When I first started getting serious about getting lean, I thought being disciplined meant removing anything that could possibly slow me down.
I’d turn down dinners, nights out, and drinks because I thought that was just what you had to do if you actually wanted an amazing body.
And technically, that approach worked.
The problem was I was building a version of fitness where getting in shape meant putting parts of my life on hold.
Over time I learned that having one or two drinks wasn’t what was keeping me from getting lean.
The real problem was when drinking turned into overeating, feeling like shit the next day, missing my routine, and losing momentum.
Alcohol has calories.
So if you’re trying to lose fat, those calories still count.
But the calories in the drinks usually aren’t the biggest problem.
The calories you drink aren’t the only calories alcohol can cost you.
You have a few drinks.
You get home hungrier than normal.
Now the pizza, fast food, or whatever is sitting in the kitchen sounds incredible.
Then you wake up the next morning feeling like shit.
You don’t want to walk.
You don’t want to train.
You’re hungrier.
Your routine starts slipping.
And suddenly one night turned into an entire weekend.
That’s where most people get themselves in trouble.
Because when you’re trying to get lean, momentum matters.
Stack enough good days together and your meals, steps, training, and routine start feeling normal.
But if every weekend knocks you out of that rhythm, you spend half the week trying to rebuild what you already had.
That doesn’t mean I recommend drinking.
If you don’t drink, there’s no reason to start.
And if you know one drink turns into six every single time, I would take alcohol completely out while you’re trying to build momentum.
But if you can have one or two drinks, enjoy yourself, go home, wake up the next day, and continue doing what you said you were going to do, getting in amazing shape does not mean you can never drink again.
Personally, if someone is already choosing to drink while getting lean, I like keeping it somewhere around four to eight drinks spread across the week.
That isn’t a health recommendation. It’s simply a practical way I look at keeping alcohol from taking over the rest of the plan.
And that does not mean saving all eight for Saturday night.
The whole point is moderation.
If you’re going to drink, choosing lower-calorie options also makes staying within your calories a lot easier.
Here are five of my go-to choices:
- Vodka soda + lime
- Tequila + club soda + lime
- Zero-sugar seltzers
- Light beer
- Whiskey on the rocks
You do not have to put your entire life on hold to get in amazing shape.
You can go out to dinner.
You can have a drink with friends.
You can go on vacation.
But you also have to know yourself well enough to understand the difference between enjoying your life and using “balance” as an excuse to sabotage yourself every weekend.
Know yourself.
Protect your momentum.
Enjoy your life.
Fitness should enhance your life, not consume it.