Who loves beer? I love beer.

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renwicker
renwicker Posts: 158 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I have been trying to cut down on the amount of beer I consume in a given week, and am finding myself not doing that....at all. haha. I am working on losing body fat and I know my alcohol consumtion is only hurting me. I primarily drink micro/craft beers since they are the most delicious, however they are also the highest in calories and carbs. I dont drink a ton....maybe like 6-12 beers a week, depending on the week. I play guitar and sing every monday at a local sports bar, so I tend to consume most of my alcohol during the 4 hour stretch I am there.

I decided cutting beer out all together is NOT something that I really want to do, so I am looking for some suggestions that maybe I am not aware of for some really good, lower calorie, brews. Please dont say Miller Light. I am pretty well versed on craft beers but the ones I usually drink are close to 200 cals a piece, if not more. Any suggestions? Cheers! :drinker:
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Replies

  • reneeileen
    reneeileen Posts: 455 Member
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    I'm of the mindset that you shouldn't totally give up the things you love. If MGD 64 doesn't sound like a good option and you would rather drink an Anchor Steam Old Foghorn (my personal favorite), make it work.

    My initial thoughts are this, cut back and budget it in.

    If it is impossible to avoid beer at the sports bar go less or cycle in more water while you are drinking. When I feel compelled to drink when my friends are around, I ask the bartender to serve me soda water in a tumbler with a lime wedge. For me, that's a mind game that works and I don't feel left out. Think about the situations where drinking a beer is not going to be as satisfying and decline. If you could reduce that 6-12 to 3-6 you will be in a much better place calories-wise and you won't have the regrettable experience of drinking crap beer.
  • renwicker
    renwicker Posts: 158 Member
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    Thanks reneeileen. I made it sound a little worse than it acutally is. When I said 6-12 a week, that is on the extreme side. It's usally closer to the #6 than it is the #12. I dont think 6 beers is really killing me, but when 4 of those are in a single night, and they are 200 empty cals a piece, it is hindering my progress. I will say that I do hit the gym for about an hour and a half on mondays right before I head to the bar to perform.

    ps. Ive never tried the Old Foghorn, but I do love all the other Anchor Steams I've tried
  • joeq722
    joeq722 Posts: 86 Member
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    Bud55 ;)
  • bdubs125
    bdubs125 Posts: 16 Member
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    bump
    If you figure this out PLEASE let me know. I am positive the belly pooch I have is 75% a result of the 4-6 beers I have a week. But they taste so good! New Belgium 1554.... heaven in a bottle
  • steph0924
    steph0924 Posts: 78 Member
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    This topic hit home. My hubby LOVES beer! It does stand in the way of him getting into his best shape. haha, he mostly drinks Miller Light.
  • jmlynch502
    jmlynch502 Posts: 23 Member
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    http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/slideshow-best-beers

    thought this was interesting. I love beer. I especially love beers that are terrible for me. Hoppy microbrews...they're the worst, and the best, haha. anyways good luck!
  • Broken420
    Broken420 Posts: 56 Member
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    I love beer. My beer of choice is not so bad..Mich Light, but I forced myself to buy Mich Ultra this past time and have regretted it since. It is a sad, sad excuse for beer. I have simply abstained because I refuse to buy more beer until the Ultras are gone, yet I don't want to drink them :sad:
  • dward2011
    dward2011 Posts: 416 Member
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    I love beer too (the good ones... microbrews). :)

    I cut back my beer consumption to no more than 3 a week. I am a member of a brewery mug club, so each of these are 22oz. I have found that lighter beers are lower in calories (Wheats, IPAs, Saison...) compared to my personal favs: Stouts and Ales (not Pale Ales though).

    I plan out my beer drinking days so that I eat healthy and light, and really exercise to offset the additional beer calories.


    Internet research says:

    Anchor Brewing Company -
    Anchor is one of the largest microbreweries in the country, distributing to all area of the nation. According to Beer100.com, a 12-oz. serving of its Anchor Steam Ale contains 153 calories, and its Anchor Porter contains 209 per serving.

    New Belgium Brewing -
    Of the eight beers New Belgium Brewing produces, half contain 200 or more calories. According to Beer100, the Colorado-based brewer's Trippel leads the menu with 215 calories per 12 oz. Its 2 Below and Abbey Ale each have 200 per serving. New Belgium's flagship beer, Fat Tire, has 160 per serving.
    Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

    California-based Sierra Nevada Brewing makes five year-round beers. Its pale ale, porter and stout are among its best known offerings. According to Brewery.org, the pale ale contains 45 calories per 100 ml, or 157.5 calories per 12-oz. serving. Sierra Nevada Porter contains 168 calories, while its stout has 196 in a serving.
    Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

    Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware is revered among microbrew enthusiasts. A 2010 article in "The Washington Post" reports that many of the brewer's beers contain in excess of 400 calories. Its World Wide Stout, for example, contains 666 calories per 12 oz.

    Flying Dog Brewery- Flying Dog produces a wide variety of beers, including 10 year-round beverages and four seasonal brews. The Flying Dog Gonzo has the highest calorie content of its regularly produced beers, with 271 per 12-oz. serving, according to Beer100.com.





