Need a good substitute for beer

DSTMT
DSTMT Posts: 417 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I need suggestions...here's my problem: every night after I work out, I end up massively craving a beer (or occasionally a glass of wine), so I have one, and then one turns in to two, or three, or four lol. It's not about the alcohol, I don't even particularly like the feeling of being intoxicated, I just looove the taste of beer and wine and once I start I lose all willpower.

I know the obvious thing would be to just not buy it, but my husband also likes beer and wine, and I'm not gonna tell him he can't have it because I'm weak-willed, haha. So here's my question. Does anyone have any suggestions for a tasty substitute for booze that would be as satisfying and not cause me to go over my calorie limit every night? I have tried near-beer, but blech lol. Even a particular kind of tea or something, I don't know, I just really need some ideas! :drinker:
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Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,261 Member
    Sorry, there absolutely are no substitutes.........
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Agreed, no substitutes.

    Don't drink near beer. Instead seek out lower-calorie styles. I find that often a single bottle of a well-made, lower-gravity beer is just as satisfying as something heftier. Some examples would be:
    - Maerzen (sorry don't know how to umlaut)
    - Vienna lager
    - Milk stout
    - Bitter
    - "Session IPA"
    - Hefeweizen
    - Koelsch

    Rule of thumb: for a 12 ounce pour, calories = alcohol by volume x 30. So for 4% abv, that's 120 calories.
  • kimmymayhall
    kimmymayhall Posts: 419 Member
    My friend who doesn't drink alcohol has sparkling or tonic water (flavored or unflavored) or a low sugar soda when he wants to drink something special. But I don't think those are really substitutes for beer or wine. Figure out how much of your chosen beverage you can fit into your calorie goal and just drink that. Drink something you like, drink it slowly, and let yourself enjoy it. Put the bottle away until next time. An extra glass here or there won't do much harm, but it does add up over time.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Sorry, there absolutely are no substitutes.........

    this.
  • DSTMT
    DSTMT Posts: 417 Member
    Agreed, no substitutes.

    Don't drink near beer. Instead seek out lower-calorie styles. I find that often a single bottle of a well-made, lower-gravity beer is just as satisfying as something heftier. Some examples would be:
    - Maerzen (sorry don't know how to umlaut)
    - Vienna lager
    - Milk stout
    - Bitter
    - "Session IPA"
    - Hefeweizen
    - Koelsch

    Rule of thumb: for a 12 ounce pour, calories = alcohol by volume x 30. So for 4% abv, that's 120 calories.

    Good suggestions, thanks! I don't think I've ever tried any of those brands, I'm going to have to make a list for my next trip to the beer store, haha. I believe that Guinness is relatively low-calorie compared to some but it's so expensive, I usually drink Maclay's, which is cheap but goes down WAY too easy.
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    resize.php?name=LzM3OC9CZWVyLUdvZC1pcy1zaG93aW5nLXlvdS10aGUtd2F5LTUxMDhkYjQ4MGViM2YuanBn&w=550&h=9999&extension=.jpg
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Well, when I saw the topic I was going to repsond with: Wine

    Then I read the post. I still say wine, because it's a better calorie bargain IMO. I reserve beer for ball games and nachos because that stuff is just too many calories.

    You might check out some of the utlra light beers. I have started drinking Bud Select 55 when I throw darts. I'm not going to lie. It is not great. It tastes like light beer mixed with water. But it is low calorie and allows me to drink through all the games without getting too intoxicated to throw or getting fat or having a hangover the next morning. Not a bad trade really.
  • DSTMT
    DSTMT Posts: 417 Member
    I agree, wine is probably the better choice, it's just if I have both in the house I always choose the beer lol. I've tried Michelob Ultra and that wasn't too bad, yeah maybe I just need to take the time to investigate some lighter options instead of always defaulting to Maclays. It's not super high calorie, but it's definitely not low-calorie either. And when I have friends over I can drink like 7 or 8 in a night, so it definitely adds up.

    A while ago my husband brought home some seasonal beer, one called urBock and one called Lowenbrau and they were delicious so I had a whole bunch of them, and then I discovered after the fact that the urBocks were about 180 calories a can, and the Lowenbrau was something like 230 calories a can! I was horrified because in one night I'd had two of each :laugh:
  • DSTMT
    DSTMT Posts: 417 Member
    Well thanks to those who replied, much appreciated! Also I'm totally stealing that picture of the beer store rainbow lol.
  • meltedsno
    meltedsno Posts: 208 Member
    so here is what I do: I like a good glass or two or three of wine... but I've taken to mixing my 5oz serving of wine with diet Sierra Mist... can have a very tall glass full or two or three :-).... seriously, this is very refreshing. I know there are people who will chastise diluting a good glass of wine, but so be it... it works for me and fwiw, I drink wine out of a box... 90 calories per serving fits nicely into my allotment for the day. I have a "special" glass I drink out of that has a picture on the front, so I know exactly where 5 oz lines up at....

    this works for and saves a ton of calories I can use elsewhere
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    weed
  • DSTMT
    DSTMT Posts: 417 Member
    I don't know if I've ever heard of Sierra Mist, but I see what you're saying...we make our own wine so I'm not worried about preserving the quality so much, haha. Good idea, maybe I'll try that!
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    If you are drinking Light beer and near beer, try good beer instead.
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    Guinness - on tap or a can in North America it is only 4.5% and lower carbs than most light beers. It's also filling so you want less.

