Year 1 in the books.....whoa weight gain!!

[petep1980]

It's been almost exactly one year since I began brewing. And a couple notes.

I still have difficulties making a good lager, and holy crap did I gain weight. I am up about 17lbs since I began homebrewing. I have to either start making smaller beers (meh) or drinking much less.

How much weight has this hobby made you gain?

 

[The Pol]

It's been almost exactly one year since I began brewing. And a couple notes.

I still have difficulties making a good lager, and holy crap did I gain weight. I am up about 17lbs since I began homebrewing. I have to either start making smaller beers (meh) or drinking much less.
How much weight has this hobby made you gain?

Or exercising more.

I have been brewing for almost 5 years, and luckily I am the same weight.

 

[Yooper]

I've gained some weight, too, over the summer because I kept drinking the same amount of beer with very little exercise! Normally I stay pretty slim, though because I exercise a lot and eat very healthy. (I don't touch junk food at all- beer is my indulgence!). I'm probably close to 140 pounds now, which is heavy for me. I play hockey in the fall/winter/spring, though, so it should come off pretty easily.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I just got back into brewing at the beginning of this year and luckily have not gained any weight. I didn't even drink beer at all before I started brewing again. I basically just replaced dessert with beer.

 

[corvax13]

I have to either start making smaller beers (meh) or drinking much less.

Or change your diet and exercise more!

I go to the gym 3 times a week and play rugby another 3. That, plus knowing that each beer is somewhere around 150-250 calories, and I have no problem staying fit.

Don't brew or drink less! Just change everything else :rockin:

 

[onelegout]

Yeah beer is my downfall when it comes to weight! been about 190lb for a year or so now! doh!

 

[flyangler18]

Exercise and eat a sensible diet. I just refuse to live a sedentary lifestyle.

 

[david_42]

Eight years and I weight about 10 lbs less.

 

[petep1980]

Yeah, I need to exercise and diet a ton. I'm just shocked how quickly the weight came on.

 

[johnnyc]

I've put on between 5-10 since Jan. I'm a lazy bastid though. Need to get my ass off the couch more often. Also going to cut my drinking back to fewer days a week. Drinking 2 beers a night with dinner adds up.

 

[dutch-brew]

Yeah, i started this hobby in april and gained quite a bit. Partly because work is so slow, so i don't get my exercise like i am used to.

But oddly enough, it's not me starting brweing that did it, it didn't start happening until i started kegging and had beer on tap!

 

[HorribleCatfish]

I used to run about 20 miles a week to maintain my weight. Since I started homebrewing a few years ago, I have had to steadily increase my weekly miles. It takes 40/wk to maintain now. My garage fridge is literally packed with beer right now (not to mention the 2 closets as well )...I may have to increase to 50.

 

[mattmcl]

Yup, I'm up about 15 lbs. since I started brewing regularly again too. The flip side is my cholesterol dropped from 200 to 159.

 

[kornkob]

Depending on your age, you might also be experiencing one of the side effects of gfetting older: your metabolism dropping off.

 

[Yooper]

Depending on your age, you might also be experiencing one of the side effects of gfetting older: your metabolism dropping off.

That's a good point! In my 20s, I couldn't keep the weight on but as I got older the pounds started creeping on. In my 30s, I had to hit the gym just not to be a bit chubby. In my 40s, I started losing muscle and had to step up my efforts just to keep toned. I think when I hit 50, I'll just fall apart completely!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

That's a good point! In my 20s, I couldn't keep the weight on but as I got older the pounds started creeping on. In my 30s, I had to hit the gym just not to be a bit chubby. In my 40s, I started losing muscle and had to step up my efforts just to keep toned. I think when I hit 50, I'll just fall apart completely!

Very similar to me Yooper. The difference in the amount of food I ate in my 20's vs. now, all to maintain the exact same weight, is HUGE. I think it was easily twice the calories.

 

[switched]

Same here... I put on a few pounds once I started brewing and drinking beer that wasn't light... In light of this, I have managed to come up with a pretty straightforward diet plan.. For right now I'll call it the 'Two of Three' diet.... There are three options to choose from, and you must choose two to prevent weight gain.

Eat reasonably.

Excercise.

Drink light beer.

I've chosen to get away with drinking good beer, control what I eat, and excercise a few times a week, nothing crazy.. Has worked wonders over the past few months. Give it a try! Hahah.

 

[TexLaw]

Yep. It will come up fast on you. All things being equal, adding an extra pint of beer per day to your diet adds over 20 pounds of fat to your body per year. I imagine just about all of us averages more than one pint per day, too.

You have to pay for those calories, somehow. A great way to do it is through exercise, and another good way to do it is through healthy eating.

I dropped around 40 pounds, over about a year's time, starting about four years ago and am about where I was when I got out of college (or so).


TL

 

[FireBrewer]

Congrats petep!

Hard to track my weight vs. brewing. I drink maybe one or two per night (when I'm not at work), so 4-5 times a week. I have a few guilty pleasures, sweet tea being a big one---we usually keep a gallon pitcher of it at work and I make it sweet (1.5 C sugar/gallon). Most of the time I try to drink water and I eat pretty healthy, and exercise regularly at work. I try to stay away from the fast food fat farms. I'm 6'0" and 190 lbs. Could lose 5 and tone a little more, so there's always room for improvement.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I have gained maybe 5 lbs over the last 5 years of brewing.

