How I Drink Craft Beer and Still Lose Weight - Part 1
Most of us want to lose weight and be healthy. The weight loss industry is one of the biggest money-makers in the U.S. Weight loss is one of the highest searched things in Google, if not number one.
But we also want to enjoy our life. We all have vices. Whether we are celebrating or in a bad mood, we all have that special thing that makes us feel so good. For many people, we tend to gravitate towards carbohydrate-based items - Ice Cream, Chocolate Cake, Candy, French Fries. I do not really tend to gravitate towards these foods anymore, and hardly miss them, but one thing I will not sacrifice is my love of beer. Nothing beats sipping on my favorite bourbon barrel-aged stout while reading a book, or a tasting newly released juicy pale ale after a long day of work. Most of my friends are into craft beer too, and a lot of what we do revolves around beer shares, beer tastings and festivals, brewery releases and events, so craft beer is a very big part of my life. There’s not much that could happen that would even make me want to give it up if I had the chance.
I grew up accepting one of the strongest adages, “You can't have your cake and eat it too.” You can either have some cake, and not lose weight or skip the cake and you will lose. You cannot have both. I dealt with this for many years, struggling in deciding to use my free time to relax and enjoy a craft beer, or go work out. If I was relaxing with freshly home-brewed ale, it would make me relaxed and getting active was the last thing I’d want to do. If I wanted to work out, I would hardly have time for beer, let alone be in the mood for one. Having two conflicting wants that I did not want to give up, I took up the challenge of trying to prove it wrong. I would like to live a long and happy life by eating healthy and staying active, but I also want to enjoy my passion. As crazy as a path it lead me down trying to dispute one of the world’s most trusted adages, I thought it was even more crazy to just accept it.
I began experimenting with many different habits and practices, and ended up losing about 60 pounds since April 2017. I weighed 250 pounds and now weigh 190. I did not have to read dozens of books or do complicated practices to achieve this, but it was hard. While it involves very simple concepts like patience, willpower, and balance, implementing these into my regimen was difficult because they fought the reinforced habits and routines I had grown accustomed to. You need to be willing to change, which does not always come easy, but making small changes incrementally can help fool your mind and body into getting it do what you want.
The following entries will come in a series and include some practices, habits, and guidelines I have experimented with and adopted into my daily regimen to achieve genuine and effective weight loss, even while enjoying my favorite high-calorie beverage. I do want to put out a disclaimer: these are methods which worked for me and may not work for everyone. I am also not a doctor and do not claim to play one on the Internet.
Looking forward to hearing more about your journey. While I'm not looking to lose weight, I might pick up a tip or two so I can enjoy an extra craft beer down the line!
I used to think about a blog like this all the time! I was a brewer for a while, and sometimes would go for quick runs while I was making a beer!
Definitely kindred spirits! I cannot talk about how much I love beer and brewing enough, but I cannot live without running either. They seemed like contradicting passions, but I think I found a good way to balance both to work for me.
i am also looking forward for you next entries, as i am in the same spot. i really want/need to lose some weight, but i don't want to skip craftbeers all the time, and single malt whisky is also a thing that needs to be taken care of.
interrested to see what habbits and practices work(ed) for you.