I like Beer! So how do I drink and eat healthy :( ?

donnalee120

So like I said I like to have a few beers after work each day. I know you are not supposed to have beer when your dieting (empty calories). What do you think if I make sure I exercise off all my drinking calories. My Fitness Pal only allows me 1260 calories a day to lose 1/2 Lbs. a week.
I appreciate any advice.

queenliz99

I work into my calorie allotment for the day. If it doesn't fit for the day then I don't have one.

LAWoman72

Drink your beer through one of those hats with straws while walking on the treadmill!

Alternatively, just have a beer and count it into your daily calories.

queenliz99

LAWoman72 wrote: »

Drink your beer through one of those hats with straws while walking on the treadmill!

Alternatively, just have a beer and count it into your daily calories.

I like that idea better

LAWoman72

queenliz99 wrote: »

LAWoman72 wrote: »

Drink your beer through one of those hats with straws while walking on the treadmill!

Alternatively, just have a beer and count it into your daily calories.

I like that idea better

I know, I think I've actually just given MYSELF an idea.

I can't wait until my husband comes home and sees me chugging from a beer hat on the stepper. He'll probably just say "Nothing surprises me anymore."

Sabine_Stroehm

LAWoman72 wrote: »

queenliz99 wrote: »

LAWoman72 wrote: »

Drink your beer through one of those hats with straws while walking on the treadmill!

Alternatively, just have a beer and count it into your daily calories.

I like that idea better

I know, I think I've actually just given MYSELF an idea.

I can't wait until my husband comes home and sees me chugging from a beer hat on the stepper. He'll probably just say "Nothing surprises me anymore."

HAHAHAHA. What an image! :drinker:

LAWoman72

lemonlionheart

I know people who allow alcohol only if they have earned it through exercise, so they are still getting their base calorie goal in nutrition then drinking with the 'extra' calories. If you are only allowed 1260 cals you should make sure most of that is actual nutrition!

kellicci

I agree. If you want that beer you just need to earn it. I think you'll find a nice pint tastes so much better when you've worked hard to deserve it.

Sadly, for me, when I'm trying to lose beer is just out because lite beer doesn't seem like a just reward and working out enough to deserve a pint or two of the good stuff....I don't have that kind of time. lol At maintenance I can usually get away with one real beer here and there.

awasko1218

If I have a craving (for me it is generally WINE and CHOCOLATE) when I get up in the morning (or through the day sometimes), I put that glass of wine and/or chocolate right into my tracker as an after-dinner snack - at 8am. lol. This way, All day long, if the craving goes away, great...but if it doesn't, I've got it covered and I can sit on my couch and watch trash TV and enjoy my treats guilt-free. It is kinda like making a fake withdrawal in your checking account so you can afford those shoes you want when they go on sale...;-)

darlenegrace999

donnalee120 wrote: »

So like I said I like to have a few beers after work each day. I know you are not supposed to have beer when your dieting (empty calories). What do you think if I make sure I exercise off all my drinking calories. My Fitness Pal only allows me 1260 calories a day to lose 1/2 Lbs. a week.
I appreciate any advice.

Light beer is only 100 calories a bottle, don't think of them as empty calories rhink of them as sanity calories. By the end of the day that's better than vitamin C

monicapatituccijones

Working it into your calories is a good idea. Also, limit it to one beer and make it last.

jpaulie

stick beer in freezer. slowly drink melting beer over the next two hours

Aemely

jpaulie wrote: »

stick beer in freezer. slowly drink melting beer over the next two hours

Awww. That's not right. You are making me cry!

McBoffin

Who ever first came up with the idea that beer is empty calories could suck the joy out of a clown.

Beer has calories, you're using MFP to track calories and your macros. It's about choices and entirely up to you how you fit it in.

Light beers are low in calories but is rather have a pint of proper brown beer.

ana3067

Or instead of "earning" your food, just log it and eat within your calories, and move on. Imo you shouldn't strive to "earn" food, you just consume it.

The only empty calorie is water, because it doesn't have calories.

Barbs2222

I drink and try to exercise the calories off. I love beer but I switched to vodka and soda and I'm finding I like it so much better. When I've had all the vodka I allowed myself for the day I just fill my glass with seltzer and it feels like I'm still having a drink. If I want I still have beer. They taste so freaking good now that I only have them once in awhile. Cheers

Marianna93637

Just fit it into your calories. Last night I had 2 glasses of red wine (4 oz each) and i was still under my calories. Maybe you can walk it off earlier in the day. The problem is the cravings or hunger that starts after drinking. I don't drink beer, so I don't know if you get hungry after that, but stronger drinks (anything with vodka or tequila) can do that for me, and sometimes wine. Last night I was ok though.

carrieous

i effing love beer. and i prefer the IPAs which have a ton of calories. makes me so sad. when i am dieting (now til november) i drink only on weekends and i drink bud select usually. very rarely will i treat myself to a good beer

carrieous

McBoffin wrote: »

Who ever first came up with the idea that beer is empty calories could suck the joy out of a clown.

