Beer and diet

While other macronutrients will certainly alter how quickly the carbohydrates in question are processed, a very high glycemic index meal will still get sugar into the bloodstream more quickly than a very low glycemic index one.

 

I try to avoid most processed food and fast food, beer and bourbon are my vices, I’m a regular gym guy but at almost 55, with a lot of nagging aches, things have a tendency to get away from me

 

Good point, man. Some people certainly have delayed sensitivities to certain foods that can make it harder to lose weight and be pain-free.

 

I joined WW in August as I needed a change in my health/lifestyle. So far I've lost close to 30 pounds, limiting myself to only drinking beer on the weekends. I also work out 5, maybe 6 days a week.

 

If you want to lose weight and still drink beer, the key is moderation. And stay away from the beetus. If you are really serious about losing weight, get to know the lower ABV lower sweetness beers. Or share the big ones with friends and take a small pour. I realize this sounds pretty lame, but if you have been gaining weight you have to change your behaviors or nothing will change.

 

Just exercise, only eat salad without dressing. (turkey and fish only two meats and very limited amount of both). Drink only water and unsweet tea. Do this for 1-2 months and you'll be golden. The worst thing ever, but you will shed weight.

 

Predictably we've devolved into Bro Science by page three. Personally when it comes to nutrition, my rule of thumb is that the more someone claims to have all the answers and knows THE diet you need to be on, the more skeptical of that person's advice I am. It's a big hard complicated question that hasn't been fully answered, may never be fully answered, and as a practical matter has to be figured out on an individual basis.

My suggestion would be that if you weigh more than you want to, the big low-hanging fruit is junk food/empty calories and exercise. If you're consuming a lot of empty calories (beer is part of that of course), cut them. If you're not exercising, start. And more than following any sort of highly prescriptive plan that someone tells you is the One True Way, just try to find a path to more exercise and fewer calories that isn't miserable to you. If you attempt to stick to a diet/exercise routine that you hate, you won't stick to it. Find a path to a healthier life that you actually enjoy, and then you can just do it forever. And you can figure out the nitty gritty specifics along the way.

 

...And you'll gain it back. Short term diets produce short term results.

 

Not if you continue exercising and transition into a reasonable diet after the fact

 

Small lifestyle changes over the long term > massive short term changes

 

Don't give up anything you don't plan on giving up permanently. Otherwise it's pointless

 

If you do that you don't need to bother with the crash dieting.

 

Swimsuit season is in 2 months though...

 

Better make that appointment to get that Brazilian!

 

^ Absolutely this. I've learned from my mistakes and incorporating beer into my program and making it work for me.

 

Ehh . . . this really isn't good advice. You can give something up temporarily or just eat/drink it less often for a while until you get to your goal and then reintroduce it at the point that you want to maintain with good success.

 

Your argument is valid. Just stating what works for me. I've tried the nuclear approach before and have not had good results. I hate using the word diet, but beer is part of my life so I had to find a way to incorporate it rather than cut it out.

 

Right on. The fact of the matter is, though, that you're going to have to give up doing something that you like, be it food or beer, to reach your goals. That said, you certainly don't have to give up everything to get where you want to be.

 

Right! The struggle is real. I've limited my beer intake to Friday and Saturday, sometimes on Sunday, and workout at least 4 days a week.

 

FWIW, I've gone the fasting route for the last month or so, and I've been losing weight. It started as a Lent thing, but I might continue past Easter until I get my weight down to about where I was five years ago.

Basically, my only full meal is at dinner time. I don't usually eat anything for breakfast, and I might have something small and nutrient-rich at lunch time (a banana or a couple hard-boiled eggs). The first week is tough, but once your body adapts it really isn't that hard to keep going. Keeping hydrated helps with the first-week headaches. The nice part is, I've still been able to have around 10 drinks a week in the evenings while still losing weight. I just make sure to get a good dose of meats and vegetables with that one meal a day so I don't malnourished myself.