Beer

texas star

Can someone please help me with this. If I watch what I eat all week and exerise,walk and swim. Is it all pointless cause I cant say no to a few beers maybe twice/three times a week. Am I just kidding myself Maybe someone can recommend a lower drink then Coors light for me...Thanks in advance people

AlphaMale 3OO

My god do you really and truly have to drink 3 times a week? how heavily? theres no shortcut with alcohol really its bad all round. when i drink i often have gin/vodka tonic, its quite low in calories. still not good.

briano

Well, The way I've always seen it is I wouldn't be saying no to the beers anyway, so I'm better off going to the gym than not going and drinking the beers anyway.

Alcohol in moderation has been reported to have some health benefits, mainly to do with reducing the risk of Parkinsons and Heart Disease. Of course alcohol in excess can have a seriously detrimental effect on your health.

If you're trying to lose weight then alcohol isn't going to help at all and obviously you shouldn't be doing exercise after a few drinks.

roberteboot

In my opinion eating well is the single biggest factor in fitness. Bad diet - chips, sweets etc - has a much worse effect than the beer as long as you dont go nuts.You can afford to enjoy the weekend if your eating well and exercising during the week. That said id usually go for one big night, three nights is pushing it fitness wise.Try cut it down to having a big Friday or Saturday night on the beer and then every month or so you can afford a bit more if theres something on - festivals, weekend away with the lads whatever. Thats what works for me anyway.

texas star

Oh my god Im not a drunk or anything I work shifts so I may have a few pints on a Tuesday,sat and Sun but only have like 3/4 pints. Well maybe more on a Saturday.But I will try to cut down. My diet would be porrige morning,yogert little break,bowl soup, bag of popcorn and normal dinner. Walk an hour a day and swim every 2nd/3 day 40mins lane swimming non stop. But by the sound of it its the beer...:(

justsomebloke

texas star wrote:

Oh my god Im not a drunk or anything I work shifts so I may have a few pints on a Tuesday,sat and Sun but only have like 3/4 pints. Well maybe more on a Saturday.But I will try to cut down. My diet would be porrige morning,yogert little break,bowl soup, bag of popcorn and normal dinner. Walk an hour a day and swim every 2nd/3 day 40mins lane swimming non stop. But by the sound of it its the beer...:(

actually no, it sounds like it's the rest of your diet, read the stickies

AlphaMale 3OO

jsb wrote:

actually no, it sounds like it's the rest of your diet, read the stickies

yeah. but casual drinking 3/4 times a week is still not good. my policy is (and im not advocating this) that i never drink casually e.g. just one or two. if im drinking i give it a lash for one night and then give it a rest for 3 weeks or so. i dont think id ever be able to completely quit but as ive got into better shape ive weighed up the benefits of looking good or drinking hard.

rubadub

The most low calorie way to get to a certain blood alcohol level is to drink unsweetened spirits, with a low cal mixer (which speeds up absorption), on an empty stomach. The diet mixer actually increases your blood alcohol level, so you need to drink less.

Beer contains hops which I think can increase estrogen levels (beer tits), some more knowledgeable person might comment on this, but I imagine it is not doing testosterone levels much good.

I drink like a fish at the weekends, and will never give it up! but lowering my weight and being more careful about what I drink means I drink about half the calories of what I used to, and get into the same "state"

Gumbyman

I was wondering about this same topic earlier on. Anybody know how many calories in a pint of various brews and spirits? Is there a table anywhere?

Dragan

texas star wrote:

But by the sound of it its the beer...:(

There are kids in Concern ads with a more nutritionally balanced diet that yours.

Read the stickies, as already mentioned.

briano

forbesii wrote:

if im drinking i give it a lash for one night and then give it a rest for 3 weeks or so.

As far as I know (and there is a fair chance that I'm wrong) getting smashed once a month is worse in the long term than having a pint or two a few times a week.

Having 3/4 pints 3 times a week still puts you over the recommended amount of alcohol though.

