I've got a problem, and it's interfering with my beer habit

Drinking during the day is how you get fat. It makes you lazy the rest a the day. Have your beer only at the end of the day and only on days where you worked out. It's a nice reward.

 

If you think skinny feels good, you should see what yoked and shredded feels like. I would try to describe it, but words couldn't do it justice.

 

Used to drink 2 beers a night with 2 bags of chips. Started putting on weight, so I cut out one bag of chips. Life is better now.

 

I watch a fair amount of TV or listen to music. One thing I had was a very comfortable chair which actually encouraged sittin' around.

So I replaced it with this...



I just get on and spin for an hour or two (nothing intense for the free spins) and watch the tube, listen to music, etc., with at least 20-30 minutes of a weight burning cardio program daily.

I feel a ton better.

 

I've struggled with this issue myself. I made a lifestyle change about 5 years ago, at the age of 31, that resulted in me going from ~340 lbs. to under 200 lbs. I practically teetotaled for two years, drinking only on special occasions.

I've managed to loosen that a bit. As long as my diet and exercise are on point, then I do not see why beer cannot have a place in my life. That said, personal rules are needed to govern this. For me, it's one 12-16 oz. beer/day on Sun-Fri, and one bomber or two 12-oz bottles on Sat. And since beer takes the place of sugar, I will forgo beer of I decide to have, say, a piece of cake. I typically pull a beer from the fridge in the evenings and go for a 2-3 mile walk, and by the time I return, it's ready to open (I'm a stout drinker, so warming is preferable.)

Obviously, your rules are going to be different. And I'm not advocating that you do what I do. But I am suggesting that you think about how beer could and should fit into a healthy lifestyle. Best wishes to everyone who is seeking similar balance in their lives.

 

I used to run marathons in undergrad/grad school and stopped for about a year after engaging in my current career choice. I decided to get back into running and have made up games to keep myself engaged/interested in running; the one that particularly works well for me is that for every beer that I drink (200-300 calories) I run two miles.

Thursdays and Fridays have become my "long run" days since then.

 

I didn't drink for a 3 month period to lose some weight. Working out of the house and a long winter added the pounds. I was too lazy to drive to the gym and the first beer at 1600 five days a week added them on. I still have a beer 5 days a week now, but it is usually only two beers. Maybe Friday or Saturday it will be 3-4 beers. I don't like getting hammered anymore, but a good tipsy on Belgian nights is ok.

The one thing I am concerned by is gout. My dad had to experience it and older brother deals with it now. They were/are not heavy drinkers by any definition and it is not something I want to deal with.

Edit: I guess I should add I go to the gym 4 days a week for cardio and weights. I also get a half mile jog in daily with the dog. I cut out most of the bad parts of my diet. I eat a lot more chicken and fish and cut back on the red meat. I still indulge in a few "bad" things every so often, just not all of the time. I also went from 5 Diet Dr. Peppers a day to 2 and much more water.

 

yes and it's no fun and you feel deprived. I like potatoes and pasta . . . I like beer . . . there has to be a way!

 

I exercise 5-7 times a week(Strength training and Full Contact Karate) and eat an 80/20 diet(80% ie 5 days a week I eat close to clean as I can and then 2 days a week I eat whatever) and I try to keep my beer intake to Fri-Sun.
So far I have been able to get stronger and lose more weight with this program.

 

I'm 6'1 and was at around 180 pounds before this year's winter hit. My job's very physical (constant heavy lifting, always moving) so before winter I could drink multiple craft beers a night, eat like garbage, and still maintain that weight considering I had the desire to work hard and sweat.

Once the winter hit in the Midwest, though, it was all over. It was easily the worst winter I've experienced in my life. I sat on my ass and was a complete shut-in from November-March. I drank every night (3-4) on the weekdays and around 5-8 on the weekends. Being a shut-in made me overeat every single night as well. It was -10 to -45 below the majority of the winter so most of my meals were delivered pizzas or Chinese food because I didn't want to step foot outdoors. The only time I did go outdoors was to go out and buy new beers. I knew I gained weight, but when I jumped on the scale and realized I gained 30 pounds I about shit my pants (which would have made it 25 pounds). That made me even more depressed than our terrible winter.

Once the summer hits I'll hopefully get back to my normal weight. The place I work in easily reaches over 100 degrees the majority of the summer; so I'm basically lifting weights and power walking for almost 8 hours a day. For now, though, I've cut out weekday drinking completely. I still eat like garbage, only much less. I've dropped about 10 pounds in the last month from that alone. Simply cutting down your intake is key to keep your evolving beer gut at bay.

 

I recommend you completely let yourself go. Drop the excercise and work outs. Drink all you want and indulge in your gluttony. Embrace a sedentary lifestyle and explore new opportunities.

 

I drink a beer or two and am still 135 pounds. Just watch what you eat and work out on a consistent basis.

