what if I ONLY consume beer?

Theoretically calories are calories, right?   So if I  know that I want to go out drinking one night and will drink about 6 beers, can I count them as part of my daily caloric allowance? 

Even though we KNOW that beer is fattening, is it as fattening as heavier foods of equal calories?  Why?  I realize that alcohol makes me bloat but if I drink a lot of water to counteract that, how can beer possibly be fattening without oil, carbs etc, it's just a liquid?  What if I only drink beer all day, won't I actually lose weight without food?

 

I'm maybe looking for justification to have my dear old BUD over for a visit.

Beer is made from grains, so it's calories come from a combination of carbs and alcohol.  It's true that a calorie is a calorie, but you aren't really providing your body with any of the nutrients it needs if you drink only beer.  It seems like it would be better to eat your normal number of calories for the day, and then do an extra work out to make up for the calories in the beer you drink.  That way, you're not depriving your body of protein and other vital nutrients to justify your beer.

Beer has alcohol in it, alcohol has calories.  It also has various other ingredients that are not calorie free.  And beer really isn't "fattening" per se, but if you drink enough of it to go over your BMR calorie burn for the day, you'll gain weight.  In terms of calories, it doesn't matter whether they're in liquid or solid form.

And sure, you could drink beer all day long without food, but:

1.  Why would you want to?  I like beer too, but that just sounds like a bad idea.  I hope you're joking.

2.  You could still gain weight if you take in more calories than you burn - even if they're liquid.

3.  Even if you take in under your BMR calories for one day, it's not likely to make a significant impact on weight loss efforts.  Losing weight is a process, not a one day event.

Alcohol is a "sugar" and the body does not metabolize it the same as carbs, protein, or fat.  There are studies that prove it is more difficult for the body to break down and use so it is more like to be stored as fat than calories consumed from whole grains, proteins and fats.

If you want to have a beer, have one.

If you want to sit around and tap an entire keg into your belly and get a drunk on, well then own it, any bad choices sprung from being blotto, and the calories that go with it.

Look at the title of your forum girl!

"what if I ONLY consume beer?"

then you would be called a drunk/alcoholic and eventually die of alcoholism. Eat healthy food instead of something that is very bad for you. Just my two cents in. Sorry for the harsh truth.

Alright simmer down, lol.  I was just saying that I didn't understand the science of beer; i.e how it can make a person fat, and actually how it tends to go just on the belly, but that's another topic for another day.   I am not an alcoholic by any stretch of the imagination, but I DO like my beer and am definitley feeling deprived when all my friends are swilling the golden nectar and I have lemon water.   With summer coming on, I just wanted to have the info in the back of my head for those days when the brews are being passed around and I am raring to go.  And just for the record I purposely made my title like that to get a little attention  because I wanted someone to anwer me.   Thanks everyone!

Weight loss revolves around calories in vs. calories out. So if you,  for only one day, drink nothing but beer you probably wont gain. But if you get drunk don't drive and run over some poor innocent person.

The reason beer makes people gain weight is because alcohol is a poisen, when you injest it your body will do all it can to get it out of you, while your liver is occupied trying to filter all that alcohol from your body it's not doing some of its other jobs, which include filtering through all of the carbs and fat that you digest, the carbs and fat from anything you might be digesting are therefore immediatly stored rather than used causing weight gain.

Alcohol also has 7 calories per gram, so even if your on an empty stomach your still gonna store something.

Well, I don't believe that mantra that all calories are equal. Because, logically, you know 110+ calories of beer doesn't equal the nutritional value of the same calorie amount, healthier food. Okay, the calories are equal, but not. Alchohol makes you gain weight in the abs (thus the "beer gut") and it dehydrates you, setting you up to eat more. Not only that, but it is nasty on your liver, and alchohol is just not good for the digestion. 

Drink your beer and be happy :).

When I know I'm going to drink I'll go to the gym do a work out, eat a light breakfast of fruit and such, a light lunch like salad, and dinner... that's usually some sort of carby thing (like pizza, pasta, or a sandwhich)---usually my dinner is pretty filling... I find beer to be filling as well so if I'm already full it's harder for me to take in more than I need--it also helps me NOT to snack.

I say enjoy it... live life. If you aren't making this a nightly thing, I say kick back. Just remember to make good choices when eating during the day... I guess I promote the whole "save your calories" but don't starve yourself. :)

It's a mistake to equate 'alcohol' with 'food'.  Food has some nutrition.  Alcohol is toxic.   If you're going to drink beer, count the calories by all means but... more importantly for your health... try not to drink too much beer.