Is it possible to maintain an abdominal six-pack after drinking craft beer on the regular? Professionally speaking as a registered dietitian my answer is, “It depends.” You have to work for your beer. This means you have to expend more energy (exercise) than you take in unless you have an amazing metabolic rate. There’s no need to cry in your beer about this. You have options. The reward you are looking for may require some discipline of hard work, sweat, and moderation of your hops, malt, and barley intake. Not drinking at all is a great decision. Winter may be the worst time to attempt this. With the holidays over, it’s probably going to be a long stretch of fewer get togethers, and cold weather causing isolation and boredom. Cutting back on the amount you drink and the number of days you drink during the week might be the best alternative. Make plans to walk or head to the gym early on a Saturday or Sunday with a friend or partner. This will make you less likely to partake the night before. Make a rule that you will only have a craft beer if you have worked for it.
Exercise can be a great motivator because once you start feeling better about yourself – and you will – you won’t want to drink as much. Any activity is better than none. Taking stairs versus the elevator, parking further away when running errands, walking during your lunch break at work, are just some ideas. It really is that easy to stay active and those small changes add up. Thirty minutes a day, six days a week is 3 hours of exercise. Set goals and add minutes to your cardio regime. Strength training should not be ignored. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolic rate will be. Which means the more craft beer you can consume without adding inches to your waistline. No, beer curls do not count as strength training. There are local gyms that are affordable with trained staff to assist you in your fitness goals. Do not be afraid to gain muscle. It looks incredibly sexy on everyone! It is also empowering to be able to carry things otherwise thought too heavy for you! Excuse me miss, can I help you bring those cases of craft beer to your car? My answer is, “No, gracias, I appreciate you, but I got this.” Drink slowly and enjoy your craft beer. Share a flight and drink water in between sips. This is common sense but we often forget this, especially when a beer tastes really good.
Be mindful of what you fuel your body with. Food is expensive right now, I know. Eating healthy is everything when it comes to your wellbeing. Eat smaller meals more frequently. Eat fresh and less processed foods. Cook leaner meats, fish, and poultry. Use whole grains and grains higher in protein like quinoa and millet (those two are gluten free). Choose more wisely when eating out. We often want pizza, burgers, french fries, and chicken wings after a pint or two. Rice bowls filled with chicken, beans, tomatoes, and avocado will also fill you and are much healthier. Foods that are higher in fiber like fruits and vegetables are also better at keeping you satiated. This doesn’t mean you have to eat like a rabbit. You should include these foods in your diet daily aiming for the RDA of three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit. Am I suggesting you order diet beer? Absobeerly not! I believe in enjoying every last sip over suffering through a pint of malt water.
There are local breweries that offer tasty lower alcohol beers but remember they still have calories, just less alcohol to be converted into fat calories. Yes, you heard it right, alcohol sugars are converted into fatty acids. The lower the ABV, the fewer calories a beer will have. Here’s a list of some local lower ABV beers and seltzers that still taste great. These beers are just a handful of options and all are subject to availability.
The Guild Brewing Co Chair 2: 4.3% ABV light lager, Queen & Country: 3.7% ABV English Pub Ale, Nice Day For A Weisse Wedding: 4.2% Kettle Sour
Crafted Hope Brewing Company Carousel: 3.4% ABV mixed berry fruited sour
Foolproof Brewing Company Project Mayhem: 3.8% ABV fruited sour from Shebeen Brewing
Bravo Brewing Czech Lager: dark Czech 3.8% ABV
Smug Brewing RI Lager: 3.3%
Lager Phantom Farms Pulsar: dry hopped Kettle Sour 4% ABV
Moniker Brewery two 3.2% ABV options: Czech Pils and Czech Dark Lager
