hey Joel…I like your style and dow to earth approach….you understand weight control an fitnes can work with a natural livin lifestyle. I really like this beer suggestion and how it can fit in. I’m doing great with all your suggestions and this is one that can work well as summer and holidays approach.
First off, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I’m certainly thankful for you – each and every one of you are incredibly special and important me – YOU are the only reason I’m able to do what I love every day and share my passion with so many wonderful people. Thank you.
Next up – beer :)
So, when it comes to Cheat Days and the Cheat Your Way Thin program, one of the more common questions I receive is the beer question:
“How many beers can I drink, boss?”
Or something akin to that.
Well, within the manual one of the few “rules” I place on Cheat Days is that alcohol consumption be limited.
Why? Because alcohol intake lowers leptin levels, which is the exact opposite of everything we are trying to do hormonally on a Cheat Day.
So, what then, is the solution? Well, if you’re looking to get DRUNK, then I’m afraid there is no solution that will suit your lush-ish ways (yes, I know that’s not a word). However, if you just happen to enjoy the taste of beer and similarly prefer beer as your beverage of choice to wash down your Cheat Day feast, then there is one particular beer that actually may be able to boost your fat loss results:
O’Douls, non-alcoholic.
Fact is, it’s everything that beer is, just without the alcohol, and tastes strikingly similar to most other domestics. In fact, in a recent “study” (performed in my kitchen) 7 out of 7 people were not able to tell the difference between O’Douls and 2 other alcoholic domestic brews.
So, how can it help you burn fat?
Well, if you’re familiar with the science behind Cheat Your Way Thin, then you know that simple carbohydrates are by far the most effective nutrients for boosting leptin levels. O’Doul’s contains plenty of simple carbs, without the leptin-plummeting alcohol content (and it tastes just the same…after all, it is beer).
And it also contains ZERO crap carbs, like high-fructose corn syrup (the most common “beverage” sweetener), which has repeatedly been shown to be one of the most fat-promoting carb sources around.
So, for a Cheat Day choice of beer, I gotta recommend O’Doul’s. Yes, it’s non-alcoholic. Get over it.
But what if you want to have a beer during the week, not a Cheat Day? Is that totally off limits, or is it OK to sneak a light beer every so often?
Answer: Will a light beer on rare occasion totally sabotage your results? (I know, that’s a question, not an answer).
Considering that most light beers are around 100 calories, if you had 2-3 a week, I’m going to say no, that’s probably not going to make a substantial difference (especially if you’re compensating for that intake via other means [an extra exercise session, decreased cals elsewhere, etc]).
But hey, why not go for the lowest calorie and lowest carb content? Here are the Top 3 lowest-calorie, lowest-carb beers:
1. Bud Select 55 (55 cals)
2. Beck’s Premier Light (64 cals)
3. MGD 64 (64 cals)
They’re all less than 3 carbs per 12 oz. and a whopping 2.5% alcohol by volume (that’s how they’re so low calorie). But, I actually like Beck’s and MGD 64 − full flavor beers despite the minimal calorie content.
So, if you want to enjoy the refreshing taste of an ice cold brewsky (or 5 or 6) on your Cheat Day, go with the leptin-boosting properties of O’douls instead of the leptin-crashing properties of other alcoholic brews. O’Douls contains the right types of carbs to postively affect leptin (i.e. simple, fast acting, insulin-spiking carbs), while alcohol unfortunately counteracts the intended hormonal purpose of the Cheat Day.
On other days, a 60-calorie low-carb beer won’t do much damage, but it’s all about moderation (limit to a couple times a week and you’ll be good).
By the way, if you’re not using beer and all your favorite foods to lose fat faster every week–especially over the holidays–then what the heck are you doing? :) Pick up the Cheat Your Way Thin Holiday Edition and get started today with your first big Cheat Day – Thanksgiving!
==> Cheat Your Way Thin Holiday Edition
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Great post! I won’t be needing beer during Thanksgiving, but it’s nice to know that in moderation, I can still have a nice MGD 64 (one of my faves) every now and then, and still lose weight. Thanks for this.
Ya, I hate beer, so no problem there. Why not just drink some juice with carbonated water? You’ll get the same effect, only you’ll actually be drinking something that tastes good.
@ Rusty – Fitness Black Book:
Rusty, I’m certainly not going to disagree with you! My pallet really goes to the micro beers. I even own a small 1/4 keg ice box and used to stock it each week with a new brew from my local little brewery. But that’s how I got to 200 lbs. Now at 170 with abs that show and at the age of 62, I’ve decided I’ve put way too much effort into my workouts so I’ve given all alcohol up, period. Oh I know that one would not hurt me, but I’ve really not missed drinking anything and I thought I would! Giving up drinking was easier than stopping smoking which I did over 30 years ago. It’s all about what a persons goals are; if they are important to you, anything goes! Flip.
