Cut back on Beer because the belly is too big?

Polboy said:

So i read half of the posts and have one question, how do you guys decide its time to loose some lbs? im gaining a little bit of weight every year but feel i still have few years before i start actively exercise, diet ect, my bmi is 23.1 but was around 22 2-3 years ago and before that it was 20.5 for as long as i can remember, is it time for me to look for a gym?

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PatDunkel said:

When you feel like crap or you don't like looking in the mirror anymore. Mine was a little of both.

Pat

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When we start sounding like women with the "Does this beer make my ass look fat".

Drink less beer yes...Patiently age your finest beers and share them with the best of friends. Moderation doesn't hurt.

Agree on that.

Playing hockey 4 times a week helps cut down the belly too. I guess it depends on each individual's metabolism. Some guys can drink 20 beers a night and never gain weight while others gain 5 pounds just for looking at a beer truck.

As long as you feel healthy.. So far beer is keeping me away from this gastro that the kids took back from daycare...

This is the reason why ive made 3 sour beers out of my last four batches.

BryanJ said:

This is the reason why ive made 3 sour beers out of my last four batches.

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So they're nasty and you won't drink them?!?

LOL

MC

Polboy said:

So i read half of the posts and have one question, how do you guys decide its time to loose some lbs? im gaining a little bit of weight every year but feel i still have few years before i start actively exercise, diet ect, my bmi is 23.1 but was around 22 2-3 years ago and before that it was 20.5 for as long as i can remember, is it time for me to look for a gym?

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Something to consider is that it is generally easier to establish a lifestyle where you can maintain a certain level of fitness vs. trying to restore your fitness after you have strayed from it. You really don't want to have to lose 40 lbs. because of a health scare at your last physical, believe me.

Thunder_Chicken said:

Something to consider is that it is generally easier to establish a lifestyle where you can maintain a certain level of fitness vs. trying to restore your fitness after you have strayed from it. You really don't want to have to lose 40 lbs. because of a health scare at your last physical, believe me.

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+1

It is right now that you need to work on your lifestyle. Work out more, eat less fat/carbs, then you can drink more homebrew and still be healthy.

After starting to keg, I have just come to terms with kegging beer is bad for my health as it's so easy to just walk up to the keg and pour off a pint without thinking about it. Compairing that to bottling where you see the dead soldiers sitting around and having to clean them. I do have to start cutting back as I really can't add much more on to the amount I work out which is already about 2-3 hours a day when I go to the gym, about 5 times a week.

CityOChampBrew said:

After starting to keg, I have just come to terms with kegging beer is bad for my health as it's so easy to just walk up to the keg and pour off a pint without thinking about it. Compairing that to bottling where you see the dead soldiers sitting around and having to clean them. I do have to start cutting back as I really can't add much more on to the amount I work out which is already about 2-3 hours a day when I go to the gym, about 5 times a week.

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Yes - when you hear that hissing sound right after you've killed a keg, you think to yourself, 'Wow - there is no way I could have killed that keg already!' You rationalize it. You blame the cat. You blame the dog. You wonder if the neighborhood kids may have broken into your house. Nope - you drank 5 gallons of beer in 3-weeks. Kegging is evil.

I finally bought a scale today. I had a feeling my weight was getting out of control, it's just to easy to pour off a pint from the keg. Worst fears were confirmed, I've put on 30 pounds in about a year. Time to diet, I only have about 2 pairs of clothes that still fit. One last night to go out in style, then it's only beer once or twice a week, no sneaking in a pint every couple of days.

I only drink on the weekends, tends to keep the belly under control !

"Urban Hiking"

Walk to the bar, walk to the store, walk whenever. You can easily walk 2-3 miles in an hour. Try walking for those short trips instead of driving. Go walk around the mall or the grocery store with the old lady. It's easier to do if you give yourself a purpose. If I called my Sunday morning walk to get the paper "exercise", I would be miserable. But "Hiking" is fun. Who WANTS to exercise? Keeping active is easier if you don't make a conscious routine, and don't call it something negative (like "work" or "exercise"). Would you rather go "urban hiking" or "exercise"? It's a mind game to help you remain positive.

Sometimes I'll even stop for a beer mid-hike, just to re-affirm that this isn't "working out". (You can't drinking beer in the middle of "exercise".)

For what it's worth.... I don't know that this will help you lose weight at all. But it makes my walks more enjoyable if I stop and smell the roses, read inscriptions on monuments, snap pictures of stupid stuff, etc.

I can too drink beer in the middle of exercise. We have a pub run here with a thing called the Guinness challenge; four pints of Guinness throughout the 5k run.

