Beer =/= fat

[Yooper]

If memory serves, you work in a hospital, right? What do the nurses look like? My almost-ex would aways say that it's no wonder that there are so many fat nurses, because they would graze all day.
What I am trying to say is that nibbling all day hurts just as much. I have found that I can maintain a fairly steady weight simply by not nibbling between meal. I have some fruit, usually an apple or banana at break time, a bowl of cereal for lunch, and then whatever I want for supper. My job usually affords me a decent amount of exercise, along with plenty of distractions to keep my mind off of my stomach if I am hungry. Now that I am laid off, though, that's not so easy.......

Yep- you wouldn't believe the fat unhealthy doctors and nurses I work with- most of whom are half my age. They also tend to smoke and not exercise. It's really a case of "do as I say, not as I do." We've had new health initiatives, like lose weight for cash payments, smoking cessation programs, etc, but I don't think it's had any effect at all.

 

[Madman]

Getting into shape is not easy. I'm trying to modify my diet right now: smaller portions, healthier snacks. However, I hate working out. I absolutely despise using my time to do it. I know I have to get over that to drop weight, but I'd much rather spend my time reading, watching a movie, or playing a game. That's just the person that I am.

 

[Chris300s]

The only frickin' reason for working out is so I can drink beer and eat ice cream (and bicuits and gravy, and tacos, and lasagna...)
(He says to no one in particular) If you think it takes too long to get skinny, consider how long it took you to get fat! Seriously though, working out makes me feel better and helps keep everything in check (cholesterol, acid reflux, back problems).
and then there's this This is why you're fat.

 

[GearBeer]

This is why we, as a nation, are fat:

I totally dig this thread. I've had similar discussions with my sister (who has a 4-year finance degree) and she really doesn't get the banking similarity.

 

[Computertekguy]

Pizza burger FTW!

I drink mostly Home brew and Malt liquor. And i've noticed a big difference over the years, since now i'm at the heaviest i've ever weighed.

I dont eat much, but I usually have a 6 pack during the course of a night

 

[FireBrewer]

I totally dig this thread. I've had similar discussions with my sister (who has a 4-year finance degree) and she really doesn't get the banking similarity.

Exercise physiologists would probably say the same, but on the whole it's a fair comparison. Although it is a lot easier to lose money than lose weight.

 

[Homercidal]

I'd be carefully about assuming that people who order diet cokes at the McDs are all stupid. I'm sure a fair number of them are misled about their diet choices, but perhaps some are ordering that because they are diabetic, not watching their calories.

My in-laws are diabetic and my FIL drinks diet pop because real pop would be very bad for him. He's normal weight. My MIL drinks diet for the same reason and she is def overweight.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Soda is bad for you whether it is Diet or not. It amazes me how much soda people drink.

 

[cubbies]

Soda is bad for you whether it is Diet or not. It amazes me how much soda people drink.

Word567890

 

[Madman]

I think of soda as a nice treat once in a while. It's been so long since I've regularly had soda that I can no longer tell whether I like coke or pepsi more.

 

[Tonedef131]

Soda is bad for you whether it is Diet or not. It amazes me how much soda people drink.

It amazes me that people drink it at all. Even if you like the taste of it how do you not go into a sugar coma after like one fluid ounce of it. And like everyone has been saying drinking junk like that is just empty calories...no way it's worth it.

 

[Yooper]

It amazes me that people drink it at all. Even if you like the taste of it how do you not go into a sugar coma after like one fluid ounce of it. And like everyone has been saying drinking junk like that is just empty calories...no way it's worth it.

I have a good friend (a doctor from the hospital) who drinks TONS of diet coke and Crystal Light. He claims it's better than the "real" stuff for him. However, some studies do show that most people who drink diet sodas and soft drinks are overweight. Apparently it has to do with tasting the sweet and being fooled by other foods and minimizing the calories.

I don't know which is worse, high fructose corn syrup in regular soda, or aspartame in the diet stuff. I won't touch either one- I want my food to be in its natural state as much as possible. I also don't eat pre-packaged food, margarine, white flour, crackers, etc. I try to make or grow my own food as much as I can.

