Need a good substitute for beer

24

Replies

  • DSTMT
    DSTMT Posts: 417 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.

    Thanks for the links! That'll come in handy. I agree I do try and make it fit, but at five feet tall and 127 lbs I'm working with less calories to begin with even after lifting/cardio lol not that it's impossible, but it takes some planning.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 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.

    not a bad idea-I shifted one time for alcohol ONLY on the weekends- I did not limit it- if I wanted 5 I could have 5- if I had none- I had none (i'm not a regular drinker anyway) but no booze Sunday through Thursday. It became a habit- now I will have a glass of wine with dinner when BF and I go out once a week- maybe (not always) and then on Saturday night I'll have a beer.

    I also simply cannot drink as much after shifting into this habit- 2 beers and I'm done- so at home- I only drink 1- the second one I rarely finish- I'll finish it if I'm OUT because I paid more for it- but at home- I just have one. I'm such a light weight LOL- that being said- much cheaper!
  • oniwolf382
    oniwolf382 Posts: 39
    check out getdrunknotfat.com
    or .net.. don't remember.
  • MeredithLee11
    MeredithLee11 Posts: 192 Member
    As a big beer drinker, I agree with a lot of the above.
    Seltzer has become one of my go-to beverages. The fizz is refreshing, and it comes in a lot of fun natural flavors… I haven't found beer-flavored yet though.
    Also, please read this - http://banoosh.com/blog/2014/04/03/8-beers-stop-drinking-immediately/
    Drink a really good, strong flavored beer so you can savor it and make it last longer.

    Really, what it comes down to is getting your will-power in check. And you can do that! :) Have a beer with dinner then immediately brush your teeth. Or go to the gym right after work so you have less time to drink some calories that you can eat back (win all-around!)

    Good luck! Hope that's helpful.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
    M64 = 64 calories per can

    And it is nearly impossible to get drunk off of.

    It also tastes like urine.
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 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

    I kinda want to try this..... but I will not use my "good" wine for it. Might pick up a cheap bottle and give it a go! Especially in the summer when weekends tend to start drinking as early as 2..... because my family likes wine. Though if they saw me ruin wine I'd be kicked out of the family
  • suncluster
    suncluster Posts: 539 Member
    My husband is a brewer and there is always beer on tap at my house. Add in the 420 and you can figure out why I ended up at MFP. But I still will continue because I LOVE them both. There is no substitute you just have to fit it in. Workout harder and drink smaller pours :drinker:
  • trybefan
    trybefan Posts: 488 Member
    Substitute...?!?!? Blasphemy!

    I found myself doing the same thing. Honestly, I had to back off even on the lighter stuff because it was adding too many excessive calories and adding to the weight gain. I just try and enjoy an IPA or 3 every other weekend.

    Something that helped me to back off was a 30 day no alcohol challenge.
  • trybefan
    trybefan Posts: 488 Member
    My husband is a brewer and there is always beer on tap at my house. Add in the 420 and you can figure out why I ended up at MFP. But I still will continue because I LOVE them both. There is no substitute you just have to fit it in. Workout harder and drink smaller pours :drinker:

    Now you tell me, hope there is room for me, here I come!!!!!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    M64 = 64 calories per can

    And it is nearly impossible to get drunk off of.

    It also tastes like urine.

    Yeah- I would rather give up drinking than drink Miller Lite.

    Seriously- it's ratpizz
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 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.

    i hear you. when I still love the taste of beer myself. generally don't have it unless at a family party, but there are lots of reasons for that.

    I would suggest that you take the IIFMM approach as i do with candy and just make sure it fits into your overall profile.

    if its really got nothing to do with intoxication then that should be pretty do able, you'll just have to restrain yourself as if you were me opening a bag of pretzels or whatever.

    in the end this is far more sustainable then seeking out a lesser substitute that only 'kind of' hits the spot.
  • ModoVincere
    ModoVincere Posts: 530 Member
    M64 = 64 calories per can

    And it is nearly impossible to get drunk off of.

    It also tastes like urine.
    so it's like all the other american beers?
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
    M64 = 64 calories per can

    And it is nearly impossible to get drunk off of.

    It also tastes like urine.
    so it's like all the other domestic beers?

    FIFY.
  • SuzyLy
    SuzyLy Posts: 133 Member
    I don't think there is a good substitute, but I've cut my wine with seltzer. I measure the wine, put half in a glass, add the seltzer and have two for the calories of one. It works with me.
  • CaitlinW19
    CaitlinW19 Posts: 431 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.

    These are styles, not brands. Just fyi so you don't feel silly when you ask for them. And yes, Guinness is a good lower calorie option. The lower the abv generally the lower the calories. ABV is often listed on the beer menu as well. There are plenty of other options out there besides Guinness for lower calorie that aren't crap beer. I'm often surprised by the beers in the MFP database. Shop around and scan some bar codes. Try some new things.
  • lizzardsm
    lizzardsm Posts: 271 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.

    i hear you. when I still love the taste of beer myself. generally don't have it unless at a family party, but there are lots of reasons for that.

    I would suggest that you take the IIFMM approach as i do with candy and just make sure it fits into your overall profile.

    if its really got nothing to do with intoxication then that should be pretty do able, you'll just have to restrain yourself as if you were me opening a bag of pretzels or whatever.

    in the end this is far more sustainable then seeking out a lesser substitute that only 'kind of' hits the spot.

    definitely this. quality over quantity. :) maybe better, more expensive beers will help curb the amount you drink as well.

    lots of really good suggestions to choose from.
  • RozayJones
    RozayJones Posts: 409 Member
    vodka and tonic water with lime - refreshing and unelss you are trying to get sloshed then one is plenty for a craving.
  • scraver2003
    scraver2003 Posts: 526 Member
    Mmmm... beer. We have a dual tap kegorator. Mmmmm... beer. I try to limit myself to only a couple nights a week. (I do not always reach this goal.)

