BEER

BEER

Just in time for Friday night!

Is the beer belly a myth? When you drink beer vs. other alcohol does it go down your throat, hit the stomach and then stay there to die? 

You can rejoice beer lovers, because it just isn’t true.   If there’s one thing we’ve beaten in to your heads through this account it is that overall energy balance (calories) is what contributes to fat gain or loss.  

So how did beer get this bad rap?  Probably because when we drink beer, it’s not just "A Beer”.  It’s usually a few beers or more.  It typically happens in the presence of other highly caloric foods also.  So it can be the perfect storm. 

You get a bacon cheeseburger, french fries and and delicious draft beer.  

You finish the first beer before the burger comes out, so you order another.  You finish that one mid meal so you get a third.  That’s probably an additional 600 calories in beer on top of the meal.   Remember, there are about 3500 calories in a lb of fat, so it can add up!

The double whammy with beer (and all alcohol) is not only that it’s calories don’t contribute to anything positive in our bodies, but that our body puts all other restorative and fat burning processes on hold while it clears the alcohol from our systems. 

You have to ask yourself what your goals are and what compromises you’re willing to make.  If you’re going to have a beer, try not to have it at a time that your body is trying to recover from a workout.  And if you’re trying to lose fat, you might want to keep alcohol intake VERY low and to only 1 day per week.