The Only Things I Drink
When I pause for a moment and take an honest assessment of my day-to-day habits, I really only drink 5 things on a regular basis...
- Water
- Red Bull
- ADABOLIC
- Black Coffee
- And Whiskey
It would be "out of the ordinary" for me to consume any other liquid. And as you can see, I definitely don't "drink my calories."
That's one of the sneaky ways tons of calories can enter your diet.
When I first worked in an office right out of college, I immediately noticed who had cream & sugar with their coffees, and who didn't. Who drank the free sodas, and who didn't.
And within three months, you could physically see the difference from the weight gain alone.
We were all sitting at a desk all day, performing sedentary jobs. The ones who drank their calories gained a substantial amount of weight in a really short time. I was one of the few who drank black coffee, and I didn't gain any weight.
My daily lifestyle and habits placed me outside the norm, which has ultimately led to the health & physique I have now.
So try not to drink your calories.
Here's how things breakdown for me...
1) I have water all day, pretty much constantly.
It's very rare for me to be dehydrated, and any time I experience symptoms of dehydration, like a headache, dry mouth, or brain fog, I drink a FULL GLASS of water. If I'm at my desk I have water available at all times. If I'm in the gym, I take a sip between pretty much every set. DRINK WATER ALL DAY.
2) I have ONE Red Bull as my pre-workout.
Instead of going with a typical pre-workout, I tend to drink a single 12oz Red Bull during my workouts. I simply crack one open right before my first set of the day and sip on it throughout my session. On rare occasions, I'll have two in one day. Lately, this has been nearly all of the sugar in my diet, as everything else is typically steak, rice, butter, and avocado.
3) I drink ADABOLIC throughout my training sessions.
ADABOLIC rounds out the performance side of things. I drink this during my training sessions for better endurance, recovery, and pumps. ADABOLIC has over 30 ingredients, and contains much of the individual supplements I would purchase separately in the past and stack together. This is a fantastic all-around supplement and I love the Candy Bliss flavor. And of course it's zero grams of sugar.
4) Black coffee is reserved for when I want caffeine and I'm not lifting.
If I'm doing a lot of work at the computer, I'm likely to brew a carafe of black coffee and finish it over a few hours. If I wanted to eliminate the Red Bull from my diet, I'd drink black coffee during my workouts too. If you like coffee, I suggest going this route. Find a particular flavor you enjoy, and only consume it black. It may take a little adjusting to the taste, but over time this will eliminate SO MANY calories from your diet if you're used to having cream & sugar.
5) And finally we have whiskey, because, well... it's whiskey. :)
I'm not saying you have to be a saint, but it's probably good to have some control over things like alcohol consumption. If you're lean and training hard and have a fast metabolism, alcohol is a little less damaging to your physique (we all know the long-term damage in terms of health). If you're struggling to lose weight, I highly suggest you avoid alcohol, especially beer. If you're going to drink, I suggest hard spirits like whiskey or vodka so you can get the same effects with less calories over the course of the night.
And that's it. That's all I drink.
If I wanted to be "super healthy," I'd simply eliminate the Red Bull & whiskey.
Think about what you drink on a regular basis.
Do you know there's some things you should cut out? If so, why haven't you?
It can be as simple as making a list like this, and analyzing when you drink what.
What are the triggers?
Figure out the triggers and you can figure out an appropriate response. Like for me, if I'm about to workout I'm likely going to want some caffeine. If I know this, I can CHOOSE to drink black coffee over my typical Red Bull.
Understanding yourself gives you the power to change yourself.
Take stock of your habits, and get to work on what needs work.
Talk again soon,
Nick Hagood
Spartan Training & Coaching
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