The BBC wrote:

Recommended intake

Often these problems arise when intake is considered to be really quite high. Moderation and balance is the key. British recommendations are two to three units of alcohol a day for women and three to four units for men. It's a good idea to have two or to three alcohol-free days each week.

linky

AlphaMale 3OO

briano wrote:

As far as I know (and there is a fair chance that I'm wrong) getting smashed once a month is worse in the long term than having a pint or two a few times a week.

Having 3/4 pints 3 times a week still puts you over the recommended amount of alcohol though.



linky

yes ive heard that but fcuk it im not drinking 3/4 times a week no matter what, so one good blow out every once in a while is no bother.

texas star

Hey Dragan I eat loads of fruit as well for snacks and I drink at least 5litres of water a day. I dont know what stickys is can you explain,please.I honestly thought my diet was good.thanks in advance people:)

BossArky

Stickies are the threads "stuck" to the top of the list on each forum to save them from falling down as time goes by. They are usually stuck there as they contain holy nuggets of wisdom.

texas star

Thanks you Boss

Frankiestylee

Rather then start a new "beer" topic I thought I'd ask this here...

Y'know this "testosterone cut" that follows alcohol, how long does that last for?

Also, I read elsewhere that estrogen is produced from hops in beer, bringing on man boobs etc.... does that mean only beer is the main cause of man boobs etc or am I picking that up wrong?

rubadub

Frankiestylee wrote:

Also, I read elsewhere that estrogen is produced from hops in beer, bringing on man boobs etc.... does that mean only beer is the main cause of man boobs etc or am I picking that up wrong?

the boobs are mainly due to excess fat, drinking lots means a surplus of calories so you put on fat on the belly or boobs. On men fat tends to go on the belly then boobs. On women it goes on bum & thighs first. But depleting testosterone & taking estrogen will further enhance it. So drinking lots of vodka will still result in surplus calories and fat being added to boobs too.

BUT if I drink vodka & diet mixers I estimate I only need to take in about 50-70% of the calories I would have drinking beer to get the same level of tipsiness. So less calories & estrogen should not mean they are as bad, I think testosterone will be depleted by any alcohol, but adding extra estrogen is not gonna help!

cavanmaniac

If I ever start taking exercise and fitness so seriously as to not take a few beers at the weekend, I think I'd like someone to sit me down and tell me I was turning into a total sap.

I already make many social sacrifices and arrange alot of things in my life around the gym, but my few pints at the weekend is the sacred untouchable. I might have 6/7 pints on a Saturday night and almost always, nothing again until the following weekend. It's one of the few pleasures I have left now that the crisps, burgers, chinese takeaway, fizzy drinks, biscuits, chocloate etc. are things of Diet Past.

Serious question though - to what extent could one consider 6/7 pints a week to be a 'cheat' meal?

Degsy

I'm happy to have my few drinks at the weekend,every weekend and be happy rather than lose two extra inches off my belly and be miserable.

tribulus

cavanmaniac wrote:

Serious question though - to what extent could one consider 6/7 pints a week to be a 'cheat' meal?

I'll estimate ~1300 cals from 6-7pints so it's more than a cheat meal tbh. Not to mention the fact it will probably be later at night, you'll probably eat some carby sh1te afterwards and any drop in T or decrease in absorption of one or two minerals.

Anyone trying to lose fat steadily is having a laugh if they're drinking like that every weekend imo.

lizzyvera

Beer is at least 200kcal/pint except for Coors Light which is about 130kcal.

So a regular pint is about the same as a chocolate bar and I KNOW you wouldn't eat 6 chocolate bars in one sitting and fool yourself that you were "on a diet".

Give it up and your tolerence will shoot up and you won't need to drink so much after abstaining for a while.

I drink coffee when I'm off it and it gives me lots of energy and it destroys my appetite so that gets rid of the drunken-night-time-munching-on-whatever-we-have-in-the-kitchen problem.

