Alcohol

[Sandy Sutherland]

Hi Joe,

Possibly a silly question, but what are your views/recommendations on alcohol consumption during cutting? Is there a place for it if consumed in very small quantities? Aside from calories and macros, are there any other negative effects that wouldn’t be immediately obvious?

Many thanks.

[Anonymous]

Sandy Sutherland wrote:

Hi Joe, Possibly a silly question, but what are your views/recommendations on alcohol consumption during cutting? Is there a place for it if consumed in very small quantities? Aside from calories and macros, are there any other negative effects that wouldn’t be immediately obvious? Many thanks.

I don’t recommend doing it nor do I understand why would you want to do it, especially when cutting and calories are already low. First of all there are no benefits in drinking alcohol which we all can probably agree upon. It is basically just empty calories, no nutritional value whatsoever. Secondly, even the bigger problem is that when you consume alcohol your body will prioritize the metabolism of that very substance, meaning the fat oxidation for instance will be suppressed.

Can you still get away with drinking alcohol in very small quantities?

The answer is yes.

Do I recommend it?

NO.

[Anonymous]

Oops, just noticed that the question was for Joe…

…my bad, apologies for the intervention ✌

[BryceBahm]

Alcohol is toxic. Especially to the liver. It doesn’t serve a place nor a benefit in any phase of training. It’s merely a personal choice and nothing more.

[Joe]

Sandy Sutherland wrote:

Hi Joe,

Possibly a silly question, but what are your views/recommendations on alcohol consumption during cutting? Is there a place for it if consumed in very small quantities? Aside from calories and macros, are there any other negative effects that wouldn’t be immediately obvious?

Many thanks.

Just depends on the importance of the cut to you mostly. From a pure calorie/health standpoint, I’d say there is little/no harm in small amounts. Like everything, moderation is key. Personally, I would never drink in a serious cut/contest prep, your liver is already dealing with all the toxins stored in the fat your losing. But there is zero moderation involved when I contest prep. And personally, I love to drink, but even just in “normal” training I limit it to maybe every 3 months, and never the day before training. It just effects my gym performance much more now (mainly because I’m at the point of diminishing returns)

[Author]

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