    On nights I do not partake in beer or wine or rum or vodka or... Well - I do 12 oz. of seltzer and 2 oz of cranberry juice. I love the bubbles. Seltzer in wine is also yummy. I also cut my mixers with seltzer so my mixed drinks have less calories.

    Life is too short for swill. Drink good beer.
  • DSTMT
    DSTMT Posts: 417 Member
    Definitely lots of good suggestions, thanks again everyone, I really appreciate it! And :blushing: thanks for clearing up the brand/style mistake, that would have been embarrassing lol clearly I need to get out more.
  • IPAkiller
    IPAkiller Posts: 711 Member
    2013-07-08-vaportini.jpg
  • Loz220662
    Loz220662 Posts: 58 Member
    What I do is a large fizzy diet drink, as quickly possible. This bloats me out so I have trouble drinking beer on top and slows me right down for a hour or so, repeat carry on! or as a alternative Strong lemon or lime cordial with water, the strong taste gets rid of the craving for me.
  • The_Aly_Wei
    The_Aly_Wei Posts: 844 Member
    M64 = 64 calories per can

    And it is nearly impossible to get drunk off of.

    It also tastes like urine.
    so it's like all the other domestic beers?

    FIFY.

    Yes, just like all other light domestic beers.
  • BillRicks1
    BillRicks1 Posts: 473 Member
    Bourbon and water. Sometimes ice.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member

    Also, please read this - http://banoosh.com/blog/2014/04/03/8-beers-stop-drinking-immediately/

    No - please don't!!!

    Fish bladder is isinglass - a fining that has been used in beer for centuries. It helps settle out the yeast to the bottom of the fermentor, and the beer is then racked off, leaving the yeast + isinglass behind.

    Caramel has colors from the melanoidin reaction. Sugars plus amino groups from protein. The color of the grain used to make EVERY beer comes from the kilning/roasting process, which produces melanoidins. Any time you brown a piece of meat or onions, you are producing melanoidins. All the caramel color used in Newcastle Brown is is a concentrated form of this same thing, so they can add just the right amount to get exactly the color they want without the bitterness that comes from using the grains directly. I've used Sinamar in my homebrews for this that is essentially concentrated wort.

    Propylene glycol is used to chill beer. In a cooling jacket. It doesn't go into the beer itself.

    The rest is simply an anti-GMO screed with no scientific understanding whatsoever. I mean, what the hell is "GMO Dextrose"? GMO means genetically modified organism, and dextrose is just another name for glucose. Any sugar (or high fructose corn syrup, which is a mix of glucose and fructose) is going to be turned to alcohol by the yeast.

    Don't drink those beers (except the Guinness) because they are BAD beers. Don't not drink them because of a bad blog article.
  • jkowula
    jkowula Posts: 447

    Also, please read this - http://banoosh.com/blog/2014/04/03/8-beers-stop-drinking-immediately/

    No - please don't!!!

    Fish bladder is isinglass - a fining that has been used in beer for centuries. It helps settle out the yeast to the bottom of the fermentor, and the beer is then racked off, leaving the yeast + isinglass behind.

    Caramel has colors from the melanoidin reaction. Sugars plus amino groups from protein. The color of the grain used to make EVERY beer comes from the kilning/roasting process, which produces melanoidins. Any time you brown a piece of meat or onions, you are producing melanoidins. All the caramel color used in Newcastle Brown is is a concentrated form of this same thing, so they can add just the right amount to get exactly the color they want without the bitterness that comes from using the grains directly. I've used Sinamar in my homebrews for this that is essentially concentrated wort.

    Propylene glycol is used to chill beer. In a cooling jacket. It doesn't go into the beer itself.

    The rest is simply an anti-GMO screed with no scientific understanding whatsoever. I mean, what the hell is "GMO Dextrose"? GMO means genetically modified organism, and dextrose is just another name for glucose. Any sugar (or high fructose corn syrup, which is a mix of glucose and fructose) is going to be turned to alcohol by the yeast.

    Don't drink those beers (except the Guinness) because they are BAD beers. Don't not drink them because of a bad blog article.

    Nothing.. and I mean NOTHING, could stop me from drinking beer!
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    M64 = 64 calories per can

    And it is nearly impossible to get drunk off of.

    It also tastes like urine.
    so it's like all the other american beers?

    Be careful, your provincialism is showing.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    M64 = 64 calories per can

    And it is nearly impossible to get drunk off of.

    It also tastes like urine.
    so it's like all the other domestic beers?

    FIFY.

    Yes, just like all other light domestic beers.

    Geez, I had no idea so many people had tasted urine :noway: :sick:
  • FatOldManMN
    FatOldManMN Posts: 1,116 Member
    Join AA
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    I treated myself to a fancy coffee maker and a nice range of different coffees. All the taste, the feeling of having a treat and none of the calories!
  • mgibbons22
    mgibbons22 Posts: 69 Member
    I successfully substituted eight seltzer water (carbonated water) a day for eight beers a day. What I did obviously was replace the habit of cracking open and consuming a twelve ounce can of a carbonated beverage; this wouldn't work for an alcoholic (not implying you are one, as you stated it's not about the alcohol). Now I only have two or three seltzer waters a day. I drink about three cans of Guinness a week now.

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