Regular Guy Reads of the Week: August 8th

Some weeks are famines, and some weeks are feasts, like this one. I have a wide variety of stuff this week, including some regular-old fitness-related news -- without the extra helping of advice or inspiration. But there's plenty of that, too. Dig in!

Austin Runner Starts Petition to End Catcalling: We've discussed this on FftRG before -- women should be able to exercise without having to endure sexual harassment. One woman is taking action to make it a ticketable offense. Good for her! And no, criminal harassment is not a First Amendment issue.

Navy Changing Body-Fat Rules, Fitness Assessment: Anyone who is willing to put his or her life on the line for our country is way beyond Regular Guy, but it's good to see that the brass understands that the most important thing is functionality, not arbitrary numbers.

Majority of Americans Say They Try to Avoid Drinking Soda: OK, ready for some Regular Guy contrarianism? If you can fit the calories into your daily or weekly allotment, don't worry about it. Yeah, they're empty calories, but so are cookies, beer and pizza (mostly). If you maintain a deficit, you'll lose weight -- regardless of what you drink.

How to Overcome the Top 5 Exercise Excuses: I really like number-five: I just end up quitting -- what's the point? Dovetails perfectly with a major Regular Guy mantra: Do What Works for You. 

Five Ways to Fit Working Out Into Your Busy Schedule: To be honest, a couple of these are not realistic. But a couple are just good common sense. For example, if the drive to and from the gym adds too much time to your workouts in the morning -- and you wind up skipping them instead -- find something you can do at home, and hit the gym on off days.

My Secret to Workout Motivation: This one also has some advice that dovetails with a Regular Guy idea: Give yourself permission to stop after five minutes. Because you won't.

All by Myself: Two things: I know have Eric Carmen running through my head on repeat, and the main reason I'm linking this is because it's about running on the beach at the Jersey Shore.

Debunking the Breakfast Myth: I've suggested many times that Regular Guys should follow Mike Samuels. Here he dismantles the "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" myth. It's true only if you overcompensate later on. A big lunch and a big dinner don't always add up to more calories than three smaller meals.

Nutrition Made Simple: The Most Important Things You Need to Know About Nutrition: This article as aptly named. I love Joe Dowdell's nutrition pyramid (much different from, and more common-sensical than, the USDA's). This is a don't-skip-it read.

Everything You Know About Fat Is Wrong: Good breakdown of the different types of fat, how your body deals with them and what -- and how much -- you should actually be eating.

How-To Carbohydrate Manipulation for Better Performance: This one's aimed at endurance athletes, but it offers some great, specific advice on how to fuel yourself on long runs. If you're ramping up for a half or a full, you'll find this really helpful. 

Bedtime Snacks Could Boost Strength but Hurt Endurance, Studies Say: Alex Hutchinson drops some more science on us -- and once again, it jibes with common sense. If you get some protein in you right before bed, your muscles will make better use of it while you're resting and recovering. But if you keep away from carbs right before bed, your body will adapt better to glycogen depletion, which will help you run or bike farther and longer.

Scientists Scan the Brain to See How Stress Undermines Your Diet: I'm sure you'll be shocked to read that people are about 25 percent more likely to make a bad nutrition choice after enduring a stressful experience. The takeaway here is that the stress itself doesn't add pounds -- it's how your brain gets you to deal with it.

Nine Bro-Science Myths Destroyed by Actual Science: I love when "musclehead" sites get it right -- the one myth this one doesn't address is the idea that all bodybuilders are lunkheads. This article tackles topics such as "You don't need cardio" and meal frequency. A little technical, but it'll definitely help you with the strength portion of your regimen.

The 10 Worst Things You're Doing for Your Muscles: A refreshingly good article from Men's Health. Stuff like not warming up, not drinking enough water and not incorporating recovery.

Heavy Weights vs. Light Weights: Alex Hutchinson makes the scientific case for light weights, high reps. My one question is: How does this interplay with working both slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Four Secrets to Lifelong Fitness: Why the Body You Want Won't Happen Overnight: Another good one from Men's Health. The four secrets are: Choose the right program for you, take your time getting in shape, place importance on the beginning and end of workouts, and train for volume before intensity.

