Are you fit or fat?

weirdboy said:

I have apps to track calories, but I can't stand using them. I do use the apps for fitness tracking. I have used runkeeper for a couple years, and fitocracy since it was in beta last year.

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You complain about tracking calories but then say you use fitocracy? I found fitocracy to be terribly unfriendly to use unless you do the same things over and over again or only do standard exercises. In that way, it's the fitness equivalent of MyFitnessPal for tracking food intake. Getting your normal food into the program takes a lot of effort up front. I also found fitocracy to reward you for things you already do well. A bit counter-intuitive if you are trying to improve your overall fitness.

I found the MFP to be useful for setting guidelines. Use it religiously for a couple weeks to learn proper portion control and balance and to see what things in your normal weekly routine are really sabotaging you. Useful to go back again for a week every couple months and see how you are doing. Getting a kitchen scale should be bare minimum for people who are going to get serious about changing their eating habits. You'd be amazed at 6-8 oz vs 10-12 oz and how you perceive each of those portions when you start out.

scottland said:

Just eat real food: Meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, etc etc. The details will sort themselves out.

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Sounds great on paper (and I agree 100% with the "eat real foods" part), but it means nothing without portion control.

I'm 34, 5'7", ~170, would like to be ~160, but I'm not losing sleep over it. I have a bit of a belly (because I love beer too much), but the rest of me is lean and strong. I love to cook (and eat), and I love beer (4-6 beers on a normal day, maybe a bit more on the weekends). I always have appropriate portions with meals and rarely eat seconds (unless it's pizza, then I go b@ll$ out), I don't really eat much junky snack food or desserts. I'm pretty active, I play 18 holes of disc golf a couple times a week, take brisk walks after dinner a couple times a week, horse around with the kids a lot, and have fluctuated between 165 and 175 for the last ~5-6 years, depending on the season (like many in MN, I pudge up a bit in the wintertime). The one thing that keeps me from being 'fit' is smoking cigarettes, which is a filthy habit, and since I turned 30 has started to 'catch up' to me. My goal is to quit by 40, and I think that alone will help me be more active. I like physical activity, it makes me feel good, but I don't have the stamina I did when I was younger.

And +1 to what Reno said. Eating real, healthy foods is very important. Very rarely do we eat pre made or packaged meals, and when we do, I definitely feel it. Proper nutrition is very very important to fitness.

Randar said:

Sounds great on paper (and I agree 100% with the "eat real foods" part), but it means nothing without portion control.

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But that's just a matter of self-control. I just eat until I'm full... but that entails taking at least twenty minutes to eat so my body actually has time to catch up and indicate that it is indeed full.

I'm 6'4", a lean 220lbs and have been for about 6 years.

Uziyahu said:

I am losing my extra pounds through marathon training. It's amazing how much you can eat and drink when you run 13 miles and burn almost 2000 calories doing it.

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You nailed it. You can drink all the beer you want, as long as you live a lifestyle of excercise. Just like you said, it's pretty amazing what you can eat and drink if you excercise 5 times a week and don't eat fast food and the sort. And I'm not even talking about eating veggies and running 10 miles a day. An easy 20 minutes of cardio and watching what you eat goes a long ways. Save those calories for good brew! It's also been said that after a workout a cold beer can rehydrate you just as well as a glass of water and has much more nutrients as well.

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/3467

Damn, this thread is inspiring me! I'm 28, 6'0" and 235 lbs. I'm a dense, muscular guy but the last ~5 years of homebrewing (and 2 babies) have added a good 20 lbs of body fat.

I've renewed my focus on what/when I eat (I'm a big fan of 1am meals) and am starting a simple exercise program. Thanks for the inspiration, my fit fellow homebrewers!

bigbeergeek said:

Damn, this thread is inspiring me! I'm 28, 6'0" and 235 lbs. I'm a dense, muscular guy but the last ~5 years of homebrewing (and 2 babies) have added a good 20 lbs of body fat.

I've renewed my focus on what/when I eat (I'm a big fan of 1am meals) and am starting a simple exercise program. Thanks for the inspiration, my fit fellow homebrewers!

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As far as 1am meals, I used to do that a lot. But you can really help your weight loss along by cutting back on late meals. Start with something simple like no food after 11pm and work your way back over time. SWMBO and I hardly eat after 9pm anymore. No more lead ball in my stomach while I try to eat, no more mild heart burn, and I'm actually hungry for breakfast... and eating a good breakfasts gets your metabolism off to the right start.

