Alcohol Equals Calories! How Many Calories In A Beer?

An article by Tris    No Comments

Evening All,

I get a lot of people ask me about beer and fat loss.  Or truthfully my male friends and cohorts ask about beer and six pack abs and the ladies discuss alcohol and lean sexy hips and thighs.

There’s no point in confusing the issue:  You cannot – unless you are a genetic freak – drink like you did (do) in college and still watch that weight fall off once you hit the weight room or the cardio machines (for interval training I hope!)

As we get older its getting harder of course to blast those ‘fun calories’ out of the water and still see the muscles we are working hard to build and tone.  Yeah, my younger readers will probably be laying back with their next beer resting on their six pack abs and wondering why I’m talking French? But in simplistic terms we need to really take control of our alcohol consumption if we are to burn the fat that covers up the abs and muscles we all have – some more developed than others of course.

Non-scientific conclusion: We need to ration alcohol. (really?!) If your younger you need to do so to protect peak performance.  If you are older its all about those excess calories that sit on your hips, thighs, waist etc etc…. and take longer and more effort to obliterate in the gym!  Caveat:  I don’t believe in total abstinence regarding alcohol as some people in the industry do.  After all I am English and it would be ‘rude’ to not have a drink with friends and family once in a while.  But truth be told I have never been a major drinker myself and do – as I get older (maybe wiser) and more in tune with my body and results and those of my clients,  find the ‘giving-up’ of alcohol not such a big ‘ask’ as I once thought.  I value my performance in the gym and in my day to day life more and more.

*note – this is not a discussion of the rights and wrongs of people who maybe really like alcohol, those who REALLY like it and those who are sadly addicted – frankly that’s not my business.  Its a discussion of the change in my mentality of alcoholic consumption and performance / fat loss in our body transformation goals.

I’ve always said, and will continue to do so, that moderation is key.  We will never be in positions where alcohol is completely out of our lives or not one of the choices at a party, dinner date etc etc.  But I do feel its better to live a life of ‘a little bit is ok as long as its not excess.’  I mean, if you are working out then fair enough.  A drink here and there is fair enough.  Just not every day.  But that’s your choice and the results in your body transformation are just that… your results.

Same with food, alcohol, more or less workout days and many other variables we can change in our life.  All in all the key phrase is: sensible moderation.  We’ll discuss more in another post…

Anyhow, what got me thinking was when a real good friend of mine got in touch yesterday and mentioned he wanted to ‘trim up’ and get rid of the beer belly etc…. and it gets harder after a few kids and over 30+ – and that’s just men!

So its Saturday night and I’m contemplating the amount of calories in a typical beer… Despite what I used to tell myself, you can’t get  six pack abs whilst consuming all these. Some of us are not at college anymore (in fact I never even went to college?)  Ok.   But It’s Saturday Night…..Off Day?

So – I did a little research:

•    Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: 175
•    Sam Adams Lager: 160
•    Pilsner Uruqell: 160
•    Michelob: 155
•    Guinness: 153
•    Heineken: 150
•    Corona: 148
•    Budweiser: 145
•    MGD: 143
•    Stella Artois: 140
•    Bud Light: 110
•    Coors Light: 102
•    Budweiser Select: 99
•    Michelob Ultra: 96
•    Amstel Light: 95
•    Miller Genuine Draft Light: 64
•    Anchor Steam – 153
•    Bass Ale – 160
•    Beck’s – 140
•    Budweiser – 140
•    Corona Light – 105
•    Guinness Draught – 126
•    Guinness Stout – 153
•    Miller Lite – 96
•    Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – 175
•    Sierra Nevada Stout – 210

The average glass of wine has 250-300 calories.  Mixers have about the same.

Yeah a few years ago I think my caloric intake was made up of 90% of these ! No!

Today – not so. hmmmmm.

Oh, yeah – Margaritas are the worst – around 750 calories.  Gives a whole new meaning to ‘wasting away again in Margaritaville!’ (My American friends know this one

Well like I said: a time and a place for everything:  Happy drinking!

Tomorrow We TRAIN!

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