Beer and diet

My understanding is that metabolism and hormones really start to get affected around 3 drinks in. That being said, consider calories in-calories out. If you are drinking ~10 beers a week then that means you'll need to remove 3000-4000 calories to compensate. Other people will argue that the carbs/sugar are more disruptive to weight loss than calories from other sources.

Overall, it can be done but its a lot of work. Good luck on your journey!

 

Last year I started working out for the first time in a couple of years (I got busy with anesthesia school - almost done school now but I got tired of putting on weight so I made time for working out). Anyway, I still enjoyed a few beers over the weekends but typically limited it to 2 beers and was still able to lose 15lbs (2.5 inches off my waist) while gaining a lot of muscle over the course of the year.

That said, I have a feeling my results would have been much better had I stopped drinking beer altogether. If you do the math and say each beer you drink is about 200 calories and you have 2 a week - that's 20,800 calories a year - just from beer.

But I enjoy beer too much to give it up! So everything in moderation, right? Bottom line, it can be done but you just need to make sure you put the work in if you want to see results.

 

I think it is as simple as beer is empty calories. If you do not cut them out it makes it harder. Not impossible but definitely harder. I have weight problems as I am trying to continue mountain biking well into my sixties. The body does not run well when 30 lbs overweight. I usually have a beer as a good reward for a workout or ride that burned a few extra calories. Figure out what works for you and stick with it and you will have great success. For me it is a struggle as my metabolism slows down in my 60's. Beer has to be cut down to a minimum.

 

I have focused on cutting out almost all sugar except for fruits and beer and have avoided fast food since November. I have been a little more active and haven’t really cut back on drinking beer (1-2 beers a night during the week and 2-4 beers a day during the weekend) and have lost about 15 lbs.

 

I do not eat fast food or processed foods. I make anything myself that I can make myself including bread, tortilla chips and ice cream. I drink beer and maintain my weight by not indulging in many desserts.

 

I've been doing the 16/8 intermittent fast and I'll either maintain or lose weight even with the drinking. (But I'm a 2-beer max kinda person.)

 

This was going to be my recommendation as well. It seems difficult at first glance, but you actually get used to it very quickly. Not sure how @thuey times it out, but I usually stop eating around 8pm and don't start again until noon-ish the following day. On average, I follow this protocol about 5 days/week.

 

Run! I've dropped over 50lbs while increasing my beer consumption and decreasing my liquor consumption. I won't drink a beer unless I get a good workout in before. Each morning I have a smoothie with lots of kale, spinach, chia seeds, fresh ginger, half a banana, a few chunks of frozen pineapple, water, and ice. I keep the fruit content a lot lower then the veggies and skip adding any juice to keep the sugar content low. I pair the smoothie with some hard boiled eggs and that is breakfast. I rarely eat sweets anymore, and won't eat anything high in calories or high in sugar if I'm going to drink beer that day. All about the calories.

 

What works for me and has for years- I don’t drink Sunday-Thursday and eat clean/workout. Fri-Sat are my drink/eat whatever I want days. I’m flexible with it if I have an event or party during the week and also take the occasional week off when work travel puts me in places to try new beers but for the most part I’ve stayed in good shape following this.

 

I've been doing everyday 16/8 (fasting from 8p - noon'ish as well, very occasionally sliding the window for social reasons) since December. I was originally afraid of how it'd affect my workouts, and my training for a foot race. But I've found my body has adapted pretty well, so I've stuck with it.

 

I can lose weight if I limit myself to one or rarely two beers a night, and don't drink more than five days a week. If I'm having beer, I make sure not to snack - so beer is my snack.

 

I find that a good beer beer can be very satisfying. Full stop....& if I don't feel like anything else, then mission accomplished. Almost anything, that's not artificially sweetened (diet soda- whole 'nother problem, that's long behind) besides water is going to be more calories than a <6%abv beer. Grape juice, for example is ~19cal/oz. Beer, in general, is ~ (30cal x %abv) per 12oz beer. If that 1 beer stops me from eating or drinking something else, it's a net plus.

If you've been having mostly BA stouts ,DIPAs, & such, then try fewer & lower abv. Still slower than none at all, but maybe that feels better than cold turkey?

Btw, there is some recent research that suggests that processed corn/hfcs as it presently exists, turns off the signals that tell you that you are satisfied. Might help to cut out anything with processed corn/hfcs products in it.

 

I average 2.5 beers a day over the year. More low abv than high. I am probably a few pounds overweight in the mid section but not noticeable with clothes on.

My issue is I love candy and eat at late hours, past 11pm I can have a full meal , go to bed at 1a and back at work by 6am. I do move a lot at work, 5 miles a day on average.

Quitting drinking is not helping me out much in weight. I'm sure it's healthier. When I stopped drinking for 6 weeks or so I lost a little weight but not anything noticeable. Once my "flu" went away I gained a taste for beer back.

I have not gone to a fast food place in over 20 years. I cook most meal's from scratch , semi scratch as I don't make bread or pasta. I eat lots of fruit and vegetables and don't eat any red meat( don't like the taste). I eat candy and bread a lot so if I can cut that I'm sure I would lose my extra 5-8 pounds. I also tend to overeat as I love to eat. Need to stop when I am full and not think"that's good" and have more.

Enjoy

 

I generally lose 20-30lbs in spring-summer to pretty low bodyfat.

I couldn't do it having 2 or 3 beers everyday but I do regularly still drink beer 1-2 days a week on my off days.

Weekly caloric deficit is going to have to be negative. What that really means is you're going to diet harder or more [calorically] restrictive for some many days to enjoy so above maintenance calories for a day or two.

 

I walk 10 miles per day on avg. for my job (no, I’m not a mailman) and I run about 20 miles a week for leisure so the 70 miles I put in keep me fit, in fact without my beer calories I might be too thin. I’m not trying to sound like a douchebag but the best diet is exercise.

 

I workout regularly and have a hard and fast rule that I don't eat junk like chips or cake while drinking beer. Also I generally drink 5 percent beers or less and only have 1 or 2 on a normal day. Include your beer in your daily eating calories and it's pretty easy to stay under. I love beer but am very vane and love being in shape more.

 

Liquid calories don’t count.

It’s science.

 

Whatever it takes to make my body's caloric requirement = or < than my caloric intake is what's always worked for me. For me I find I have to up my workout intensity/duration and carefully watch calories to keep on track. I love those big bal-aged beers but after honestly assessing the calories they contain I found myself having fewer beers that have lower ABV. I open the big bal-aged beers less frequently these days. I hate getting old

 

Paleo Diet. Just limit your beer to once a month or week. But on beer day go wild.