Im getting fat. lol

[broadbill]

LOL! Speak for your self. When I drink 3 or 4 homebrews and the wife wants to get busy, I am usually either wanting to go to sleep or drink more beer. Could not be bothered to get it on.

Wha? You are kidding right?

 

[lostmind]

I went from 215 to 170lbs... like everyone else, cut out booze and worked out 5x a week, ate better. Since then, I've added booze back in - I drink a glass of wine or a beer nearly every night, sometimes I go crazy and have 2 or 3 drinks!

I'm also a much better cook and I eat a lot differently. Most of the bulk of my food is veggies. Nothing like a salad, steamed broccoli and a great steak with a beer. Or fish and wine, with beans, chicken kale & wine, etc.

Breakfast is a big meal for me, 2-3 eggs and some egg whites, some form of meat, pan fried with lots of veggies like spinach, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, peppers, kale, etc. Pour the beaten eggs in the pan, top with some shredded cheese and into the over for 5 mins... top with salsa, got myself and awesome frittata and more veggies than most eat in a day

Lunch I'm flexible - I do have to eat out regularly for work meetings, etc., i just try to be smart and order salad with dressing on the side and so on. Often times I will just have a protein shake at the office when I am not going out.

Stuff like pasta, rice, bread, potatoes have gone from staples with every meal to treats I eat 2-3x a week.

Of course... I am at 180 right now as I haven't been able to work out as much as before... have a kid now and I had surgery on my knee. I'm just trying to get back into the workout routine again now. Should be good, I really miss the exercise.

 

[shamrockdoc]

Slide on back

 

[jwheeler85]

I usually have a few beers every night and have managed to stay right around 140lbs, 12% body fat. I think that the two things that keep my gut in check are 1) living in a city where I DON'T have a car and 2) weight training 4 days a week (no cardio). Any time you increase lean muscle mass your body needs more calories just to do its everyday stuff. In short, muscle burns fat and increases metabolism. But you also can't eat crap on a regular basis (beer does not qualify as crap).

So start lifting and keep on brewing!

 

[captianoats]

I managed to drop a lot of weight, and been holding at 160 lbs for about 2 years. Biggest thing I learned: If it's not a raw food it's probably not healthy. In fact, I never brewed before I lost the weight. Was another way to keep as much control of my food as possible.

Also, I'm with the other guys when I work out several times a week. Once you get going, you'll look forward to it. Keeps me fit, trim, and not feeling bad about binging

 

[artguy]

For the young folks out there on this thread, I have to warn you that aging doesn't help. I always had one of those lucky metabolisms that allowed me to eat/drink whatever without worrying about weight, but that definitely started to change in my late 40's. I still don't have a big problem with weight, but after being consistently 160-165 lbs. for my whole adult life, I was surprised to find that I'd floated up to about 180 last year. I got more serious about running and eating well, and dropped back down to about 162 within 6 months, but then I started homebrewing and got too busy at work to run as regularly. Amazing how those pounds just want to come back now!

 

[MVKTR2]

It's great that people care about their health, we should! Something not mentioned much here is the importance of muscle to metabolism. Muscles mass burn calories much faster than fat. Thus some form of resistance training is a good part of any overall health strategy.

Personally I prefer heavy weight training and beating the leather off a heavy bag to any 'standard' aerobic activity any day of the week. Believe me with an agressive 40-60 min. gym session you can burn some calories. Obviously muscle weighs way more than fat but you look a lot better at 215 with 10% body fat over 220 with 18% body fat. Body image is much more important than the actual weight.

Something which helps me on the dietary side is the occasional fast. A week long fast takes 3-4 days of prep pre-fast and 3-4 days of stepping down coming off the fast.

Obviously the above can be big lifestyle type changes, sadly I'm not able to weight train currently and my belly shows it. However a diet which eliminates most of the starch and focuses on fresh non-starchy veggies & protein along with consistent exercise can do wonders for overall health.

Schlante & good luck to all,
Phillip

 

[passedpawn]

Something not mentioned much here is the importance of muscle to metabolism. Muscles mass burn calories much faster than fat.