But i can't say much. I can eat all day and not gain a pound.

 

If you really want to talk about a problem interfering with your beer consumption....the beer manager at one of my frequent liquor stores has pancreatitis and can't drink beer anymore. Like a chef not being able to taste food but still have to try and sell you on it. Yeah, that's more of a problem.

 

I'm 59 and have averaged burning 1133 calories of exercise per day for the last year. I enjoy beer and food but despite all this exercise, I still record/count every calorie on my iPhone to keep from being overweight. By no means can I eat and drink as much as I think I'd want without gaining weight. One thing that helps is sessionable brews with lots of flavor. Despite my tasting/reviewing a lot of big/famous beers, I find that I only get 10-20% more satisfaction out of a world class big beer as I do out of a world class lower ABV brew. It took me years to recognize this in myself.

 

I use an app called LoseIt! You input your age, weight and goal. It gives you a daily caloric target. Exercise gives you more calories to play with. I have been using it for a year. I have lost 35 pounds. I am 39 and I am back to my college weight. Calories in < calories out. That is the formula. I eat a ton of carbs, if I want them by I stay under calories for the week. If I have enough calories free, at the end if the day I get a beer as a reward!!

The app is easy to use and not a burden. And the beer incentive really helps.

 

Thought you were going to say your problem was your wife/girlfriend, and then I was going to say I can relate.

 

I'm 40 and have had a fitness habit since I was 13. I thought I was always going to maintain peak physical condition because of my good eating and exercise habits, but it has required more effort that I realized as the years have crept by. One of the concessions I've had to make is to treat my beer calorie consumption as if it were any other foodstuff and limit it. The easiest way is to pick several days of the week to not drink at all. And when I do drink, I cap it at no more than 750 ml for the day. In conjunction with very good eating habits, I still find it difficult to maintain my physical condition where I would like it to be, despite kicking my own ass to put in more and more effort. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but it takes some sacrifice if that's your goal.

 

I kno its hard not to drink i bust my ass everyday workin out but on weekends ill drink heavily but ive noticed if u just stick to weekend drinking , It doesnt hamper ur results aslong as u drink alot of water the next day and Cleanse urself out

 

Get married, get fat and don't worry about it.

 

I put on quite a bit of weight after turning 21. Granted the beer wasn't the only issue, but it didn't help my cause. About 2 years ago I decided to eat healthier, exercise more, and cut back on drinking. I've lost about 50 pounds.

 

Women love fat men and hate divorce. That has been proven. Wait....

 

I typically "try" not to drink Mon-Thurs, or at most have 1 while watching my "stories". Weights and alcohol just doesn't work for me, but on weekends I've been known to crushed some 6 mile trails with the equivalent of 5-7 BMC in me. Running drunk leaves me less sore in the days to come for some reason. Seems like the opposite should happen.

 

I've never had a problem with this. I track calories and do intermittent fasting for a diet and mountain bike over 70 miles a week. I lost 20 lbs last year and review multiple new beers daily without getting hammered, and mountain biking is an addiction so it kind of evens itself out. Neat. Also notable is that I fit anything in my diet including chocolate candy and trail mix with greek yogurt to fill 2000 cals a day and have zero negative effects on weight. Calories in, calories out always applies. Hello thermodynamics.

 

I drink 2+ cases of beer a week and my weight does not change. I am 51.

 

as a person who both works out a lot and enjoys beers and wines frequently....

if work out a lot, you should have good cardio and blood pressure and blood figures, as well as good strength. Beer is basically empty calories, so if you burn them off with exercise, that's basically equivalent (I'm no doctor nor exercise expert, but beer calories and bread/pasta calories can't be dissimilar). Stretching as part of your workout routine (flexibility) is another thing to keep in mind.

 

Is this just good general advice, or is there some bearing on beer that I should be aware of?

 

Helps not pull any muscles when you reach or stretch for another beer

 

If anyone reading this set of posts has or knows someone who likes beer, wants to exercise but cannot due to excessive inflammation, spinal stenosis or gout, please ask them to try tart cherry extract.

If I start feeling some excessive inflamation, I pound Dynamic Health Labs tart cherry extract 40 ml twice a day (or 4 average caplets if powder), then back it off when the swelling reduces to nominal with 20-25 ml extract daily (a caplet with breakfast or dinner). I get this at GNC.

It helped me. Maybe it will help one other person get moving and out of that inflammation rut without having to give up everything by taking Uloric, going vegan and/or limiting intake of so many wonderful things the world has to offer....like beer, shellfish and a big honking porterhouse every once in a while!


Full disclosure: I do not hold any stock certificates or other interests in GNC or Dynamic Health Labs. I am not a doctor, this worked for me, YMMV, standard disclaimer applies, etc. My only interest here is to maybe help someone.