I don't want to sound like "Debby Downer", but be careful guys. Having a beer belly can cause diabetes. And diabetes can cause a whole slew of health problems. I love beer just as much as the rest of you, but had to cut back. Best to nip these problems in the bud before they happen.

If you have too, buy some Natty Light. The horrid taste will only make you drink a partial and throw the rest away, LOL!

This is the exact reason why I started buying low calorie foods and dressings. Eat a little better so you can drink a little more. I may have to cut back my intake a bit seeing as I can go through 5 gallons in a couple of weeks depending on how much time I actually spend at home.

I've moved to a Friday/Saturday thing and if I exercise a lot, I get one beer on Wednesday night. It sucks to want to brew and try new recipes and knowing I can't do anything with the beer. Maybe I should start doing 1 gallon batches.

Pick said:

I don't want to sound like "Debby Downer", but be careful guys. Having a beer belly can cause diabetes. And diabetes can cause a whole slew of health problems.

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I hate to be a science nerd... but none of those studies will say beer bellys CAUSE diabetes. They can only go as far as saying it is associated with diabetes. Futhermore, there is a disagreement in the literature as to whether visceral fat (beer belly) or intrahepatic fat (liver fat) is a better marker for metabolic disease.

It certainly doesn't mean carrying extra fat is a good thing, but it irks me when the media throws things out there that are poorly explained and people parrot it back without looking into the actual research. The most recent example was the story about hops having antiviral properties (while leaving out that you would need to drink 30 beers a day for it to make a difference).

I've read that the beer belly and heavy beer consumption has been shown to increase rates of insulin resistance, which is a warning sign of diabetes, as I understand it.


Beef alone may not cause diabetes but if you have a diet that's conducive to diabetes, beers not gonna help.

well, I'm gonna have my last Velvet Rooster and a banana cream pie. and I might inject corn syrup into my neck, but maybe later.

biohaz7331 said:

This is the exact reason why I started buying low calorie foods and dressings. Eat a little better so you can drink a little more. I may have to cut back my intake a bit seeing as I can go through 5 gallons in a couple of weeks depending on how much time I actually spend at home.

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That actually isn't the best way to do things. If you eat real food (meats, eggs, natural fats, vegetables) you are actually likely to eat less and get all the nutrients that you need. Look into "moderate carbohydrate primal eating" and have beer on you cheat days. DON'T eat "light" foods with fake crap and chemicals in them.

And yeah, you have to get off your butt and exercise, but that doesn't necessarily mean gym. Walk, a lot. Do whatever you can to work some walking into your day. It's a really good fat burning exercise if you do enough of it.

I've always had a high metabolism which I feel very lucky to have! Can eat and drink a ton and my weight is pretty much stays where it is. 6'1 and 185lbs. Although in saying that I do need/want to lose around 10-15lbs. Just been too damn lazy to get to the gym. SWMBO is the house chef(I seem to do everything else!) and she's on a healthy cooking craze atm which is actually been pretty good.

Although in saying that I'm a soccer coach and I'm usually on the field 3 hours a day during the week and anything up to 6-7 hours a day at weekends depending on my schedule.

I don't believe there is such a thing as genetic high metabolism. Metabolism is the amount of energy your body needs to survive. It depends on muscle mass age weight. We all have the same base rate, then we control the results, through exercise, weight, and sleep. If you think you have high metabolism that usually means you are just burning more calories than you take in. Its all numbers. Whatever is not burned is consumed and adds to your waistline.

To the OP:

Google couch to 5K. It is a very easy running program that will ease into running/walking a 5K. If anything, do it to keep the wife from nagging you for drinking too much beer! I did a 5K last weekend and I'm still a bit sore as I didn't prepare...at all, but I had zero guilt drinking a few beers later that night.

Thunder_Chicken said:

That actually isn't the best way to do things. If you eat real food (meats, eggs, natural fats, vegetables) you are actually likely to eat less and get all the nutrients that you need. Look into "moderate carbohydrate primal eating" and have beer on you cheat days. DON'T eat "light" foods with fake crap and chemicals in them.

And yeah, you have to get off your butt and exercise, but that doesn't necessarily mean gym. Walk, a lot. Do whatever you can to work some walking into your day. It's a really good fat burning exercise if you do enough of it.

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I've been on a gym slump but walking more. I listen to the brewing network or any beer podcast. It's healthy, relaxing and educational!