See above in post #44.

 

[HorribleCatfish]

Pretty simple but not necessarily easy. Here's what works for me.

To lose weight:

Calories IN < Calories OUT
and
Beer = food

All the beer I drink replaces food I would have eaten. When I eat dinner I intentionally save room for the beer to be consumed later, helps prevent over-eating.

Weigh yourself frequently, at least twice a week. Once you hit a certain number (180 lb for me); do NOT ever let your weight exceed that number, ever. If/when I get to 178-179 something must change immediately to ensure not exceeding the predetermined number. DO NOT exceed the number.

I live by calories in/calories out.

I love food though, so beer doesn't replace that for me. Currently, I run 25-30 miles a week to cover my beer consumption. After losing 65 lbs, I've maintained 165-170 for about 6 years now. I don't drink as much beer as I'd like to, so I may have to increase my mileage.

 

[jdwoo87]

I usually have a few beers every night and have managed to stay right around 140lbs, 12% body fat. I think that the two things that keep my gut in check are 1) living in a city where I DON'T have a car and 2) weight training 4 days a week (no cardio). Any time you increase lean muscle mass your body needs more calories just to do its everyday stuff. In short, muscle burns fat and increases metabolism. But you also can't eat crap on a regular basis (beer does not qualify as crap).

So start lifting and keep on brewing!

The lack of cardio will eventually cause a significant lowering of your metabolism; and it's not good for your heart. If you ever watch cops, you'll notice how some of the bigger muscular guys stand there panting for 15 minutes after aprehending a crook; it's because their heart and lungs cannot keep up with the muscle mass they put on by working out with no cardio.

Cardio burns calories the most efficiently and is necessary to maintain a good balance of intake vs burning.

Essentially, 15 minutes (give or take a couple depending on your condition and speed) of jogging on the treadmill for every beer you drink and it will be like you never consumed it.

Just be sure to drink extra water because (as we all know) alcohol dehydrates the body.

 

[lostmind]

I'd argue that cardio doesn't burn calories the most efficiently, but that resistance training does.

However, both are key for a healthy body. I know runners that are twig like and constantly sick & injured because they won't do any resistance training. Each to his own but... I think being well rounded in everything is better.

 

[tamoore]

I'd argue that cardio doesn't burn calories the most efficiently, but that resistance training does.

However, both are key for a healthy body. I know runners that are twig like and constantly sick & injured because they won't do any resistance training. Each to his own but... I think being well rounded in everything is better.

Go run 16 miles, and tell me you haven't burned off some calories..

I don't like doing anything but running, so I don't. Running makes me feel good, is a fun activity with huge health benefits. Getting outside at daybreak, running along a path while the sun comes up is a pure joy. Sitting in a smelly gym? Not so much.

 

[lostmind]

I hate running, I'm not built for it - 5'8", 180lbs, 44" chest 30" waist. I'm made for heavy work and sprinting, not running miles & miles.

I also hate sitting on a bike or treadmill for hours to burn calories. I don't think I've ever run 16 miles - it would likely take me 5 hours to run.

I personally prefer a hard & heavy session of weightlifting for 30-45 mins 3x a week and take my dog for a hike in the woods a few times a week for some mild cardio. Once or twice a week I'll jump on the elliptical for 15 mins or so. I can't stand much more than that, it's just too boring.

Lifting weights gives me muscle mass, increases my bmr and allows me to eat more. I love to eat, I hate to run, I enjoy lifting weights. It works for me.

But yeah, if running for 4 hours makes you happy, it's wayyy better than sitting on your ass watching tv and eating chips. So go for it!

 

[Darwin18]

I hate running, I'm not built for it - 5'8", 180lbs, 44" chest 30" waist. I'm made for heavy work and sprinting, not running miles & miles.

I also hate sitting on a bike or treadmill for hours to burn calories. I don't think I've ever run 16 miles - it would likely take me 5 hours to run.

I personally prefer a hard & heavy session of weightlifting for 30-45 mins 3x a week and take my dog for a hike in the woods a few times a week for some mild cardio. Once or twice a week I'll jump on the elliptical for 15 mins or so. I can't stand much more than that, it's just too boring.

