beer and weight

I am constantly hearing two different theories from people (mostly beer drinkers) on beer and it's relation with gaining body weight.

Since none of them are nutritionists I would like to know what is the effect of every day beer drinking (pint or two) on body weight. I know some really overweight people who drink regularly, but I also know some people who drink much, but they are really slim....

I read somewhere that beer is consisted of so called "dead calories" (whatever that means) and that it doesn't affect gaining weight...


Any thoughts on this?

Weight gain/loss is simple math. Calories in vs calories out. For example, I have been tested and I burn 2300 calories a day at rest. So if I take in 3000 calories a day and do nothing, I will gain weight. Or vice versa. 3500 calories is a pound.

Most of my brews are around 175 calories.

Pick said:

Weight gain/loss is simple math. Calories in vs calories out. For example, I have been tested and I burn 2300 calories a day at rest. So if I take in 3000 calories a day and do nothing, I will gain weight. Or vice versa. 3500 calories is a pound.

Most of my brews are around 175 calories.

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how do you calculate calories in your beer?

Yep the math is simple, more calories in, more exercise needed to "burn" it off. Since I got a sit-down job my weight has gone up significantly. That is why an exercise bike is on my shopping list for tax return season. So I can drink beer without guilt.

Some people just burn more calories not doing much, while others really have to work hard to keep their weight down.

Another aspect to the equation is that the alcohol in beer actually slows your metabolism down. I've known a few drinkers in my day that claim that they are switching to liquor in order to loose weight. You are saving calories but if you don't exercise and you still eat the same amount each day you'll still gain weight.

I guess the best way to do it would be to count your calories but, give your "beer calories" a few extra points.

400d said:

how do you calculate calories in your beer?

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Beersmith does it, and here is an online calculator that also works.

Beer is anything but dead calories, since there are plenty of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other substances in there that can, when consumed in moderation, have a positive effect on overall health.

But, of course, alcohol is a major contributor to calories - 7 per gram. So if you have more than a couple of drinks per day without cutting out calories elsewhere or exercising, you quickly start gaining weight.

Estimating calories in beer is fairly easy. Beersmith does this automatically based on the original and final gravities. A standard 12-plato beer is somewhere in the 190 to 210 calories range.

As somebody who has lost some weight (not alot, but a significant percentage considering im a relatively small dude) I can weigh in a bit on this. College I drank alot, and ate terribly. Since changing my diet (portion control, and making sure i have one of every food group, emphasis on protein), and living a more active life (2-3days a week in the gym, run about 20k a week) I have lost about 30lbs, and still continue to drink beer.

The main things you are getting from beer is high calories, considering its over 100 perbottle, and a high amount of carbs. Balance that with a protein heavy diet, and an active lifestyle and you can stay relatively fit while still enjoying.

One of the worst, and best, things about beer is the fact that it goes so damn well with unhealthy food. Simple swaps at the bar can lead to some good things. Maybe opt for something not deep fried next time? Grilled chicken burger is always a good call, with a garden salad. Think of all the beer you can have with the calories you didnt consume...

Individuals metabolisims have to be considered.

I drink 8 beers a day. I'm 5-11 and 160 pounds. I don't pig out and I don't do junk food.

What people call a BEER GUT is actually a Meat and Potatoes gut. Mixing a lot of starch and protein makes one fat.

Dead calories means low in nutritional value when compared to the amount of calories and carbs. Beer really isn't that high in calories though. Around 100 -300 calories per 12 oz bottle.

Like was said above, beer isn't as empty of calories as white bread, potatoe chips, or candy bars.

But one thing to consider is there isn't any fiber in beer. So all the carbs get metabolized.

When you calculate how many carbs you are eating you can subtract the grams of fiber from the grams of carbs because fiber is not digestible.

So when you are trying to lose weight, you want to make sure the carbs you eat come with lots of fiber.

According to scientists, MODERATE consumption of alcohol does NOT effect your weight, and people with the best BMI (Bull**** Mass Index) often drink in moderation. Also your body does not break down alcohol into simple sugars.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/InTheNews/MedicalReports/Other/1112124376.html

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/AlcoholCaloriesAndWeight.html

BTW, Moderation is defined as two beers per day, for a man, one for a woman, and NO you may not save them up, and drink them all at once.

Whoa, whoa, whoa...hold on a second here...there are CALORIES in beer?!?!? Suddenly a few things became a whole lot clearer!

I'm trying to lose weight lately and beer is my downfall. Stupid calories in and calories out means I can't drink everyday. It is near impossible to fit a beer in when it says recommended calories are 1200/day. I'd consider you guys lucky because at least you can cut out some food and replace with a beer or two.

This is real simple. If you take in more calories that you burn, your going to gain weight. Our home brew typically has more calories than store bought beer. I have alway said that I can only consume so many calories a day so I need to limit my food intake.

