Alcohol

texasbbaygirl972
texasbbaygirl972 Posts: 16 Member
in Getting Started
Can you still drink beer on a calorie deficit ? And still loose weight

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    Yes, within reason. (I'm not sure what would happen to body weight on an "all beer" diet, but it probably wouldn't be good. ;) )

    The tricky thing is that many beers are quite high calorie (including the craft beers I enjoy most). Good nutrition is important for health, and that takes calories to accomplish. On a limited calorie goal, it's probably a bad plan to let beer take a big enough part that it drives out good nutrition in order to stay within calorie goal, y'know?

    I'd add that for me (and others who've discussed it here), alcohol can lower inhibitions (making it hard to resist tempting calorie-dense snacks), or cause fatigue in various ways including impaired sleep quality (thus reducing daily life movement and burning fewer calories than expected).

    So, it's probably easier to lose weight when limiting or even cutting out beer and other alcohol, but IMO (and IME) it's possible to drink some and still lose weight. How much nutrition a person sacrifices to do that is going to vary depending on their calorie goal and other individual factors.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,260 Member
    If you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose fat (and weight). You could be in a deficit while eating PB&J sandwiches, roasted broccoli, fried potatoes, and beer, but you might not be getting all the nutrition you need.

    Make sure to feed your body. If you have calories left over and you want to have a beer, go for it. As an experiment, consider taking a month off from alcohol and see how much easier it is to be in deficit and eat a lot more food. Twelve ounces of Lagunitas IPA is almost 200 calories; Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is 175; Sierra Nevada Celebration is 233. Two eggs cooked in 5 grams of butter is 176 calories. A half a pineapple is about 225. A 100 gram serving of raw carrots is only 40. Just have to fit it in and decide for yourself if it's worth it.
  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 2,281 Member
    Just count the beer as your grains for the day! 🍻
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,458 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    If you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose fat (and weight). You could be in a deficit while eating PB&J sandwiches, roasted broccoli, fried potatoes, and beer, but you might not be getting all the nutrition you need.

    Make sure to feed your body. If you have calories left over and you want to have a beer, go for it. As an experiment, consider taking a month off from alcohol and see how much easier it is to be in deficit and eat a lot more food. Twelve ounces of Lagunitas IPA is almost 200 calories; Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is 175; Sierra Nevada Celebration is 233. Two eggs cooked in 5 grams of butter is 176 calories. A half a pineapple is about 225. A 100 gram serving of raw carrots is only 40. Just have to fit it in and decide for yourself if it's worth it.

    Wise advice for any weight loss plan you choose.

    I’m always reaching for something pretty or tempting, then thinking “well I could have more of this other thing, feel more satiated and it tastes better anyway.”

    These are the decisions you are fixing to face.

    It does become easier, though.

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