Unconventional Core Training: Tony Gentilcore gets a little technical here, but he needs to do that to explain why he recommends the exercises he does. A pretty significant break from the usual crunches and leg lifts -- but he walks you through it all. 

The 10-Minute, No-Equipment HIIT Workout: Pretty basic stuff here, but some changeups from the bodyweight stuff you're probably doing. Worth a quick glance.

10 Questions About Stretching: This is a good breakdown of dynamic vs. static stretching. I think it's a little harsh on static stretching, but if you're still doing toe-touches before your workout, please give this a read.

The Dangers of Overstriding -- And How to Stop It: We've discussed this before: You want your lower leg to be perpendicular to the ground and your weight directly above your feet on contact -- that allows your entire leg and core to absorb the impact. What's new here is the specific advice for how to make that a habit.

There Are Only Four Speeds at Which Runners Should Train: Dr. Jason Karp is lecturing about two miles from me as I write this -- maybe next year I'll get there! Short version: You should either go easy or run at one of three levels of hard. Click the link for details.

Takeaways From Jason Karp's Running Clinic: Here's a good summation of Dr. Karp's overall training philosophy. He really emphasizes lots of easy runs and training for time over distance.

Should You Walk or Run for Exercise? Here's What the Science Says: Thanks to Regular Guy Jim Carty for the heads up on this one. I'd say it's what some of the science says. The writer makes a case for running, but not enthusiastically. I think she's a little too deferential to the O'Keefe "running will kill you" crowd.

Choosing the Right Running Shoes: A new study shows what many runners have long believed -- the gait analysis you get at running stores is basically BS. Choose the shoe you're most comfortable with.

Regular Guy Reads of the...Well, However Long It's Been: July 31st

Sorry I've been on radio silence for so long. You'd think vacation would be a good time to catch up on things, but I wound up working so much at my day job to make sure my boss wouldn't be swamped that I haven't had nearly as much time or energy as I'd like. So, finally, here's a bunch of good reads. Oh, and happy anniversary to my awesome, beautiful, loving wife Jackie!

Five Tips for Leaning Out: If you're looking to cut a few pounds or just reduce your body-fat percentage a little bit, this is a common-sense must read. You can learn a lot about flexible dieting, but for my money, the best point is Bret Contreras's first one: You need to maintain enough energy to work out hard.

Workout of the Week: Special Ks: Competitor Running has the answer if you're bored with your track intervals -- try some 1k intervals. Here are a few combinations you might like.

Four Sneaky Things That Can Make You Overeat: Time also offers some solutions to the problems, but IMO, it really comes down to being vaguely cognizant of your calories and macros. Which brings us to...

The Importance of Tracking Your Macros: Russ Howe makes a pretty good argument that it's a lot easier and a lot less tedious to track your macros -- protein, carbs and fat -- instead of your calories. At the end of the day, it's all math, but if you know three of the four variables, the fourth one falls right into place.

Outrun Your Fork and Gain Muscle: Dr. Spencer Nadolsky backs up what I've been saying for a long time -- but he has, you know, science on his side. Steady-state cardio isn't an inhibitor to muscle-building. The issue is more about how much time you have to devote to exercise. And if you have the time both to lift and to run, you can lean out, get cut and eat pretty much anything you want.

Do We Really Need Slow, Long-Distance Aerobic Work for Optimal Fitness: Short answer: No, you don't need it. But it also depends on your goals and what areas you are weak in now.

Obese People Almost Never Attain Normal Weight: The authors of this study are careful not to draw conclusions not specifically supported by their evidence, but I will. There's way too much BS out there, and people who lose weight generally do it in ways that aren't sustainable.

How Much Water Should You Drink Every Day to Stay Hydrated? Not as much as you might think. Of course, it depends on how much you sweat, but four to six glasses of water a day should do it. Simplest thing is to look at your pee -- if it's pale yellow, you're in good shape. If it's dark, you're dehydrated. 

