I’m actually going to start this post out with a disclaimer because we all know any excuse to drink beer might be taken to extremes.
DISCLAIMER: There is no guarantee this theory I am spelling out in this post will work, and if you don’t know the negative affects of alcohol, you are too stupid to drink.
I recently had a post on drinking your caloric intake for the day (click here) and the main point was to educate so you don’t work your butt off with diet and exericse, only to unknowingly negate your efforts by what you drink. I thought this post is a good compliment to the earlier post.
Diet is all about choice. If you don’t drink alcohol you are at a huge advantage with any weight lose efforts, however, if you are like me and enjoy a beer (or wine) here and there, I offer up an idea – drink good beer.
The reason for this comes down to the notion of enjoying the gifts we are blessed with in this life without abusing or overdoing it. Drinking great beer can help you to learn to appreciate those blessings and just might….just might help you to lose weight.
Let’s say you are a typical beer drinking male. You might have a beer or two in the evening and probably a six pack (or case) on the weekend. Many of these men drink average beer such as light pilsners (Bud Light, Miller Lite, PBR, etc) and can put a few down no problem. These beers hover at just over 100 calories a beer, with some reaaaaalllllly light beers coming in under 100 calories. See that photo above with the yummy breakfast stout by Founder’s brewery? Yep, that is pushing 250 calories.
So how do you lose weight? It only makes sense you would gain more by drinking the above said beer at 250 calories. First off, a great many awesome beers are still under 200 calories, so the example above is an extreme. I only used it because that is my favorite beer right now, and did I mention it was yummy?!
What can happen (by CAN I mean is SHOULD) is when you switch to rich, flavorful, tasty beers is you tend to appreciate each beer more fully. There are 2 possible layers of benefits to this.
#1 – These better beers are thicker and have more alcohol so typically you will drink less. There is a good chance you will end up drinking less calories overall in the week because you are not pounding light beers. Instead of 2 a night, you drop to 1 and enjoy every sweet sip of it. On the weekends, you’re not going to gulp down a 12 pack, but instead slowly appreciate 3 or 4.
#2 – This deeper layer is a more lofty thought. It comes down to changing the way you consume. Beer, wine, coffee, food, and other pleasures are gifts to us. We are meant to enjoy them, but not to abuse or over use. If you change the way you drink to this formula: water to sustain and other beverages as gifts to savor and appreciate, instead of pouring cheap beer and pop down your throat like it is water, you change the entire way you consume.
This change in consumption can awaken your senses and sensibilities. Food and water are taken into your body for energy. Treats such as snacks, pop, or beer can be just that – treats. Take these in moderation and eat/drink them slowly. Enjoy them.