BEER

GeorgeRyan

I think I know the answer to this, but here goes anyway. I'm 6'1, 216 lbs, 55 year old male. I'm trying to lose about 25 lbs.

Right now I'm limiting by calorie intake to about 1500 per day. I bike 45 -60 minutes a day about 4 or 5 times a week. I do light weight training.

My one huge weakness is that when I get together with friends, I drink 7-10 light beers. This happens 2-3 times per week.

How bad is the beer drinking?

sofielein

I drink a lot (beer and wine) 2-3 times a week and I still manage to lose. BUT we have a saying "beer is liquid bread" so I treat it as I was eating bread.
That means, possibly very low carb on the beer-wine days and lots of lots of vegetables. I cut the flour and sugar and pasta stuff very much in order to be able to do this.

TubbsMcGee

Do your taste buds a favour and drink regular beer, not light beer.
You'll most likely end up drinking less beers (hence, less calories) and getting more sauced.

When I started my lifestyle change (NOT diet) I never fully cut out alcohol.
Granted, I'm in my prime drinking years, but it never hindered my weight loss.

Everything in moderation!

bunyapine

yeah, I still drink beer, but go for the low carb brands. The downside, I need to excercise more to get back the calorie deficit I need. I've given up eating a lot of crap, so beer is the one thing I see as a well deserved reward, but it has to be managed.

FredDoyle

I count it in my diary.
Guinness is your weight loss friend. That and booze.

racheljonel

I just try to reserve calories for it. I enjoy having a beer with friends and it's not something I'm willing to totally cut out of my diet! If i happen to go over a little bit because of the booze or beer, I just try to be super mindful of everything I eat the next day and it all seems to be working out just fine!

Bamacraft

Not part of your question but i will mention it. Have not done the math but first hint says to me 1500 is too few on days when you bike. Plus, working out & drinking both depletes you of several essential vitamins and minerals so be sure to take a multi-vite and a multi-mineral. Trust me, i had something happen to me a while back and have been to every dr imaginable and noone knows whats the cause of my symptoms. Part of me thinks it may some kind of adrenal fatigue or something from drinking + exercising like i was 20 again. I would drink all day Sat then run 4-5 miles to "sweat it out" and that may have bit me. Okay, off the lecture...

From experience, you really need to cut down to two days per week, preferably one for most weeks. I went from a 6 pack (of beer not abs lol) 6-7 x/wk to 3x, then 2x. I started at 220 and got down to 165 but had to do some extreme cardio and limit beer to 1 night. Extremely difficult to go less than 1 day/wk so i like to run some 5Ks on Sat. It keeps me from drinking on Fri nights. I could undo all my accomplishments in 3 days of drinking so dont get caught in the cycle I was in for a while. I still lost alot of weight but i only got so far down in the waist which boiled down to the beer + age, i am 42.

bookgirl_72

It's not the best thing to do for your diet, but there's no reason you have to give it up. Input your calories at the beginning of the day and carefully calculate how many beers you can have and still stay in your calorie deficit. You may want to exercise a bit more those days to increase the number. Also, remember that alcohol will dehydrate you so be sure to drink plenty of water the day of and the day following drinking.

Cheers!

GeorgeRyan

Thanks for the input. I know I have to cut down on the beer.

mklassy123

I agree with the poster who said to cut out the light beer and go with the "real stuff". If I drink twice as much light beer as the regular beer, I end up with more than twice the calories but not more than twice the buzz. Three "real" beers and I'm as happy as a clam. 7 light beers (not that I would drink that much, because I can't - or maybe I can) just makes me have to run to the bathroom non stop, tastes like beer flavored water, does nothing for me, etc...

Try having a glass of water for every beer - you will drink less alcohol and the water will help in oh so many ways.

efirkey

The first time I tried to lose weight all I did was count calories. I aimed for between 2000 and 2300 calories a day and I allowed myself up to 2 beers a day. Granted I was in my 20s but I had no problem losing weight.

