I'm fat because I homebrew

[maltMonkey]

Not always- Your body is designed to store fat. When you starve yourself it slows down your metabolism. You can lose weight to a point- But you will still retain more fat as your body tends to burn muscle for fuel instead of fat.

I disagree, based a lot of reading and personal experience. There is a myth out there that if you reduce calories too low your metabolism "crashes" and you stop burning fat. It's not true--your body needs a certain amount of energy to survive and if it's not getting it from food it will start burning fat and muscle.

I lost 50 lbs in 3 months by eating 500-1000 calories a day and running everyday. It sucked horribly, it was unhealthy, I would never recommend it and I would never do it again, but it DOES work. During the peak of my weight loss I dropped a pound every single day for one month. I started in March 15, '07 at 235lbs and in June I was at 185. Everyone told me that I had "ruined" my metabolism and I would just gain all the weight back. It's now over a year later and I'm sitting at 175lbs and trying to put on weight (hopefully mostly muscle) through eating above maintenance and weightlifting.

This is just my experience. Maybe my body is unique, I don't know.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

This is just my experience. Maybe my body is unique, I don't know.

Genetic makup is the most important thing-

your crash diet was bad- and hard on your body. But not as bad as being Obese.

Ive been training for over 10 years so Ive done a lot of experimenting with different tecniques-
Most people cant be like me- Ive been as high as 265 with perfect cholesterol and less than 15% BF at only 5'9.

But Ive also gotten as low as 215. 215 was actually unhealthy for me. 235-245 is the sweet spot.

 

[Benny Blanco]

Good stuff,all. I never thought a treadmill could be listed as "brewing equipment" until now.

Still, it seems most of you have it under control. At least those of you who are telling the truth.

 

[maltMonkey]

Genetic makup is the most important thing-

your crash diet was bad- and hard on your body. But not as bad as being Obese.

Ive been training for over 10 years so Ive done a lot of experimenting with different tecniques-
Most people cant be like me- Ive been as high as 265 with perfect cholesterol and less than 15% BF at only 5'9.

But Ive also gotten as low as 215. 215 was actually unhealthy for me. 235-245 is the sweet spot.

I'm just now finding my "sweet spot"....just watching what I eat during the week and weight training + volleyball + yard work. I look and feel a lot better now, but I would really like to build some more muscle.

Oh yeah, and we were talking about beer before I brought everything OT, right? I have cut down my beer intake a lot but I still drink a lot compared to most people. I cut out all sweets and eat smaller lunches to make up for the calories.

The weekend is for eating, homebrewing and beer drinking!

 

[riored4v]

I'm just now finding my "sweet spot"....just watching what I eat during the week and weight training + volleyball + yard work. I look and feel a lot better now, but I would really like to build some more muscle.

Oh yeah, and we were talking about beer before I brought everything OT, right? I have cut down my beer intake a lot but I still drink a lot compared to most people. I cut out all sweets and eat smaller lunches to make up for the calories.

The weekend is for eating, homebrewing and beer drinking!

that's pretty much what I did as well to combat the increased consumption. I too probably drink more than the average person and the beers I do drink are definitely probably higher in calories than most.

I pretty only drink water now, no sweets and no junk snacks throughout the day. Most meals now are either chicken or fish, lunches are a sandwich (chicken/turkey, non-fat cheese, lettuce, low-fat mayo and some wheat bread) w/ maybe a vitamin water and breakfast is usually oatmeal.

My weekend schedule sounds the same as yours

 

[Nate]

Heaviest that I've ever been in my life...

 

[MrFebtober]

Good stuff,all. I never thought a treadmill could be listed as "brewing equipment" until now.

Maybe the next step in brewing will be to build a treadmill-powered brew sculpture! Attach a generator to a treadmill and see how many calories it takes to get the strike water in your electric HLT up to 160F!

 

[BierMuncher]

I’m not talking about the physiological effects that taking in additional water has.

I’m talking about quenching your thirst with water before you hit the taps.

It’s easy to down 20 ounces or so (250 calories) off the kegerator just because your thirsty...and then commence to serious beer enjoyment. Do this 4-5 nights a week and it adds up fast.

If I chug 15 ounces of water first, I’m much more likely to draw a smaller glass of a good IPA or RIS and savor it slowly over the next 30-40 minutes.

With beer, I really think it’s a matter of losing track of the calories.

 

[maltMonkey]

With beer, I really think it’s a matter of losing track of the calories.

It is hard to count when your wrecked

 

[RoaringBrewer]

replace other stuff like chips/soda/sweets with beer... im constant then again i'm also 26.

+1, and I'll be 26 in 26 days.