A Drill Sergeant Who Called Overweight People "Repulsive" in a Video Has Gone Viral: Another iteration of the argument over where the line is between concern for public health and fat shaming. You'd think this guy is just an a-hole, but give a click first.

Be Audacious - High Fives and Runner Waves: Hey, be friendly out there on the road or the trail. A little encouragement goes a long, long way!

Is Overdistance Training Beneficial for Runners? For up to the half-marathon distance, yes. If you're training for 26.2, no.

Biggest Weight-Loss Myth Revealed: A linked to this on the Facebook page when I first saw it, and a number of people were talking about it. The author argues that you actually need to create a 7000-calorie deficit to lose a pound. I say NFW.

It's Not Obesity We Should Worry About, It's Inactivity: Forbes drops some science on us to back up the claim that our sedentary lifestyles are the biggest public health threat.

Steady-State Vs. Interval Training: Which One Is Best for Your Clients? This one is aimed at professional trainers, but you can learn from it, too. I like this article because it's even-handed and lays out both the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Race Your Best With Periodization: This article is aimed at runners, particularly ultra-marathoners, but there's a valuable kernel of wisdom here: You will never realize your full potential if you're always trying to train close to max effort. You need some down periods.

Leave Your Headphones at Home: You know the old adage: Nothing new on race day. But you don't want to miss out on the full experience of a race -- the spectators cheering, the encouragement from your fellow runners, and even the sounds of nature. So try a few long runs without the tunes -- that way, you'll be prepared to ditch the headphones when you hit the starting line. 

The Seven Stages of Workout Injuries

If you’ve been working out for more than a few weeks, you know that injuries are just part of the ballgame. And just when you think you’ve had them all, something else pops up. It’s uncanny, isn’t it? Just when you’re feeling really good, all systems go, it happens.

For every article out there about exercise, there’s probably one for how to avoid injury. And I’d bet almost all of them are written by people who are recovering from injury. That’s because:

·         It’s impossible to go hard without risking injury. When you’re trying to improve, you create microscopic tears in your muscles, which your body repairs better than they were. The problem is, those tears are actually mini-injuries. So to improve, you have to push yourself close to the threshold of real pain, because that’s how you build muscle. And that leaves you close to the point of injury. In other words, you kinda have to be a Bro if you want to get better.

·         We ignore the warning signs. This is actually what I want to write about today. Admit it, you’ve done it. You’re probably doing it now. You’re pushing through an injury.

And that brings us to the Seven Stages of Workout Injuries.

You Don’t Realize You’re Hurt

This inevitably happens during one of those great workouts, where it seems that nothing can go wrong. You’re moving perfectly, you’re way ahead of your normal pace or weight, and you feel like a million bucks. What you don’t realize, because your joints and muscles are warm and loose, is that you’ve pulled something too far or in a direction it’s not supposed to go.

You Figure It’s Just Some Little Ding

Come on, Regular Guys, fess up: We’ve all kept working through a twinge or pinch or dull ache somewhere, assuming it’s just nothing. And the thing is, a lot of the time, it really is nothing. It’s just one of those weird mini-cramps or a bit too much strain, and it goes right away, never to return. But sometimes it’s the warning sign of something serious. What happens is in you’re in the middle of this awesome workout, you don’t want to stop, and so even though you realize that it’s the start of an Achilles or a rotator cuff or (uh-oh) your IT band, you rationalize it and keep right on trucking.

Nobody was actually injured here.

Ow!

Fast-forward about six hours. All of a sudden, that little twinge you felt at the gym now hurts like a mother-effer. Simple household tasks are awful. You can’t sleep or even sit unless you’re in a very particular position. You know it’s really bad when three ibuprofen don’t make a dent. And there’s your wife with that knowing, I-told-you-so look and a humongous lack of sympathy. Which, frankly, you don’t deserve anyway.

You Realize You’re Out of Commission

I find that there’s nothing more frustrating than having to go on the disabled list. Without fail, it happens to me when I’ve either just come off another injury or illness, or I’m in the midst of an awesome two- or three-week run of workouts. But even the most knuckleheaded of Regular Guys (a.k.a. Andrew) accepts his fate eventually. It’s usually the morning after Ow! – when the pain is still there when you wake up. Out comes the heating pad, you stock up on the NSAIDs, and you start thinking about how much less you’ll be able to eat to maintain a calorie deficit. Argh!

