice here – which I’ll get into more below – is that even the folks who are very meticulous about meal timing do not see the results they could because they may be eating at the wrong times, especially if they’re just listening to what’s “trendy” in health and fitness.
With that said, I don’t think that there is actually one best time to eat period. If that were the case I’d be recommending eating one time per day, which would be pretty ludicrous for most people (although it certainly works for this guy). What I am suggesting is that there are better times during the day to eat than others. I’m not going to get nit picky about the best time to eat dinner or even the best time to eat carbs. Nor will I go into the best foods to eat after a workout or the best foods to eat to lose weight – in this post (but check the site later for those articles). Although these little tidbits are important, they don’t matter as much in the beginning when you’re just trying to lay down a basic template. Simply eating generally healthy foods at the right time is usually much more effective for people who are trying to see results than trying to eat like a monk from the get go. In the long run, dietary adherence is often more important than the type of diet itself.
Eat Earlier in the Day or Later?
Like I mentioned above, this is all about the general timing of meals as opposed to the idea that eating at one specific time each day is better than others; the main idea I want to let loose here is that eating later in the day may have some benefits over eating earlier. Specifically, eating more of your calories in the latter half of the day is better for maintaining lean tissue and burning fat. Of course, the earlier eating wasn’t a horrible approach either since – in the same study – it was shown that this more typical strategy results in more general weight loss. Since the effectiveness of later eating is contrary in some ways to popular belief, this is where letting go of that trendy mainstream fitness speak is helpful, as is switching your mindset so that you’re open to testing assumptions.
The idea behind the effectiveness of this strategy here is twofold: that eating at certain times is more beneficial in terms of long term adherence to that particular approach, (i.e. eating at night is easier to stick to then eating earlier in the day, thus the entire diet would be easier to stick to) and that eating at later times also produces more beneficial modulations in hormone levels which play a key role in lipolysis (fat burning).
The studies above as well as this study here demonstrate that eating later in the day has a positive impact on several hormones including insulin, leptin, and adiponectin which, again, have a big influence on both satiety (feeling full so you don’t wreck your diet) and your body’s overall fat burning ability. According to the research it may also lower certain inflammatory markers meaning it could be healthier overall.
Carbs don’t Sprout Horns and Grow a Tail After Six PM
It may or may not have started in ancient lore, but for as long as I can remember, a lot of the mainstream fitness advice tossed my way for a long time included in it the idea that carbs were very bad for you if consumed later in the evening. And if you think about it, it makes sense. Why? Because you’ve been horse fed this crap forever, that’s why!
Just kidding…kind of… I’ll concede that it wouldn’t have been that hard to believe. Logically it was realistic to think that eating carbs later in the day was bad when people tell you that you don’t need them since you’re less active and probably lounging on your couch. To some extent it makes sense – and still makes sense, but here’s the thing:
it’s not the eating of carbs later in the day that is bad, if they are truly “back loaded” (eaten mostly later). It’s the behaviors that most people associate with eating carbs – and food in general – later in the day that are bad. What are these “behaviors”? Easy: eating a LOT of food the rest of the day as well, among other things. Most people that binge later in the day (as opposed to those who specifically plan to eat later) have other bad habits, i.e. sedentarism, alcoholism, high caloric intake, poor food choice, high stress levels, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think carbs can be bad if consumed in excess instead of strategically at certain times to maximize fat burning or muscle building. It’s just that, as long as you are consuming less earlier in the day (of any type of calorie) there is often room for – and benefit to – consuming more later, especially if you are working out regularly.
What about Breakfast?
I thought I’d throw this little bitty in at the end here just to shell out a little more info that supports the idea of eating later in the day. To answer the above question would be to go against everything I said this post was about since I noted that I wouldn’t be talking about what you should eat, only when. But I realized that the title is perfectly fine because it forces me to reveal the fact that I rarely eat breakfast. Yep, you heard right. I don’t obsess over “breaking my fast”. If anything I fast longer and don’t eat until a few hours after waking up. And you know what? My already low body fat has gotten lower and I’ve maintained my muscle mass with this approach. My results attest to the power of intermittent fasting and how you can skip a few meals to burn fat or build muscle.
But the really cool thing is the convenience factor. If you’re like a lot of people and you’re super busy in the morning but like to eat big dinners with friends without caring about counting calories, then intermittent fasting is the way to go. The studies above, as well as tons of anecdotal experience show that it’s great for burning fat and building muscle and probably just as beneficial to your health.
So let go of some of those past assumptions. Think about your health and fitness instead of just blindly following the crowd.
For extra info on intermittent fasting you can check out fellow trainer Martin Berkhan’s site leangains.com. It’s packed with tons of info and a lot of success stories.
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“I’ve recently started working out more…”
Although that sounds like something confessed in embarrassment by some overweight dude whose reached elite status in the World Lounging Federation, it’s not. It was uttered, or written, rather by someone who works out quite a bit.