Lifting weights gives me muscle mass, increases my bmr and allows me to eat more. I love to eat, I hate to run, I enjoy lifting weights. It works for me.

But yeah, if running for 4 hours makes you happy, it's wayyy better than sitting on your ass watching tv and eating chips. So go for it!

I have to agree with you on this. I went from a job where I did a fair amount of manual labor (concrete work, heavy lifting, etc) to an office job where I'll occasionally go out and watch people do this work. Needless to say my eating habits didn't change with my new position and I quickly put on 25 to 30 lbs in a matter of six months.

I had to face the facts and really watch what exactly I'm eating and drinking. I've really made the effort not to drink beer during the week and when I do pick up a six pack of micros, I try to make them last the weekend.

I had bought a basic exercise bike last summer and used it pretty extensively but quickly grew bored with it. At the end of December I picked up a good weight bench, barbells, and a basic set of weights on craigslist. For some reason this has really worked for me. I'm 6'0 with a heavy frame and running has never been easy for me to pick up.

Just lifting every other day, I've lost 10lbs, one pant size, and my fiance is all over me again. It gives me a lot of pride to say that I've increased my bench by 50 lbs in six months while working on entirely on my own. It's great to be able to track my progress and build goals that I can accomplish. I'm trying to get into lifting everyday and started light jogging but everyone has to start somewhere.

 

[jdwoo87]

Sorry to cause any type of debate, I did some research and found an article in the Washington Post that might shed some professional light on the topic. I think we could all agree with the bolded line below.

Time factors into the contest another way, too: "You are limited in the amount of strength training you can do," says Nelson, a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. The ACSM advises you weight-train no more than two to three times per week, to give the body time to repair microscopic muscle tears produced by training that are key to gaining strength. "But you can do cardiovascular exercise every day," Nelson says.

"Ideally, you want a combination of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise and moderate-intensity strength training. But if vigorous aerobic exercise and vigorous weight training went head-to-head for calories burned, vigorous aerobic exercise would win."

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042001772.html

 

[lostmind]

"Ideally, you want a combination of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise and moderate-intensity strength training. But if vigorous aerobic exercise and vigorous weight training went head-to-head for calories burned, vigorous aerobic exercise would win." [/url]

Sounds like they are saying that working out 3x a week vs running every day means running every day burns more calories overall.

Sure, I agree with that.

But I still say that 30 mins of lifting weights burns more cals than 30 mins on the treadmill. Unless you are sprinting up hill, but then I would consider sprinting to be anaerobic and not aerobic

Find what works for you. If you are active, my hats off to you cuz you are better than 90% of the population watching tv and chomping chips. I vastly prefer working out, it makes me and everyone I've ever pushed to weight training look better. I know runners that are still carrying their paunch and still have a bird chest and bony shoulders who can outrun me, I think I look better and that I am more useful - need someone to help lift that hide-a-bed? I can help, my runner friend can't lift it off the ground. Although he can run me into the ground

Each to his own. For me that means a fullbody workout 3x a week, light cardio a few times a week, a diet full of veggies, grass fed beef, organic pork & poultry and wild salmon with some occasional treats like pasta and bread. And as much sleep as I can get, which isn't a lot with my 20 month old teething daughter and my 24/7 emergency pager...

 

[lostmind]

Sorry to cause any type of debate, I did some research and found an article in the Washington Post that might shed some professional light on the topic. I think we could all agree with the bolded line below.

I like debates that don't degenerate into name calling.

 

[jdwoo87]

I like debates that don't degenerate into name calling.

I agree with you 100%, I'm trying to be polite and not offensive. The last thing I want to do is piss off a fellow brewmate.

 

[ArtVandelay]

I have a high metabolism and have been lifting for quite a while. It always has been a challenge to get enough calories to put on a significant amount of muscle. I'm 6'5" 210 and need a lot of calories to even maintain current weight. Last year I lifted pretty hard core and dropped from 215 to 195 with minimal cardio. However, I'd really rather gain some weight and put on muscle mass.