Reno_eNVy said:

But that's just a matter of self-control.

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Self control and habit. Years(a whole lifetime) of eating habits can be harder to break than addictions like smoking for some people...


I was a competitive athlete from 6 years old through college. When I had knee surgery after my last season, I sort of fell apart for a couple years. New full-time office job, getting married, no "next season" to prepare for, moving a couple times, and still eating like I was a competitive athlete needing 5000 calories a day to not lose weight. It takes a consistent and constant effort to break habits like that. Took me a couple years to get back into the fitness routine and adjust my nutritional/eating habits in a way that was more sustainable. I was just offering a clarification (or addendum) to the previous statement.

Good points and well said.

I had the same situation: athlete almost my whole life. Luckily I met SWMBO (from a little mountain town called Grass Valley where real food is the only way to go) when I was still an athlete and she was able to ease me into eating normal portions.

Randar said:

Sounds great on paper (and I agree 100% with the "eat real foods" part), but it means nothing without portion control.

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I kind of figured that went without saying. You can't eat like a pig and expect to lose weight.

There's all these 'theories', 'magic bullets' 'super diets', and other BS that gets peddled by the weight loss industry. The fact is: Americans like to eat too much, and the food we eat isn't that healthy. (I'm often in this boat)

Because the problem isn't that complicated, the solution really isn't either. Get some exercise, eat more real food, and don't eat like a pig. It's just not the answer that people want to hear.

My problem is, a spicy chicken sandwich and waffle fries from chick-fil-a is just so damn delicious

5'9", 210 pounds for a BMI of 32. That says I'm obese but except for a very little belly fat leftover from the unhealthy years I'm pretty much muscle. I work out for an hour 5 days a week-30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights.
I was a consultant in the oilfield for 14 years, sleeping in my truck and eating whatever junk food we had for days at a time. I weighed between 183 and 187, and had for 25 years. When I got my first office job at the age of 48 I started going to the gym and promptly jumped to 210 and have stay there for 7 years. But my 210 is vastly healthier than my 185 was.
I eat a pretty balanced diet with tons of fruits and veggies, but I do enjoy the taste of grilled meat and a few beers.

Randar said:

Self control and habit. Years(a whole lifetime) of eating habits can be harder to break than addictions like smoking for some people...

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Exactly. Unfortunately, it requires life style changes. You have to cook more, which takes more time, and requires eating out less. All things that take discipline.

corkybstewart said:

5'9", 210 pounds for a BMI of 32. That says I'm obese but except for a very little belly fat leftover from the unhealthy years ...

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BMI is intended to be an accessible, easy measure for average folks or folks who are just becoming active. However, most fit folks who engage in regular resistance training will have a BMI that exceeds guidelines, which for them makes it a very inaccurate measure of body composition. My BMI is over 25, yet my body fat is currently about 12.5%. By BMI, I am overweight. By body fat %, I am borderline athlete level ...and while I have a fit appearance I by no means the biggest guy in the gym. The disparity is magnified as you get stronger and bigger

davcar74 said:

BMI is intended to be an accessible, easy measure for average folks or folks who are just becoming active. However, most fit folks who engage in regular resistance training will have a BMI that exceeds guidelines, which for them makes it a very inaccurate measure of body composition. My BMI is over 25, yet my body fat is currently about 12.5%. By BMI, I am overweight. By body fat %, I am borderline athlete level ...and while I have a fit appearance I by no means the biggest guy in the gym. The disparity is magnified as you get stronger and bigger

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Noooo! Don't start the bmi debate! We all know it's flawed unless you're completely average in your lifestyle/build etc

Just for the record mine is around 19, I'm 138lb usually and 5'10". I'm fit, good distance runner and I'm a brewer (plenty of physical work). I'd like to put on weight, but my metabolism is making it difficult, I eat; I get plenty of energy and am really healthy, but the rare occasion I get a virus or something that I don't get rid of in a couple of days it can wipe me out pretty good, although last time I got flu I was rid of the main symptoms in less than 3 days (I supplement as well).