You just want to throw away your workout shoes!

Cranky Time

Regular Guys, just ask your wives if this is a real thing. The first few days of your injury, you’ll be focused on therapy and eating well, and life will generally be OK. Then you get tired of the heating pad, it’s time to stop the NSAIDs, and all you want to do is get back at it. You feel fat. You feel lethargic. You feel unfocused and tired and generally disgusted with life. And you know what? You’re taking it out on the people around you.

That First Time Back at It

OK, OK, the injury doesn’t feel perfect, but it feels a lot better. You’re just dying to get back to work. If it’s just a little pull, maybe we’re talking four days or as long as a week. If it’s something more serious, perhaps it’s been a few weeks or even a few months. But at some point, the day comes where you decide it’s OK to try a few easy miles or go lift at 50 percent of your 1RM. This is the workout where you’re conscious of every little twinge. You pay super-close attention to your form and move really slowly. Frankly, you feel like a dork. And when you’re done, you’re sure you could have done more.

I made it all the way back!

The Final Crossroads

Most Regular Guys I know will take it a little easier for the next few workouts as well. But then our egos start kicking in. You know you can go harder – you’ve done it before. And you feel fine. Right? So you figure it’s time to throw it into high gear and see what it can do. And now we find out just how bad your injury was and whether you rested and rehabbed properly. If you end the workout feeling good -- and wake up the next morning feeling good – you’re back in action. Or you return to Ow! Do not pass Go and do not collect $200.

This is supposed to be a lighthearted piece, but injuries are no joke. If you suspect a serious injury, go see a doctor. And if your injury requires more than just a couple of days’ rest, talk to your doctor about whether you need follow-up, such as physical therapy. I hope you’ve learned something from this piece, but bear in mind that I’m not an expert, and this is just based on my experiences.

Regular Guy Reads of the Week: July 11th

Well, I found a few good reads this week. It's really been a thin two-week stretch. It's funny how what you stumble onto often coincides with what you're thinking about. For me this past week, it's been dealing with injury. So...

Exercise Pain Relief: 10 Reasons Why You're Hurting in the Gym and What to Do About It: I think this is the first AskMen.com article I've linked -- it's a good one. A lot of common-sense tips to cut down your time on the DL.

Three Simple Tips for Staying Healthy: Prevention, stretching and hydration. Click the link for the science.

Four Reminders for Every Stubborn Runner: We're all guilty of it -- we know the right thing to do, but we don't do it ourselves. For example, you tell people not to do the same thing all the time, but when was the last time you cross-trained?

Avoiding Confirmation Bias: Alex Hutchinson FTW! A good example: Are you losing weight because you cut out gluten, or because no gluten also means no more Oreo cookies?

The No-Gym Home Six-Pack Workout: Ignore the six-pack Bro stuff. These are good exercises. I'll admit that I really don't like V-sits, though -- I'm a big baby.

Scientists Reveal Why BMI Is Useless: I hesitated to include this link because it's a little dense, and everything is in metric. But the central point is solid and worth paying attention to. If you're healthy and happy with how you look, that's the goal.

Come Back Gluten... All Is Forgiven: If you've been following me for a while, you know I'm a huge Mike Samuels fan. This should put the gluten debate to rest. (It won't, but it should.) My mother-in-law is celiac, so she can't eat gluten. The rest of you? Chill the eff out.

10 Reasons It's Better to Be Lean, Bro: The title of this piece actually pokes a little fun at the Bros. A lot of Bros refuse to spend even a single day in a calorie deficit for fear of losing their muscles. As I've said before, there's a reason Bro Science is abbreviated BS.

The Bros Aren't Completely Wrong

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know there's a lot of BS (Bro Science) out there that I don't really buy into. Carbs are the enemy. Cardio will make you fat. The "afterburn" of HIIT keeps your metabolism up for hours. Blah blah blah blah blah.

The thing is, there is some actual science behind a lot of Bro Science ideas. It's just been overblown. But making some small changes can actually add up to a pretty great benefit.

