To beer or not to beer????

I'm 27 years old and I desperately need to lose weight!!! Now I have lost and gained over the past few years. I was 145lbs when I first thought i was fat, now I look at pictures from then and I was not fat!!! I am currently 174lbs and I want to get down to 135lbs. I am 5'6" and really want to look better! Idon't even recognize myself in the mirror anymore! Well, I started my "New Lifestyle" this morning bright and early at the 6am spin class. I ate well and am hoping for the best. I do have a quick question though...

 I love beer but know that it is a HUGE part of why I have gained soooo much weight. Do I give it up entirely or is there a way to incorporate it into my lifestyle? I always rationalized drinking during diets by saying if I quit now and then start drinking after i lose I will just gain it all back DOUBLE!!! HELP HELP HELP

Lucky for you, CC isn't about giving up one food or beverage because you love it.

How many calories in a beer? 100-150?  You could easily work that into your life everyday, you just have to move your calories around a little to fit it in.

Basicly.. that is like shaving off 50 calories from 3 meals everyday.  That way you can have a beer everyday, or save it up for a few days, and have a couple on a Friday or something.

Michelob Ultra or Becks Light, 60 calories a beer, 0 carbs. Enjoy.

You can exercise an extra 20-30 mins for every beer. Or like the previous poster said just rearrange your calories so you eat less during meals. Or a little of both. I was going through the same conundrum when I first started losing weight. My husband and I enjoy wine on the weekends and I thought I'd have to give it up. But I've been able to plan my calories around it and am successfully losing weight. 

I totally understand!  I have been moving toward a healthier lifestyle gradually - and now with the new year I am really committed to losing the weight (I'm 30, and currently just over 185 - I want to get back to 145) but I love my Fat Tire Amber Ale (159 calories for a 12 ounce bottle).... not to excess, but one after work really hits the spot.  So I got an exercise bike for my hotel room (I travel out of state for work, so I'm home about 10 days a month, at work the other 20).  It turns out that I can burn one beer worth of calories in less than half an hour - it's easier for me to exercise extra to "earn" a beer in the evening than it would be to give it up. 

so I'd say heck yeah! have that beer - the one that you'll enjoy the most - it's ok as long as you remember that if you have 5 or 6 you won't be getting the nutrition you need from the calories, so it probably won't be worth it...

Cheers!

You may have to give it up for awhile at the end of your loss there. Drinking shuts off your fat burning. Google : dieting and drinking

You will find a lot of articles on it.

I haven't posted on CC yet but your post made me feel so much better.  I too, thought at 145-147 I was fat. Then at my highest weight I was 173, That's fat! (Oh, I'm 5'5")

A few girlfriends and I have been working on our lifestyle change since mid October, slow and steady has caused me to lose 8.7lbs with out too much pain. 

Since I know my life will forever include beer and wine (in moderation) I'm not fretting when I consume it.  Cutting it out will only cause me to be cranky and will be false weight loss since I'd go right back to drinking when I hit my goal weight (135).  Maybe this isn't sound advice but just how I'm approaching it.

Guinness is my "diet beer" (about 100 cal for 12 ounces and lower alcohol volume).  I am a beer snob, so I don't drink the light stuff. 

But, basically I will work a beer or some wine into my meal plan a few days a week.  I know what it does for fat burning and all that, but I also find that having a drink after dinner keeps me from getting hungry for sweet stuff, which cuts calories in the long run.

Beer is my weakness (well, cookies too) and make sure to save calories for it.  Light beers are not so bad, if you factor for them during the day you'll be ok.

If I couldn't have my beer, this place would not work for me :)

 

I'm with danielle860, Guinness is my brew of choice. I am losing steadily and work a beer or glass of wine in every day or two.

I keep hearing about the metabolism suppression of alcohol, but I have neither experienced it, nor have I found a reputable peer-reviewed piece of research supporting it. That doesn't mean it's not true, but....