I guess I gotta stop drinking beer if I want to lose weight?

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gostumpy
gostumpy Posts: 156 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is a real sore spot for me... I can log all I want, and am pretty good for the week, some days over, some days under...

BUT

If I include all the beer I drink, I will be over for the week by thousands of calories.. Most nights I have 1-2 beers, but at least one night per week I have 5-7 beers... playing darts, playing poker, etc... the 'Boys Night'. If I include the beer in my daily totals, I don't have any room for food!

I haven't been able to lose weight and I think this might be why :(
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Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Work it into your calories and log it! You don't have to give up beer to lose weight. The overage in calories is why you aren't losing, not the beer itself. Maybe cut back if you have no room for food though. Moderation.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    No. You can still drink beer and lose weight, just make sure you are in a caloric deficit and it'll be fine :D
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    At least you know what your problem is. In the end, you have to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight and if your not ready to moderate your intake of food and/or beer then your probably not ready to lose weight just yet. At some point we all have to sacrifice and have less to succeed in weight loss.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    The beer isn't the problem, drinking it in excess is. If you don't have any room for food, I think that says something. Perhaps you need to cut back on the beer and make room for food.

    Plenty of MFP users drink beer, wine, hard liquor and still lose weight. They simply drink it in moderation and make it fit into their day.
  • Cassmarie28
    Cassmarie28 Posts: 23
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    FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »
    The beer isn't the problem, drinking it in excess is. If you don't have any room for food, I think that says something. Perhaps you need to cut back on the beer and make room for food.

    Plenty of MFP users drink beer, wine, hard liquor and still lose weight. They simply drink it in moderation and make it fit into their day.

    This.
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    edited January 2015
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    It will be very hard to lose weight drinking the amount you're talking about. However, you don't need to give it up. I was drinking as much or more beer as you before I set out to lose weight. I now drink 2 days a week, and then rarely more than 2 pints. Also, there is tremendous difference in calories, depending on the ABV. I used to drink mostly IPAs and other high alcohol beers, at 270 or more calories/pint. I now look for Weiss beers and kolschs at approx 180 per pint. Finally, you need to be careful about the food you eat while drinking. The cheeseburger and nachos with extra cheese is a bigger problem than the beer.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    edited January 2015
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    You don't need to stop, you just need to cut back.

    Just like I didn't need to stop eating Taco Bell to lose weight, I just needed to stop eating it three times a week. ;)
  • gostumpy
    gostumpy Posts: 156 Member
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    Yeah I might need to drink something with little or no calories in replacement of beer, I drink PLENTY of water already, I like something tasty at night. I do LOVE those Alo Exposed drinks, perhaps I need a case of those... Like quitting smoking, it's easier to replace than to eliminate!

    I am definitely going to not drink until my next boys night and hopefully it'll be easy!
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
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    I lost 50 pounds without giving up beer. But I cut back (quality over quantity) and worked out harder on days I'd be drinking.

    The truth is the truth. Log everything and look at the numbers. If you want to lose weight you've got to make the numbers work somehow for you. Simple as that.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    gostumpy wrote: »
    I haven't been able to lose weight and I think this might be why :(

    Yep, that would do it. Time to make some choices...

    Good luck!
  • samantha1242
    samantha1242 Posts: 816 Member
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    I cut back on my drinking for personal reasons. However, I did notice that I lost weight when I did so (because after the 10 plus drinks, I would eat a full pizza) I still have the occasional beer when I go out to a pub, or if there is an event (music festival, beerfest, etc) I will have many beer.

    If you really enjoy the beer and it doesn't get in the way of your life for any reason, then include it in your life still (& log it). Make room for it!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »
    The beer isn't the problem, drinking it in excess is. If you don't have any room for food, I think that says something. Perhaps you need to cut back on the beer and make room for food.

    Plenty of MFP users drink beer, wine, hard liquor and still lose weight. They simply drink it in moderation and make it fit into their day.

    This. I'm a beer a night guy, but that's it. 1 beer, max. Splurge on special occasions.
  • Maries_wine_calories
    Maries_wine_calories Posts: 152 Member
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    You actually can't have it all AND be thinner- you are thinking that by now, aren't you??! I know it might not be "cool" to drink a cal-reduced beer, but Michelob Ultra is a great tasting beer and only 95 caolories!
  • gostumpy
    gostumpy Posts: 156 Member
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    I know that anything is possible in moderation as long as it's included in daily logging... I definitely have a problem with when I have that night of 6+ beers, I completely lose faith in myself losing weight...

    But I saw 207 on the scale, and that's a trigger number for sure that I need to lose some.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    It certainly wouldn't hurt you to cut back on your alcohol consumption. The bikini clad women in the beer commercials probably don't drink the product they're selling, or they would be showing a lot more fat.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Fit it in. You may have to burn a few more calories to have a few more beers.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    It certainly wouldn't hurt you to cut back on your alcohol consumption. The bikini clad women in the beer commercials probably don't drink the product they're selling, or they would be showing a lot more fat.

    Or they just you know ... fit it into their day like other human beings.
  • fisherwomanjax
    fisherwomanjax Posts: 14 Member
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    Lol look at my diary, I can still get waisted, eat healthy and be under 1500 calories a day!
  • itsMcKay
    itsMcKay Posts: 131 Member
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    It still counts even if you don't log it. ;) Try logging all your beer for one week and see where it leaves you in regard to calories. That'll give you a starting point for setting some goals. :)
  • itsMcKay
    itsMcKay Posts: 131 Member
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    PrizePopple wrote: »

    Or they just you know ... fit it into their day like other human beings.

    LOL Models don't get to eat like humans. Don't be ridiculous. That's why they're models. In order to be that underweight standard, they're starving themselves. Or so say the handful of model friends I've had. They obsess over food because they can't have any.

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