Beer has calories, you're using MFP to track calories and your macros. It's about choices and entirely up to you how you fit it in.

Light beers are low in calories but is rather have a pint of proper brown beer.

haha so true. Beer is not empty tho-it contains silica which makes our bones stronger

RNGRZulu

Beer is my downfall for sure. My resolution is to never drink beer at home.

sheldonklein

Pro Tip: a good hefeweizen is delicious and lower in calories than a Bud

fatcity66

I just make sure it fits into my calories. I work out, limit myself to 2, and usually I'm good.

fatcity66

darlenegrace999 wrote: »

donnalee120 wrote: »

So like I said I like to have a few beers after work each day. I know you are not supposed to have beer when your dieting (empty calories). What do you think if I make sure I exercise off all my drinking calories. My Fitness Pal only allows me 1260 calories a day to lose 1/2 Lbs. a week.
I appreciate any advice.

Light beer is only 100 calories a bottle, don't think of them as empty calories rhink of them as sanity calories. By the end of the day that's better than vitamin C

Most regular beers only have 120-150 cal per bottle. If you drink one with a lot more, it will also have around twice the percentage of alcohol, so you need to drink less to get a buzz!

treetz1979

This post was meant for me!!! I love beer as well....real beer....and have been working out extra to work it in. I've also recently tried "diet" beer, like Select 55 and Mich Ultra.....BLEH!!! So not worth it. I did not know that about the Hefeweizen...great to know! Trying to fit in the real beer and just drink less of it. Not as easy to do as it is easy to type.

JamesMauldin

I brew my own beer, and the idea that I can't run out to the keg and draw a pint whenever I want kills me. I found this website which breaks down an approximate amount of calories by ABV - even down to the ounce! This is huge since my home brewed beer doesn't come with a calorie count.

JessaLee0324

omg...I don't know how I am supposed to limit myself to just one. If I could, I'd probably be skinny. I like the idea about freezing one and drinking it slowly but still....i can never just have one. so I go for the stronger stuff that takes less to get a buzz hahha.

LorenB2015

I love beer too! My goal is to only have one if I've exercised during the day and therefore increased the amount of calories I can have in a day. If I'm desperate, I'll drink 1 decent light beer *maybe*.

timpaton1

McBoffin wrote: »

Who ever first came up with the idea that beer is empty calories could suck the joy out of a clown.

Beer has calories, you're using MFP to track calories and your macros. It's about choices and entirely up to you how you fit it in.

Bravo.

If I'm planning to drink a few, I'll make sure there's space for them in the daily budget, either by eating very carefully or by earning extra credits. Rolling a few credit kJ over from one day to the next isn't out of the question either - have a few good days to free up enough space for beers tomorrow.

More often, I'll get to the end of a good day with a solid energy deficit beyond what I've planned (either through eating better than normal or through additional exercise), and if I feel like a beer, I'll reward myself with one. I get to decide how I want to balance out my energy budget, and if there's ample headroom for a 600 kJ bottle of foamy goodness, then that's my choice.

It's actually one of the things that has surprised me since starting to use MFP, just how LITTLE energy is in beer. I've always believed the conventional wisdom that drinking beer is essentially the opposite of losing weight. Now I find that a beer - although it certainly has a significant energy content - is "lighter" than a bag of potato chips or a chocolate bar. Or an equivalent glass of milk, for that matter. If you want to drink beer energy, you just have to figure out what other energy you're not going to eat or drink to make up for it.

I don't pay a whole lot of attention to macros, to be honest. When I look, they're usually pretty reasonably balanced, so I tend not to look. It's all about the total energy. Seems to work for me... to the tune of 10kg (20#) in 6 months, while drinking more beers than ever before. Just eating better to make up for it.

I'll drink to that.

llynn1976

Michelob ultra is just 95 calories and low carbs, If you have 4 that's only 380 calories.

nogrows

I love beer so much! Luckily it is winter here now and I can resist the temptation. Just drinking in weekends and because of the weight loss I get 'drunk' sooner (=less calories). I used to work in a special beer bar. That really was like working in a candy store... Let's start a kickstarter project for great tasting light beer (could this ever be possible).