The problem I see with what you are doing is that on the days you are drinking half of your calories come from beer. That can't be healthy. I think you should cut back a little bit on the beer and up your calories some and make sure you eat plenty of vegetables and some protein.

efirkey

I also agree with getting rid of the light beer. Light beer doesn't get you buzzed and it doesn't taste very good...why bother. You might as well drink lemonade

mfpcopine

If I'm not going overboard with the calories, a few Amstel Lights some weeks aren't a problem. I really like Amstel Light, it's satisfying and has a clean taste. Over the holidays, I was drinking wine and sherry. Many more calories.

tisha_rae

I can't say how bad it is....but I LOVE it too, and have the same issue.

I've cut it out of my diet Monday - Friday if I go out I stick to water.

On the weekends I've started to drink a glass of water in between beers, it's helped me to cut down some!

Good Luck!

Brenna

DO NOT JUDGE ME.... Got it???:drinker:

But, back in college - I did like to go out and have a few beers (shocker). I also did WW, so I wanted to keep my calories low, yet get the enjoyment of a buzz while drinking...

My BF then, now husband, created me a spreadsheet (such an engineer!) that we named "Beer Bang for your Buck" - meaning, a balance of calories to % alcohol, so that I could maximize my calories.

I don't know how to attach the full sheet, but here is the top performers in the Beer Bang for your Buck. The beers listed is only a select few that a website had posted back in, my guess, 2007.

The format is really bad in this forum, but the list is in order of Score from highest to lowest for the top 10% of beers.

Brand/Brewer (Country) % Alcohol Calories/12 oz % Alcohol/ Calories per 12 oz Relative Score
Utica Club Pilsener Lager Beer West End (USA) 4.82 95.85 0.0503 100%
Milwaukee's Best Light 4.5 98 0.0459 91%
Rheingold Extra Light Beer Rheingold (USA) 4.32 95.85 0.0451 90%
Anheuser Busch Natural Light 4.2 95 0.0442 88%
Miller Lite 4.2 96 0.0438 87%
Aspen Edge 4.1 94 0.0436 87%
Budweiser Select 4.3 99 0.0434 86%
Michelob Ultra 4.1 95 0.0432 86%
Nordik Wolf Light Imported Beer A.B. Pripps Bryggerier (Sweden) 4.7 110.05 0.0427 85%
Thos Cooper & Sons Naturally Brewed Real Ale Cooper & Sons (Australia) 6.77 159.75 0.0424 84%
Keystone Ice 5.9 143 0.0413 82%
Coors Light 4.2 102 0.0412 82%
Milwaukee's Best Ice 5.9 144 0.0410 81%
Keystone Premium 4.4 108 0.0407 81%
Keystone Light 4.2 104 0.0404 80%
Leinenkugel Light 4.19 105 0.0399 79%
Amstel Light Bier Amstel Brouwerij B.V. (Holland) 3.96 99.4 0.0398 79%
Stroh's Light 4.4 113 0.0389 77%
Yuengling Light 3.8 98 0.0388 77%
Harfenrefrer Private Stock Malt Llquor Narragansett (USA) 6.87 177.5 0.0387 77%

stephdeeable

Swap the 7-10 light beers for 3-5 Canadian beers and you'll be fine. :happy:

wisconsinboogie

Advise from a bar owner and someone who has drank my share of beer in my day, I have alot of male friends, and when they quit drinking beer on a regular basis, meaning several a day, or get off beer all together, they loose wt. and I mean wt!!!

Danni1585

I love my wine, I have cut it down but still enjoy it. I have done lts of exercise today so I am not going to feel guilty tonight about going to the pub. Add me if you want a drinking buddy

mckramer1999

a lite beer has approximately 96 calories.

