Shedding Some Pounds

[Econwatson]

Hi everyone,

I don't think I've ever been part of a community where the members seem so similar to me, as this one, which is fantastic!

So given the rather calorific properties of our hobby, how do you guys keep the beer gut off? My consumption of beer has definitely increased since I began this hobby about 6 months ago, and my gut has increased as well!

Not to generalise, but the members of this forum do not strike me as fad dieters or excercise fanatics, so do you have any guidelines that you follow?

Thanks!
James

 

[TidalPete]

I originally joined Weight Watchers & drank scotch & water for 3 months. h34r:
Came down from 15 stone 4 pounds to 10 stone 10 pounds.
Now I just eat a small brekky -- no lunch -- a good dinner. Also exercise moderately & stay off the grog Mon to Thurs most weeks.
Good luck!

 

[doon]

I train at gym four times a week, walk for 30 mins every day also and track what I eat. The tracking what I eat may be a little anal but its what helped me drop 10kg as before I was overeating by quite a bit.

I try to limit my drinking to one day a week although this hasn't been the case the last two months.

I have always been on the larger side, if I dont exercise this becomes the extra large side

 

[Edak]

The only pounds I shed are those of the currency type. I put on 10 kgs since getting married and have sat there for the last few years. I am 86kg and consider myself rather lean but I do walk dogs, play golf and occasionally play a game of squash. I try to avoid excessive eating and very rarely have more than 3 drinks in a day.

Since starting homebrewing I have increased my beer consumption dramatically, from once/twice/week to almost every day. My meals are becoming smaller now...


From what I have read, eating a healthy breakfast and a small dinner are the way to go.

 

[NewtownClown]

Replaced all food calories with beer calories...

 

[chunckious]

Basically Eco, you're fucked!

 

[hoppy2B]

I usually make light beer. Its less addictive, and I don't drink heaps every night.
I eat too much chocolate for sure but I eat healthy otherwise. Lots of fruit and veg and whole grains help to fill you up on fibre.
I have a reasonably active occupation and I ride a bike for 40 minutes a few times a week when I can.

 

[Snow]

Beer, and the alcohol in beer, are carbs and sugar. This means if you are drinking more, then you need to drop those carbs and sugar from somewhere else in your diet, or increase your exercise load to burn the same amount or more of calories. It took me 14 years of brewing to work this out, then when I got it right, I lost 13kg in 4 months. I limit my intake of bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, flour, cereal, snacks, softdrink, etc, ride a bike to work and spend about 2 hours in the gym a week.

Cheers - Snow

 

[mckenry]

Its all about balance. The more you drink the less you eat :lol:
On a side note - I'm only smoking after sex. Down to a pack a day now!

edit - sorry to be a fxwit in your serious thread....

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Its all about balance. The more you drink the less you eat :lol:
On a side note - I'm only smoking after sex. Down to a pack a day now!

edit - sorry to be a fxwit in your serious thread....

:icon_offtopic: Honestly you would be better off getting money of the blokes instead of cigs.
Nev

 

[benno1973]

Increased exercise, limiting alcohol and watching food intake.

10 years ago I could eat and drink whatever I wanted and I wouldn't gain any weight. Now I'm heading towards 40, I need to limit my alcohol consumption to a few nights a week, and be a bit more mindful of how much I eat. Given that both these things depress the shit out of me, I exercise every day so I can drink and eat a bit more.

 

[manticle]

Always been blessed with a good metabolism which I have maintained throughout my life with loads of exercise. My eating habits are generally healthy but I've never needed to watch what I eat - i just happen to enjoy cooking for myself and enjoy things like lean game meats and fresh foods. Never been a big bread eater, etc although I love a dimmy and good fish and chip shop burger.

Currently ride bike to and from work (equates to about 70 mins aerobic exercise per day, 5 days per week). I don't have a car so I either walk or ride most other places. Gym for free weights sessions 3 times per week, 1 x 1.5 - 2hr futsal training session + 40 min game per week. My work is also reasonably physical and involves lifting, walking and very little time sitting down.

I feel like I'm living proof that beer doesn't make you fat because I drink way more than a doctor would recommend. Have 1 day off per week currently but that is more about my insides and maintaining some semblance of control than anything else.

38 at the end of this year, just under 6 ft and weighing 70 kg currently. Have maintained 67 - 70 for most of my adult life.

 

[jimmyjack]

work out 5 times a week, Watch what I eat and eat and drink mon- Friday. Eat and drink what ever I want on fri and sat nights, otherwise whats the point. Lost 34 Kgs in a year!!!

 

[Econwatson]

Thanks for the tips guys, good to share stuff like this.

I'm in a bizarre position ATM. Was offered a job beginning in September, but since the offer in January I haven't done anything. It's a case of having plenty of time, and not doing anything with it, because I have plenty of time!

I also think it might have something to do with my diet. Was reading about how if you eat something in your younger years you become better at processing it. When I was a youngun back in Scotland, I ate potatoes every day and was as fat as a match. I come here, meet an Asian lass, eat tonnes of rice and put on 10 kilos!

Hoping when I start work the corporate gym and corporate stress will encourage me to be healthier.

 

[Bribie G]

Past 60 they now reckon that it's good to be mildly overweight as you have more reserves to resist things like the flu or pneumonia. However it's a "bathtub curve", and if you get more than just a tad overweight the risks quickly outweigh the benefits. I was 79k at 45 but used to run half marathons etc. I'm aiming to get back to 83-85, including increasing my muscle and bone bulk, would be perfect.

 

[Edak]

SNIPPETY SNIP... meet an Asian lass, eat tonnes of rice .... SNIPPETY

I swear I read "eat an Asian lass" and had to double-take... I went out with an Asian lass once and I agree, they do like it when you eat rice

I agree with you about what you eat when you are young. When I was young I ate EVERYTHING and I consider myself to still have a great metabolism, all things considerded.

 

[pommiebloke]

I have lost 32kg since July 2012 from a top weight of 122kg so I reckon I can speak with some authority on the subject.

My solution was to start cycling to work and back. Started off slowly and gently, now regularly ride about 40km a day (200km a week).

Don't drink much if at all on weekdays and drop empty calories (soft drink, snacks) where you can.

I look and feel about 10 years younger and I no longer suffer from high blood pressure or sleep apnoea as I did before. I've never been fitter and I can run around with the kids without getting out of breath. It's added years to my life.

It's not rocket science. There is no magic bullet. Eat/drink less, move more or both.

 

[benno1973]

Was reading about how if you eat something in your younger years you become better at processing it.

Which is why I'm giving my young kids lots of beer, so they aren't in the same position as me when they grow up...

 

[wakkatoo]

Always been a skinny bugger so I have never had the problem. Got stuck right into the gym the past 6 months which has kept me a lot fitter than I've ever been. Even hit my heaviest weight of 70kg! My point being that a regular exercise program is always going to improve health. For some, that means losing weight, for others (me), its an increase in fitness with less of the P.O.W look!

 

[Bribie G]

Shack up with any lass and you pile on the kilos. I gather than Manticle is a bachelor so he's half won the battle. In my bacheloring periods I was lean and mean. Shack up and within a few months I'm a teddy bear. Split up and I'm lean and mean again within a few weeks often.