WIKIPEDIA: Beer is the world’s most widely consumed and probably the oldest of alcoholic beverages; So do not prey on the Infinite Human Capacity for Delusion and claim that BEER can be anything else. We are with you coz we have chosen to be Healthy, Strong, Attractive and Sexy and if this means NO BEER ..so be it. Don’t take us back!! Tell it like it is. NO BEER.
Hi, Is o’douls beer available in the uk?
Hey, Joel! Thanks for your tip. I’m honestly not a beer person – or really a big alcohol person in general – but there is the occasional yummy flavored beer I don’t mind. In any case, I love wine – mostly for taste – and I’ll probably have a glass or two regardless. One of our Turkey Day hosts does not drink and always has Fre’ and other non-alcoholic wines; this O’Douls sounds like a great addition! Thanks so much again, and have a great holiday!
I had to read your article on what beer to drink only to be nosey Joel, but unfortunately I don’t drink beer, even if it is a beer that can help fat loss. Better to not start or I might not stop..Something for others to enjoy. Thanks
O’Doul’s is one of my favorites! Lovely German style beer, and I can drink it in situations when I don’t want alcohol.
So what about wine and fat burning? I really enjoy a glass of red wine, but want to lose weight.
Thanks Joel!
And Happy Thanksgiving all. I’m in Ethiopia working at the moment, so no holiday for me. I’ll be thinking of all y’all as you enjoy your holiday.
BTW – I saw your reply to Irene, but I was thinking of during the week rather than cheat day, since you said that light beer in moderation was OK during the week.
Thanks!
Geri
Maybe I’ll try it sometime!
Non-alcoholic beer? What’s the point then?!? Silly.
Excellent blog Joel :) I’ll have to do some research to see what the deal is here in Australia – I know we label our beers differently, and low carb beers are relative new-comers – our light beers have always referred to low alcohol, not low carb.
I’m really glad you explained the effect of alcohol on leptin – I had no idea! I won’t find it that difficult to delete that whiskey on ice of an evening on my cheat day either.
Love the new layout too! Info on the left, links on the right, easy to follow, read and process. I like the links down the bottom too, but with the number of comments you get there’s always the risk people might not see them.
Thanks for all your info and support!
LeighEllen
Thanks Joel,
I somehow missed this fact and had been drinking wine on my cheat day. I will stop that immediately.
In Australia, there are a number of Alcohol free Beers, such as Coopers, “Birell” brewed under license from Brauerei A. Hurlimann AG, Zurich. (341kj, <0.1g Protein, <0.2g Fat, 18.8g Carbohydrates, <1.0g Sugars, 14.3mg Sodium per 375ml. "Schloss Gold" is another similar product, from Europe.
Are they going to make the grade as an alternative?
I forgot to mention that Coopers “Birell” is only 05% Alcohol Too. Sold at the Supermarket in the Soft Drink aisle!
What about Guiness is good for you? Once in a while?
You have alot of great info. I didn’t know about leptin. How to use the Cheat days the way you teach. Very inexpensive programs that are very valuable. Thanks for all your advice and for the people that you associate yourself with. You have helped us be more efficient in our workouts and getting our bodies in line with our health. Thank you.
still waiting for willpower to take top spot in my brain
what’s your recommendation for the wine drinkers out there? just stick to the non-alcoholic beverages I guess…. :(
Root beer is the only beer I’ll drink and very very seldom will I drink that. I’m a water-only man when we eat out and we never buy carbonated softdrinks for home consumption. I love it that way. Then I’m NEVER tempted to indulge.
-EJ
@ jill: leffe is Belgian.
Cool article, a beer lover like me, I couldn’t substitute light beers with the real thing, for me I would just go teetotal.
I remember reading about this beer in the manual………I still have yet to try it though lol……….I mean what’s the point of drinking a beer if there’s no alcohol whatsoever in it? It’s hard for me to wrap my head around that. But I guess mind over matter!
My motto regarding alcohol “Drink for taste not for effect”. Stopping at one should be no problem then. At the end of the day one or two drinks in a blue moon will not ruin a chiseled body if your routine and diet are well established.
This article is not about a beer that will help you lose fat! it’s about a NON-ALCOHOLIC beer that will help you lose fat! biggest waste of time ever!
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...