7-10 lite beers 1x per week = 672 - 960 calories
7-10 lite beers 2x per week = 1344 - 1920 calories
7-10 lite beers 3x per week = 2016 - 2880 calories

Theoretically there are 3500 calories in a pound.

Therefore; I could argue that if you just give up drinking beer and make no other changes to your life, you could lose up to 3.3 pounds per month. [(2880 x 4)/3500 = 3.30]

Keep that in mind when you are out drinking. It will help you slow your pace.

I also agree with the suggestion that you have a glass of water between each drink.

Good luck.

P.S. I totally am not giving up drinking either. I'm just trying to keep it to 1 day per week max.

mfpcopine

a lite beer has approximately 96 calories.

7-10 lite beers 1x per week = 672 - 960 calories
7-10 lite beers 2x per week = 1344 - 1920 calories
7-10 lite beers 3x per week = 2016 - 2880 calories

Theoretically there are 3500 calories in a pound.

Therefore; I could argue that if you just give up drinking beer and make no other changes to your life, you could lose up to 3.3 pounds per month. [(2880 x 4)/3500 = 3.30]

Keep that in mind when you are out drinking. It will help you slow your pace.

I also agree with the suggestion that you have a glass of water between each drink.

Good luck.

P.S. I totally am not giving up drinking either. I'm just trying to keep it to 1 day per week max.

7 to 10 light beers in a single night? I'd be dead. :laugh:

RonnieLodge

How bad is the beer drinking?

Pretty bad. But I hate beer as it is full of empty cals, very little alcohol and makes me bloated and gassy. I prefer spirits.

If you want to drop some weight and lose the beer gut, switch to drinking spirits, either on the rocks or with low calorie/diet mixers.

Cut out the beer and you will be less bloated around the tummy in matter of days.

songbirdtree

So you're saying sometimes 30 light beers per week? I would guess you might lose some water weight but you're not going to burn fat unless you nourish your body and minimize junk like beer... If you're going to drink, I'd stick to something with less carbs like vodka & club soda. Yeah, it's definitely not as good as beer, but I've found if I don't like the taste of the drink as much, I tend to sip it a lot slower. Good luck!

juanatere

I agree with most. Go with the hard stuff and a diet soda..less calories, more bang for the buck. I mean that is what we really drink for..right? I have gin with diet 7up and account for it when I log my calories for the day. And I drink lots of water.

melbatoast917

DO NOT JUDGE ME.... Got it???:drinker:

But, back in college - I did like to go out and have a few beers (shocker). I also did WW, so I wanted to keep my calories low, yet get the enjoyment of a buzz while drinking...

My BF then, now husband, created me a spreadsheet (such an engineer!) that we named "Beer Bang for your Buck" - meaning, a balance of calories to % alcohol, so that I could maximize my calories.

I don't know how to attach the full sheet, but here is the top performers in the Beer Bang for your Buck. The beers listed is only a select few that a website had posted back in, my guess, 2007.

The format is really bad in this forum, but the list is in order of Score from highest to lowest for the top 10% of beers.

Brand/Brewer (Country) % Alcohol Calories/12 oz % Alcohol/ Calories per 12 oz Relative Score
Utica Club Pilsener Lager Beer West End (USA) 4.82 95.85 0.0503 100%
Milwaukee's Best Light 4.5 98 0.0459 91%
Rheingold Extra Light Beer Rheingold (USA) 4.32 95.85 0.0451 90%
Anheuser Busch Natural Light 4.2 95 0.0442 88%
Miller Lite 4.2 96 0.0438 87%
Aspen Edge 4.1 94 0.0436 87%
Budweiser Select 4.3 99 0.0434 86%
Michelob Ultra 4.1 95 0.0432 86%
Nordik Wolf Light Imported Beer A.B. Pripps Bryggerier (Sweden) 4.7 110.05 0.0427 85%
Thos Cooper & Sons Naturally Brewed Real Ale Cooper & Sons (Australia) 6.77 159.75 0.0424 84%
Keystone Ice 5.9 143 0.0413 82%
Coors Light 4.2 102 0.0412 82%
Milwaukee's Best Ice 5.9 144 0.0410 81%
Keystone Premium 4.4 108 0.0407 81%
Keystone Light 4.2 104 0.0404 80%
Leinenkugel Light 4.19 105 0.0399 79%
Amstel Light Bier Amstel Brouwerij B.V. (Holland) 3.96 99.4 0.0398 79%
Stroh's Light 4.4 113 0.0389 77%
Yuengling Light 3.8 98 0.0388 77%
Harfenrefrer Private Stock Malt Llquor Narragansett (USA) 6.87 177.5 0.0387 77%