Oh, fitness freaks won't agree but don't have a big meal before you drink because you'll drink more and feel less. Break with water more often.

texas star

Thank you lizzy I will try to cut down on the beer.Tried to do the vodak and diet drink but was lashing them back as I am not used to them.Thanks for the advise

Gumbyman

I think I'm on the same buzz as you Texas Star. Been off the grog for a few weeks now but plan on dipping back in a little over the weekend. I'm going to try drinking pints of blackcurrant miwadi with a shot of vodka thrown in. The volume should prevent me drinking dozens of shots (and spending a small fortune). Can anybody tell me what the calorie count would be in a pint of this? Maybe the miwadi calories might make this a stupid idea.......

slemons

fvck that sh1t man. i eat well all week but drink the fvck out of it thursday-sat.
8%bf last test and im a born fat kid.

Think about it. how many cals per pint? all you've to do is a little bit extra cardio the day before and after?
its very important to train every day though. you do have to build up to that though and know what you're doing!

rubadub

tribulus wrote:

I'll estimate ~1300 cals from 6-7pints so it's more than a cheat meal tbh.... Anyone trying to lose fat steadily is having a laugh if they're drinking like that every weekend imo.

I would say I average about 15pints a week, and have steadily been losing fat for a good while and do not starve nor do unusual amounts of exercise. The calorific values of alcohol are overestimated IMO. Studies have been done showing 2 groups fed excess calories, one with sugar drinks, one group with alcohol. The sugar drinkers put on more fat. Calorific values are determined by treating the food/drink/substance as a fuel used in combustions.

They will get 100g of alcohol/petrol/wood/jaffa cakes/veg oil - then burn these in a lab, usually they use will heat up water and calculated the calories given off.

I used to drink over 50pints worth every week when I was younger, I know guys who drank more and are only about 10% BF or less. I never went over 15stone drinking that much and ate like a horse, a lot of junk food too.

I'm going to try drinking pints of blackcurrant miwadi with a shot of vodka thrown in

Diet drinks will make you absorb the alcohol better so you take in less calories overall, and spend less on the booze to get the same effect

http://www.dietadvisor.com/news_alcohol_%20and_sugar_free_mixers_.htm

http://www.healthscout.com/template.asp?page=newsdetail&ap=68&id=8014675

lizzyvera wrote:

Beer is at least 200kcal/pint except for Coors Light which is about 130kcal.

That is incorrect, be very careful reading all calorific values on drinks, and learn what it really means too. A pint of erdinger has way more calories than a shot of vodka- but it has 2.2 times the alcohol!!, so you are drinking far less of them.

On coors site it says 102kcal per 12oz (355ml), that is 163kcal per pint. Guinness is the same 4.2% and has 170kcal per pint. Many think guinness has lots of calories for some reason. Stronger beers have more calories, but you drink less. In fact when you take calories per ml alcohol stronger beers are usually lower in calories. So drinking dry strong pilsners is the real low cal way to get pissed drinking beer. Coors light is just cleverly marketed and tricks people into thinking it is the way to go.

Gumbyman

rubadub wrote:

http://www.dietadvisor.com/news_alcohol_%20and_sugar_free_mixers_.htm

Very interesting - cheers! Only problem is the volume part. Sitting in a pub I'd say it'd be hard to ration the spirit & mixer.

rubadub

Gumbyman wrote:

Very interesting - cheers! Only problem is the volume part. Sitting in a pub I'd say it'd be hard to ration the spirit & mixer.

It is an expensive way to drink. An average shot is 35.5ml 37.5%, 37.5x35.5=1331, your average pint is 568ml x 4.3%=2442. So your pint has almost twice the alcohol, if it is pints of strong german lager it has over twice.

So if you are in rounds or trying to drink the same you should really be drinking twice as many shots/mixer + shot, as pints.

