Beer Belly

[sonofgrok]

(It's almost impossible for vegans to have a cholesterol problem since 99.9% of cholesterol intake comes from animal products.)

I swore I would stay away from this thread but this is just wrong. Your liver produces way more cholesterol than you could eat if you tried. It does this using any carbon source, carbs included. Even in a high cholesterol intake diet, your liver is still synthesizing 75% or so of your cholesterol. Many people have successfully fixed their cholesterol levels my eating largely high cholesterol foods like egg yolks and by cutting out grains which can be readily made into cholesterol and triglycerides (myself included).

 

[kombat]

I don't eat any meat, never have since the day I was born. I also shy away from the dairy and eggs.

As a result, my cholesterol is awesome

Objection, Your Honor. Correlation does not imply causation.

 

[edds5p0]

I swore I would stay away from this thread but this is just wrong. Your liver produces way more cholesterol than you could eat if you tried. It does this using any carbon source, carbs included. Even in a high cholesterol intake diet, your liver is still synthesizing 75% or so of your cholesterol. Many people have successfully fixed their cholesterol levels my eating largely high cholesterol foods like egg yolks and by cutting out grains which can be readily made into cholesterol and triglycerides (myself included).

Very true sir. I have also seen some compelling evidence that increasing phytosterol intake helps lower cholesterol also.

 

[theexternvoid]

Objection, Your Honor. Correlation does not imply causation.

Correct. But that is not why I said this. The reason I said avoiding animal products caused my awesome cholesterol is because plant-based food has no cholesterol. A vegan consumes 0g of cholesterol. A vegetarian like me who avoids dairy and eggs most of the time consumes close to that.

Your body produces enough cholesterol on its own to stay healthy with no need of additional supplimental cholesterol from food. That's why animal products have it: animal bodiess (including ours) naturally produce cholesterol. Plants do not.

 

[Beer-lord]

I work out 4-5 days a week but once your over 40, things just don't make sense. I don't drink that much but with beers at 250 calories or more, I do have to be careful.
As you age, men get 'more gut and less butt' and I'm working on that no happening. I sometimes tell myself I am going 30 days on a beer break but cant' do it. I think beer day and night.

 

[sweed]

I'm taking out my beer durnig the week (again) as Im focused to lose more weight before my brothers wedding in February. I dont have to lose much, but the less beer calories, the less total cals into being less than my BMR. If you burn X calories in a day (X), and you take in less calories than that, then over a period of time, you will lose weight/ fat. MAke weight training part of your exercise routine to build some muscle and you'll look better than if you didn't. Dont even bring up "I don't want to get 'bulky'". It takes years and years of consistant weight training to build a lot of muscle. If I do happen to drink a few beers during the week, then I'll work my diet around it, and/ or do some extra cardio.

 

[TheSlash]

Ok I gotta come back. A beer a day is good for you, and enjoyable. Vegan may be good for you if done right, but man that would take so much pleasure out of life. I'm all about moderation and enjoying yourself. I don't really want to live 100% healthy just to die in a car wreck at 60. I also don't care if eating healthy 100% of the time lets me like a few years longer because without beer and good food what kind of living is that.

The first thing anyone should do when considering a diet, trying to lose weight, whatever, is COUNT YOUR CALORIES. It is amazing to me that maybe 1/2 a percent of the population does this with ANY accuracy. If you don't have a detailed record you're lost. Anything else is just a guessing game that 99.5% of you lose.

 

[Nightshade]

I agree with Slash, "All things in moderation" is the key when it comes to consumption of anything.

For years now we have been inundated with large quantities of calories in small packages, but because we don't get that "full feeling" from a 3 bite 2000 calorie sandwich they make a larger sandwich that fills your gut and severly overloads your caloric intake...then we climb into cars to drive the 3miles to work where we sit and stare at a computer screen followed by going home, making dinner and watching TV or some other mundane process that burns no calories.

Intake > Output = weight gain
Intake< Output = weight loss

It really is that simple. Walk or ride your bicycle as many places as you can and get active on the weekends, you will see a difference.

I have lost 55lbs and counting over the last year by keeping this simple equation in mind.

 

[Beer-lord]

This is common sense but info few follow.

 

[TheSlash]

I follow the live hard play hard. I make lifting a priority over everything but work and family. So I hit the gym 5 days a week. 3 days of lifting, 2 days of basketball. So when I get home, that beer sounds great, and sometimes a second one! If I want pizza Friday night, I'll make sure to hit some extra weights or play an extra hour of basketball first. That way I have a six pack in the fridge and one under the shirt at all times.

If you make a life change that prioritizes fitness, everything else kinda falls into place. You'll feel better so you keep it up, you look better so the emotional eating lessens.

If anyone wants some extra reading on things that can drastically change your life, I recommend;

leangains.com and yourbrainonporn.com -watch all the vids.

I really didn't achieve crap in my life until following both of those sites and learning about how dopamine controls EVERYTHING we do in life. Without it we DIE, with too much we don't LIVE.

