The State of My Life

The State of My Life - Alcohol and the Atkins Diet by Vincent Cooper

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I have been mulling over whether to publish this blog update for the last day or so as I can appreciate that some readers may not approve of discussing alcohol on a martial arts site. I appreciate that and realize that having a few beers doesn't really exemplify what martial arts are supposed to be about. However, I have also come to the conclusion that if I attempt to second guess the appropriateness of my posts then the blog isn't going to develop as an accurate record of the state of my life. I need to tell it like it is, or otherwise, what's the point?

So, alcohol and the Atkins diet.

To fill you in on the background to this blog update, I took an extended weekend off from training over the first weekend of August. There were a few reasons for doing this, most notably that I had generally trained in two month stints and wanted to break up the two months with a short rest in the middle (I will be taking a rest week during the first week of September). Over the weekend I spent the first three days eating and drinking whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted. On the fourth day I decided to try something a little different. I ate the same food as I normally would but also drank whatever alcohol I wanted too. My intention was to test the standard stance taken towards alcohol consumption while on a diet (Atkins or otherwise).

There are three principal reasons why alcohol consumption is discouraged in general diet programs, these being:

1) Alcohol increases one's appetite, leading to the consumption of an excess of food.

2) Alcohol is itself fattening.

3) Alcohol inhibits weight loss.

What I wanted to do in particular was test the last one (alcohol inhibits weight loss).

Before continuing, I want to make it clear that what I have done has been an experiment using my own body (which I obviously know very well). I know my limits and know how my body reacts. I am not giving generalized advice, merely relating my own experiences. Alcohol in large quantities is not healthy and not something I can encourage in general. That said, alcohol of various types is enjoyed by many people around the world in a sensible manner to relax and socialize and simply enjoy.

On Monday I took a rest day from training. Usually a rest day consists of me sleeping as much as I want to, eating as much as I want to and drinking (anything) as much as I want to. Basically, I don't follow a set schedule and just do the things that I feel like doing. Last Monday was a little different though. My plan was to have a rest day and not train but this time I would continue to follow a low-carb diet (so I wasn't eating whatever I wanted) while drinking (an excess) of beer. I went for an overkill of beer simply to prove the point to myself.

So, during the day I relaxed, read a book, watched a DVD and drank eight bottles of Corona. I would only rarely drink this much. Even when we go and see a baseball game (and the Softbank Hawks are winning!) I won't drink more than four, possibly five if the game is in overtime. Most days, if I drink at all, it won't be more than a couple of beers. The only exceptions to this are if we go out. Japanese restaurants and some gaijin bars and clubs offer a nomihoudai system which allows you to pay a flat rate and drink as much as you want to.

Results

I began to notice a decline in my weight yesterday (Wednesday 11th August, 2010). Today (Thursday 12th August, 2010) my weight had dropped from 69kg on Monday (when I took my rest day) to a little over 68.5kg. This kind of weight loss - given just how much I normally work out - is normal for me and therefore suggests that the alcohol did not, at least in any significant way, inhibit my weight loss.

I want to emphasize that I am not advocating that you drink alcohol on a diet (nor am I even advocating you drink it at all), but I am reporting what I have found to be true, at least for myself.

My next rest week (which I will detail on this blog) is scheduled for the first week of September. One of my goals that I established in my last rest week (beginning of July) was to get my weight down to 68kgs by the end of August. It seems that I am set to do this and at that point I will have lost 20kgs thus far this year.

As always, if you have any comments, please use Facebook.

Train hard, live easy.

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