Many people go on about having 6 or 7 "drinks", as though it was all the same. I remember one girl pleased and amazed at herself for having 12 baileys shots in the UK. But a shot is 25ml there (a baileys here is 50ml, normal measure here is 35.5ml), here most know about baileys being weaker so give more, but in many countries it is treated the same. So it is only 17%, so 17%x25ml=425, she usually drank 6% ciders. So 12 UK shots of baileys is actually only 1.7 cans of cider!

The other problem is expensive mixers. A vodka in my local is 3.50, bottle of diet mixer is 2.80, so €6.30 for what is little more than half a pint. Drinking long half pints of mixed spirits works out about €12 per pint equivalent to beer.

jlang

Of course, just drinking the mixers costs as much as beer, and you don't even get any alcohol! Bloody pubs.

justsomebloke

rubadub wrote:

It is an expensive way to drink. An average shot is 35.5ml 37.5%, 37.5x35.5=1331, your average pint is 568ml x 4.3%=2442. So your pint has almost twice the alcohol, if it is pints of strong german lager it has over twice.

So if you are in rounds or trying to drink the same you should really be drinking twice as many shots/mixer + shot, as pints.

Many people go on about having 6 or 7 "drinks", as though it was all the same. I remember one girl pleased and amazed at herself for having 12 baileys shots in the UK. But a shot is 25ml there (a baileys here is 50ml, normal measure here is 35.5ml), here most know about baileys being weaker so give more, but in many countries it is treated the same. So it is only 17%, so 17%x25ml=425, she usually drank 6% ciders. So 12 UK shots of baileys is actually only 1.7 cans of cider!

The other problem is expensive mixers. A vodka in my local is 3.50, bottle of diet mixer is 2.80, so €6.30 for what is little more than half a pint. Drinking long half pints of mixed spirits works out about €12 per pint equivalent to beer.

ahh but you forget the the soft drinks help you get pissed easier, that and you also forget that it is easier to smuggle in a half bottle of jack then a 6 pack of beer

yes that right ladies....I'm that classy:D

Leon11

jsb wrote:

ahh but you forget the the soft drinks help you get pissed easier, that and you also forget that it is easier to smuggle in a half bottle of jack then a 6 pack of beer

yes that right ladies....I'm that classy:D

now where's the claps hand icon

texas star

Thanks a million people for info. WOW I didnt know that about diet drinks and the blood in the article that Gumbyman put up. Im really goint to try and steer clear of my pints and have some voddy and sprite 0. Should blow the head off me and I wont feel like a big bloated beached whale,yahooo.:D

blow69

I only drink vodka thesedays wit orange or blackcurrant with lots of ice.It tastes really nice and vodka doesn't give as much of a hangover.It's win win!

And i know people who drink a LOT A LOT of beer and/or vodka and they have really good bodies.I'd kill for them!

lizzyvera

Fine if you're MAINTAINING a good body but if you're serious about losing weight, you shouldn't be consuming crap calories, and if you are you should count them for what they are.

A lot of people here would whittle away the 1000kcal much more easily than the average person, esp the body builders and serious distance athletes. They can well afford a few treats if they like, most people can once they're in a generally good routine and not likely to gorge.


(Then again, I'm more of a pep pill girl myself, and I know most people here would kill me for that because they're probably terrible for you when you're talking a million miles a minute and dancing til you feel faint and dehydrated, and possibly not eating for a day or two.)

rubadub

lizzyvera wrote:

(Then again, I'm more of a pep pill girl myself, and I know most people here would kill me for that because they're probably terrible for you when you're talking a million miles a minute and dancing til you feel faint and dehydrated, and possibly not eating for a day or two.)

moderation!

I take the odd substance now and again, unfortunately, it is usually a particular herb that increases appetite!! If you are not eating for a day or 2 you are taking too many. That is like saying you were hunger over on booze for 2 days.

