The thinking goes like this: You want to get your body summer ready, so you start avoiding beer like it’s that one co-worker who never seems to shut up about his car. It’s the right thing to do. Right?

Well, maybe not!

When it comes to losing the Pillsbury softness around your midsection, you don’t actually have to give up too much in terms of drinking. What you need are smart strategies. So, we turned to two fitness coaches who know a thing or two about getting guys to look good naked. Their consensus is, yes, you can still enjoy beer and look good this summer.

But… doesn’t alcohol make you fat?

“Our bodies are unable to process ethanol and turn it directly into stored adipose tissue,” said Jason Helmes, owner and online fitness coach at Anyman Fitness. That means it’s not the alcohol itself that directly leads to weight gain. The real culprit is the excess of trashy foods people tend to shove in their face when they’re drunk.