 

[kombat]

Just because something is simple doesn't mean it's easy.

See, for example, chess.

 

[Nightshade]

Just because something is simple doesn't mean it's easy.

See, for example, chess.

Anything worth having is rarely easy to achieve.

Most have their brains wired in such a way that if the results aren't instant and obvious then it isn't doing any good, this is the mindset that needs to change.

 

[bottlebomber]

That way I have a six pack in the fridge and one under the shirt at all times.

*cough*

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Too little dopamine and you have Parkinson's and too much and you have schizophrenia. I don't know about the die part.

 

[Husher]

I didn't read the whole thread but I'll tell you about my personal experience. A while back I read an article about how there's a collection of urbanites who go jogging daily, not because they're health freaks, but because they want to drink a few pints of beer at the pub every night, but wanted to remain thin.

When I started home brewing, I decided to try jogging in the morning for 15 minutes to counteract the effect of the beer I was drinking each night. I have one 500Ml beer (1 pint) each evening. Anyways, I'm lazy, could never get more that 3 minutes of running, and walked the last 3-4 minutes home. So, all in all, 7 minutes of arguable effort. Started with not being able to run more than 150 feet, and got it up to half a kilometer over time, which isn't much. And then walked another half kilo home.

It worked. If you start each day but running or riding a bike for 5 minutes, you're metabolize will reve up early and you'll burn more calories all day. Plus if feels absolutely great. Not the running part, that feels like death. I hate running. But once you have a shower and your first coffee, you have loads of energy. Lasts until about 5PM. And you sleep solid.

So you want to lose weight and drink lots of beer? Run for 3 minutes every morning. I lost about 20 Lbs while drinking beer, and not changing my diet, though my diet is pretty healthy.

 

[rbenn]

Low carb is the way to go.

 

[sweed]

Low carb is the way to go.

I eat 400 grams of carbs some days, and getting leaner. Those are training days though! :cross:

 

[abandonhope16]

I bike to work as long as its not raining too much. Comes out to about 8.5 miles round-trip, then about 15-20 minutes of weights in the morning. Keeps me in reasonable shape, though I'd like to be about 5-10lbs lighter; but I havent really changed my diet so far. I like beer and candy too much to sacrifice

 

[Malty_Dog]

Yep, I've picked up running again, not coincidentally as I've started drinking 1 beer/day on avg. My weight is down to my college level (I'm 46 and slim). After Googling about the health benefits of 1 beer/day I am actually better off now than before I started brewing! I definitely feel more relaxed/less stressed.

 

[Nightshade]

I bike to work as long as its not raining too much. Comes out to about 8.5 miles round-trip, then about 15-20 minutes of weights in the morning. Keeps me in reasonable shape, though I'd like to be about 5-10lbs lighter; but I havent really changed my diet so far. I like beer and candy too much to sacrifice

I bike a mile to work every day year round as well and in the summer I ride about 90+ miles a week. Last year I dropped 55lbs over the summer doing this with no significant change in diet

I too have a dangerous sweet tooth

 

[DirtBagRob]

Low carb is the way to go.

Ya, I drink ALOT of high calorie beer and whiskey and I keep under about 12% body fat by this. I only eat lean meat and vegetables Sunday through Friday lunch time. I do a HIIT weight lifting workout for about 90 min 3 times per week. With the diet and exercise, I can drink as much as I want all week and eat whatever I want Friday night and all day Saturday and still stay fit. If I start gaining weight at any point, I cut out the 36hrs of diet cheating till I'm back to my ideal weight, then start cheating again.

 

[abandonhope16]

I bike a mile to work every day year round as well and in the summer I ride about 90+ miles a week. Last year I dropped 55lbs over the summer doing this with no significant change in diet

I too have a dangerous sweet tooth

Biking to work is pretty great. Coldest it gets in the winter here is about 10-15 in the morning, but its been more like mid-20s on average in the AM; so pretty tolerable. I've lost about 20lbs in recent months (though that was after I gained about 18lbs with my wife's first pregnancy). Goal for this year is to hit 1000 commuter miles.

 

[Nightshade]

Biking to work is pretty great. Coldest it gets in the winter here is about 10-15 in the morning, but its been more like mid-20s on average in the AM; so pretty tolerable. I've lost about 20lbs in recent months (though that was after I gained about 18lbs with my wife's first pregnancy). Goal for this year is to hit 1000 commuter miles.

If you have a smartphone DL Endomondo, it is a great motivator and you can also join challenges with it, track rides, average miles and a lot more. I use it mostly in the summer and my winter miles are mostly short commute miles or store runs so I skip winter logging with it.

 

[biodarwin]

This is what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to hit the old 40/30/30. It's tougher than you think. I often end up short on protein.

My body does better with 40/40/20 C/P/F

Short on protein? Whey is your friend

 

[tennesseean_87]

Don't put cake or cheese in your beer. Instead, go All (Whole)-Grain.