Comments on: Yes, It’s a Beer Belly

By: beer_scientist

beer_scientist — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:11:29 +0000

I think this assumes that people have the same amount of caloric intake, as far as food consumed. The difference seems to be the beer. Honestly, it is a simply matter of burning it off and calories consumed, so if the beer drinker works that into their eat (etc.) then it becomes a matter of simple math. No more calories than the non-drinker= no more weight than the non-drinker.

By: don

don — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:39:19 +0000

Now I really have a gut! I’m sure the rest of you are amateurs. While there is truth to the idea that beer calories will eventually end up on your belly, so will all the others. You need to burn what you consume. Pretty simple.

Another point here is I didn’t hear anything about a control group of non-drinkers. Unless you have a control group to establish a proper baseline the findings are pretty meaningless.

By: David Crabtree

David Crabtree — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:38:13 +0000

that is the smartest thing I ever heard in my life. I might be gay now.

By: nate

nate — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:34:01 +0000

@Byrd Yeah, Mike and I have written here and there on the site of the nutritional benefits of beer. I think another post is in order.
@Jim That’s a great idea, actually. I do think it would sell quite a few copies too/

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:30:00 +0000

@ Byrd: I love the idea of building your entire diet around beer consumption. Maybe we should come up with a no-grain, no-carb cookbook full of recipes that pair perfectly with beers. This way all of the food groups will be represented, with the really important ones in your glass.

By: Byrd Reinhardt

Byrd Reinhardt — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:34:09 +0000

@Jim & Nate: Actually, funny that you should reference the “beer diet.” When Mike and I actually started drinking beer together on a regular basis each night, I wasn’t too concerned since I was training for a half-marathon and could afford some extra carb calories. But I was woefully aware that when my running tapered off, I was not going to be very happy about the extra calories. So we have been working towards compensating for the extra beer grains by eating less grains during the day. The beer diet at work! (Hey, if the monks counted on beer for their sustenance, who am I to argue?)

By: Nate

Nate — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:22:42 +0000

@Howard…Interesting perspective. We have written elsewhere on the site about the nutritional benefits of beer. My waist has grown (a little, I’m still pretty slim) but I attribute it to a job that no longer has me on my feet, since my beer habits are relatively the same.

@Jim..Along those lines and Howards, perhaps we could make money marketing “the beer diet?” Sounds good to me!

By: JIm

JIm — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:39:49 +0000

I’m with you 100% Nate. If someone ate a loaf of bread every night before bed, you could be pretty confident that the spare tire hanging around their midsection is a bread belly.

Take the typical American metabolism, which is compromised by a lack of physical activity and gallons of high fructose corn syrup, and shackle it with an additional 400 carb-loaded calories a day and you’re gonna grow those fat cells. And for most folks, this means a gut. End of story.

So I say stop eating dinner, and replace those wasted calories with a nutritious and delicious beer of your choosing!

By: howardf

howardf — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:39:40 +0000

I actually eat less when I drink. I drink at home 99% of the time, because I have a family, and it’s easy to sit with my wife and chat or watch a movie while enjoying a beer. Before I was into beer, it was junk food that I would enjoy during this time. So out with the cookies and Cheetos, and in with craft beer! The net difference in my waistline has been zero.

Any medical study that says calories won’t make you fat has obviously been funded by Trimspa or some acai berry juice manufacturer. The math is really simple, burn what you eat or gain weight.

By: Nate

Nate — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:41:15 +0000

@SimplyBeer: It’s a great table…def. helped me choose my beers recently…although your right 1) beer and snack have been happily married since the discovery of beer and 2) ignorance, at times, is blissful.

@Scott from Manland: pub mixers are deadly: the beer makes us hungry, the snacks make us thirsty. It’s a vicious cycle:

@scott the brew club: I have yet to try a MGD64: although next time I am hiking the appalacian trail or participating in a triathalon and need a pick-me-up, I know where to turn.

@My favorite ex-bar patron: man I miss closing down the bar and delving into philosophical extrapolations with you! Seriously Dave, glad you stopped by…that knowledge nugget was sweet. I wish I had known it prior to writing this post, otherwise I would have found a way to incorporate it.