I think that's another reason Americans are overweight and generally unhealthy, while being one of the richest nations on earth. We eat Rice-a-Roni and frozen chicken patties and call that a homecooked meal and wash it down with soda or kool-aid. Sit in front of the TV or computer all evening, and not exercise. It's a recipe for obesity, and our children are paying the price.

 

[david_42]

But Nevada ranked first in beer consumption per capita at 44 gallons! (Kudos, Nevadans! ) HOW CAN THIS BE?

Tourists probably drink 75% of it.

This thread reminds me of a short conversation on the topic that I had with my eldest, and largest, sister at a family picnic:

Anita: I don't understand how you stay so skinny.
Me: My first and only plateful was less than your third.

And it really does get tougher after 40. I'm walking 3-4 miles a day, eating 2/3rds of what I ate at 30, drinking 1/4 as much and still weight 20 pounds more.

 

[DeathBrewer]

I'll occasionally have a glass bottle of coca-cola...you know, the ones from Mexico that have real sugar. They taste so good. I'll also drink a root beer once in a while. But I see people at work put down 10 diet cokes a day. Sickens me. I mean...I'm not THAT healthy, but *******...have a water or some tea or something instead of filling your body with a gallon of fake sugar every day.

 

[the_bird]

In the past week, I've stopped drinking virtually everything with any sugar in it. I drink coffee (black), seltzer, a little diet soda, a little tea, and some bullion ("chicken tea"). I'm watching some other things as well, but I've been shedding about a pound a day. It's still early, can't tell if this will keep going or not (and I'm only looking to shed about twenty points, tops), but it seems to be having a huge effect.

I think I'm going to start brewing some milds and some ordinary bitters and such to have around.

 

[CBBaron]

I can't believe how many people overcomplicate fat loss. Here is an except of a writeup that was put together for another forum I post on. This breaks it down quite a bit and still concludes that calories in:calories out is all that matters for fat loss.

There is a ton more including some that is purely scientific if anyone is interested enough for me to post it.

I stopped reading the article when they considered 20 drinks in an evening not unusual!!!
20 drinks in a week would be unusual for me.

The cookie I had with lunch is much more responsible for my weight than a beer with dinner.

As you say calories in and calories out is the main factors. I try to increase calories out by riding my bicycle to work, however that seems to lead to an increase in calories in so i don't think it helps.

Craig

 

[Tonedef131]

I stopped reading the article when they considered 20 drinks in an evening not unusual!!!
20 drinks in a week would be unusual for me.

The cookie I had with lunch is much more responsible for my weight than a beer with dinner.

As you say calories in and calories out is the main factors. I try to increase calories out by riding my bicycle to work, however that seems to lead to an increase in calories in so i don't think it helps.

Craig

Well, that was 20 drinks in the ounces which they were referring to. It's like the serving size on the can of peanuts, you don't eat 2 peanuts, you eat like 20...so that is 10 servings.

I can't wait for it to warm up to start riding my bike again. Whether it makes me lose weight or just allows me to eat more I don't care, because bicycles are fantastic. Of course I only live 3 miles from work, so I usually just back on the bike after dinner and hammer out a few more miles.

 

[PseudoChef]

I don't know which is worse, high fructose corn syrup in regular soda, or aspartame in the diet stuff. I won't touch either one- I want my food to be in its natural state as much as possible. I also don't eat pre-packaged food, margarine, white flour, crackers, etc. I try to make or grow my own food as much as I can.

Bashing HFCS is silly, in my mind. It contains the same components of regular table sugar - fructose and glucose, in only minimally different proportions. HFCS is usually 55% fructose/45% glucose while sucrose is obviously 50/50. Also, because HFCS is a liquid component that carries water, it actually contains less kcal/gram than regular table sugar.

It is cheaper and easier to handle than regular sugar, however - and thus a large reason for its prevalence today. If everything had the same amount of sucrose in it, it would be causing the same effects.

Blaming HFCS for people being fat is like blaming weapons for injuries. It's user control and error.

The white flour thing puzzles me as well. It's mainly starch, which we all know are long chains of saccharides. Aren't we brewers? This is the same things that are in malt - hell, we brew with wheat on a regular basis, don't we? To say you won't eat white flour but you drink beer is rather confusing.

