I know alchohol is a no no; I've heard beer in particular is just empty calories...but...I work with a group where 5PM cocktails are almost mandatory.

If I'm going to have 2-3 drinks (yes, in a row-no morality lectures!), what kinds of liquors or beers would be the least counterproductive to the Power90 workouts/diet?

Wine is not really an option, we're more a scotch and gin and vodka group.

s

Bummer. Red wine would top the list.

Beer is next. 2-3 beers will be much better than 2-3 cocktails. It actually has quite a bit of food value. Keep in mind that 3 beers is an extra 600 cals that isn't helping too much. If you can, try and add some extra exercise to make up for it.

For hard alcohol, just make sure that you don't mix with crapola like coke. Not only is this poor drinking style (ever see Bogie order something with coke?), but the sugar essentially doubles the negative effect of the alcohol. I also don't recommend carbonation (though Bogie did occasionally order scotch and soda). His standby rye and water is a good choice. Actually, any top shelf liquor and water is a pretty good choice. It's said that vodka is best but I think this difference is small when compared to what you tend to eat and drink with it. I do recommend the old Joe Namath special, vodka and Gatorade--actually I don't. I'd rather see the Gatorade as a chaser. But alcohol disrupts your electrolyte levels so you need to replenish with sodium and potassium particularly. So perhaps a banana Papa Double would be okay, though I'll add that if you live north of 32 degrees latitude you may look like a sap. But, whatever you drink, finishing the evening with some Cytomax will diminish the effects.

Thanks for the info...what's a Banana Papa Double? If anything I order came with an umbrella or a spear full of tropical fruit I'd likely have to find another job.

You know, single malt with a water back is one of my old stand bys...I'll just sip slower from now on. I can limit it to just one (and then the budget allows for a pretty decent scotch too!)

I catch myself thinking things like "You really want that? You just spent 40 minutes this morning working out...you really want to spend 15 seconds reversing that?" It's a nice change.


thanks again.
s

I'm sorry if this is a naive question but what is Cytomax and how will it help deminish the effect of drinking? I'm very curious about this. I'm not a big drinker but I do like to have a few drinks when I go out.

And while we're on the subject - I'm a big juice and alcohol drinker (Malibu bay breeze, Screwdriver, etc.) Is this bad?

~*

That sounds like a very sensible drinking plan. I'll recommend McCallans 12-year-old single malt. If you like more peety Scotch's, perhaps try Laphroig. For a bit more value, you can't beat a 10-year Glenmorangie.

The Papa Double is a dacquiri that was named for Hemingway, as it's what he fancied during his days in Cuba. As with all tropical drinks, ordering it above 32 LAT gives carte blanche to any self-respecting drinker to tee off on your head. Of course, Papa himself welcomed this type of behavior and rumor has it he would occasionally order one at 21, just to start a melee and upset the snobbish clientele.

Cheers.

Respectable people will respect your choice to drink whatever you want to drink. I'd find another job before I drank what others think would be appropriate for me to drink.

To answer your question from another thread, skinny people will get buzzed faster from the same amount of alcohol as larger people.

Jim

But how can there be a "mandatory" cocktail hour? I don't know where you work vitello, but I think it's a shame if you feel pressured to drink at WORK! What if you just told them you need to knock off the drinks for a couple of months? It's not like junior high where the guys are going to tell the whole school the next day that you chickened out of sampling the Mad Dog after recess.

I don't mean this to be a slam on you, vitello. I'm saying this against the way your office (or whatever) is run. I'm sorry that you have to sabotage your efforts to please other people. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

I'm on board with the McCallans, but I'm running closer to an 18yr Glenlivet or a Talisker for a close second...a Speyside malt like Glenmorangie gives me too much "bite".

Key West is a whole other world. Hog's Breath makes a great Key Lime Margarita...but it'd be a cold day before I tried ordering one of those here (Chicago). I guess I have less heart than Hemingway.


jamesss-I'm with you...but sometimes you gotta run with the heard if you want in on the hunt, you know? It's face time at 5; it's friendly of course, but I don't mistake it for friendship. Make sense?

No, it doesn't make sense to me, but it doesn't have to make sense to me -- it only needs to make sense to you.

I took a different approach than you are taking. I completely committed to doing everything I could possible to achieve my goals. I figured, if I could just make the sacrifices for 90 days then I knew I will get awesome results....and I did. Its only 90 days!!! Because of that 90 day committment, my life has changed in ways that words can't even describe.

This is what makes sense to me: Three drinks at over 200 calories each (600 calories) amounts to about half of my total caloric intake a day for the 90 days that I did the program. In other words, if I had the three drinks that you are having, that would have only left 600 calories for real food. I never would have been able to finish the program never mind achieve results on that nutrition plan.

This makes sense to me: Six hundred calories amounts to doing the Cardio tape about twice. So, if you have the three drinks and do the tape twice that day, that cancels out the drinks. Then, all you need to do is do the tapes one more time (for a total of three times that day), and you will essentially get the benefit from doing the tapes once. A three-for-one special!!!

I am being a bit facetious, but not completely. I am convinced that if I had met with the "herd" after work at 5 for some face time and had a few drinks I am sure that I would still be sitting here as an unhappy fat boy. By the way, what is it that you all are hunting at the bar?

Jim

jamess

I see your point(s)...I don't think I have a "good" rationale for having a few drinks rather than making that total sacrifice.

The bottom line is, I've only been with this company a year and I'm relatively young in comparisson to most. I'm ambitious and aggressive and I see that my presence at these after work sessions will help me succeed more quickly here. It's all about face time with the owners and the lead Account Execs.

Shallow? A little, I admit...but I do enjoy the people and the time spent so I'm making the adjustments to fit that into my new Power90 lifestyle rather than eliminate it alltogether.

If these folks are responsible execs and not complete idiots, they will respect you more if you tell them you are trying to improve your health by getting in shape and losing weight. You can still get the face time without the drink. If there is anything that is unimpressive, it's having a business conversation with someone that has a buzz - even a slight one.

Sure, you will run into the corporate exec alcoholic that won't understand your not drinking (outwardly), but even most problem drinkers (they don't think they are) that might encourage you to have a few, will respect your decision not to drink.

I have been without alcohol for almost 17 years now and have succeeded in the business world and attended hundreds of functions without drinking alcohol. Only alcoholics will be concerned that you are not drinking because normal people just don't even think about who is drinking and who is not. Trust me, I know a lot about this and have been on both sides of this fence.

I am not against drinking. In fact, a daily drink (esp red wine) has been shown to have positive health affects. However, if you want to lose weight and get in shape, I'd place my money on someone that isn't drinking 3 drinks a night.

You're asking good questions and getting honest answers. This is a good thing.

Jim