I've consciously made an effort this year to drink at beer a day (not that that is hard) to make sure I'm getting enough calories. Definately has worked to add calories and help put on muscle the past 6 months.

Still try to run on the treadmill a couple times a week to get the cardiovascular benefit but I hate it and feel I burn easily as many calories lifting as I do running. And I don't get as sweaty.

 

[robtotten]

That's an interesting strategy, but I would just go to the kegerator 20 times. hah. Mine's in the garage, maybe I should move it to the roof of the garage so I have to scale the walls, burning extra calories before I reach there. Or I could log the keg down so it wouldn't let me pour until I spent five minutes in one of those endless pool things.

Swim an hour a day three days a week. Or you could completely un-automate your brewer and do all the heavy lifting by hand.

I found that I was gaining excess weight from drinking too much of my beer. I have a kegerator in my living room and drinking two to four pints a night. So I started drinking my beers out of sampler glasses instead of full pints. Now when I go to the kegerator four or five times in the night, I only have one full beer.

 

[GRHunter]

Not a battle for me ... I surrendered!

 

[lostmind]

Not a battle for me ... I surrendered!

lol.

I surrendered as well - beer #2 tonight!

 

[jwheeler85]

The lack of cardio will eventually cause a significant lowering of your metabolism; and it's not good for your heart.

Good point, but not always true. Actually, you'd be amazed how fast your heart rate gets when you lift correctly. A lot of people either take breaks between sets that are too long or don't lift heavy enough to keep the heart rate up. I used to do only running but totally changed my routine a year ago after getting sick of being skinny. But it's still nice to randomly run 2 or 3 miles flat out; just so that I still know I can. So what I meant in my previous post was that I don't emphasize cardio, but usually do still run once a week after my main workout. Now, that might be more if my feet weren't my main mode of transportation.

 

[danweasel]

A wise man, Tom Penny, once said. "Eat like a bird and drink like a whale"!

 

[throwbookatface]

 

[stubbornman]

I too am fighting this battle. Up 40 pounds since this time last year... It has motivated me to brew more session beers. It doesn't all have to be DIPA's and RIS.

 

[Justibone]

More veggies, less meat. It will work for most!

 

[johnmcc]

I've been fighting the batlle of the bulge myself since I started brewing, swmbo says I'm not even battling, more like grabbing a brew and watching from the sideline.

 

[Justibone]

LOL!

10 char

 

[artyboy]

I too am fighting this battle. Up 40 pounds since this time last year... It has motivated me to brew more session beers. It doesn't all have to be DIPA's and RIS.

I just tried brewing a beer off of the 3rd runnings from an outmeal stout. By the time it went into the keg it literally tasted like water flavored beer. It's hard to explain but the crisp, clean water flavor was pretty overpowering. I estimate the ABV to be about 2% and the calories have to be less than 100 per 12 oz serving. If it turns out to be drinkable then I'll probably just stick to beers like that for day to day quaffing.

 

[lostmind]

I too am fighting this battle. Up 40 pounds since this time last year... It has motivated me to brew more session beers. It doesn't all have to be DIPA's and RIS.

That's pretty significant. You may want to talk to your doctor... lot's of bad stuff can cause such weight gain. Always good to nip stuff in the bud early, if possible.

My doctor was really concerned when I put on 20lbs in a year...

 

[lostmind]

More veggies, less meat. It will work for most!

More real food, less processed garbage fake food.

I don't think there is anything wrong with a good serving of protein and 3-4 cups of veggies at every meal. But 3-4 cups of pasta/rice/bread is not healthy.

 

[mightynintendo]

More real food, less processed garbage fake food.

I don't think there is anything wrong with a good serving of protein and 3-4 cups of veggies at every meal. But 3-4 cups of pasta/rice/bread is not healthy.

A good serving of protein at every meal, yes. A good serving of meat at every meal, not so much. Maybe a good serving of meat once a day, and keep it a serving the size of your palm.

 

[COLObrewer]

I feel . . . . . guilty

Seriously, the thing that has helped me most is cutting back on processed foods, mostly white stuff, sugar, white bread, white rice.