Now, I agree that an excess of sugar, processed foods, starches, etc. are bad - that's what I've already stated claim of shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store. It's about moderation in consumption, and some exercise to regulate body homeostasis, plain and simple.

 

[CBBaron]

Well, that was 20 drinks in the ounces which they were referring to. It's like the serving size on the can of peanuts, you don't eat 2 peanuts, you eat like 20...so that is 10 servings.

I can't wait for it to warm up to start riding my bike again. Whether it makes me lose weight or just allows me to eat more I don't care, because bicycles are fantastic. Of course I only live 3 miles from work, so I usually just back on the bike after dinner and hammer out a few more miles.

Wait for it to warm up??? What was wrong with the 9F temps this morning? A light dusting of snow and it was a beautiful ride. The only problem with winter riding is the effect of salt on the bike.
I'm a year round rider which I sure helps me maintain my weight. And like you my primary reason for riding is I enjoy it. I've got about 8 urban miles of road on my way to work. I think those 8 miles take about the same effort as 15 on rural roads. Nothing like constant acceleration and deceleration to get the heart rate up.

I'm probably 20-30# overweight but its not because of beer. Its too many snacks and too many prepackaged foods for meals.

Craig

 

[Ceedubya]

I think of soda as a nice treat once in a while. It's been so long since I've regularly had soda that I can no longer tell whether I like coke or pepsi more.

That is pretty much how I roll when it comes to soda. I had a diet coke on Sunday while at Costco cuz my wife was buying drinks at the food stand. Before that, I don't really remember that last time I had a pop.

Oh, and I drink diet cuz I like the taste way better than regular. regular soda is so sweet tasting to me it makes me sick to my stomach.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Don't use the word "pop" over here. People think it's a drug reference...they look at you all funny :cross:

 

[CBBaron]

Don't use the word "pop" over here. People think it's a drug reference...they look at you all funny :cross:

Gotta love the regional slang. Always referred to carbonated beverages as pop growing up. In New England noone understood what I was saying. It was soda there. Down south its coke whether it was cola or not.

I can't stand artificial sweeteners. One sip of a diet drink and I have to spit it out. Ofcourse I don't drink regular soda often either. Its primarily water, then beer and coffee, with the occasional milk or fruit juice. Its one place I avoid adding sugar to my diet.

Craig

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Bashing HFCS is silly, in my mind. It contains the same components of regular table sugar - fructose and glucose, in only minimally different proportions. HFCS is usually 55% fructose/45% glucose while sucrose is obviously 50/50. Also, because HFCS is a liquid component that carries water, it actually contains less kcal/gram than regular table sugar.

The white flour thing puzzles me as well. It's mainly starch, which we all know are long chains of saccharides. Aren't we brewers? This is the same things that are in malt - hell, we brew with wheat on a regular basis, don't we? To say you won't eat white flour but you drink beer is rather confusing.

"In his recent book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, journalist Michael Pollan claims that the way that the body processes HFCS is different from the way it processes the glucose and fructose found in other sugars. Digesting sucrose requires the production of an enzyme called sucrase, which breaks the bond between the glucose molecule and the fructose molecule. Because the body regulates its production of sucrase, it can only digest sucrose at a certain rate. Because digesting HFCS does not require sucrase, the rate at which it is digested is not similarly regulated by the body."
​

As for white flour which nutritionally is basically starch, we convert our starches to sugars that are then fermented. If you were to drink your unfermented wort then your comparison would be more accurate.

 

[DeathBrewer]

I don't really eat anything sweet. I don't like candy and I rarely eat desserts or carbs, except a little bread. The majority of my sugars and carbs come from my beer, so it is the culprit for my fat. However, the reason the fat stays there is because I don't get enough excercise.

 

[madcapstudios]

Bashing HFCS is silly, in my mind. It contains the same components of regular table sugar - fructose and glucose, in only minimally different proportions. HFCS is usually 55% fructose/45% glucose while sucrose is obviously 50/50. Also, because HFCS is a liquid component that carries water, it actually contains less kcal/gram than regular table sugar.

It is cheaper and easier to handle than regular sugar, however - and thus a large reason for its prevalence today. If everything had the same amount of sucrose in it, it would be causing the same effects.

Blaming HFCS for people being fat is like blaming weapons for injuries. It's user control and error.

