It’s been a while since the last installment of Fresher’s Fat, If you missed the first 3, you can read them here.

Most situations at university lead to you looking and feeling worse. That’s quite a statement isn’t it? But it’s true: You either: a) accept the lifestyle of late nights, binge drinking, poor quality food and regular takeaways or b) become a recluse, and no one wants that.

Now, this is over-shadowed by a giant, fire-breathing paradox. That is, university is also one of the only places where looking good matters; university, in general, is a shallow, image conscious place to be.

Thankfully, it doesn’t take a PhD to be able to piece together that, for most people, these two things rarely go hand in hand. If you can live a heavy student lifestyle on a consistent basis while still looking and feeling good then well done, your a genetic god/godess. The simple fact however is that most of us can’t.

Fear not – Propane is here once again to help you quash the pizza box shaped paradox. Below is a list of strategies to deal with any obstacle that uni life throws at you, they’ve been tested by us and our transformation subjects, plainly, they work!


Nights out and drinking

Alcohol, undercooked chips, cigarette smoke, blurry memories, and the inexplicable loss of £40. Normally the elements in a night out equation, they tend to equal vomit, a bad head and a missed day of lectures. Hurray for student life!

Rob Buckingham Photography

Drinking heavily all the time isn’t exactly the best idea unless you plan on losing sight of your toes by the time you graduate, however, we never advocate a tee-total lifestyle. We always have and always will be about the REAL approach, sure, we know the optimal, theoretical way to do things and if you listen to the elite athletes they’ll tell you they tend not to drink and they advise others not to as well. However, none of us are competing in 2012 or have any intentions of stepping on a bodybuilding stage – we’re just three students who want to look good and perform well all while really enjoying what university has to offer.

 

So, we appreciate that although you may want a six-pack or a great bum, you likely want to have a life while getting there. Well, after some thought and (sometimes messy) testing we came up with a method that allows you to drink while avoiding the dreaded hangover and causing little to no damage to your physique. In fact, Jonny did this as written just 2 weeks before the final photos were taken.  Without further or do, bring on the Propane Protocol:

This is, in our experience, the best way to enjoy a night out while just about feeling yourself the next day, there are several elements:

 

1: Front-loading: Alcohol is metabolised by the body the same as carbs, protein and fat: it takes time to process. So, the later you drink, the longer it’s in your system the next day. Therefore, finish drinking by midnight. Not only does this mean nights out will be cheaper (less drinks in the club) it also means that by the time you get in the taxi, you’ll already have started to sober up. [This might have the added bonus of avoiding any 'mistakes' once you get home.]

2: Vodka Mixers: because you’ll be drinking more at home you have more control over what and how much you drink. Spirits are a safe bet, they contain far fewer calories than beer or pre-mixed spirits and you can really auto-regulate the amount you drink. We recommend a large glass of water after every 1-2 alcoholic drinks. When you’re in the club, try ordering two shots of vodka and a pint of iced water, it staves off the headache and keeps you feeling fresh.

3: Late Lunch: Alcohol converts to acetate in the body, this is poisonous so takes priority over other nutrients. This means that fat, carbohydrate and protein are stored rather than metabolised. Therefore, as far as your waistline is concerned, it’s best to have given your food a chance to digest before you hit the pub. So, no more burger and fries with a few drinks to get warmed up. The trick here is to have a late lunch, try to finish eating around 4-5 hours before you have your first drink and eat your fill, go for meat, veg and a solid source of carbs. Keep this in mind though.

4: Bulletproofing: What you do after a night out is almost as important as what you do during. Before bed, drink 2 litres of water, some paracetemol and a multi-vitamin. A low calorie sports drink like Powerade Zero is also a great idea. The next morning, throw back a few more liters of water and try supplementing with aloe vera, peppermint oil and milk thistle – they should help settle your stomach, a multi-vitamin drink like Berocca is a good idea here too. You’ll likely still feel a little foggy so grab a double espresso.

5: Fast for faster results: Some people swear by a fry-up the morning after drinking, using claims that the grease binds to the alcohol. While some of these theories may have some truth to them my favorite method is to steer clear of all food until evening then I eat what I feel like. This gives your body a chance to process whatever alcohol remains and gives you an opportunity to ensure you focus on hydrating. What’s more, your hangover will simply vanish (assuming you followed the above suggestions), by the afternoon the night before will be nothing but a blurry memory.

 

In the next instalment we share our strategies for balancing a social life with diet and training.

Related posts:

« »