How does your body weight affect your immune system? I'm not trying to sound like a jerk or anything just wondering lol

I'm pretty fit at the moment. Just finished a by-the-book round of P90x. 40 yr old, 6'3" 191lbs. I started at the beginning of Feb & the results are friggin great - although it took grit to finish it. I brewed 30 gals of beer last fall and it sat in corny's waiting for me. In the 90 days of the X, I probably only had 5-6 beers. I really missed it. I really missed the hobby. Now that I'm at a safe maintenance spot, I've had a few beers & brewed again last weekend.
I started a 2nd round of P90x 2 weeks ago and will bring beer back. I can fit it in now.

...what do you think?

Fat_Bastard said:

...what do you think?

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You must be fit

sr20steve said:

You nailed it. You can drink all the beer you want, as long as you live a lifestyle of excercise. Just like you said, it's pretty amazing what you can eat and drink if you excercise 5 times a week and don't eat fast food and the sort. And I'm not even talking about eating veggies and running 10 miles a day. An easy 20 minutes of cardio and watching what you eat goes a long ways. Save those calories for good brew! It's also been said that after a workout a cold beer can rehydrate you just as well as a glass of water and has much more nutrients as well.

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/3467

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Yep to all above... I am 5'5", medium frame, 137 pounds. Doc(s) don't want me below 132 due to several auto-immune system issues (Type 1 diabetes and Graves disease to name a few. If I fall ill with something it takes twice as long to kick and when there's no appetite the weight sheds quick) . Other than my beer, spirits, and tattoo habit I am pretty fit. I stick to veggies and seafood and try not to eat out too often. I also exercise 4 to 5 times a week, varying between cardio / strength training / mix of the two.

Been the same size, + or - five pounds, for the last six years. Usually feel great. My words of advice? Eat less, make better choices, and exercise more...

Was pretty fit until I started brewing again. I was down to 170. Gained about 15 lbs of mostly fat over the past 9 months. My strength went up but nobody's impressed by a sloppy looking power lifter. In July when I run out of beer, I'm off beer until November. I'll drink some hard liquor and water but a lot less than now. Plan is to lose 15 lbs without dropping a lot of strength.

Anybody who says exercise will negate regular daily beer drinking is full of ****. Acetone prevents quick fat burning. You can run ten miles after a night of drinking to find that you dropped very little if any fat. Sure you could cut your daily calories to 1000 and you will lose weight, but the gut is last to go and your muscle will shrink a lot before that. If you care about fat loss and muscle preservation, then you have to cut down on beer/ alcohol and carbs as well and keep the fat intake to a reasonable level.

Fit. I'm a firefighter so the job kind of dictates that you maintain a certain level of fitness. Plus I'm on duty for 24 hours every third day and can't drink on shift so that helps. I usually work out four to five days a week for a few hours per day.

badbrew said:

Anybody who says exercise will negate regular daily beer drinking is full of ****. Acetone prevents quick fat burning. You can run ten miles after a night of drinking to find that you dropped very little if any fat. Sure you could cut your daily calories to 1000 and you will lose weight, but the gut is last to go and your muscle will shrink a lot before that. If you care about fat loss and muscle preservation, then you have to cut down on beer/ alcohol and carbs as well and keep the fat intake to a reasonable level.

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But it's a fallacy to say that a specific food will make you gain weight in a specific area of your body. Having a big gut reflects your activity lifestyle, not the fact that you drink beer. Beer is a food, just like anything else. The problem is it's way easier to consume a lot of calories in beer than in solid food form, so people ingest more calories than they think they are ingesting. Three beers can be an entire meal's worth of calories! And like you say, not very balanced calories at that, since very little protein is being consumed, no fiber, and only certain vitamins. But in the end, it's got more to do with how much beer we drink, not the fact that we might drink some every day.

badbrew said:

Anybody who says exercise will negate regular daily beer drinking is full of ****. Acetone prevents quick fat burning. You can run ten miles after a night of drinking to find that you dropped very little if any fat. Sure you could cut your daily calories to 1000 and you will lose weight, but the gut is last to go and your muscle will shrink a lot before that. If you care about fat loss and muscle preservation, then you have to cut down on beer/ alcohol and carbs as well and keep the fat intake to a reasonable level.

