Can I drink coffee/tea, or will the caffeine dehydrate me?

Yes. Both can even count towards your daily fluid goal, just remember to also consistently drink other fluids throughout the day. Caffeine is a mild diuretic, but if you drink a good amount of fluids (nothing crazy extra) over a 24-hour period, its effect on your total hydration are negligible.

How does alcohol affect my diet results?

Alcohol effect on Fat-Loss

Increases Calories: Drinking alcohol contributes to your daily calorie intake. Plus, you’re more likely to indulge in high-calorie, high-fat foods, which further drives you into a calorie surplus.
- 1 typical beer (12 ounces), 1 typical shot (1 ounce), and 1 typical glass of wine (5 ounces) each contain well over 100 calories. Note that this doesn’t include mixers used.
Stops Fat Loss: When you consume alcohol, your body dedicates time and energy to expelling it, and literally pauses fat loss while it does so (by decreasing fat utilization, and increasing fat storage). Clearly not the best recipe for fat loss.

Alcohol effect on Muscle Building and Recovery

Decreases Muscle Building: Alcohol directly limits protein synthesis, otherwise known as the building of new proteins for muscle tissue.
Impairs Sleep Quality: Alcohol impairs sleep quality by increasing time spent in “light” sleep (from which we’re more likely to wake up) and decreasing time spent in “deep” sleep. Deep sleep promotes recovery much more profoundly than light sleep and missing out on it is costly.
Decreased Growth Hormone Production: Alcohol minimizes production of growth hormone, which is released during sleep and plays a crucial role in muscle building and recovery. So, the more you drink, the more growth hormone is suppressed.

Can I drink alcohol, if so, what’s the best type?

To maximize progress, it’s recommended that you don’t drink while dieting. If you do decide to drink, do not exceed 1 – 2 drinks per week. Alcohol consumption will significantly delay progress. Even though red wine has been shown to provide antioxidant benefits, it still imposes the detrimental effects. While we recommend abstinence for best diet results, if you can’t avoid drinking for a special occasion, go for diet soda mixers with hard liquors, and stay away from beers and wines, especially if drinking more than 1-2 drinks.

Are artificial sweeteners safe for me?

Yes. There is an overwhelming amount of research on the safety of consumption of artificial sweeteners. Short of eating them with a spoon, they are safe to have throughout the day.

Find more information here.

Can I drink diet soda?

Yes, you may. Up to 10 cans of diet soda per day appear to be a safe for long term human consumption, though we recommend a more moderate amount, like a couple of cans or bottles of diet soda per day, which won’t interfere with your fat loss or muscle gain goals or otherwise harm your health.

Find more information here.