The only exercise I get is chasing my kids and yard work.

I tried brewing a couple of "light" beers........that was freaking scary.

I think I am OK with a pound a year, but I may get more exercise in as my kids get older.

 

[annasdadhockey]

I've actually managed to lose about 10 lbs since I started brewing. I am drinking more beer than before, but I have entirely cut out soda and slowed down on late night snacking. I try to save my "empty" calories for homebrew.

 

[Nugent]

I've actually lost a bit of weight over the year and half since I started homebrewing. I'm below 2 bucks for the first time in years.

I attribute it to the fact that I only brew sub-5% ales and don't sit on my a** at the pub as much. Just a theory though.

 

[Casey27]

I found that I had to start paying more attention to diet and exercise to balance all the drinking. Some things I learned...

A bit of exercise every day works wonders for your weight by increasing your metabolism for several hours even after you stop. I try to walk every day.

When you consume beer with food, your body uses the beer calories first because they is more readily available. The food calories are then stored instead (more so than if you did not have beer with the food). That is a source of beer bellies.

You can teach yourself to avoid high calorie/high fat foods like desserts most of the time. Just think of all the beer you could drink instead for the same number of calories!

 

[grove]

The beer belly myth really needs to be put to rest.

more like binge belly

From the article, "The study, led by Martin Bobak of University College London, found no link between drinking and body weight in men, and found only a small effect of drinking on women's weight."

More exercise and less cheeseburgers should help.

 

[DavidSteel]

Dude, I got a beer belly too. I got rid of it in a week and a half from a no-carb, high protein diet (works but it's not good for you at all, I wouldn't suggest it for health reasons). Came back 3 months later lol

 

[svudah]

I had a kegerator with two beers on at all time, I ate uber fatty restaurant food 5 days a week, and I worked at a brewpub. Still, I kept my weight in line. I traded that all in for a gig as a grad student and gain almost 10lbs in 4 months.

In the end, it's all about balance. For me, I could keep my homebrew, my microbrew, and my cheeseburger intake in check with that fact I walked to and from work as well as most other places. Then, I move to a place where the simple act of walking garners suspicion and elicits confusion (L.A.) and I'm thrown out of balance.

Beer bellies are the real deal, so are burger bellies. Most of the medical data dismissing the "beer belly" just sets out to prove beer calories are somehow more fattening than "regular" calories. They are not. But, add an extra 1,000 calories to your daily intake with a trip to the bar and you will start to notice it.

That is unless you walk there.

 

[MrInternet]

I had a kegerator with two beers on at all time, I ate uber fatty restaurant food 5 days a week, and I worked at a brewpub. Still, I kept my weight in line. I traded that all in for a gig as a grad student and gain almost 10lbs in 4 months.

In the end, it's all about balance. For me, I could keep my homebrew, my microbrew, and my cheeseburger intake in check with that fact I walked to and from work as well as most other places. Then, I move to a place where the simple act of walking garners suspicion and elicits confusion (L.A.) and I'm thrown out of balance.

Beer bellies are the real deal, so are burger bellies. Most of the medical data dismissing the "beer belly" just sets out to prove beer calories are somehow more fattening than "regular" calories. They are not. But, add an extra 1,000 calories to your daily intake with a trip to the bar and you will start to notice it.

That is unless you walk there.

I agree with the gist of your post heartily... but you would need to walk 8 to 10 MILES to to work off 1000 calories, all else equal. I wouldn't count on walking to save the day if that's the only exercise you get...

 

[shek]

I agree with the gist of your post heartily... but you would need to walk 8 to 10 MILES to to work off 1000 calories, all else equal. I wouldn't count on walking to save the day if that's the only exercise you get...

I usually walk about 2.5 miles round trip for lunch during work. Even though I don't eat that healthy I've definitely lost some weight since starting to do that, plus it gives me a chance to chill in the middle of the day when the first half of the day at work just makes me want to not come back after lunch...I also weight 250 but I swear I just have some really big bones...

 

[ILOVEBEER]

yooperbrew,

you say you weigh 140 lbs????? No offense but are you like 5' tall?

 

[HalfPint]

yooperbrew,

you say you weigh 140 lbs????? No offense but are you like 5' tall?

All in favor of banning this guy say I!

I

 

[shek]

All in favor of banning this guy say I!

I

hehehe, if he thinks Yoop is 5' tall at 140, then at 250# I should be over eight feet tall, and I can shoot fireballs out my arse and lightning bolts out of my eyes!!!

 

[HalfPint]

hehehe, if he thinks Yoop is 5' tall at 140, then at 250# I should be over eight feet tall, and I can shoot fireballs out my arse and lightning bolts out of my eyes!!!

lol.

I've seen a few picks of Yooper (I'm not a stalker, just spent a bit too much time on this site) and she's not fat at all.

People love to talk crap when they're sitting behind a keyboard.

Anyways, I guess it's my turn.

Yeah, I've gained a bit of weight over the past year, but I don't think it's to the brew. I've been going through a lot of crap and have just let my diet go. I'm still hittin the gym up 4 times a week, but since I've quit eating good, I've gained about 20 lbs since last year this time.

I must say, I cant wait for the holiday food!

 

[ILOVEBEER]

I thought yooper was a dude...namely the guy in the avatar...haha my bad.

Ban me...WTF for? Relax halfpint...I was kidding...don't be so damn sensitive.