Drink beer and lose weight. It is possible!!

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Moodmusic: Maybe beer is an excellent breakfast drink after all???!!!

Todays memories and soundbites
I'm happy to say that, contrary to many opinions, I have managed to loose nearly two stone WITHOUT having to give up beer.  Do you know what ... I am very surprised to say .... that it hasn't been that hard to achieve either.  I have changed my diet a little bit. I followed the principle that the metabolism needs to be stimulated to burn food rather than to lay it down to fat.  That means having breakfast and getting the system going in the morning (argh). The other principle is making sure that the balance of carbs over protein is thought about a bit, so that the carbs in the diet are reduced and the protein increased, and the carbs are eaten at a time of day that the energy they provide is likely to be used up.  The other change was exercising for 45 minutes, 3 times a week, and doing a little routine at home of simple squats, press ups and crunches or 10-15 minutes every other day.  I think the diet makes most difference to the weight loss, but the exercise speeds up the metabolism increasing the pace of change.  Exercise obviously tones so my beer belly has now disappeared and is nice and flat again!

Drinks

My rules of thumb for a BEER INCLUSIVE calorie aware weight loss diet

1. Understand the calories consumed, clock them up 
Don't consume beer without thinking about it. Be aware of the calories consumed, understand the higher the ABV the higher the calorie count.  An average:

• 500ml bottle of 4.5% beer = 130-150 calories
• pint of 4.5 % beer = 180-200 calories
• 330 ml bottle of 8% beer = 240-260 calories

2. Buy the more expensive quality beers
This is likely to hit your pocket and has helped me to reduce my overall consumption whilst increasing my level of enjoyment.

3. Share the beer and make it a special! 
I have tasted over 100 beers during my weight loss and fitness campaign, and had many of them more than once.  The thing is that not every bottle or pint was consumed by me alone.  The majority of these were tasted with friends, as a fun occasion when we sat round the fire and exchanged tasting notes and reactions  providing cheap but meaningful entertainment.  Consumption reduced, appreciation increased, beer savoured, drunkenness averted!

4. Use the walk to the pub or bottle shop as an opportunity for a calorie burning powerwalk
Power walking helps burn fat and calories.  Alternate the pace of the walk so that you walk at ordinary pace for 1-2 minutes then a medium pace for 2-3 minutes then really march for 5 minutes, keep the repetitions going through the walk.  Any walk over 20 minutes or 1 mile burns about 130 calories - brilliant - the same as a bottle of beer!!

5. Sort out alternate low carb/high carb food and drink days
Don't drink beer everyday.  Have 2 low carb days (no bread, beer, potatoes, pasta) followed by one higher carb day, as well as one "don't worry but don't go mad" day each week.  Have beer as a thought through accounted for component of the high carb or "don't worry" days.

MON    TUES    WED      THUR      FRI      SAT     SUN
low         low           higher         low          low        higher       free (either)

6. Think about WHEN you drink - daytime is better than night time
Consumption of carbs seems to work best, i.e. not pile on the pounds, if imbibed at a time of the day when the calories are going to be consumed.  And of course I had to think about not exceeding the total calorie count for the day at the end of the day either!  Eat, or indeed drink carbs, in the later evening then I really had to ask myself if I was going to be doing the exercise to burn off the energy?  Or did I do enough exercise in the afternoon to account for evening drinking?  Would I be walking home from the pub?  Not an easy one to juggle this, and perhaps the hardest principle of all.  Maybe beer is an excellent breakfast drink after all???!!!