You are a gd genius.

_mch_

I've got a similar problem, but I think it's a bit worse then anyone shared here... I LOVE beer. I'm one of those people that believes that "beer will save the World" I love European and craft beers. The beers I drink contain anywhere form 150 to 200 calories. I average 3-4 bottles a night. Last night I had 6... yea, I know... I had a break for a few days and suddenly went awry I can survive a month without a beer (done that), but I will not be a happy camper. At all.

I'm 5' 8" and my highest weight was 204lbs. Right now I'm doing only cardio - 60 minutes on elliptical trainer, daily. I'm exercising very hard, changing levels laterally up and down during the whole exercise. When I'm done, my clothing is dripping sweat, even my socks are wet. If trust the elliptical trainer (I have my doubts), I cover over 8 miles, with heart rate between 180-190 and burn 1100-1120 calories. The measurements are probably close, since my wife burns about 600 calories on the same machine, and she is super thin (takes Zumba classes). My lifestyle is pretty sedentary - work keeps me 8-14 hours in front of a computer + I drink beer pretty much every night. My diet was terrible for awhile - didn't eat breakfast, missed launches, ate something at home for dinner, drank beers, and had cookies and milk before going to bed (hello Santa!).

I've been exercising for over 2 months now. I think my metabolism is back in the norm - I eat breakfast at 7, snack (yogurt) at 10, lunch at 12 (home made), gym 4:30-5:30, dinner around 7. I feel hungry now most of the day (especially after gym), which I haven't felt in the long time. A few days ago I had my weight change in the right direction (for the first time) - the scale showed 3lbs less + I moved up 2 notches on my belt. Finally!

But I still have to tame the "beer beast" in me. I'm counting my beers toward the daily calories (keep track in the diary), but I really need to get a grip and cut down on weekly consumption. One thing I will definitely try - drink a glass of water in between. I think this should help a lot.

SteveJWatson

If you want a pint, have a pint. Don't drink weird pisswater in an effort to be 'healthy'. Log it, is all and accept that some days you will go over your cals.

auddii

I agree with the poster who said to cut out the light beer and go with the "real stuff". If I drink twice as much light beer as the regular beer, I end up with more than twice the calories but not more than twice the buzz. Three "real" beers and I'm as happy as a clam. 7 light beers (not that I would drink that much, because I can't - or maybe I can) just makes me have to run to the bathroom non stop, tastes like beer flavored water, does nothing for me, etc...

Try having a glass of water for every beer - you will drink less alcohol and the water will help in oh so many ways.

Yup, my brother used to down a case of the light beer at a time. I finally got him on craft beer, and he's backed way off. Quality over quantity. Had a wonderful imperial stout last night...

langsyne

Swap the 7-10 light beers for 3-5 Canadian beers and you'll be fine. :happy:

This!!!

mattagascar

First...drink some quality beers and you won't need 7-10 of them. Second, if you must drink...budget the calories. Third...for the love of God drink good beer.

louisel809

Beeeeeer! Ale is the best!! Inns and gunn if you can ever get it!!

grace173

3 letters for you IPA. You don't drink half as much cals because they are so strong and you don't really want to drink as many because they are so strong.