    Unless you are me, in which case you make beer a separate food group and log it as such. (It is it's own macro....)

    cheers

    :drinker:
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    Along those lines....wine spritzers? Your wine of choice + club soda (or flavoured Perrier etc) + twist of citrus? They're not for everyone but it's an easy way to cut down the calories and they're refreshing in the summer.

    We make tinto de verano all the time with red wine and diet lemon-lime soda too.

    And crappy beer + diet lemonade makes a drinkable shandy, too.
  • DSTMT
    DSTMT Posts: 417 Member
    weed

    Also a fan of that, but again with booze it's not so much the intoxication I'm going for, it's more the taste that I crave. I can resist chocolate, candy, chips etc but beer is my weakness. Weed is good for lots of other things though lol.
  • mrsfyredude
    mrsfyredude Posts: 177 Member
    resize.php?name=LzM3OC9CZWVyLUdvZC1pcy1zaG93aW5nLXlvdS10aGUtd2F5LTUxMDhkYjQ4MGViM2YuanBn&w=550&h=9999&extension=.jpg

    LOL! Nice!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Guinness - on tap or a can in North America it is only 4.5% and lower carbs than most light beers. It's also filling so you want less.

    Unless you are me, in which case you make beer a separate food group and log it as such. (It is it's own macro....)

    cheers

    :drinker:

    Guinness is a great choice.

    I also like wine - wasn't sure it was an option for you- I'm a fan though.
  • BonecrusherBrews
    BonecrusherBrews Posts: 131 Member
    Agreed - There is no substitute. Just cut back. That's what this whole fitness/healthy lifestyle is all about anyway... discipline.

    - stop at 1 beer (or 2 if you're celebrating something)
    - get out of bed to go to the gym
    - push out 1 more rep when you're body is screaming "No!"
    - don't have seconds on cake (sometimes, don't have firsts)

    That kind of stuff. Discipline.
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    Change your routine.

    My husband and I were in the habit of having a bottle of wine (or 2) pretty much every night during the week. 5 o'clock was deemed "Wine O'Clock". We took a month were we said absolutely NO drinking and the first week was a little tough when 5 o'clock rolled around but after a while I started doing something else -- writing, making dinner, things like that -- and the next thing I knew five o'clock came and went and I didn't want a drink.

    Now occasionally we will have wine during the week -- ONE night -- but for the most part our drinking is relegated to Friday and Saturday nights only. Now I look forward to relaxing with a glass of wine at the end of the week. It's back to being a treat.
  • DSTMT
    DSTMT Posts: 417 Member
    If you are drinking Light beer and near beer, try good beer instead.

    haha no I bought a case of near beer once from the grocery store just to see if it would be an acceptable substitute, and it definitely was not. The beer I generally drink is just a standard 5% pale ale variety and quite tasty, but it's about 120 calories a bottle, not terrible by any means but not light either. I was just thinking I might look into lower calorie beers as was suggested if it comes down to it, as other people have said, there really is no substitute.
  • jessilyn76
    jessilyn76 Posts: 532 Member
    beer
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    I have beer. I just make it fit. If I want more beer, I workout more.

    Mmm... beer.

    getdrunknotfat.com is a decent resource. I think ratebeer has calorie estimates.

    I use:
    http://www.simplybeer.com/how-many-calories-are-in-my-beer/

    because I drink big beer. Just a little math, and boom.. you can figure out with relative accuracy how many calories are in your beer.
  • jessilyn76
    jessilyn76 Posts: 532 Member
    weed

    preach
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    Guinness - on tap or a can in North America it is only 4.5% and lower carbs than most light beers. It's also filling so you want less.

    Unless you are me, in which case you make beer a separate food group and log it as such. (It is it's own macro....)

    cheers

    :drinker:

    +1 on the Guinness
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    Jack Daniels
  • The_Aly_Wei
    The_Aly_Wei Posts: 844 Member
    M64 = 64 calories per can

    And it is nearly impossible to get drunk off of.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    Homer-beer.gif

    more beer
  • lizzardsm
    lizzardsm Posts: 271 Member
    Slow down your drinking. Sip it - don't gulp. Try to really focus on the taste in each sip. Then switch to water after your allotted beer.

    I could easily eat a box of chocolates in 1 sitting but I've learned to stretch out 1 chocolate truffle for a while. It's become *almost* as satisfying. ;)

    Alternatively, you could just factor in 3 or 4 beers every day into your calories/macros.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    Ee3Gqws.gif

    this guy has it down

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