Cut Some Carbs Out

One of the biggest slices of Bro Science baloney out there is that carbs somehow cause inflammation, which spikes your insulin levels and makes you fat. It's bogus. Seriously, it's bogus. I'm not kidding -- it's bogus. I think you get the idea here. 

Delicious orzo salad. Carb city!

But that doesn't mean the idea is totally without merit. Protein and carbs have about the same amount of calories -- 4 per gram. However, your body has to work much harder to digest protein than to digest carbs. This is called the thermic effect of food. You can spend up to 20 percent of your protein intake simply digesting that protein. On the other hand, that number is only about 4 percent for carbs.

Now let's say that you're taking in about 75 grams of protein a day -- which would be pretty average for a Regular Guy who doesn't incorporate supplements into his diet. If you bump that to 125 grams a day without changing your overall calories, you'll move 200 calories around. But the thermic effect will mean that you're burning 32 calories more, without actually giving up any food.

You may find that your calories even go down. Since protein is so much harder to digest, it makes you feel full for longer.

And it helps with muscle building, which brings us to the next point.

You Should Lift Weights

Another Bro Science myth you'll hear is that resistance training is superior to aerobic cardio for fitness, weight loss and overall health. It's not true. Regular Guys, you need to raise your heart rate if you want to burn fat.

I'm a big fan of Hammer Strength equipment.

But let's say that you lead a reasonably active lifestyle and keep an eye on your diet. In other words, let's assume that you've already lost the "easy pounds" (or never put them on in the first place). Chances are, you don't have a huge amount of body fat, and what's there isn't going away without some serious sacrifices.

You should try to add a little muscle to your frame.

Your body has something called a basal metabolic rate -- that's the amount of calories you'd burn simply sitting on the couch all day. A pound of fat will burn 2 calories per day. A pound of muscle will burn 6. 

If you can add five pounds of muscle, you'll look better. Yeah, that's five extra pounds on your frame, but not the ugly belly-fat kind. You'll probably get more enjoyment out of life, because certain tasks will simply be easier. But best of all: You've raised your basal metabolic rate by 30 calories a day.

HIIT Is a Secret Weapon

This is my "home gym" for HIIT workouts.

I've written before about my love of high-intensity interval training. If you're pressed for time, it's a great way to get a lot of calorie burn for your exercise buck. But there's this Bro Science notion out there that HIIT gives you some miraculous amount of "afterburn," and that's just not true.

However, the difference in EPOC -- excess post-exercise oxygen consumption -- between HIIT and stead-steady cardio isn't zero. It's about 7 or 8 percent. So let's say you have an hour to dedicate to exercise, cooldown and shower in the morning. You could go for a three-mile run and burn 300 to 350 calories, or you can do 20 minutes of HIIT and burn the same. 

But the EPOC for your HIIT workout is going to be around 45 calories, and about 20 for your run -- a difference of 25 calories, and a few minutes saved, to boot.

Don't Eat Late at Night

A lot of Bros believe that the timing of your calories makes a difference -- that is, since your heart rate is lowest when you sleep, if you eat too close to bedtime, you won't burn off the calories. That's a misunderstanding of how your metabolism works. The thermic effect of food is static -- your body

There's gotta be some hummus in there!

will burn the same amount of calories digesting what you eat regardless of when you eat it. And if your activity level is pretty regular, your body is going to burn the same amount of calories overall from day to day. This is the first law of thermodynamics.

That said, there is a simple reason not to eat too close to bedtime: You're going to take in calories you don't need. 

Some people, myself included, eat dinner too late. If you don't eat dinner until after 8:00, you're going to be hungry. Really hungry. And you're going to pig out. Even a small second helping of lean protein could cost you a couple hundred calories -- calories you might not otherwise eat.

Other people stay up too late after dinner. There's nothing wrong with a small snack in the evening, as long as it fits into your overall calorie allowance. And it doesn't have to be something healthy, either. You want ice cream? Have a small bowl. The problem is, if you eat at 6:30 and stay up till midnight, you're going to be genuinely hungry again before bed. And that too can cost you hundreds of calories.

