Less food, or less beer?

I stepped on the scale the other day -- big mistake! I didn't like what I saw. So I have a choice. Either cut back on the beer, or cut back on the food.

Don't get me wrong, it's not just beer that's causing the problem. I love to eat, and I eat a lot. I love to cook (not as much as I love to brew), and eat good stuff. But I eat a lot of crap as well. I do work that keeps me in my truck a lot, so I hit a lot of drive-thrus. Empty calories, but damn, it tastes good!

So the question is: do I cut back on the drive-thru food, or on the beer? My answer is already formulated, I'm just curious what choice you guys have made, or might have to make.

I must admit I can't cut back on either. I go with the exercise route. Eat the same, drink the same, workout more.

But if I had to... Well, it'd be less food.

Neither. Exercise.

get rid of the junk food. it is killing this country. beer is good for you. burger king is not.

I say cut back on the food (more importantly cut back on the junk and eat more good stuff), exercise more, drink more beer. I recently had a similar realization. The big thing for me is the working out. Now that the weather is getting nice I am going to have to do some serious weight losing.

I'm in the same boat. I gained some weight this winter, for the first time. I already don't eat junk food, and I do exercise. I'm going to cut back a bit on calories from both food and beer, but not enough to feel deprived. I figure if I cut just about 250 calories a day, I'll be back to 135 in no time!

Perhaps make more healthful food choices. Fruits, veggies, plenty of fiber can do wonders. Moderate consumption of beer is a health wise choice.

I try to eat semi healthy during the work week, because I usually take the kids out on Wednesday nights and the family usually does dinner out on Saturdays and I like to be able to eat what I want when I go out. I do drink a fair amount of beer as well, but I exercise quite a bit and, surprise, surprise, it works!

Portion control. If you hit a fast food place, don't max out everything. Yeah, not the best deal financially, but buying the small fries and soda makes a difference. Most of the time, I skip the soda as well. I've got a friend who gained 80 lbs "eating healthy", so that isn't a solution without controlling the total.

I workout 6 days a week and still need to watch my portions. It's about calories in and calories out. If I know I'm going to drink more than a couple, I will eat a little less that day. I ate pretty light today with a workout. I'm gonna have some steak tips and broccoli for dinner. When I head out tonight I won't stress about the beers I drink.

Bulls Beers said:

I workout 6 days a week and still need to watch my portions. It's about calories in and calories out. If I know I'm going to drink more than a couple, I will eat a little less that day. I ate pretty light today with a workout. I'm gonna have some steak tips and broccoli for dinner. When I head out tonight I won't stress about the beers I drink.

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I agree. I just lost 60lbs. over the last year or so. Not that you have to count calories, but just be reasonable. My biggest problem was portion control. Like many people I can wreck high carb foods in large quantity. Some ravolis or pizza, now you are talking. Cut back on the quantity and drink lower cal beer. Toss in a little exercise(cardio) and you'll drop the weight faster than you think.

For the winter I picked up a gym membership to stay active. It has worked well. I bike and run in the summer.

Hey, If my lazy ass can go from 210 to 150, Anyone can. Best of luck.

Haha! I figured the consensus would NOT include cutting back on beer!

Yeah, a little bit of (food) portion control goes a long way! My decision involves switching from fried eggs and toast for breakfast to a bowl of corn flakes, and perhaps packing a sandwich instead of hitting Popeye's Chicken's drive thru. And then not gorging myself at dinnertime. I cut grass for a living, and my busy season is coming up, so no exercise program needed.

I've started brewing and buying more alcoholic beer, as dry as possible; simply because I enjoy it. Less unfermentables to burn, more alcohol, so you drink less; between that and buying raw ingredients for meals (oatmeal w/ unsweetend fat-free yogurt for breakfast, etc.), and not drinking anything besides water and black coffee, and beer. I just can't keep weight on. At 6'0, I went from 168lb to 153lb in under 2 months, and dropping.

In summary, make your own meals from unprocessed goods, and bring it with you on the road and drink beer higher in alcohol without the sugars. (Belgian strong pale, for example). Drinking black coffee has been shown to lower the chance of diabetes and certain cancers, while limiting your caloric intake significantly.

I was in the same boat. Love beer and love food. After I was done playing college football I gained 30lbs. So I got into running marathons. So now I can eat almost whatever I want and drink my beer because I know a 18 mile run is just around the corner!!!

Don't eat after drinking. It always makes me eat x2 as much

Not only that, but from what I've read your metabolism shuts down by 80% as it begins to utilize ethanol as it's primary energy source, meaning that any energy source other than alcohol just sits around or gets turned into fat. I believe the metabolic shut down last for (2?) hours after your last drink.

I'm cutting back on both. I've probably gained 10 pounds since coming home in January and I don't like the feeling. Exercise, 6 meals a day, cut back on drinking, exercise.

Drive through vs. Home Brew?!? Is that even a contest?

I enjoy food and beer too, but the bigger contest for me is great home made meals vs. home brew. I'm working for a balance there, but I'm still tipping the scale. There is a certain part of me that is willing to just be fat to enjoy the good food and good beer, but the fat guy staring back at me in the mirror is questioning that decision. In the meantime I've decided that I just need to exercise more consistently.

I have stopped drinking during the week, started having just a salad for supper, and am slowly increasing the amount I walk in the evening.

So far, I have lost 7 pounds in 3 weeks, so something is working.

Portion control and bicycling works for me. Well it did last year, then I gained the 20# back this winter.

I found a good daily 4 mile bike ride, and cutting out french fries and cokes does wonders.

HomerJR said:

So the question is: do I cut back on the drive-thru food, or on the beer? My answer is already formulated, I'm just curious what choice you guys have made, or might have to make.

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Both, plus more exercise. And look for better drive through food than you've been eating...for instance, Carl's Jr. has a charbroiled chicken sandwich that's low on both fat and sodium.

Easy, stop eating fast food... it's crap (yes, yes, very tasty too)

One of my favorite quotes from Michael Pollan, "Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.” Good rule to live by.

Someone wiser than me, said, "Food has no Beer value, but Beer has Food value."

I believe it was Don Scheidt, at least that's according to Don Webb.