Hi, Rich Clarke here with a short but very valuable post, you’ll be glad you read it.
I’ve been getting a lot of questions recently regarding Cheat Days, particularly about the use of alcohol. It seems to me that a lot of people are using Cheat Days/Meals as their weekly excuse to go crazy on their favourite foods, but also slamming down the alcohol.
Bad idea if you are trying to get a new better looking body (I know you are disappointed, I’m sorry to break this to you).
The entire purpose of the Cheat Day is to regulate leptin levels, resetting metabolism and creating a hormonal environment conducive to fat burning. Alcohol consumption pretty much cancels out ALL of those positive hormonal benefits.
In fact, alcohol consumption has been shown to acutely LOWER plasma leptin levels which is in direct opposition to everything you are trying to accomplish with a Cheat Day or Cheat Meal.
The FAT LOSS FORMULA
Cheat Days + Alcohol = Fat GAIN. That ain’t pretty.
Now, does that mean that you can’t have a drink on your Cheat Day? No, but anything more than 1-2 drinks will begin to have a negative effect on your fat loss.
A good rule of thumb (or should I say head), if you’re feeling the effects of the alcohol you consumed, you drank too much. I know, gutted.
But, you have goals, and in order to reach them it will require some level of sacrifice. Know that, accept it, embrace it, and move forward toward your goals.
It takes about an hour of intense exercise to burn off 4 (normal sized) glasses of wine (4 units of alcohol). So when you drink three bottles per week and train (your proverbial ass off) three times per week, and GET NOWHERE, this may be why!
If alcohol is more important that your fat loss goals that is certainly a decision you’ll need to make. I’m just giving you the facts you can make the decision yourself.