Worse, when you're tired, you tend to make poorer food choices, and your impulse control is at its lowest. So even if another 200 calories would be warranted, it can become 400 in a snap.

Summing this up: Try not to wait till you're starving to eat dinner, and get to bed before you get hungry again. Let's say that saves you 200 calories 3 or 4 nights a week -- that's an average of 100 a day.

Adding It Up

I've touched on a lot of these topics before in the blog. And I've tried to separate science from Bro Science. But one thing I've come to realize is that even though there's a lot of BS out there, a Regular Guy can still get some benefit from the ideas the Bros swear by. So let's just say you made all four of the changes I've suggested today. You can burn 1100 to 1200 more calories a week, just by pretending the Bros know what they're talking about. Even factoring in the weight of added muscle and the lowering of your BMR as you lose fat, you could still be looking at a net loss of 10 pounds a year. 

And I can tell you it works, because I'm down below my marathon weight since joining the gym at the beginning of March.

I want to hear back from you guys. What little changes have you made? What fitness wisdom do you buy into, and what have you dispensed with? Have you learned anything from the bros? Give us your best tips!

Regular Guy Reads of the Week: June 27th

Sorry for skipping last week. I kept putting it off, and ultimately decided I didn't have enough good stuff to bother. This week has been hit or miss, but here's a pretty good sampling. Enjoy!

Why I Quit Coffee: Sorry, but not me. But if you get the jitters or have a high heart rate, give it a read.

How Much Caffeine Is in Coffee? Scientific breakdown that can help with the above article. The short answer: a fair amount, but not a ton.

17 Fitness Tips That Will Actually Make You Psyched to Work Out: Good motivation. Just skip number-one -- it's total BS.

The Cardio Vs. Weights Cheat Sheet: Among other things, this lays out why the first tip from the above article is BS. As I've said: You gotta do both.

Is Fat Shaming a Bad Thing: A composite of opinions. The consensus seems to be that maybe the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.

Why Fat Shaming Doesn't Promote Health and What You Can Do Instead: This. All day.

Fat Shaming Vs. Body Acceptance: Is It Okay to Be Fat? Noticing a trend today? "Where do we draw the line between telling people 'love who you are, no matter what' and 'you are killing yourself with your lifestyle choices, and you need to change?'”

It's Okay to Be a Lightweight: Not quite what you think. Alex Hutchinson suggests that working to failure -- not the amount you lift -- is the most important factor in strength training.

More Than Two Thirds of Americans Are Overweight or Obese: Needs no explanation.

At All Ages, Exercisers Weigh Less: An interesting take on the debate over exercise vs. diet for weight loss. Conclusion: Changing your diet will help more initially, but once the "easy pounds" have come off, exercise is your best bet.

18 Ways to Maximize Your Workout for Weight Loss: Some good common-sense tips from Harper's Bazaar.

Alcohol and the Regular Guy

One of the real pleasures in a Regular Guy's life is a cold IPA, a fine Merlot, a smooth bourbon, a dry martini -- you know, a nice drink.

But how does alcohol fit into the Regular Guy ethos? How can we make it part of Keeping Fit and Living Your Life?

My Wife Jackie and I Enjoying a Post-Race Beer

A Few Facts About Alcohol
It is a toxin. There are no two ways around that. We enjoy the taste and the relaxed feeling that comes with a good drink, but you're asking more of your liver than it was designed to do. To metabolize it, your body removes additional oxygen from your bloodstream -- that's what causes you to feel drunk. The average person can metabolize one drink's worth of alcohol per hour, so if you drink more than that, you will be impaired.

It has a lot of calories. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram. So if you drink a 12-ounce beer that's 6 percent ABV, you're getting 140 calories just from the alcohol itself. That doesn't account for the unfermented malt in your beer or fruit sugars in your wine, which also deliver calories. Unfortunately, there's no government regulation requiring calorie counts on booze labels, so it's more or less a guess. You can try Googling it -- I found this beer list, which isn't too bad.

