Beer! I love it, but it dosnt help the weight loss.

I love a cold beer in the hot summer. aaaaah.... I also love dark beer which, I suspect, is probably higher calories than lighter beer. That said, I'm not stopping it altogether, just cutting down. Hard yes, but I'm not about to give it up completely.

So I guess I have no real advice except maybe try to do extra exercise if you're going to be out with friends or at a bbq or something, and try to cut back a bit. Like if you drink three at an afternoon/evening bbq then only have two.

Anyway, I'm sure beer is nutritious, right? so we don't want to cut it out completely....

LarsEnnerberg wrote: »

I like to drink. I watch what I eat but get a lot of calories from my liquid diet. Anyone have any advice besides to grow up and stop drinking

I drink at least 2 pints of craft beer every day. Granted I am not trying to cut weight at this time but even when I was I had beer every day. The trick is just to moderate it, just like everything else. If you are tracking your food, track the beer too and make it fit. Nothing more to it. I would give the same answer to someone who said they loved cheese, or bacon, or marshmallow peeps.

I love, love, love beer! I have cut back, but I still have a beer most days. What works for me is:
- I only have a beer if I've "earned" it by getting 10,000 steps or more. 15,000 steps earns me a second beer. Sometimes I actually go out walking or running, just so I can drink another beer.
- I buy quality craft beer and savor the hell out of it. Small sips, not guzzling. A beer might last me a half hour or more. This doesn't work with budmillercoors because that stuff tastes worse than piss when it's warm.
- Budget for the calories in MFP.
- If I end up drinking many beers and go over my calorie budget, I make up for over the course of the next several days.

This all applies to wine too.

RedVonMunster wrote: »

Basically you're saying "any advice besides something that works".

I concur. Alcohol is very prevalent in almost all societies. That does not change that fact that it is a mind altering drug. Consumption of it affects so many facets of life and one's perception of life-- it's more than just belly fat.

I prefer to make beer than drink it. I'm more of a "taster" than a quantity drinker.
If I were to drink multiple beers in a day (weekends only) I'd make sure to work out extra. The sense of accomplishment would get its reward with some nice tasty drinks at the end of the day.

My "light" beer is Berliner Weisse which I brew to 2.8% ABV strength and age in probiotic bacterial culture for a few months. The sour fermentation gives the beers aromatic compounds and flavor profiles that are very unusual for such a low alcohol beer.

My winter beer is a nice 12% russian imperial stout or a 13% barleywine that I sip from a small glass... Mmm.... winter warmer!

I love my beer too (especially craft beers) but decided a while ago to limit my drinking to 2 days per week (usually weekends). Not hard in the wintertime to do this, but summers, yeah nothing like a cold beer on a hot day! And I save the craft beers for special occasions since they have many more calories than say a Miller Lite or Mich Ultra.

As far as fitting it in, I "save" calories throughout the week for my weekend "splurges" (not going totally crazy though) or get extra activity in. I'm still managing to lose weight this way and have never given up my beer. The way I look at it, this is a lifestyle change and not short term, so I need something I can live with.

I can confidently state that having even a couple(thats TWO, not FOUR ) beers a day will NOT harm anyones diet provided you are staying within calorie goals and macro targets. How do I know? Ive been experimenting with beer over the last few months and my overall diet and workout schedule stays the same week to week. So, I changed ONLY beer intake to see what would happen.

Nothing changed after removing beer or cutting it to 1-3 total a week versus 1-2 a day. Nothing at all. I stayed within calorie goals though and also left room for the carbs you get from beer. I did not lose any extra weight, I did not feel any better, I did not feel more lean either. No change.

But I did MISS my beers so Im going to enjoy them from time to time. Dont fall for the bro-science Horse crap about a few beers sabotaging diets or causing muscles to stop growing. Its lies and is based on drinking like a 6 pack a day or more.

andrikosDE wrote: »

I was recently asked at a dinner "what type of food don't you like?".
I guess the expected answer was "fish" or a specific cuisine.
My answer, however, was simply "boring food".
I feel the same about beer. I'd rather drink water and save the calories for something worth it.

Amen, brother! That is exactly how I feel.

Aside: Do you keep a second set of equipment for brewing sour beers? Or do you just do really thorough sanitation? I've wanted to try using lactobacillus but am nervous about cross-contamination.

Do your research and log the beer correctly. If wine? Weigh it. All comes natural after that. If you have come this far, to MFP, and even a small modicum of self discipline, you will make the right decisions when looking at your MFP screen.