Tips and Tricks for Drinking Moderately

This could be expanded. Once 2.8% abv was the limit for an alcohol drink here, and there are many interesting 2.5-2.8 ones on the same shelves as the <0.5 ones I drink. Could have been a good alternative, but guess I already chose my personal path.

 

That’s in one case. I have definitely seen some NA beers with very similar carb and calorie content especially when compared to an already low calorie craft such as Bells Light Hearted. Of course an 18% imperial stout is going to have the most calories all things considered but at that point the experience is so totally different I couldn’t imagine comparing the two.

 

I can share more (see below) and the NA category does seem to be shifting towards keeping the calories/carbs in check. And if comparing a purposefully made very light beer other craft beers are a different drinking experience...Light Hearted is good but you will never confuse it for a regular IPA.

The Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects NA Variety Pack:

Pils - 80 calories, 17g carbs
IPA - 80, 17g
Hoppy Amber - 95, 17g
Hazy IPA - 80, 17g

All have 1.5g of protein and 0.0g of fat.

 

Of course I won’t. I’ll also never consider it for an NA beer with only 20 less calories either and that’s the point. I’m well aware that higher alcohol beers have more body and typically more flavor. My point is why would I choose an 80 calorie NA beer when I can have a “real” beer at 100? If you’ve had issues with alcohol, I commend you for cutting back but if your issues are with weight gain and you’re trying to cut calories, I’m not really following your train of thought.

 

LH has 110 calories so what other "real" beer are you drinking that has 100 calories? Boston Lager at 170 calories? DFH 60 Minute with 190? Two Hearted with 212? Even regular macros are pushing 150. So yeah that one 80 calorie NA beer beats any real beer...and if you have two in a sitting that's a pretty big difference.

 

Opinions and perspectives man. Me personally, I’m a Miller lite drinker. 96 calories to a 12 ounce. I’m honestly starting to wonder between your posts on this thread and the one regarding the WHO why you’re even on this site. Your disdain for beer consumption and average beer consumers has become apparent to me. What are you trying to prove? What’s your over arching point?

If it’s to prove that drinking 3 NA beers instead of regular ones will save me 90 calories, then hey, I’ll give it to you. But that is incredibly negligible for most peoples diets. That’s less than 5% of my daily caloric intake. Absolutely not the first place I would begin if I was looking to cut calories and start seriously dieting (which I don’t need to because I can control myself) Cheers.

 

Ironic that you are in a thread entitled "Tips and Tricks for Drinking Moderately" and come at me with this type of a response.

 

Not really? If I’m drinking 3-6 beers a week, why would I spare the negligible calories for something without alcohol unless I had an issue with alcohol? I’ve reiterated several times, if you’re an alcoholic or borderline then by all means, have an NA. If you are indeed drinking moderately though, the calories from alcohol itself shouldn’t be a huge concern. Cheers

 

Because it goes beyond just the calories, you are also sparing what the alcohol does to the body. Using your example if you have six beers per week and instead switch to three NAs and three beers you will have a positive effect on the body long-term.

 

Woke up early this morning and came on here to check messages regarding pending trades.
Wasn't gonna start drinkin till past Noon and saw the WBAYDN and Impy thread had posts from before i even woke up ( though they were from the Eastern time zone) and got the urge to have a drink. This was before i even had breakfast.
I had bcaas and creatine instead, but will have a drink in a couple of hours .
Weekends are rest days from the gym so i use that as an excuse to not be so hard on myself for drinkin more than usual( which is a shiity way to go about drinking and i need to stop that) .

goes to show that it's probablybest to stay away from this website if you wann cut down. i know people come here to socialize and thats the downside about bonding with people over alcohol

 

This afternoon/ evening I'm drinking lemon seltzer water. Had one IPA earlier today and I'm a hundred over my unofficial calorie limit now so.... that's it. I'm trying to drop 15 pounds and if I don't keep control of my (former) serious IPA habit I'm screwed! Best wishes to all in their moderation journey

 

My understanding is weightlifting burns fat better than cardio. I do a combination of the two. Diet is definitely key! I've basically cut out carbs breakfast/lunch. I have carbs for dinner - brown rice, even a little pasta. Not too much though.

 

UPDATE: I just bought a turntable, and my deal this year is if I have 4 or fewer drinks in a week I can buy a record. So far I'm 4 for 4 this year, hoping to build up the library, using the records as motivation to not only be moderate but also get offline at home and listen to music without tech.

 

Moderation or life balance has always been part of my life. I'm close to my 59 birthday and have always exercised and maintained my weight/health (weight has been a ten pound range since college days). However, I'm not perfect and there are a couple of things that I could improve upon.

Here is how I tackle beer drinking in moderation:

• I drink only on days that I work out (Wed, Fri, Sun).
• I don't drink more than two beers at a sitting (whether at home or at a brewery/bar), especially if I'm driving. Think of sipping versus quantity.
• I only drink 12-16oz in one hour and two beers in two hours or more.

Here are my areas of improvement:

• I rarely drink with meal. I prefer to be able to experience the beer without having the added complexity of the food. So, I tend to start drinking at 8-9pm in the evening after my dinner has settled. I need to start drinking earlier as not to be too close to going to bed.
• I don't regulate the ABV. I tend to drink higher ABV beers. Normally, I don't have a problem, but want to start dialing it down in the next couple of years.
• Stop attending beer festivals. They have the biggest impact on my health as I usually put on a few pounds and have nothing to do with moderation. This will be hard one as one my son's is into craft beer and it's a nice opportunity for us to do something together.

 

That's just it! Lagers really don't do it for me, I wish they would. Occasionally I do enjoy German O fest, Munich or Helles lagers, but rarely do I buy a six pack and enjoy the entire thing before moving to something else.

 

I like your idea of only drinking on the days I work out. Even though that still might be 4-5 days a week, that would help me limit things a bit. Nice tips and thanks for sharing what has worked for you.

 

I don't think one beerfest a year is going to kill you. I thought I was going to be done with beerfests in my mid-30s, now mid-40s and I still attend one every October. Just spend the next day drinking water/eating light to recover quickly.

 

You are correct. I went to two last year (GABF and Collaboration Fest) in Denver. Both of them I did a much beer job at pacing myself and I/we made sure to drink more water.

My guess is that I will continue to go to 1-2 per year, especially if I can get back to FW Invitational.

 

My approach at beerfests has definitely gotten more chill over the years. I used to study the map and decide what order to hit everything. Then check everything in on Untappd. Now I just show up cold, and make sure I take a food break. Much more enjoyable!