It has a high thermic effect. One minor upside to alcohol consumption is that your body works harder to digest it than it does to digest simple carbs or fat. You'll spend about 13 percent of alcohol's calories digesting it, versus only about 4 percent for carbs. So let's say you drink three 200-calorie beers. You'll use 78 calories burning them off.

Let's Apply That to the Real World

OK, so let's get real. You're a Regular Guy with an actual life. You get invited to parties or nights out with the fellas. You have rough days at the office. You have anniversaries and birthdays and other milestone events. In other words, you're going to have some drinks.

Two Marathon Men Drinking Marathon Man Beer

And why shouldn't you? Life is meant to be enjoyed. You just want to make it work within your fitness lifestyle.

These guys make the good stuff!

Liquor gives you more bang for your buck. For example a 1.5-ounce shot of bourbon has about 100 calories -- almost all of it from the alcohol itself. A 12-ounce beer at 5 percent ABV would have the same amount of alcohol, but there's no beer in the world at that ABV level below 150 calories. If alcohol delivery is a serious goal, the hard stuff is the way to go. But beware of mixers, which can add more calories than you'd get with a beer.

Light beer isn't worth it. Regular Guys don't eat "diet" food like Weight Watchers. Sure, the calorie count is lower, but that's because it isn't satisfying. The same goes for light beer. Now I know some guys actually prefer the taste of a light, low-alcohol lager, particularly on a hot summer

Beer Fridge -- Fully Stocked

day. But if that's you, it's just one style, and you'll have to admit that there's very little hop bitterness or malt backbone. Meanwhile, you're still getting less alcoholic punch per calorie than you would from liquor. So unless you're "sessioning," try different, interesting beers and keep it to two or three.

Account for the calories and adjust. If you've been maintaining a given weight, and your alcohol consumption is relatively steady from week to week, you've already done this without thinking about it. But if you're looking to make a change, factor hooch into your 80/20 Rule. It's a treat just like ice cream or cheesesteaks. My goal is 21,000 calories a week. If roughly 4000 of those calories are treats, subtract 200 for every beer I drink. So what I really do is set a weekly quota, and manage my social schedule so that I can have fun when it's time to have fun.

You're more apt to binge when you drink. This is the biggest challenge I run into when I've had a few pops. All of a sudden, I have a craving, and since my inhibitions are lower, I'm far more likely to give into it. Next thing I know, I've devoured an eight-ounce brick of cheese or half a tub of hummus. There's no easy solution to this one, but one thing I do try: When I'm at a party and there's a variety of food around, gravitate toward the healthier stuff. 

That's a lot of booze!

Three become six in a hurry. I also find that lowered inhibitions lead to drinking binges. When I'm out to dinner with my wife, I have no problem drinking two beers and stopping there. But after number-three, it's very easy for me to start downing drinks quickly. Peer pressure can also be a factor here. If you mean to stop at a certain point, you really have to set your mind to that and not give yourself an out.

You Knew This Part Was Coming

We're all grown-ups, so we all know that alcohol has some serious downsides beyond the calories. I know you don't need a lecture, but it's worth a few reminders:

• Excessive drinking taxes your liver. Yeah, we all tie one on once in a while. But if you find yourself drinking more than 15 drinks a week, you need to take a look at your behavior patterns. Two drinks a day isn't a big deal, but if all that's concentrated on the weekend, and it's happening every weekend, you're asking for trouble. You're going to start developing fatty buildup around your liver, and eventually, liver disease.
• Hangovers suck. The older you get, the less stress your body in general can handle -- and that's true for your liver, too. I often find that as few as three drinks in one night can leave me hung over the next day. Which means I severely limit my weeknight drinking.
• Just don't drive drunk. I do enjoy a nice night out with my wife or a guys' night at the bar. But honestly, I'm much more comfortable drinking at home, or at least at a friend's house where I can hang out for a while to sober up.

What About You?

How do you manage your alcohol consumption? What are the challenges you run into? What are your strategies for handling the food and more-drink cravings? What's your go-to high-quality drink, and can you limit yourself to a few when you take that route?

If you're looking for a deeper dive into the science, this piece at LeanGains.com really goes into detail -- I highly recommend it.

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