There's gotta be fiber in hefeweizen. Just drink a few and wait till the next morning...

It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't understand the basics of metabolism and weight control. I know people that eat like absolute crap, but they think since their food is low fat or stereotypically healthy like yogurt then quantity doesn't matter. Then there are the folks that eat a meager lunch because they're on a "diet" only to go home and cook with butter, vegetable oil and tons of bleached white breads and eat at 7:00pm and they're baffled why they aren't losing weight despite having salads (even though it's a Cobb salad with as many calories as a Big Mac) for lunch for a month.

mosquitocontrol said:

recommended calories are 1200/day

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If you are a normal adult male, that is way too few calories to be consuming per day, even if you are trying to lose weight. At such a low level, your resting metabolic rate will decrease and you'll end up not losing as much weight as you would at a higher caloric intake. Try eating more like 1500-1600 at least. You will still lose weight and you won't be torturing yourself.

Nah on the diet front is the one of the few times I wish I was a man! They have it easier. Can eat more and don't need to get ready to wear a bikini. My fiance has been taking advantage of my newly built kegerator and going through my kegs while I grudgingly say No thanks.

Although its pizza night so I will have to pull one or two.

How many grams of yeast are in a Hefe?

Kind of sounds like "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?"

Anyway, 8% of yeast is fiber.

I lost about 40lbs last year (gained 5-10 back). I dropped my calories to 1200 - 1500 a day and tried to burn 1000 to 3000 calories a week exercising.

The "Eat This, Not That" books helped me a lot. Some of the things I thought were healthy choices were terrible choices. Upping my fiber intake helped me to stop binge eating.

mosquitocontrol said:

Nah on the diet front is the one of the few times I wish I was a man! They have it easier. Can eat more and don't need to get ready to wear a bikini. My fiance has been taking advantage of my newly built kegerator and going through my kegs while I grudgingly say No thanks.

Although its pizza night so I will have to pull one or two.

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Yes, men have it easier. Just keep to a balanced diet and find a workout routine that works for you. I'll workout for an hour and burn 500 calories. Now that 1200 calories a day can be increased to 1700. This lets me have an extra beer or two a night without cutting out food or going over my daily calorie intake.

I don't think it's quite as simple as the (calories intake) = (calories work out)equation. Nutritionalists determine the calories contained in a food buy drying the food and burning it(measuring the heat created). But the energy available to your body may be different depending on factors like cooking (you get more calories from a cooked carrot than a raw one since the raw carrot is harder to digest).

I have read the same can be said for alcohol calories; alcohol burns well in laboratory equipment but our bodies are very inefficient at extracting that energy. I believe much of the alcohol calories in beer can be ignored. Programs like beersmith can tell you the carbohydrate and alcohol calories in your homebrew. I think what can really cause weight gain are the foods we tend to eat while having a beer.

Mongo64 said:

I believe much of the alcohol calories in beer can be ignored. Programs like beersmith can tell you the carbohydrate and alcohol calories in your homebrew. I think what can really cause weight gain are the foods we tend to eat while having a beer.

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The amount of carbohydrates in beer is very low - most of them get fermented into alcohol and CO2.

It is pretty simple and it is calories in and calories out. Having lost 60lbs on a diet program that required no alcohol and now gaining back 35 of it since I added the booze back in I can tell you it definitely contributes. I do work out just completed a marathon and will now be back on the wagon to get back to a healthy weight.

Figure you are eating 2400 calories a day to maintain your weight, drink 4 200 calorie beers and you've already hit a 1/3 of you total intake and chances are you didn't cut out 800 calories worth of meal.

Alcohol is also an appetite enhancer so you will be inclined to eat more as well, late night Jack in the Box runs sound familiar. Bottom line if you really want to lose a significant amount of weight cut out the alcohol or no more than a beer or glass of wine a day.

Mongo64 said:

I believe much of the alcohol calories in beer can be ignored. Programs like beersmith can tell you the carbohydrate and alcohol calories in your homebrew. I think what can really cause weight gain are the foods we tend to eat while having a beer.

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I believe that this statement does hold some water. Alcohol uncouples a proton pump inside your Mitochondria responsible for ATP synthesis. By uncoupling this particular pump, EtOH metabolism releases energy in the form of heat and not in the form of ATP. One of the reasons why you "feel warm" when you drink.

How much this heat production/uncoupling reduces your caloric intake is unknown to me. but i would guess its pretty low if not negligible.
-Jefe-

If you are really serious about losing weight, you need to have your metabolism rate determined. A dietitian or doctor can do this for you. As I said in my original post, mine tested out at 2300 per day at rest. This is with no physical activity or "couch potato" mode.

Having this done gives you a good baseline for your caloric intake.

Some folks that are grossly overweight can have their metabolism drop as low as 500 calories a day!!! Basically one cheeseburger and they are done for 24 hours. But they eat more than that and that is why they keep gaining.