 

[alcibiades]

http://www.getdrunknotfat.com/

 

[lostmind]

A good serving of protein at every meal, yes. A good serving of meat at every meal, not so much. Maybe a good serving of meat once a day, and keep it a serving the size of your palm.

hmmm while your argument has some merit for environmental purposes, from a health perspective I'm not convinced.

4 oz of a lean steak is around 200 cals with approx 25 grams protein and 10 grams fat.

4 oz of salmon is nearly the same as steak but more omega 3's...

4 oz of chicken breast is around 175 cals with approx 30g protein and roughly 5 grams fat.

Protein and fat make you feel fuller so you eat less. Couple it with a ton of simply prepared veggies and I think it'd be very hard for the average person to get fat eating several servings of meat per day.

Now if the average serving of meat is something nuts like 12 oz, then yah; that's no good.

If I'm missing something, please point it out. I'm always looking to learn more...

 

[mightynintendo]

no that's good. eating meat to lose weight definitely works. i was thinking more on the lines of cholesterol consumption, saturated fats and what not. i'm just saying keep it balanced and eating a "good portion" of protein at every meal should not mean eat a ton of meat all the time because it's really not good to get most of your calories from meat. what did michael pollan say? eat food. not too much. mostly plants.

 

[lostmind]

Ahhh ok.

I'm a fan of Pollan. But I can't eat/live like he does.

I buy my meat from a ranch just a few hours away, grass fed, free range. I have a salmon csa share, do my best to eat only organic, free range chicken, etc. Get my veggies delivered to me by a local organic delivery service...

But yah, I can't go all veggie it just doesn't work for me. Consuming enough legumes to get my protein intake gives me intestinal distress. I tried supplementing with Vega, but it's not the best tasting stuff.

 

[TexLaw]

Almost literally, I work my as off. I spend a good 4-6 hours per week doing moderate to hard cardio work. I also take park on the far end of a parking lot, take stairs, walk just about anywhere that is within a half mile of where I am, etc. It doesn't take too long before you start to enjoy doing it. In any case, if I want to eat the things I want to eat, drink the things I want to drink, and live the lifestyle I want to live, exercise is the price I must pay. It feels good, too.

On eating, I do not strictly count calories, but I think about what I eat. I not only think about the calories I take in, but all the other nutrition, too. You need more than calories to be healthy, you know.

I avoid junk food except for certain occasions, and I then keep it to a minimum. Really, after those first few chips or so, I eat them more out of habit (or the mere fact of their presence) than enjoyment. When I want to snack, I eat an apple, a grapefruit, a stalk of celery, a cucumber sliced and dipped in vinegar (not as much salt as pickles), a small amount of beef jerky, a small amount of nuts, or an ounce (or less) of cheese. I keep snacks down, too.

On drinking, I rarely drink during the week. It is more of a social thing for me, anyhow. I rarely, rarely drink sodas (i.e., maybe 4 or 5 per year). I just do not like them. I drink lots of water, some tea, and a little coffee. That actually started back in college, when I could not afford sodas. Water was free, and it turned out to be a good habit to get into.

Of course, all that goes out the window now and then. I'll eat and drink like a friggin' viking on a payday when the time is right. All things in moderation, including moderation. So long as I keep in mind that I have to pay for that, somehow or another, it's okay.

As mentioned before, aging is a big deal. It's not as easy to control that weight as it used to be. It is not so much that I have to do more on a day-to-day basis. However, if I go on a bender for a few days or so, I see more of a difference, and it takes longer to recover.

For those that cut back on your food intake so that you can drink more beer, that is a good decision, so long as you don't take it too far. Just be careful to get all the nutrition you need for a day.


TL

 

[stubbornman]

I just tried brewing a beer off of the 3rd runnings from an outmeal stout. By the time it went into the keg it literally tasted like water flavored beer. It's hard to explain but the crisp, clean water flavor was pretty overpowering. I estimate the ABV to be about 2% and the calories have to be less than 100 per 12 oz serving. If it turns out to be drinkable then I'll probably just stick to beers like that for day to day quaffing.

Nice!!