 

[riored4v]

I’m not talking about the physiological effects that taking in additional water has.

I’m talking about quenching your thirst with water before you hit the taps.

It’s easy to down 20 ounces or so (250 calories) off the kegerator just because your thirsty...and then commence to serious beer enjoyment. Do this 4-5 nights a week and it adds up fast.

If I chug 15 ounces of water first, I’m much more likely to draw a smaller glass of a good IPA or RIS and savor it slowly over the next 30-40 minutes.

With beer, I really think it’s a matter of losing track of the calories.

another thing regarding water that I was taught for those looking to help with their appetites.. drink a glass of water before you eat. It will help you feel a bit more full and help you slowly lower the amount of excess food you take in.

 

[MVKTR2]

I'm only "recently health concience". I was always single digit fat/bmi through college. Marriage and metabolism began to take a toll in the mid 20s. Now at 35 I've started working out pretty heavy with resistance training and am currently starting a cutting cycle. 6-1" 210# and 12% body fat will look and feel alot better than my previous 238# weight at Christmas. No I'm not there yet but will be this time next year. I've already shed about 11# while adding a decent bit of muscle mass/refinement. And yes I drink what I want, just not real late at night. As a matter of fact my starting homebrewing has coincided with my pursuit of a healthier lifestyle!

My advice to anyone seeking a healthier lifestyle:

1) Drink more water, a gallon a day.
2) Drink more water!
3) Eat high protein/low carb.
4) Eat all the green veggies you want.
5) Reduce the sodium.
6) Cardio train an average of 20-30 mins a day.
7) Resistance train a couple times a week.
8) Drink diet soda instead of regular.

Live long and prosper!
Schlante,
Phillip

 

[EinGutesBier]

I'm a lot better off doing homebrew than I was working in a microbrewery and running their tasting lounge/bar. Holy smoke, if there's a way to visit the realm of "too much beer" both for dietary reasons and just overexposure, that's it.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

1) Drink more water, a gallon a day.
2) Drink more water!
3) Eat high protein/low carb.
4) Eat all the green veggies you want.
5) Reduce the sodium.
6) Cardio train an average of 20-30 mins a day.
7) Resistance train a couple times a week.
8) Drink diet soda instead of regular.

Id have to disagree with #3- protein and carbs should be between 30/70 or 40/60- If you are being active. To low carbs makes for feeling like ****.

Diet sodas have a good amount of sodium-

 

[Yooper]

Well, I guess that I didn't mention earlier something that has been crucial in my healthy weight/lifestyle. I haven't had a sodapop or a piece of cake or a potato chip in years. After a while, you don't miss it. It's like gas for your car- your car runs best with the right fuel. My body is the same way- it runs best on proper nutrition.

So, three pints a day seems like a lot (and I drink one small glass of wine with dinner every night). It probably is too much- but I dont' eat any artificial foods. By artificial foods, I mean processed stuff. I don't eat "white foods" at all- no white flour, pasta, rice, etc. It is fine to eat them as whole grains, though, and that is the bulk of my diet. I don't eat junk food (I probably haven't had a doughnut in at least 20 years), I exercise. I eat wonderful meals- complete with wine- every night. I don't really each much though. I would NEVER touch a diet soda or "diet" anything- it's artificial. I would also never eat anything with high fructose corn syrup.

I definitely am 10 pounds heavier. My cholesterol is low, my blood pressure is low, my blood sugar is low and I'm healthier than many 25 year olds. Seems like a fair trade off!

 

[tbone]

I pounded the pavement for 35 years. The last couple were filled with injuries - minor but annoying. So now I work out on the machines at the gym - three very intense workouts with recovery workouts in between. My beer consumption has been pretty consistent over these years so my problem is simply FOOD. If I don't eat after the evening meal then I can keep my weight steady. At almost 62, I am about 5'11" and around 195 - probably less than 10lbs over for me. On another note, my wife suffers from an intestinal disorder and maybe this is just a coincidence but since drinking home brew (two years now), she is symptom free - the first time in 20 years. She swears that it is the yeast. Who knows!!

 

[Rick_R]

Ive been as high as 265 with perfect cholesterol and less than 15% BF at only 5'9.

Those numbers [edit: weight/height] are some 90 lbs above the high end of "norm" for even a big-framed guy; how was the body fat computed? Maybe I'm not overweight, maybe I just need a different formula.



Rick

 

[MikeFlynn74]

Those numbers [edit: weight/height] are some 90 lbs above the high end of "norm" for even a big-framed guy; how was the body fat computed? Maybe I'm not overweight, maybe I just need a different formula

185 is way too low for me. Ive had shredded abs at 220. BF was done by the pinch method. Havent found a place to do the water one.