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I thought that was pretty interesting with a correlation between acetone and a beer gut, but I googled around and couldn't find any studies. Could you provide a link? Most studies I found either say it's the liver working hard to process alcohol but others simply say it's because of calories consumed.

badbrew said:

regular daily beer drinking[/B] is full of ****. Acetone prevents quick fat burning. You can run ten miles after a night of drinking to find that you dropped very little if any fat.

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This is just a silly statement. Depending on the beer your drinking and how much of a drinker you are, a night of drinking lets say is 10 beers at 150 to 200 calories each (which is pretty low for homebrew) would be 1500 to 2000 calories. While a 10 mile run for someone of average weight burns about 1200 calories. It's simple math when it comes to losing weight. Not to mention a 10 mile run is about the bare minimum if you are actually wanting to see fat lose and not just water weight on a single run.

Note: I am a marathoner and long distance cycler. I am 5' 10" and weigh 165 lb with a BF% of 12. I drink prob 2 beers every evening and heavier on the weekend.

I will admit that drinking does make it harder to run due to the lack of nutrition in beer so I do cut down during training season.

I am getting fitter after my hernia surgery last february. Dropped about 45lbs since then, and have another 40ish to go before I am satisfied. One will look at me and say I am "fit" but I still feel fat.

Working on it again. Started working out over a year ago. Did good for 6-8 months then stopped. I was lifting 3 days a week and running 2-3 miles 2 days a week. Did a Warrior Dash and was all gung ho about obstacle mud racing. Then stopped everything. Just started lifting again 2 weeks ago and remembering how much I enjoyed it. I'm also kicking myself for stopping. It sucks so bad lifting what I can now, knowing I was nearly the weight on everything when I stopped. Oh well. Time to build back up. Its at least motivation to not stop this time.

IrregularPulse said:

Working on it again. Started working out over a year ago. Did good for 6-8 months then stopped. I was lifting 3 days a week and running 2-3 miles 2 days a week. Did a Warrior Dash and was all gung ho about obstacle mud racing. Then stopped everything. Just started lifting again 2 weeks ago and remembering how much I enjoyed it. I'm also kicking myself for stopping. It sucks so bad lifting what I can now, knowing I was nearly the weight on everything when I stopped. Oh well. Time to build back up. Its at least motivation to not stop this time.

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Thank goodness for muscle memory. I know whats its like, its so easy to be lazy, but when you're so into it, nothing can stop you. Your weight will go up soon.

gallowjc said:

This is just a silly statement. Depending on the beer your drinking and how much of a drinker you are, a night of drinking lets say is 10 beers at 150 to 200 calories each (which is pretty low for homebrew) would be 1500 to 2000 calories. While a 10 mile run for someone of average weight burns about 1200 calories. It's simple math when it comes to losing weight. Not to mention a 10 mile run is about the bare minimum if you are actually wanting to see fat lose and not just water weight on a single run.

Note: I am a marathoner and long distance cycler. I am 5' 10" and weigh 165 lb with a BF% of 12. I drink prob 2 beers every evening and heavier on the weekend.

I will admit that drinking does make it harder to run due to the lack of nutrition in beer so I do cut down during training season.

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+1. When I was running 35-45 miles a week (and doing a marathon plus a bunch of other races every year), I could eat and drink just about anything I wanted in what ever quantity I wanted. I am shorter than you (5' 7"/ 5' 8") and weighed around 138-142. Can't remember my BF %'s but pretty lean as I also tried to work out to keep upper body strength and some other stuff to prevent knee issues and Plantar Fasciitis.

The math is pretty simple. 35 miles/week * 52 weeks/ year * 110 calories/mile = 200,200 calories. That's over 57 POUNDS that I had to make up for with extra caloric intake every year.

The interesting thing is that I ate "better" than I do now, in the sense I ate mostly lean meats (mostly non red meat), lot's of salads and plenty of complex carbohydrates. I did drink beer, but also needed to get up for early long runs which tends to ensure that you take it easy the night before.

jamieofthenorth said:

I thought that was pretty interesting with a correlation between acetone and a beer gut, but I googled around and couldn't find any studies . . .

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From what I know, acetone has nothing to do with beer, but possibly the sugars in beer. Acetone is produced when there's not enough blood sugars in your muscles so the body burns fat. It's a byproduct of this process. It's the "wall" of marathoning. The thing is that with consistent endurance training, your body learns better process, and even use it as fuel, but without the bad side effects (read that as pain) as long as you stay somewhat aerobic.