Someone who wouldn’t be mistaken for a “doesn’t really workout” kinda guy.
A person who probably wouldn’t ever be categorized as a “half-ass it” type of individual.
But self flattery doesn’t get you very far. At least not these days.
So lemme come clean. I say stuff like that occasionally.
Yea, that was me. It happens.
But many of you who know me think that although there may be some facade, for the most part I’m a pretty big stickler when it comes to health and fitness.
Some folks may even believe the following:
I’m a trainer, which means I have an ridiculous amount of physical energy and an insatiable need to get up and move my body…right?
I wouldn’t be caught dead eating a donut, croissant, potato chips, ice cream or fast food. And I certainly don’t drink alcohol, because that makes you fat…doesn’t it? And I’m smarter than that, aren’t I?
And (since I’m such a health conscious guy) I must think it’s a mortal sin to be lazy and not hit the weights, track, trail, or pool four, five, six, or even seven times per week, right??
You must have me mistaken for someone else.
Are you guys even on the right website?
How the hell do I make a Tequila Sunrise? This is the Cocktails for Dummies forum, yes?
Check, please.
The Pendulum Will Swing, but it’s all about Balance
Ok, ok. I like to pretend I’m a comedian sometimes. If I threw you, then good – that’s what I was shooting for. And you know me too well. But that means you also know exactly where I’m coming from. I was trying to emphasize the fact that whatever idea you have in your head about how someone is supposed to be is likely screwy. No one is perfect. Not even Mr. Trainer Man.
And for the record, I have started working out more. Keyword there is “more”, people. I haven’t been in a semi-vegetative state since Christmas. I’ve been doing stuff. Like real, you know, real physical training. As for my dog, that’s a different story…
I’m just gonna bump it up a lil’. You know, push the ‘ol body a bit…
All kidding aside, here’s what I gotta say. We all wax and wane when it comes to our effort, both in the gym and outside of it. Consistency is great, and so is a regular schedule, but that’s not always the way it goes down. For me, there is always some method to the madness as far as my consistency in the gym – or my lack thereof. In this case, I’m increasing my workout frequency from, let’s say, 3 days per week, to, let’s say 7 days per week. It wasn’t that in working out three days per week I was being lazy or apathetic, or – dare I say it – hypocritical. There was a method there, folks. My goals and my recovery ability dictated that working out about 3 times per week was ideal. That’s where the needle pointed when the wheel stopped spinning.
But now the needle is pointing in a different direction. My goals have changed and so has my ability to modify external stuff (work, sleep, stress) in a way so that I can (and need to) adapt to a different amount of training.
So now I’m going to work out more. Nothing too mind blowing, really.
Turn Up – or Down – the Volume
Volume is important. And I’m not talking about your woofers here, fellas (and ladies).
It’s about how much you’re doing (or not doing) fitness wise.
And it’s this little element that can make or break your weight loss, body sculpting, or general fitness goals.
The news for ya is this: most people screw up in the gym.
But it’s ok…
That’s because a lot of those screw ups are minor, and they’re quick fixes…
One of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to working out is…
(drum roll please)
They do too much OR too little. This might mean they work out too much, too often, or too intensely. On the other hand, they could be in a situation where they’re not doing enough.
The majority of inexperienced lifters I know as well as regular guys and gals concerned with weight loss currently fall into one of the above two camps. They’re either doing too much or not enough.
Which group are you a member of? Are you an overachiever and think that more is always better? Maybe you’re naturally lazier and prefer to do less? Either way, you’re likely selling yourself short if you haven’t found that perfect balance.
So, then you ask, how do you know how much is right?
The answer is simple really.
If you’re tired, lacking motivation, or just plain burnt out then you’re probably doing too much. You need to back off. Get more rest. Take days off and maybe even reduce the duration and intensity of your workouts.
If, on the other side of the coin, your progress has stalled, you’re not getting the results that you want and you’re finding that your energy or stress levels are fine, then you’re probably not doing enough. You need to kick it up a notch. Add one or more workout days and maybe even increase the duration and intensity of your workouts.
The bottom line is that working out harder and more frequently is always better and will always yield better results as long as you don’t exceed your ability to recover. Period.
Just keep in mind that recovery is relative. If you workout more, you need more recovery time. Obvious, right?
Yep…
But here’s the juice:
Workouts are not the only thing your body has to recover from. Your body needs to rest from life and everything else that comes with it too. This means not only other forms of physical stress but also mental and emotional stress. Having a tough week at work? Just get in a fight with your significant other? These things take a toll and eat into your ability to recover from your workouts. So, yea that pendulum will swing, but striking that balance is what’s most important.