Then again my thighs measured at 28" when I was at my biggest and I still had some definition.

maybe I just need a different formula

You could always try working a little harder.

 

[Jumbo82]

+1, and I'll be 26 in 26 days.

I'll be 26 in 38 days, but unfortunately I'm at 200 lbs for the first time in my life. I'm 6'1'' and have gained a good 10 lbs since I started brewing 6 months ago. But I think this is mostly just a coincidence. I've also been living out of a hotel Mon-Fri for the past 5 months on business, eating less healthy than if I were at home, and definately not getting much excercise. Today is the last day of this project, so hopefully as my life returns to normal I'll be able to drop those pounds back off. We'll see...

 

[cheezydemon]

Ageing is different for everyone, but due to metabolic changes, everyone will start being more prone to being fat anywhere from age 25-32.

Job changes also contribute. If someone gets promoted off of the assembly line and into a desk job, look out waist-line!

+1 to Yooper. At least, that is where I want to be. With 3 small kids, I eat my fair share of junk out of sheer necessity. We don't have a live in nanny, so I or my wife make the meals.(or order pizza)

I have a small gut, but it hard to say if it is homebrew, my desk job, my age (now 32), or having kids. Probably all of the above!

 

[BeerAg]

I replaced all my sodas with LaCroix canned sparkling water.

I now drink only 4 things:

LaCroix, Coffee, red wine with good steak, and beer

I eliminated about 1500 calories a week from my diet by avoiding sodas. Those are easy calories to give up, too.

 

[The Soft Underbelly]

Nothing can make running fun.

Ok well maybe not when your 237lbs anyway

Well...... maybe a homebrew on the tread mill...... or better yet hanging from a stick thats strapped to your head to you're head.

Seriously though, the upside is that the heavier you are, the more calories you burn over a shorter run. I can do about 400 calories in just under two miles. Still i blame my desk bound lifestyle and not beer for my fat assery.

 

[MVKTR2]

Id have to disagree with #3- protein and carbs should be between 30/70 or 40/60- If you are being active. To low carbs makes for feeling like ****.

Diet sodas have a good amount of sodium-

I have to disagree with you! HA! I'm sure you're thinking you need the carbs in a diet to provide the quicker energy. Well truth is I left something out of my list, eat smaller meals every 2-3 hours. By doing this you eliminate the necessity of higher carb meals.

fwiw I'm talking about more of a training rather than a maintenance diet. I know if you're in the military and you're training hard it's good to carb up. Hard physical exercise burns SO many calories, you need the energy. I approached this thread as more of a what can I do... Homebrew is making me fat? The reason the atkins and miami beach style diets work for people who don't do one ounce of physical activity is because it is IMPOSSIBLE for the body to convert protein in to stored fat. Thus someone can eat 1/2 lb bacon, 6 eggs, a 12 oz steak, 1/2 lb green beans, and 2 chicken breast every day can lose weight. Why? Because once the body uses the available protein supplied in all that food above (not sure of how long that window is open, a couple of hours I think?) the body has to pull calories out from stored fat.... thus someone consuming 4500 calories a day is losing weight without lifting a finger because the body can't synthasize all those calories into stored fat.

Just for laughs! When Arnold was training and winning Mr. Olympians his normal meal when he ate out was 2 steaks and a dozen eggs! Not while he was cutting weight, but during mass building cycles. Freakish! Also the current Mr Olympia, Jay Cutler, is about 5'-11" maybe 6' and has a competition weight of about 285 lbs. According to government statistics he's obese.... even with 6% body fat! Silly government....

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[Sigafoos]

Cutting out pop -- it's what it's called, pop, not soda -- is probably the single greatest thing I did to help lose weight. Now I'm to the point where it's far too sweet for me to like. If I want a carbonated beverage, I've got beer

 

[Tonedef131]

Beer and cycling are the two greatest things in life. The sooner you learn that the happier and lighter you will be.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

fwiw I'm talking about more of a training rather than a maintenance diet.

A training diet would have a lot more calories than maintaining. Especially complex carbs that are essential for muscle growth.

http://www.building-muscle101.com/body-building-recipes.html

from the above link
A muscle building diet will consist of 20% to 30% protein, 55% to 65% carbohydrates and 15% to 25% fat. This means that each body building recipe will include the above nutritional percentages.

Also the current Mr Olympia, Jay Cutler, is about 5'-11" maybe 6' and has a competition weight of about 285 lbs. According to government statistics he's obese.... even with 6% body fat! Silly government....

Jay Cutler 2006 O contest at a claimed weight of 286 pounds with 3% bodyfat. He is 5'9".