A lot of illegal drugs are made illegal due to "potential for abuse", i.e. they cause a nice effect with little side effect. Most doctors would tell you amphetamine would be preferable to caffeine as a stimulant. Take to much caffeine and it is horrible, therefore its potential for abuse is pretty low. Because of this you will find many illegal drugs are safer than legal alternatives (when taken at a normal similar dose)

Hippo

rubadub wrote:

A lot of illegal drugs are made illegal due to "potential for abuse", i.e. they cause a nice effect with little side effect. Most doctors would tell you amphetamine would be preferable to caffeine as a stimulant.

Are you sure about this? In the dark days of my youth I had many a flirtation with speed, and I can assure you it's much stronger and more addictive than caffeine. Caffeine in large quantities isn't very nice but neither is amphetamine!

Dragan

Hippo wrote:

Are you sure about this? In the dark days of my youth I had many a flirtation with speed, and I can assure you it's much stronger and more addictive than caffeine. Caffeine in large quantities isn't very nice but neither is amphetamine!

Major difference between pharmaceutical grade metamphetamine and street lab mixed to **** stuff.

nesf

rubadub wrote:

A lot of illegal drugs are made illegal due to "potential for abuse", i.e. they cause a nice effect with little side effect. Most doctors would tell you amphetamine would be preferable to caffeine as a stimulant. Take to much caffeine and it is horrible, therefore its potential for abuse is pretty low. Because of this you will find many illegal drugs are safer than legal alternatives (when taken at a normal similar dose)

A lot of the time it's for historical reasons more than anything else. Things that have been a part of life for ages, ie nicotine, caffeine, alcohol etc would be extremely difficult to ban. Banning some niche drug that a minority of the population uses is much easier.

Dragan wrote:

Major difference between pharmaceutical grade metamphetamine and street lab mixed to **** stuff.

That's one of the better arguments for legalising a lot of stuff.

Frankiestylee

Legalize it.... don't fight it... legalize it....


etc.


Wow, the Fitness forum has everything!

rubadub

Hippo wrote:

Are you sure about this? In the dark days of my youth I had many a flirtation with speed, and I can assure you it's much stronger and more addictive than caffeine. Caffeine in large quantities isn't very nice but neither is amphetamine!

I would say amphetamine is the most mis-labelled illegal drug (i.e. another drug is passed off for it). If you look at any details/studies on "e tablet" content and supposed amphetamine content they are both regularly cut/diluted with other stimulants, caffeine is very often used.

In wars they gave amphetamine to troops because of the lack of side effects. The lack of side effects mean it is has far more potential for abuse. If alcohol gave no hangovers I imagine people would drink more often.

In your youth I imagine you were taking large quanities, I am talking of direct dosages compared to coffee. People take maybe 4 cups of coffee in a day and can get a little jittery- personally I get a hangover type feeling and sometimes a headache from coffee. If I took a similar dose of amphetamine (from a pharmacy), just enough to be stimulated enough as the coffee, I would not experience any real side effects.

I am talking about regular ampetamine here, not methamphetamine. Normal amphetamine analogues are given to kids suffering from attention deficit disorder, comes under various brand names like adderal.

nesf wrote:

A lot of the time it's for historical reasons more than anything else. .

Absolutely, it can be for many reasons. Some reckon cannabis was banned due to the fact hemp was a threat to the growing plastic rope industry.

nesf wrote:

A ie nicotine, caffeine, alcohol etc would be extremely difficult to ban. Banning some niche drug that a minority of the population uses is much easier.

Other drugs are nipped in the bud (excuse the pun) early. They are a threat to the taxable drugs out there. An alternative to mdma was brought out in New Zealand, BZP. There are a few threads about it here saying the side effects are terrible compared to mdma. The EU has now asked all member states to ban it, it is simply getting too big and is not so taxable, the fact it has such bad side effects lowers its potential for abuse even more anyway- sort of ironic that the safer the recreational drug is the more unlikely it is to be legal.
People on these forums are well aware of the scaremongering the media love to put out, just look at creatine.