On Beer

Why is beer so hard to leave behind?

For me, it's been the hardest to cut out of all the foods I've cut out which include:
milk, cheese (even string cheese), bread, cereal, pasta, soda, candy, chips, potatoes, and more.

On the science side, people talk of it being liquid sugar; hence beer bellies. Many trainers advise not to drink your calories. As a Paleo practitioner, it clearly crosses the line, as it's made entirely from wheat.

I think besides the fun of trying different varieties (stouts vs. porters vs. lagers), and the design aspect (I'm a sucker for cool marketing and logos), I've noticed an undeniable social pressure to drink beer. Oftentimes it'll come from friends or acquaintances, or most often, from a girl at a bar. I've played a show and go to the bartender to sign out and a girl (or guy) will offer to get a beer together...It's an innocent enough suggestion, and a lot of times, it's a gesture more than anything. I've had bartenders pour a beer, and say, "It's on me brotha"....Tough to turn that down. "Sorry man. I'm actually off beer"...I sometimes say that, but more often I'll have the one, or a few sips and leave it somewhere else in the bar. I once hung out with a real fitness trainer, a guy who makes workout videos for a living, and I was so impressed that we were at a bar, and he only drank water. I don't have that kind of will-power. Maybe it takes having your body be your top priority...

Regardless, I think there's a social pressure from women for guys to drink beer, or not care too much about their bodies. It makes them feel self-conscious maybe, like if you order a salad, and they order a shake with fries. It's actually become a turn-off for me, dating, when a girl is too judgmental about my food choices. Most guys will say, "I'm trying to watch my girl-ish figure" or something self deprecating, and get off the hook, but they shouldn't have to. You see women doing squats in the gym; why should guys have to apologize because they don't drink beer or eat bread? I've met girls casually in bars,and when I mention Paleo, they act like I've said that I eat babies for breakfast.

At least 75% of achieving your fitness goals is diet-related. In the new Men's Fitness, there's an interview with Schwarzenegger where he talks about his diet during training for various roles. To bulk up, he ate more, lifted heavy (lower reps, heavy weights), and ate more protein, carbs after lifting. To lean out, he emphasized more cardio (prob sprints). Beer's a drag ultimately. It makes you feel sluggish the next day, and literally undoes any training you've done. But it's tough- particularly if you're single and find yourself playing music in bars or watching sports or whatever. Drinking wine is grounds for ridicule in this country, and some places only serve beer and wine. Whiskey has been a go to- but at $10 a drink, and with higher alcohol content, it's not a great long-term solution.

It's hard to face it, but if you (or I) really want to reach your goals, alcohol has to go...