    References

    Nola.com: Control your calories, and you'll be lookin' good in a month
    "The Washington Post": Beer: Do craft drinkers care about calories?
    Beer100: Beer Calories, Beer Alcohol, Beer Carb Content
    Brewery.org: Alcohol and Calorie Content of About 200 Popular Beers
    Sierra Nevada: Our Beers
    Flying Dog: Beer Pack
  • skittles8810
    skittles8810 Posts: 67
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    I love beer! I drink it daily. Sometimes I drink 3-4 or less a day. Just enough to get laxed. I think as I always do 3500 cals = 1 lb so if i dont go over my cals or my daily goal of carbs i am doing good! I am not giving up any food or group of foods that i like. I just do it in moderation and i work my butt off doing exercises. :)
  • FriendsR4EverTreasures
    FriendsR4EverTreasures Posts: 181
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    alternatebetween beer and water, ounce for ounce, you will feel like you are drinking beer the whole time but you will save loads on calories and MONEY! ;) By the time the beer taste is "washing" away, it will be time for the beer again!
  • Andrewcpimpin
    Andrewcpimpin Posts: 124 Member
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    This was hard for me. I home brew and love craft beer. But as stated its high cal and sugar . When I started changing my lifestyle I stopped smoking cold turkey so to do that I have to not drink for a.month. when I came back to beer I picked one day a week to booze it up. And unfortunately switched to coors light (100 cal) each. Now if I want to drink an additional day I have to earn my drinking cal first. So If I want to drink a few I jog a few moles first. The downside is I blood and Dehydraye and feel like a take a step back in my progress everytime I drink.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    Goodness...don't cut out the good stuff! But I find I have to do a bit of exercise to fit more booze into my day. Or fiddle around with my food choices that day to cut back a bit on cals but still aim to hit close to my macros. It's all about planning...I do not plan to ever cut out booze from my life.
  • girlnumber57
    girlnumber57 Posts: 72
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    Bloated Beer Belly Bugs Bodacious Babe, Brave Bold Bitc* Became Boozer of wine...... :(
  • SAMSON25
    SAMSON25 Posts: 58 Member
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    Guinness. 12 oz = 126 cals, 10 carbs.

    Comparable calorically to the "best" of the light beers. But a hell of a lot a better than any light beer, imo
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
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    Raises hand! Especially the micro brews. But for weight loss and maintaining weight loss, I have cut back to 16-32 or so ounces a week - sometimes even NONE! It is a fair trade off for me, I'd rather limit myself to 1 to 2 beers a week and be at a normal BMI rather than have more and be overweight. Being "deprived" is not the worst thing that could ever happen to you - although you would never guess it if you read these forums often enough.
  • jsaunde77
    jsaunde77 Posts: 13 Member
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    I cut the drinking to the weekends and lost 10 pounds right away (with some exercise; went from 225 to 215 before I started this). That was still having 3-4 a night friday sat and sunday. I'm trimming it back a little farther just to see how far I can push, but there's still room in my 1900 for vodka, beer, or cabernet somehow, and I'm losing weight like crazy.

    I found that if I waited to crack that first one until 5pm I tended to drink less, but I didn't go nuts.
  • mandygrizzle
    mandygrizzle Posts: 1
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    Since you are a regular at your Monday night bar, could you ask the bartender to serve you 1/3 pints rather than 1/2 or full pints? I also only love high-calorie beers, and though I am just starting my journey here, ordering 1/3 pints has helped me continue to go out and drink with friends without ruining my week or day. And...congrats on your amazing progress!
  • migoi357
    migoi357 Posts: 173 Member
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    I don't think beer is a problem. Find a local chapter of Hash House Harriers (billed as the drinking club with a running problem). A few years ago I did a couple of 24 hour runs (take a team of 10 keep a person running the whole 24 hours) and at each was a chapter of HHH.

    Those guys/gals drank the entire 24 hours and it certainly didn't slow them down, plus you probably couldn't have scraped enough fat off of the lot of them to fry up a chicken.

    I'm going with it being the totality of calories in/calories burned that matter the most. Yes, the composite of those calories matter some in the fueling but the whole thing is about enhancing your life...not restricting it.

    Just my opinion.
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
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    Mememe! I have a party pack in my fridge. Has 6 ales, 3 pale ales and 3 bavarian lager, all around 160 calories each and they are delicious. I have 2-4 a week and it is not stopping me from attaining my goals. Belly pooch is almost gone. Almost! Now if the butt& thighs would co-operate as nicely......
  • RachFace1000
    RachFace1000 Posts: 154 Member
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    Instead of drinking watered down piss, try to just cut down on your consumption of beer. That's what I did. Maybe in your 4 hour stretch at the bar only have at total of two beers? Go day-by-day and work on drinking half the beers you would have had for that day. Or start with eliminating one a day, and if there's a day you only have one, don't have any. I would like to keep drinking the beer I love instead of down grading on taste personally. It's also more of a treat for me when I have a couple if I don't drink that often. (: Good luck!

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