The white flour thing puzzles me as well. It's mainly starch, which we all know are long chains of saccharides. Aren't we brewers? This is the same things that are in malt - hell, we brew with wheat on a regular basis, don't we? To say you won't eat white flour but you drink beer is rather confusing.

Now, I agree that an excess of sugar, processed foods, starches, etc. are bad - that's what I've already stated claim of shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store. It's about moderation in consumption, and some exercise to regulate body homeostasis, plain and simple.

There are several problems with HFCS - the biggest being that, unlike natural sugars, it is stripped of all nutrients, fiber and other naturally occuring food parts which control/slow its rate of absorption into the body. Table sugar is no better. To use an alcohol simile, it's like taking a shot of grain alcohol vs. enjoying a pint of homebrew with a sandwich.

Also, HFCS is used pervasively in the food industry and is very hard for the average person to escape. Take a look at the labels - it's everywhere.

Ultimately, we as a nation are fat because of...
1) lack of exercise
2) super-sized portions
3) processed foods which remove fiber and nutrients, allowing us to mainline sugar directly into our fat cells

I went on the South Beach Diet in support of SWMBO last month and I've lost 10 lbs. I read the book and it makes a lot of sense. I hate talking about "natural foods" because it makes me sound like a damned hippy, but that's really what it's all about. More fiber, whole grains, no processed sugars... oh yeah and exercise and sensible portions.

And no, according to the SBD you're not supposed to have beer because it is a processed sugar... but nobody's perfect. I stick with everything else and I'm fine.

 

[PseudoChef]

"In his recent book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, journalist Michael Pollan claims that the way that the body processes HFCS is different from the way it processes the glucose and fructose found in other sugars. Digesting sucrose requires the production of an enzyme called sucrase, which breaks the bond between the glucose molecule and the fructose molecule. Because the body regulates its production of sucrase, it can only digest sucrose at a certain rate. Because digesting HFCS does not require sucrase, the rate at which it is digested is not similarly regulated by the body."
​

As for white flour which nutritionally is basically starch, we convert our starches to sugars that are then fermented. If you were to drink your unfermented wort then your comparison would be more accurate.

So Pollan says the body metabolises them differently, but the wording is carefully chosen as different. No where does it say if it is better or worse - it's just different. Sugar is sugar. I have read IDoF, and like Pollan's writings and ideology a bunch, but I think he's just grasping here.

As for the breaking down starches into sugars, this is what digestion is. Our bodies harbor some of the same enzymes we're all familiar with in mash chemistry - to break down these starches - amylases - as secreted by our salivary glands, so by the time they hit the GI tract, they are sugars as well. Now, of course it takes energy to make this all possible, but at 7 kcals/gram of alcohol versus 4 kcals/gram carbohydrate it could very well be a law of diminishing returns.

There are several problems with HFCS - the biggest being that, unlike natural sugars, it is stripped of all nutrients, fiber and other naturally occuring food parts which control/slow its rate of absorption into the body. Table sugar is no better. To use an alcohol simile, it's like taking a shot of grain alcohol vs. enjoying a pint of homebrew with a sandwich.

Right, like I said above sugar is sugar. Their molecular structures are the exact same. Sucrose is just as bad as HFCS - can't change up fructose and sucrose into different structures. Sure, is whole wheat flour or brown rice better for you? Well, if you are chosing between that and white flour and white rice, than yes - because their is the accompanying fiber, etc. However, it still contains the same things that white flour and white rice contain, just extra stuff on top of it that is good for you.

Like Pollan says in IDoF, if a food (or nutrient, as he likes to put it) has to tout its health claims on its packaging, it probably isn't that much better for you.

 

[caver95]

My biggest problem is I eat WAY too fast. I started taking a bite a minute it takes 20 to eat a small plate. and I am filling up. I hope I can stick with it. And I have started swimming.

 

[jpsloan]

Quick question on this topic...

Is the Calorie-per-pint line on Beersmith actually accurate? It says that my latest recipe ought to be 63 Calories per pint. I find that to be a little hard to believe.

 

[the_bird]

You brewing an MGD-64 clone?

That can't be right. You sure you've got all the data in there right?

 

[shecky]

Just guessing, but could that be alcohol calories per pint?