Everyone is different and you kinda have to figure it out as you go along. Having someone there with you to guide you along the way whether it be a trainer or simply a workout partner can help. If those aren’t your thing, then take some time and feel things out. Track your progress. Organize your efforts and make a plan. Stick with it but don’t be too hard nosed with your efforts. Sometimes less is more. Don’t be apathetic or lazy either, cuz sometimes more is actually more.
Find that sweet spot.
Now back to lounging…
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(If you missed it, click HERE for Drink and Lose Weight – Part 2: Alcohol, Training, Metabolism, and Health)
How to Drink and Lose Weight (or Build and Maintain Muscle, Burn Fat, Etc.)
Now hopefully you have a better idea of how your body really deals with alcohol and what the net impact of consuming it is. Boozing and getting in shape is very doable and so is enjoying alcohol and staying in shape once you get there. It really is possible to burn fat, build muscle or totally slim down while drinking. At the same time, once you get the body you want, you can continue enjoying alcohol and not fall off the wagon. And it doesn’t require counting calories or even limiting how much you drink, either. You can, in fact, have your cake and eat it too.
The key when it comes to enjoying alcohol while getting or staying in shape is to simply use a little common sense and strategy. With both myself and my clients I have found that following several important rules is crucial when trying to live it up and look good doing it. These rules are not just an important part of the process but they actually serve as the backbone of the whole thing! In other words, if you don’t follow them, there is little chance that you will be able to enjoy alcohol and have a great looking, healthy body. These recommendations are very specific and they work, but if ignore them and just think that you can blindly go about your life and booze it up without any sort of plan or guidelines then you will be in trouble. So don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Ok, now that I’ve got that off my chest, here are the rules:
1. On any day that you will be drinking heavily, limit your carb intake to 1.5g/kg of bodyweight. So, for instance, if you are a 200lb male, you would limit your carb intake to about 135g (there are 2.2kg in a pound). If you are a 140lb female, you would limit your carb intake to about 94g using the same conversion. Also it is very important to try to get all of your carbs from vegetables and whatever smaller carb amounts that come with food sources that are primarily protein. Another thing to be aware of is the type of alcohol you’re drinking as some is worse for you than others. For instance, beer and fruit juice-based cocktails or other drinks have pretty high carb amounts (compared to other options at least) at 12-15g.
For reference: 1kg = 2.2 pounds, 1lb = .45 kg
So what alcohol is the best as far as being lower calorie/carb?
All of your standard hard liquors (spirits) are very low carbs. This includes gin, rum, vodka, tequila, cognac, and whiskey. Drinking these either straight or with a no-calorie/diet soda (if you’re springing for a cocktail) is the way to go. Another option that is very good is dry wines. They are also very low in carbs at about 1g per glass. Sweet wines contain slightly more carbs per glass (4-6g) but are still a decent option.
2. The second rule that absolutely has to be followed is to limit your intake of fat. Fat is an extremely dense macronutrient (at 9 calories per gram) and will only increase your body’s chances of storing those extra calories on the days when you consume alcohol. Remember that alcohol suppresses fat burning so the simple solution here is to just avoid consuming it. So, if you were thinking about going all out with fatty foods like pizza, deserts, and giant carb/fat rich breakfasts on the days you’re drinking, think again. So how much fat can you consume? The limit is .3g/kg of body weight. This comes out to about 27g of fat for a 200lb male or about 19g for a 140lb female. If you’re slightly higher or lower than the .3 figure it’s probably not going to spell disaster but try to come close. Remember, it’s all about planning.
3. The next “rule” is that you can eat as much protein as you want. In fact, the more the better. Why? Here’s the deal: because you’re not eating much in the way of carbs or fat (and actually IN ORDER to eat less carbs and fat as well) you want to eat a lot of protein. The only limitation is to make sure your protein comes from lean sources (because you’re going easy on the fat). Good choices include: tuna, chicken, turkey, egg whites, protein powder and lean pork and beef.
4. Finally, the last guideline is that you can’t get drunk every night. More specifically, the rule here is that if you drink excessively, only do it one (or at most two) times per week. Again, the idea here is simple: your body can’t handle frequent excessive alcohol consumption. Infrequent binges or regular consumption of small amounts of alcohol is ok though. If you’re a lush, before you get worked up about this guideline just realize that you’ll enjoy drinking a whole lot more if you plan it out and abstain every now and then (this plan won’t work if you don’t – plus you’ll be healthier and look better).
So that pretty much sums it up. As long as you follow the guidelines above you will be able to drink and lose weight, drink and maintain your muscle, or even drink and gain muscle – whatever your goal may be. Go back and review how alcohol affects your body if that will help you to both understand why I employ this strategy and also give you more motivation to do it yourself.
The point here is that regardless of where you are trying to take your body, using this strategy when drinking will allow you to keep fat gain to an absolute minimum. Since fat gain is something everyone wants to avoid, then we should all be happy.
One more reason to drink and be merry!
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