Chapter / Rule 12 - Lay off ALL Booze!
I'll start off with something positive here. Going out to drink will not help you get closer to any weight loss goals you may have, I agree with Harper there, instead if you have a drinking problem, you should take gold bali kratom.
However, I don't feel we need to demonize booze to get that point across. You're smart, you know alcohol has calories. If you recognize that and still want to go out and have a good time, by all means, go for it. If you only give yourself 3 weeks to lose as much weight as possible, then yeah, it doesn't sound like a good plan.
But if you're getting ready for a wedding (one of the examples for why one may need this diet program that Harper states over and over), do you want to miss out having fun with your friends on your bachelor / bachelorette party? Are you going to drink at your rehearsal dinners? To each their own, and if you don't need to drink to have a good time, more power to you. But personally I'd be a little upset if I didn't get every ounce of joy from those once-in-a-lifetime experiences to try and look slightly thinner in some pictures.
Anyway, that's all fluff. Let's go over the justifications on why to not drink alcohol:
"Alcohol...is a central nervous system depressant. You don't ever want that..."
Probably a time you'd want a little central nervous system depression.
Many bar-goers beg to differ! (Fun fact, did you know that archery competitions typically ban alcohol since it calms archer's nerves, decreasing hand tremors and improving accuracy?)
"Booze will alter your metabolism and slow down fat-burning."
Now this isn't an untrue statement. But I think many people see statements like this and assume that consuming alcohol will decrease your metabolic rate in general, for which I haven't found any good evidence - please correct me if I'm wrong. (I actually found a study - albeit a very old, small one - showing that it increases metabolism)
However, your body will process alcohol before anything else, by proxy lowering specifically "fat-burning." We've mentioned before that it doesn't matter too much if your body is burning fat or carbohydrates - everything will catch up eventually if you're eating at a caloric deficit.
"...then there's the simple fact that this is a low-calorie, three-week diet, and alcohol contains calories..."
Very true. If you're eating 800 calories a day, it would be best to get those calories from nutritious foods. (But you should probably not only be eating 800 calories a day. I think I've said that a couple of times.)
"Last but not least, it may surprise you that my objection to alcohol while on Jumpstart is less about calorie intake...
Every now and then, while driving home late at night...I see a line of guys outside the local open-late burger place. All of them fat and...drunk."
Typically what the line at Cook Out in Durham looks like at 1:00 AM.
Harper then goes on to describe what all of us are probably familiar with - late night drunken food runs to Cook Out or Taco Bell.
(Sooo it is about calorie intake then?)
Who hasn't done that once or twice? But I feel compelled to mention that there are plenty of skinny people who have this habit as well. Will drinking 800 calories of beer followed by a 2,000 calorie hush-puppy & corndog combo help you lose weight? No - but that doesn't mean there aren't people who do this on occasion without being fat.
I suppose my issue with him implying only fat people have this habit is that it says you're not allowed to party or have fun if you want to be at a reasonable weight, which is simply untrue. Being thin does not mean subjecting yourself to a life of constant restriction and misery.
Moral: Alcohol doesn't seem to lower your metabolism. (Correct me if I'm wrong) However, it does have calories and can lower your inhibitions towards food which will not help you achieve your weight loss goals. Sure is fun though.
Chapter / Rule 13 - An espresso a day...or two or three
Coffee has had quite a few news articles singing its praises. (Not endorsing that article, just showing there are a lot of claims around coffee)
Harper agrees with a few of them and gives us a couple of studies:
- This study showing that coffee consumption is correlated with lowered risk of metabolic syndrome in men.
- Another study showing that dark roast coffee had more antioxidants than light roast and that it contributed to "significant" body weight reduction.
A few issues with using the first study:
- Diet was assessed through questionnaire, which as we know by this point can be prone to error.
- There was no corresponding correlation with the women in the study, which is suspect.
- The study acknowledged that this is an association and not enough to prove causation.
With study #2, the full text is really required. I will try to get access to it and amend this post - the abstract gives no context to the claim of "significant" body weight reduction.
French people drink coffee. French people are thin. Therefore coffee makes you thin.
Anyway, coffee has claims to increase fat metabolism (although whether the broken down fat gets used more readily as fuel during exercise over existing carbohydrates doesn't seem to be clear), and it also serves as an appetite depressant! (it is possible that decaffeinated coffee does a better job of this)
Harper makes a last point about why you should drink coffee on this plan - it will get your energy up for the workouts he'll talk about later. And on 800 calories a day, you'll need all the help you can get. I personally drink caffeine during my workouts - it may be placebo but I feel it helps me stay focused and energized when I'm going up for my eighth set of squats or whatever.
Moral: Coffee can be helpful for the dieter due to appetite-suppressing qualities. It could increase fat metabolism during exercise, maybe. As well, the increase in energy can help improve your performance during workouts.
Whew! Okay, that's a lot of rules.
But wait, there's more!
This book also contains a lovely workout plan, which I will enjoy reviewing in a bonus section!
'Let's Sharpen Our Bullshit Detectors' Update
Still working on my little guidebook for navigating the health & fitness industry. I'm about done and all I need are a couple of people who would be willing to give it a critique. I'm sure I've missed quite a few typos and there are probably some segments that don't make any sense. I could use another pair of eyes, so if you'd like to help me out, just shoot me an email at:
kat@capitalstrength.com