craft beer festival -- help

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my boyfriend is taking me to a craft beer festival next weekend & i am really, really worried about weight gain.

personally, i don't *actually* want to go, but i know he is so excited about it & spent a lot of money on our tickets. if i opted out of going, so would he & i don't want to make him miss something he has been so excited about for a few months.

...& because the tickets were expensive, i don't feel like i can go but not participate. i think that would be a pretty *kitten* (excuse my language) move on my behalf.

any pointers / tips / advice about drinking beer & keeping the weight away (or any advice regarding whatever you seem fit about this topic) would be helpful.

Replies

  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
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    My gf is my designated driver for Beer Fests...

    You probably won't be able to accurately log, so I'd say either make an estimate and just go with that, or just pretend it never happened. One day isn't going to ruin all your efforts (it didn't take you one day to get fat; it doesn't take one day to lose it). Just go, have fun, and start up again the next day.

    Oh - do hydrate well before hand, and remember to eat! Maybe eat before you go, so you aren't tempted by whatever they are selling there?
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    Can you share the beers so you can taste them without drinking the whole thing? That sounds like a fun event. I hope you can enjoy it.

    My husband bought tickets to a wine tasting once and then we found out I was pregnant. I tried the food and he drank for 2. I think you will find something that will work.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    My gf is my designated driver for Beer Fests...

    You probably won't be able to accurately log, so I'd say either make an estimate and just go with that, or just pretend it never happened. One day isn't going to ruin all your efforts (it didn't take you one day to get fat; it doesn't take one day to lose it). Just go, have fun, and start up again the next day.

    Oh - do hydrate well before hand, and remember to eat! Maybe eat before you go, so you aren't tempted by whatever they are selling there?

    All of this. And have fun!
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    I live in coastal Oregon, and like a craft beer from one of the local breweries, so I just tally the caloric amount in to my day.....Yep bring a huge container of water, put some sliced cucumbers in it, and lemon slices.....you will hydrate, and have snacks to munch on.
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
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    It's just one day. Allow yourself to enjoy it. I think you will be surprised about how much weight you don't gain from this. I ate over half a large pizza by myself Saturday and drank about 4 beers too many. I felt like the biggest pig in the world all day Sunday, but when I weighed on Monday I was the same as the previous week.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    I LOVE craft beer fests!

    A few tips:
    • Bring your own tasting glass. Preferably one with volume in ounces or millilitres marked off on a line on the glass.
    • 16 one-ounce tastings = 1 pint of beer. Which, all things considered, is really not so bad, at only about 200 calories. You can easily fit that into a food plan just by eating less other stuff that day.
    • If they pour 2oz tasters (as most festivals do), share each tasting with your boyfriend so you can taste twice as many beers each for the same amount of money/coupons.
    • Cleanse your palate with a glass of water in between each beer you taste.
    • The temptations of food stalls and trucks can almost be worse than the beer temptations at a festival. Stick to one or two things and stop eating when you're full.
    • If it's an outdoor festival, just enjoy the day! Walk around, listen to some music, dance, check out the craft tables and non-food stuff, take photos, whatever.
    • Check in your beers that you taste on a beer tasting app like Untappd -- not only will it help you remember which ones you liked, but you'll also keep better track of how many you tasted so you can log them on MFP later.

    Enjoy!!! :D
  • WillLift4Tats
    WillLift4Tats Posts: 1,699 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Listen, it's one day, and it sounds like your boyfriend is really looking forward to it. Go, have fun, taste many beers, and hop back on the wagon the next day. It's seriously only one day, and won't be but a drop in the bucket in terms of your long-term goals.

    What festival is it? I just went to Untapped, and no, I didn't hold back, didn't log, and didn't weigh myself the next day. I enjoyed, and it. was. AWESOME!! I went back to my regular routine, and I'm betting by the time I step on the scale next week, I'll either have maintained or even lost.

    ETA: Boyfriend is very different than brother...I swear I can read!
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    Same - my friend is actually holding a craft beer tasting for her bday this weekend, so I'm just gonna burn off some calories in the morning and drink 'em back up in the evening!
  • rgauthier20420
    rgauthier20420 Posts: 52 Member
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    sofaking6 wrote: »
    Same - my friend is actually holding a craft beer tasting for her bday this weekend, so I'm just gonna burn off some calories in the morning and drink 'em back up in the evening!

    This was my exact thought. It actually shouldn't be tough to figure a round number of calories you drink. Most beer fests serve either a 2 oz or 4 oz pour and give an allotted amount of tickets. Simply multiply them together for however many samples you have and add it with some generic craft beer found on MFP. I'd pick a stout just to be on the higher side of the count ;)

    I'd just run an extra 45 minutes to an hours to allow for what I'm gonna drink though. I don't believe dieting is about cutting off things you enjoy eating or drinking.

  • ajravanos
    ajravanos Posts: 40 Member
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    thanks everyone!
    for the most part, i'm not a beer drinker, so i especially don't know anything about beer festivals. it didn't even cross my mind that the tastings would be somewhat small.
    with that in mind, i'm not worried about it anymore.
    for some stupid reason (which honestly doesn't make any sense now that i think about it), i assumed i'd be drinking full bottles of beer all day (i know, i know...) & that had me "freaking out" a little. haha

    anyway, thanks again! i'll go enjoy myself & figure out the calorie logging later.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    ajravanos wrote: »
    thanks everyone!
    for the most part, i'm not a beer drinker, so i especially don't know anything about beer festivals. it didn't even cross my mind that the tastings would be somewhat small.
    with that in mind, i'm not worried about it anymore.
    for some stupid reason (which honestly doesn't make any sense now that i think about it), i assumed i'd be drinking full bottles of beer all day (i know, i know...) & that had me "freaking out" a little. haha

    anyway, thanks again! i'll go enjoy myself & figure out the calorie logging later.

    Well I'll be drinking full bottles so now I'm freaked out lol ;)