Replace a few meals a week with an imperial porter...win win. Maybe a side of lettuce.

theveganbrewer said:

I don't believe there is such a thing as genetic high metabolism. Metabolism is the amount of energy your body needs to survive. It depends on muscle mass age weight. We all have the same base rate, then we control the results, through exercise, weight, and sleep. If you think you have high metabolism that usually means you are just burning more calories than you take in. Its all numbers. Whatever is not burned is consumed and adds to your waistline.

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People have varying levels of insulin resistance. Some people eat donuts every day and stay slender. Others look at a donut and get fat. Don't tell me there's no genetics there.

Thunder_Chicken said:

That actually isn't the best way to do things. If you eat real food (meats, eggs, natural fats, vegetables) you are actually likely to eat less and get all the nutrients that you need. ...
DON'T eat "light" foods with fake crap and chemicals in them.

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+1. Read labels on the back and ignore the advertising BS on the front of the package. Or eat whole, real food like an apple that has no label.

TyTanium said:

People have varying levels of insulin resistance. Some people eat donuts every day and stay slender. Others look at a donut and get fat. Don't tell me there's no genetics there.

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That's what I mean. When I played soccer in my youth I played alongside other kids who couldn't go near a fast food place and would add on the pounds. Me on the other hand, I was all over the burgers and fries and I'd lose weight!:rockin:

Sshamash said:

Replace a few meals a week with an imperial porter...win win. Maybe a side of lettuce.

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you're crazy. cabbage goes with Imperial Porter, not lettuce. lettuce goes with Imperial Pilsner.

TyTanium said:

People have varying levels of insulin resistance. Some people eat donuts every day and stay slender. Others look at a donut and get fat. Don't tell me there's no genetics there.

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amen, brofrush! me, my dad, and 3 of his brothers have amazingly fast metabolism. along with a few of my cousins on that side as well. most of us have to double our caloric intake just to keep up. none of my sisters have it. my mothers side gains weight if they walk near a bakery.

theveganbrewer said:

I don't believe there is such a thing as genetic high metabolism. Metabolism is the amount of energy your body needs to survive. It depends on muscle mass age weight. We all have the same base rate, then we control the results, through exercise, weight, and sleep. If you think you have high metabolism that usually means you are just burning more calories than you take in. Its all numbers. Whatever is not burned is consumed and adds to your waistline.

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So how is your diet and exercise plan going? Its been a number of months.

A calorie is a calorie, is a calorie, is a calorie........
Low carb in your food choices helps.

Nah, I'm good. Thsnks for asking though.

I do need to eat healthier. I am horrible at grabbing a bag of sunflower seeds and destroying the whole thing in one day.

I've dropped 25 pounds and my beer belly in 6 weeks. Motivation, 1 hour workout, healthy diet. I drink 2-3 beers a night

ScotBrew said:

That's what I mean. When I played soccer in my youth I played alongside other kids who couldn't go near a fast food place and would add on the pounds. Me on the other hand, I was all over the burgers and fries and I'd lose weight!:rockin:

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It's very easy to eat home cooked or restaurant food and exceed the calories of a fast food meal by far. It's not like they have special meat with three times the calories in a McDonald's burger.

One weight loss tip I've read and struggle with is to go to bed earlier in the night. Most of the food a person eats late at night is usually no prep junk food.

Personally I find that when I drink a beer I start craving something salty (unless I'm drinking a stout, then may something sweet it depends). So combine a late night with a beer (or two) and you'll find me in the cupboard looking for chips or crackers.

Will power, I needz it!

Calichusetts said:

I've dropped 25 pounds and my beer belly in 6 weeks. Motivation, 1 hour workout, healthy diet. I drink 2-3 beers a night

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Nice work!

If I cut back on beer it's because I don't want to feel like ass the next day. I ride my bike enough that I don't gain much weight if I let it get out of hand for a stretch. I do have a slight belly, could stand to lose 10 or so pounds, but I'm 5'7 or 5'8, 167lbs, still wear 32 or 33in pants and medium tshirts...so I'm good with that, mostly.

buzzman003 said:

So how is your diet and exercise plan going? Its been a number of months.

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Very well! Down 37 pounds in two months. Haven't had a beer in that time but have replaced some of those calories with food. Loss coming from a combo of no beer + way less late night snacking with those beers. I did eat a healthy plant-only diet beforehand with no processed foods, sugary stuff, chips, etc. My weight gain was purely beer. I have not changed exercise routine, I walk my kids in the stroller every night about a mile or so. I run once a week or so.

Feels good to fit into all my not fat clothes again.

I eat like crap. I don't get enough exercise and drink too much. yet, I'm 5'7" and weigh about 120. y'all need to get a tape worm just like me! bwahahahahhahaa!!!!



seriously, don't get a tape worm. they have horrible taste in music.