5'9'' 165 about 8% bodyfat and BMI is a useless measurement, so Id say I'm very fit
I drink 2-3 beers daily too but it just makes me work out that much more.

I'd say I'm reasonably fit, but the thing I really wanted to comment on after reading most of this thread is for the people saying they hate the workouts and can't get motivated to exercise.

I gained a bunch of weight when I got out of school and got a desk job, but then I got into martial arts...specifically aikido. It's been loads of fun and most days I'm just itching to get to class and learn some new stuff after work. Before long you forget that you're also getting a bunch of exercise while you're doing it.

Just don't think that getting in shape has to mean going to the gym or running on a treadmill for hours on end (which really blows IMO, I could never stick with that no matter how many times I tried). Find something fun and interesting to do that just happens to get you in shape, the same way that drinking really tasty beer just happens to also get you buzzed

Question: Are you fit or fat?

Answer: Yes.

I usually have 3 beers a night.

I swim 1 hour a day. And my new job is going to give me an extra hour of "dead" time in the morning. That's going to be the tread mill at work.

I have a goal when I retire.

I want to put my hand on the wall between California and Mexico, and then start walking north, when I get to Canada I'll stop.

The Pacific Crest Trail.

This thread gives me a good idea, chocolate flavored protein powder in my next batch of Chocolate Stout.

Beer_Eugenics said:

This thread gives me a good idea, chocolate flavored protein powder in my next batch of Chocolate Stout.

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I have actually considered this, but I need to do some more research on what I may need to change in the process to accommodate this ingredient.. Also I would imagine a very pure protein would be needed, no proprietary blends or extras....

Just got back from a seven mile rocky, hilly trail run with my dog. Muddy legs and a bloody elbow. Staying fit doesn't get much more fun than that! A quick shower and I be mashing in.

Life is good!

I got happy fat!!
I've gained about 15 pounds in the last 3 years of brewing...
My six pack turned into a baby keg!
Igotsand

I consider myself fit.. 5'11" 160-165lbs is my normal weight fluctuation.

My job has me on the road 70-80% of the time, in and out of airports. One of my struggles faced on a daily basis is to find food not insanely loaded with calories. Having good eating habits and just being aware of what is in your food is the key to maintaining weight.

Knowing that a 8oz lean cut of sirloin is 500-700 calories and a queen cut prime rib can be up to 2000. Add on a loaded baked potato, butter drenched veggies, salad soaked in dressing, two beers, and you are up to 4000 calorie meal. I see this all the time and they complain about not losing weight.



For exercise normally my routine is a 5am 6 mile run in whatever city I am in.. Love hitting the pavement and not the treadmill. On the weekends I live next to one of the finest mountain bike areas in MA. Normal mountain bike outing burns 1500 calories.

It helps that my wife likes to be active with me, we motivate each other.

I am blessed with a high metabolism and a very physical job. I consume 3500 cal on days I work. To get there I used to eat two dinners, now I drink 1 higher gravity beer or two session beers instead of second dinner. Just shy of 6 ft and 165 lbs.

I in a survival training mode. If there's a famine I'll out live all you skinny bastards!

gallowjc said:

This is just a silly statement. Depending on the beer your drinking and how much of a drinker you are, a night of drinking lets say is 10 beers at 150 to 200 calories each (which is pretty low for homebrew) would be 1500 to 2000 calories. While a 10 mile run for someone of average weight burns about 1200 calories. It's simple math when it comes to losing weight. Not to mention a 10 mile run is about the bare minimum if you are actually wanting to see fat lose and not just water weight on a single run.

Note: I am a marathoner and long distance cycler. I am 5' 10" and weigh 165 lb with a BF% of 12. I drink prob 2 beers every evening and heavier on the weekend.

I will admit that drinking does make it harder to run due to the lack of nutrition in beer so I do cut down during training season.

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I guess it all depends on your goals. I don't want a marathon runner's body. I'm 5'7" 185 (prob 20-22% bf) and my best has been 170 with 15% bf (I was pretty cutup except for the beer gut). If I ran marathons I'd shrivel up all of my hard work in the gym from catabolism. I know this on experience training 10 miles each day 4 times per week and watching my leg strength drop in half. Beer does affect training abilities and alcohol does prevent fat loss without also having catabolism along for the ride (and immune system problems too).