He should have lost to Victor Martinez.



I dont know why I even bother arguing this point- Im happy I know what work and keeps me healthy and happy.

 

[sigmund]

I haven't been brewing too long, but I know that I drink more beer now than I did prior to homebrewing. This stuff is pretty tatsy. I play hockey pretty much year round, though only once a week through most of the summer. I ref 6 to 8 hockey games a weekend during the winter months and have just gotten pulled into reffing summer soccer leagues, so I'm forcing myself to keep active year round. I haven't gained, but I haven't lost either. I was hoping to drop once I started running for soccer, but it doesn't look like it is going to happen. Usually one pint a day during the week is all I take in, but it tends to get a bit higher on weekends. If I can maintain, I can live with it.

 

[Rick_R]

You could always try working a little harder.

Yeah, true; for me, working at all would be working harder. But the other option is we all just continue to live with our illusions, since we're all gonna fail the hundred year test, anyway.

Rick

 

[MikeFlynn74]

Yeah, true; for me, working at all would be working harder. But the other option is we all just continue to live with our illusions, since we're all gonna fail the hundred year test, anyway.

No doubt- Much more of this Chow hall garbage and I wont live to see 40

 

[MVKTR2]

A training diet would have a lot more calories than maintaining. Especially complex carbs that are essential for muscle growth.

http://www.building-muscle101.com/body-building-recipes.html

from the above link
A muscle building diet will consist of 20% to 30% protein, 55% to 65% carbohydrates and 15% to 25% fat. This means that each body building recipe will include the above nutritional percentages.





Jay Cutler 2006 O contest at a claimed weight of 286 pounds with 3% bodyfat. He is 5'9".

He should have lost to Victor Martinez.



I dont know why I even bother arguing this point- Im happy I know what work and keeps me healthy and happy.

First I didn't know we were "arguing"... since we are I'd better get mad!!! Let my roid rage kick in! Yes you're right about his height, I had forgot just how short he is. Most successful bodybuilders are which is what makes men like Arnold and Lee Haney so truely amazing!

I do strongly disagree with you about the % of protein vs carbs in a diet for someone in a mass building cycle. Fact is that people on the "gear" eat several hundred grams of protein in order to achieve and maintain anabolic synthesis. Translation anabolic steroids simply boost testosterone levels a few hundred percent. In order to use the synthesizing power of this boosted testo. level one must give the body protein to feed on, this is why when in a mass building cycle while on the gear roid users are eating protein shakes and meal replacement shakes to the tune of 400+ grams of protein per a day. Keep in mind the average meal replacement shake contains 50+ grams of protein and 20 grams of carbs

Why protein? Because muscles are made up of 75% water, 20% protein, and 5% carbs, minerals, fats etc. What's this means is that when someone works out they are tearing muscles, the building happens when proteins are synthasized to repair the muscles. Extra testosterone "super sizes" this process which is why roid heads use steroids.

from bodybuilding.com "Meal replacements are pre-packaged powdered drink mixes that you mix with water, milk, or juice and then drink in the place of a meal. They are convenient, inexpensive, and most taste pretty good. For optimum fat-burning and muscle-building results, we need to consume a high-protein, moderate-carb, low-fat meal about every three to four hours.

This equals approximately five to six meals per day. So, replace two or three of your whole food meals with meal replacements and you will drastically start cutting out unneeded calories, calories that can add up and, if not burned off, be stored as body fat."

Also from a really cheesy commercial website www.build-muscle-and-burn-fat.com/protein-facts.html

"Protein Fact: Your body uses protein to build, repair and maintain almost all of the tissue in your body. This includes muscle."

"Protein is the building block of muscle. Protein provides the essential support that your body needs to gain muscle and lose fat. It is the right tool to guarantee that your muscle building and fat loss processes are as "profitable" as possible."
"Protein Fact: Protein consists of amino acids. When we digest protein, the protein is broken down into its amino acid components. These amino acids then enter the bloodstream. Once there, your body reassembles them as proteins for various uses such as tissue repair and muscle building and maintenance."

"Protein is harder for your body to digest than fat or carbohydrates. It requires more energy for your body to digest protein. Therefore, you burn more calories with protein.
This means that if two people eat 2000 calories per day, the one with a higher protein intake will have a higher metabolism."

Yes carbs are important for energy if you are fighting a war, running a marathon, or participating in a soccer match. But in terms of body morphing diet and exercise philosophy they have thier place just below Protein, vinamins & minerals, water, and supplements such as creatin and NO2.


Your honor I rest my case!

I do believe we/I have steered this fun little "homebrewing makes me fat" discussion off course.... gotta love the internet.

Schlante,
Phillip