Beer!!! How much is ok?

[abby_p]

I work out 6 days a week & I am more of a beer person, not that I don't drink wine or vodka(but i hardly drink any on em .. max 1c a month).. but i drink beer every saturday.. 1.5 bottles.. like a Litre or less. Is that amount ok? I read somewhere that its the unhealthy snacking we indulge in while we drink causes the infamous " beer belly"..but alcohol pauses our metabolism. I eat some peanuts while i drink and thats it. Is that ok or are there other healthier options??

[Dominique]

You may want to check Would I be healthier if I quit drinking (article posted at precisionnutrition.com). It’s not about beer per se, but general considerations on alcohol would apply to beer as well. 

[Ukase]

Tough to say. 

We're all different. If I drink, I tend to get very silly - and drink too much because I'm having a great time. 

Hmm...maybe I should drink more often. 

Ultimately, beer has calories that don't really help your body get the nutrition it needs. If it's a weekly thing, you're probably okay continuing to do so. 

If you're seriously overweight, it's probably more unwise for you than for someone who has their weight "under control". (can such a thing be said by anyone?) 

I think I will drink more often. Been a long time since I had some silly fun. Just hope those mailboxes don't jump into the road like one did last time. Almost hit that darn thing. 

[shipo]

I drink between two and four IPAs per week in the warmer months and one to two in the cooler months; I've had several doctors tell me one per day, especially on hot days where I've done a long hard workout, is beneficial and helps replace many of the components the body consumes while exercising.

[Dominique]

From Precision Nutrition again, but from another angle: The cost of getting lean.

They list what you need to do in order to achieve/maintain various levels of leanness. Of course, alcohol is just one of many factors, but it’s interesting anyway:

15-20%: Drink fewer caloric beverages

13-15%: Drink up to 3-5 caloric beverages per week

10-12%: Drink up to 1-2 caloric beverages per week

6-9%: Drink a caloric beverage once every 1-2 weeks

I’m including this as you seemed to be very concerned by your appearance (based on your post on Elasticated bottoms).

[JamieS_Wisco]

@shipo, It's interesting that you said this.  I recently read an article about beer being an excellent recovery drink, however for the life of me I can't find the article now. 😛  I know that it was also stated that a lower 3.5% alcohol b.v.  was better than the higher octane types. 

[shipo]

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@JamieS_Wisco wrote:

@shipo, It's interesting that you said this.  I recently read an article about beer being an excellent recovery drink, however for the life of me I can't find the article now. 😛  I know that it was also stated that a lower 3.5% alcohol b.v.  was better than the higher octane types. 

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You're probably correct about the lower alcohol types being better, however, I kinda go "Gak!" when I drink that stuff; I much prefer a nice hoppy IPA, even if it is ~6.5% ABV (just so long as the IBUs are on the lower half of the scale).  🙂

Yes, I know I have a sick mind, but I would much rather add an extra three or four miles to a long hot run and have a nice IPA than go with a lesser workout or a lesser brew.  🙂

[JamieS_Wisco]

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@shipo wrote:

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Yes, I know I have a sick mind, but I would much rather add an extra three or four miles to a long hot run and have a nice IPA than go with a lesser workout or a lesser brew.  🙂

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I like the way you think @shipo

[josephz2va]

As with many nutritionists, they'd advise limiting your consumptions to having it only on sociable times. Alcohol can damage your body if way way overconsuming. Such as I used to be 80 pounds lighter before drinking 5 cans a day for fun.

But I somewhat combat it now with weight watchers, Fitbit early bird 'get lean' session, and what my family cooks for dinner that's light along with the booze.

[shipo]

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@josephz2va wrote:

As with many nutritionists, they'd advise limiting your consumptions to having it only on sociable times. Alcohol can damage your body if way way overconsuming.  Such as I used to be 80 pounds lighter before drinking 5 cans a day for fun.

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I really don't understand that comment; there is a rather substantial void between only drinking beer on social occasions and downing five cans a day.

[scubatim84]

If you look up "moderate drinking", it's considered 1-2 drinks/day for men, and moderate drinking has been shown to have quite a few health benefits depending on the study you're looking at. I agree that there's a huge gap between social drinking and drinking 5 drinks a day.

I don't see anything wrong with having a daily glass of whiskey, beer, etc. whatever to wind down after work but it depends on your calorie consumption. I've read a lot of stuff about diet / nutrition and it seems like it all comes back to counting calories and making sure you stay where you need to consistently. The rest will take care of itself as far as I can tell.

[Dominique]

The opinions of medical professionals appear to be that consuming no alcohol at all is always a better proposition than even very moderate consumption of the stuff, from a health standpoint. In other words, there are no situation in which moderate consumption would result in a better outcome (again, from a health standpoint) than no consumption at all.

[USAF-Larry]

Except for a glass of Red Wine daily, @Dominique....  

[Dominique]

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@USAF-Larry wrote:

Except for a glass of Red Wine daily, @Dominique....    

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Yes, so it is commonly believed, @USAF-Larry! And trust me, I’m originally from Burgundy, France, so I’ve heard a lot about red wine’s (alleged) benefits on health .

The fact remains: it’s still alcohol, a toxin your body has to eliminate.

[USAF-Larry]

You are correct, @Dominique.  As with all things food, at different points in time studies have shown that everything will either kill us or make us live forever. And, one thing I have learned over the past 7 decades is that I won't get out of this life alive, so I might as well enjoy the journey.

[shipo]

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@Dominique wrote:

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@USAF-Larry wrote:

Except for a glass of Red Wine daily, @Dominique....    

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Yes, so it is commonly believed, @USAF-Larry! And trust me, I’m originally from Burgundy, France, so I’ve heard a lot about red wine’s (alleged) benefits on health .

The fact remains: it’s still alcohol, a toxin your body has to eliminate.

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Can't say I've ever seen a widely peer reviewed study which indicates zero alcohol is better than say, one drink per day.  At best what I've seen is a push.

[emili]

when I was losing weight I stayed with beer that was 99 calories and limited myself to two. If I wanted to have a "better" time I would do a clear alcohol (vodka, gin, etc) same calories if mixed with water or diet soda or on the rocks. Now, every weekend I go out and enjoy myself. More often than not Friday and Saturday night- and I drink craft beers (not IPAs- they just have a weird after taste) so no low calories for me. Or I drink Twisted Tea with raspberry vodka, hard cider with fireball- you get the idea. Tuesday morning I am back to my normal low end weight. And yes, I make terrible snack choices when I drink. I am convinced that if I soak it up, I can drink more (no need to correct me- many have tried). And it doesn't hinder my running, lifting or walking. I don't drink during the week and I practice good nutrition always (beer snacks are the exception of course- pistachios and Combos are my new thing)  I drink a lot of water when I am out enjoying myself and the morning after is a long hard run to sweat out salt and toxins. If you are losing weight or performance training- then you may want to stay away from it or be really choosy about what you drink. if not, enjoy- but be safe