just 4 or 5 pounds

as a middle age guy, i'm glad i'm not alone in the too much beer admission club. it seems the older I get the more I like the liquid gold (brown, black, and white) and the harder it is not to enjoy it more frequently than is good for me. the taste and that 2 beer buzz is a sort of addiction I suppose. as metabolism slows with age, empty calories become more apparent…

I recently went on some medication that doesn't play well with my liver.

So, I got on the wagon so to speak and haven't drank in a month and a bit.

So far, with very little change in lifestyle I have lost 8 lbs. (BMI from just slightly over weight-25.8 to just under the normal line of 24.7)

If there is about 150 calories in a beer and 3500 calories to the pound - one would think I have forgone 185 beer or 37 beer a week. I like my beer but I would estimate I was more of a 5-10 beer a week max guy.

I have to think that a) with alcohol it is more than calories in calories out- metabolism and what not; b) I am doing more activities to compensate for not drinking; c) I may eat more when I drink without even knowing it.

Most likely it is a combination of the above. I am interested to see where this experiment ends. It might be something that your friend wants to try to kill that last 4-5.

Or not - I miss beer.

In late January I stopped grazing. Cut back my calorie intake, especially on non ride days. It is May and I have lost 20lbs with no real big life changes. As I get older I need to watch how much I eat and what I eat. I have always ate what I want whenever I wanted. Not any more.

In late January I stopped grazing. Cut back my calorie intake, especially on non ride days. It is May and I have lost 20lbs with no real big life changes. As I get older I need to watch how much I eat and what I eat. I have always ate what I want whenever I wanted. Not any more.

So true, it does get a lot tougher with age.

I've been monitoring my calories for about 1 1/2 years now, daily with an app on my phone. It really woke me up to empty snack calories and how they add up. Exercising more and cleaning up my eating has dumped about 30lbs and I feel great.

Also, to the OP, anyone that thinks they need to lose 5lbs likely needs to lose 15. We all think it's "just lose a little bit around the waist" when in reality that's the very last place it goes away.

YOU STOPPED DRINKING BEER FOR A MONTH, HOLY CRAP!!! now that's some serious discipline. especially after a hard ride, my god man, iron will.

well at 6'5" and 210 and a around 200 for the last 10 yrs it's really just a bit heavier than i'd like. when you've had stable weight for so long and are otherwise so slim, I feel a few in in the waistline quite readily. the upside is that consistent weight training works for me in the opposite direction. I gain about 5 pounds in general upper body, but trying to build more requires an intensity and frequency that I can't muster. serious muscle development takes serious time eh.

Resting metabolic rate (RMR) = 66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) + (6.8 x age in years) (source: Bodybuilding.com so I'm sure it's not scientific but it seems right)

For me that's 2318.72 calories per day. Seems about right

I burn about 400 calories commuting to work and back on my bike each day (short commute)

So assuming that I do no other exercise per week my total calorie intake should be 2718.72 per day. If I don't bike to work then it should be 2318.72.

Earl's (seems like a timely place to use for nutritional values) has 940 calories in a serving of nice healthy yam fries and another 780 calories in their bigger better burger. A bottle of beer has about 155 calories and well you see where this is going.

According to some other very questionable online calculators. (That also seem about right though) is that if I reduce my calorie intake 500 calories per day or increase my activity burn by 500 calories per day I will burn 1 lb of fat per week. I think the 3500 calories = 1 pound myth has been discussed to death but I think it's still a good bench mark.

There is not secret. Calories go in. Calories go out. I'm at the age where I struggle with a bit of abdominal fat like your friend but I know that I either need to start hitting the gym more or I need to start eating less calories. Other than that IMHO there is no magic secret to weight loss.

YOU STOPPED DRINKING BEER FOR A MONTH, HOLY CRAP!!! now that's some serious discipline. especially after a hard ride, my god man, iron will. .

Trust me dude it isn't really by choice.

But when the Doc says don't be drinken, and the wife is in the health care field and says don't be drinken - well sir I don't be drinken.

Just weighed myself 5 1/2 weeks in - down 10 lbs. I figure if my abs don't show up soon I may have to admit to myself that I don't in fact have any abs.

Is it worth it? HELLL NOO. If being the "right weight" means you can't drink beer FACK THAT.

… and scotch, and wine with a good meal, and scotch what about the scotch - why for the love of doG will no one think of the scotch?

An article/comment on the biggest loser, calorie in/out, metabolism, resting metabolism and ketogenic diet.

Thought it fits the thread.

Resting metabolic rate (RMR) = 66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) + (6.8 x age in years) (source: Bodybuilding.com so I'm sure it's not scientific but it seems right)

For me that's 2318.72 calories per day. Seems about right

http://shapeup.org/resting-metabolic-rate-calculator/

would say that bodybuilding.com is exaggerating the amount of calories by 20%

http://shapeup.org/resting-metabolic-rate-calculator/

would say that bodybuilding.com is exaggerating the amount of calories by 20%

Not in the context of people who are training for strength. I can add one to two full extra meals a day when I'm going hard and I still lose fat versus when I'm slacking and eating less.

http://shapeup.org/resting-metabolic-rate-calculator/

would say that bodybuilding.com is exaggerating the amount of calories by 20%

maybe that's why I'm getting fat. :P:P:P:P

Resting metabolic rate (RMR) = 66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) + (6.8 x age in years) (source: Bodybuilding.com so I'm sure it's not scientific but it seems right)

For me that's 2318.72 calories per day. Seems about right

I burn about 400 calories commuting to work and back on my bike each day (short commute)

So assuming that I do no other exercise per week my total calorie intake should be 2718.72 per day. If I don't bike to work then it should be 2318.72.

Earl's (seems like a timely place to use for nutritional values) has 940 calories in a serving of nice healthy yam fries and another 780 calories in their bigger better burger. A bottle of beer has about 155 calories and well you see where this is going.

According to some other very questionable online calculators. (That also seem about right though) is that if I reduce my calorie intake 500 calories per day or increase my activity burn by 500 calories per day I will burn 1 lb of fat per week. I think the 3500 calories = 1 pound myth has been discussed to death but I think it's still a good bench mark.

There is not secret. Calories go in. Calories go out. I'm at the age where I struggle with a bit of abdominal fat like your friend but I know that I either need to start hitting the gym more or I need to start eating less calories. Other than that IMHO there is no magic secret to weight loss.

A good app for calorie intake awareness is My Fitness Pal. Def an eye opener.

some great info and thoughts in here guys. some of you have lost serious weight eh. i'm down 3 pounds already, just eating less carbs, starting the day with high protein breakfast. interesting facts about those trying to lose massive weight and the starvation effect, etc. sure is a complex topic. i'm making a concerted effort to eat more fat and proteins, less carbs overall. the love of bread and chips make it a challenge, but it's mostly habitual.

… 'dude, you should drink less beer …

and you call yourself a friend?