Pick said:

If you are really serious about losing weight, you need to have your metabolism rate determined.

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So what is involved in getting your metabolism tested? How much did it cost (I know, insurance may make this a debatable point)?

Metabolism is a huge factor. I was a college cross country runner and all that excercise definitely boosted my metabolism a lot. I was consuming about 8000 calories per day back then and my workouts would account for only about 1000 calories burned, and the rest was mostly high metabolism. I've noticed a huge difference in how much I can eat without gaining weight since I stopped running.

So what is involved in getting your metabolism tested? How much did it cost

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It is a simple test. You breath into a device like a Breathalyzer for several minutes and it spits out the number.

I had mine done by the dietitian, where I work. She said it can cost up to $400 to have it done privately.

LarryC said:

So what is involved in getting your metabolism tested? How much did it cost (I know, insurance may make this a debatable point)?

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I had this test done at my fitness center a while ago. It was included in the membership package I bought. I found out as a couch potato I would burn 2000 calories a day.

I have heard "experts" on the subject say metabolism varies somewhat per individual (+- 200 calories or so), but for the most part daily calorie expenditure depends on activity or lack thereof. Over the long run the metabolism issue can really add up, but so can going for a walk everyday.

Well, being a person who works out consistently and understands nutrition, I could offer my opinions on beer consumption as well. I have went from 330 pounds down to around 200 pounds using a very simple weight loss technique:

"DON'T EAT SO MUCH YOU FAT PIG"

It worked for me. In all seriousness, beer is "technically" loaded with empty calories and excess carbohydrates, especially the kind of beers that most homebrewers like to brew and consume. Let's say you take a down a 6 pack of ale throughout a saturday afternoon...you are likely looking at 1300+ calories and 100 of grams of extra carbohydrates. Very difficult to not gain weight with this type of consumption. I personally find that the key to maintaining a proper weight is to properly control you carbohydrate intake levels, while still monitoring fat and overall calories consumed.

Beer will make you gain weight in more ways then one , you will gain fat but you will also, if you consume the foods typically associated with beer, also retain a ton of water. If I decide I am drinking beer for a weekend and consume 10-12 beers through the course, it is easy for to be 5-10 pounds more than I was before the weekend....mostly from water weight.

I had some beers yesterday and I can feel the bloating in my stomach and under my skin..excesss water. I will get on the treadmill today and it will be easy for me to sweat out the water...5 pounds easy.

Also, if you consitently consume beer, there is some truth to switching to liquor to lose weight. Most distilled liquors contain zero carbohydrates...for example a typical bicardi rum and diet coke will have around 100 calories and zero carbs. Where as my belgian strong ale has over 350 calories a pint, and tons of carbs.

I don't workout and sit at a desk all day, then sit and watch TV at home. A brewday is a 'workout' for me. Prior to 2009 I wasn't brewing at all and only occasionally drank scotch. I almost never drank beer. Then I started brewing again in 2009 and I'm almost 100% certain I've had at least 2 beers everyday since. I haven't gained a pound. All the beer I drink replaces food I used to eat. Calories in:calories out.

But my diet is pretty small now that I drink all these beer calories. An egg mcmuffin with coffee and OJ in the morning and a 'regular' dinner (with reduced starch) is all I eat anymore (gotta save room for beer!). No lunch, no snacks, no soda, nothing else but water...and beer. Beer is food imo.

Regarding the 'empty calories' statement, I think homebrew calories are typically not as 'empty' as macro-beer calories.

The book Eat Right For Your Type is a good book imo. It's about how the 4 different human blood types have different needs. I'm Type O, so starches are 'bad' and meat is 'good' (dairy is also 'bad'). Whoda thunk wheat would be one of the things that makes me fat while lean meat doesn't?

Wow, a lot of misinformation in this thread. While there are a lot of variables that come in to play such as age, weight, lean body mass, your basal metabolic rate, etc... It does really come down to one thing. Calories in vs Calories out.

My advice is to stay away from the junk food while drinking (hard to do, I know) and get a little bit of exercise. Find out your basal metabolic rate, eat reasonable within maintenance, drink your beer, do a little exercise to burn some calories, and be happy. If exercise isnt your thing and you wont give up beer, I say cut some calories from your daily intake

Mongo64 said:

I don't think it's quite as simple as the (calories intake) = (calories work out)equation. Nutritionalists determine the calories contained in a food buy drying the food and burning it(measuring the heat created). But the energy available to your body may be different depending on factors like cooking (you get more calories from a cooked carrot than a raw one since the raw carrot is harder to digest).

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Right, but that doesn't really matter.

Think of the calories determined by laboratory tests as the MAXIMUM energy your body is going to get out of that food. Your body may burn more energy digesting the food than it extracts in nutrients (as is often the case with raw celery, for example) but you can still use the basic accounting method of calories in : calories out.