Hi everyone. I am new. About a year ago I did a low carb diet and I lost about 25lbs. but then I stopped. While I have not gained back all, I have gained back 15lbs. I have decided to start again on the Atkins diet and make it a way of life. I know for a fact it works, and I even cheated fairly bad.

This morning I have been reading these forums and it gave me the determination to do this. I just finished tossing out all of my bad foods filled with carbs. I have wanted to start back up for awhile, but I move slow. I did that on purpose because some things are hard to break(like soda). Before when I wanted to start a low carb regime, I prepared myself for when I would do it by eliminating a couple things at a time(starting with soda). This made it a lot easier to begin the program, but I am kicking myself now for quiting when I did. From reading what people have wrote here, I see it is very easy to get back into bad habits.

Anyway my question is about beer. When I went on low carbs before my friend told me I couldn't drink any kind of alchohol at all. My question is, if a beer has say 5g of carbs, could I go ahead and have a beer with my dinner as long as I don't exceed my 20g of carbs for a day?

Thanks.

Jedi

Hi there!

So if I understand this correctly, you started the Induction phase of your new WOL (way of life)? If so...no beer.

That can be tough sometimes (trust me, I'm a college student), but at least for the first couple of weeks try to refrain from any alcohol. The only major carbs you should be taking in during the induction phase are to come from vegetables/salads, though there are minimal carbs in cheese, heavy cream, etc.

I would say that hard liquor would be better, (but not at this point) just due to the carb content. One thing that you should know, aside from the fact that alcohol takes away from your willpower (big time!), is that your body will start to use the alcohol for fuel instead of your own body fat...kinda defeats the purpose, right?

I don't think a beer every once in a while with a meal would kill someone, but it may be "the kiss of death" for you at this point in your LC journey. Just think how much more you will appreciate the beer once you have come closer to your goal and are seeing results. Besides, for the first few days (if you remember from the last time you LCed) you are going to need all the willpower you can muster.

All the best in your new WOL!!

KC
A fellow beer lover

Well I guess it is water time. Oh well, I am going to miss Guinness more than anything else, but you are right, in just a few weeks when I can enjoy a pint or two, how great it will taste.

Mmmm Beer. Beautiful, tempting, beer..sniff. haha.

Jedi

Alcohol won't put you out of ketosis, but it will be burned first as fuel before fat. That's why alcohol in any way shape or form isn't permitted during Induction, whether it has carbs or not ... You need to establish ketosis production from the burning of body fat first. After that, having an occasional drink won't stop the process, but it will put it "on hold".

I believe the light beers are lowest in carbs. Stronger beers, ales etc. can run up to 15g or more per 12 oz portion.

Doreen

I have heard that Coors Light is supposed to be the best...but I'm swearing off until after I get back into my swimsuit...or at least I'm gonna try...the warm weather is closing in fast!!

All the best!

KC

Jedi,

Regular beer contains 12 grams per bottle or can. Miller Lite has 3.2 and is the lowest in carbs. I think Coors light has around 6.

No, they're not Guinness, but better than nothing, according to my DH. Of course, he does have the real thing now and then, but he is in maintenance mode.

As others have said, beer is not something you should probably drink on induction, but it is not out of your future forever!

Karla

Aaah yes. I forget that there are more than just one country taking part in this wonderful site! I don't know if we can get Miller Lite in my little part of the world, but that's great info to know. Although we have the kick-a$$ canadian beer up here...probably not the lowest when it comes to carb counts!

Oh well...if I work hard now, I'll be able to enjoy them guilt free come the summertime!

Cheers! (pun?)

KC

I went grocery shopping yesterday to stock up my place with food and stopped at the beverage section. However, there is no information on the bottles or packaging of Guinness to see how many carbs are in one. I didn't get any, won't have a drop for awhile. I browsed some Guinness websites and saw it had a decent amount of protein, but I still couldn't find anything on carbs. We have a microbrewery in town which makes a stout similar to Guinness and this gal I know told me it was fairly low in carbs, so I wonder if Guinness is the same. If anyone has any information on how many carbs in a pint of Guinness that would be swell, otherwise I guess when I get to my later phases I will just have to guess it is 12-15 or so and enjoy one with dinner.

Also, if anyone drinks bottled water, you may want to check out getting a Brita. The tap water around my town is terrible, and it can be cheaper in the long run, I think one filter purifies about 40 gallons of water, and three filters here cost $17. What I do is pour the water from my Brita into bottles and so forth, a huge way to save on buying bottled water all the time.

Jedi

Hey Jedi!

You should try an online carb counter, or you can even check a paperback copy. Sometimes they do list the carb content of different brands of beer.

Great idea about the water!

Good luck,
KC