Not dead yet. 1 week after the end of the #BrewDiet

 

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Diet time by Simon James on Flickr"][/caption]

It's been a full week after the end of the #BrewDiet. You'll recall that's when I spent the month of October subsisting on sausage and beer. Yes, I'm serious. You're probably wondering one of the following:

Have you fallen off the wagon yet?

What do you mean, yet? Dick. But no, I'm not. Just hopped off the home scales. They read the same thing they did last week. The trick is portion control. And that I want to keep in mind. Always.

I bet you were sick and tired of beer and sausage, huh?

Not in the least. In fact, I'm continuing to make beer a big part of my diet. Once you get accustomed to having a beer for breakfast, it's kinda hard to go without. I've been to two beer-centric events since the end of the diet, including the fantastic RAREaffair™ put on by The Beer for Brains Foundation. Not just the best beer event I've ever attended. It might have been the best event ever.

I'm still eating sausage, though not exclusively. Now I'm experimenting with different combinations. Like madras lentils and beer-braised bratwurst. Exquisite!

What was the first thing you ate after the #BrewDiet was over?

A single piece of pizza from Otto Pizza. Very tasty. And I was full afterward.

How screwed up are your liver enzymes and cholesterol?

Not in the least. My doctor finally got off his ass found time in his busy schedule to write a blog post from the final time I saw him. He says:

... his triglyceride level dropped by half, his cholesterol dropped by a third, and his “good” cholesterol increased.  There was never an increase or a blip in any of the liver enzymes.  His fat mass dropped, the only non-fat mass of his that decreased was that tissue associated with and supporting the fat mass (I know, sounds complicated).  His muscle mass maintained itself.

You'll want to read the whole piece, as Terry takes a scientific look at some conventional wisdom we have about weight loss.

So... what's next?

I keep on keepin' on. Losing weight is easy. Keeping it off for the long term not so much. So I'm trying to keep it up. And I'm also working on some extensions of the experience. Maybe a book. Maybe a presentation or two. Maybe more things than that.

I'll check in from time to time with progress. Thanks for playing along at home!

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Final exam results of the #BrewDiet

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="DSC_5774e by Zach Klein"][/caption]

Well... that was that. Yesterday was the final day of one month of drinking beer and eating sausage. I called it the #BrewDiet. And it was a grand time. And it was for SCIENCE!

Thanks to all of you who encouraged me along the way. Extra thanks to those of you who contributed by sending me beer. Much appreciated!

OK, let's get right down to it.

Beers consumed:

• 100 "uniques". That's a beer I've never had before. Or if I did, I hadn't yet put it into Untappd. I started at 308 uniques and ended today at 408. No, that wasn't planned. But I do appreciate the simple math.
• ~154 total beers. Why the tilde in front? Because let's face it, there were plenty of evenings (like last Saturday) when not all the beers went into Untappd. I don't think I missed any uniques, but I know for a fact I missed plenty of beers. That, and many were bombers which classify as two. So I'm betting the number was closer to 200. 200/31 = 6.5 beers a day. Sounds about right.
• ~62 sausages. Again with the tilde. Look... most days I had two. On rare occasion I had more than that. But for the first 6 days, I only had one. I'll count them later, as my blog posts have (I think) all of them. So for now, I'm going with the 2x31 for the answer. Expect a more accurate accounting (redundant?) when the book comes out. Yeah, there will be one.

OK, that's the intake. What about the results? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I know I was.

Weight Loss Stats

First, let's set the baseline.This is important to those of you keeping score at home. None of these things changed in the last 31 days:

Body Type: Standard
Gender: Male
Age: 43
Height: 5′10″ (though my license says 6′ even, because I am still a growing boy)

But here's what did change. I'll give you before and after numbers from the doc's fancy scale:

Original Weight: 199.0 lbs
Ending Weight: 185.1 lbs

Here, let me help you with that math: that's a loss of 13.5 pounds! Fuck it! I'm rounding up! 14 pounds LOST. Eating sausage and drinking beer!

But hey, that's just weight. We all know that weight changes with fluid. Is it all that surprising? Let's look at the rest of the numbers:

Original BMI: 28.6
Final BMI: 26.6

That's a net lost of 2 BMI. I'd be more excited, but I don't know what BMI means. But it's down by two, so that sounds  good to me. If you care, look it up. If you know, good for you! I don't care. Don't bother telling me in comments. Because I don't care.

Original Fat %: 25.3
Final Fat %: 21.4

OK, I'm smart enough to figure out percentages. That means that I lost 4% (rounding up, remember?) of my my mass as pure, nasty fat. That sounds pretty fantastic. And according to the "target" numbers on my doctor's fancy scale, that's within the "desirable range".

Didja here that? I'm desirable!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. That Fat % number translates directly to fat mass:

Original Fat Mass: 50.5 lbs
Final Fat Mass: 39.5 lbs

If the word "fat mass" doesn't sound nasty to you, what the hell is wrong with you? I've dropped 11 pounds of fat mass! And if I were to travel to the moon, those 11 pounds of mass would still be gone! I love physics!

But you're not a physicist. You know what the scales tell you. And those scales would say something different on the moon. And I'm not likely to travel to the moon. Ever. Which kind of sucks. But I'll get over it. Why? Because I lost 14 pounds eating sausage and drinking beer, bitches!

Yeah, yeah... some of you want to know about my cholesterol, lipids, and other funky blood serum stuff. I'm going to let my doctor discuss those results. Suffice to say that I'm not dropping dead anytime soon. In fact, my panel looks better than when I started. No, I'm not kidding. Stay tuned for that.

What's next?

Keep it off, obviously. But that's a post for another day. I have some ideas... and this isn't over!

Related articles

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Last (?) day of the #BrewDiet

 

 

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="180" caption="smile by Miles Bader"][/caption]

If you've been following me on Facebook or Twitter, you already know the score. I'm a very, very happy man.

If you're not following me there, then you'll have to wait for the final results. Because in this post, all I'm going to do is tell you about my intake. They call this "cliffhanging". Deal. The other post will be out  tomorrow AM.

• Breakfast and lunch was a bomber of Irish Red by Rubicon Brewing Company Sacramento, California, courtesy of Katie Charland's husband, Tyler.
• Lunch was a brat I cooked with a not-all-that-great coconut stout. But it made a pretty good beer brat!
• Talked a little biz-nass with @PaigeIam while enjoying a a Count Hopula Blood Red IPA by SanTan Brewery
• Post-fantastic doctor visit, I had a hotdog and a Hop Ottin IPA by Anderson Valley Brewing Company at The Garage Restaurant & Bar
• Wrapped the evening with a bomber of Hoppy Feet by Clown Shoes, so mark it down as 2 if you're playing along at home.

And that's it! Or is it? Tune in tomorrow AM for another installment of... #BrewDiet!

Oh, and Happy Halloween!

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Slow moving Sunday.

 

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="100" caption="Project 365 Day 16: The Drugs Don't Work by Greg McMullin"][/caption]

Short day. Short post. Read about yesterday to find out why.

• A chorizo burrito. Fantastic hangover food. When I got up at little after noon.
• Around 3:00, a Vanilla Porter by Breckenridge Brewery
• Then an IPA by Stone Brewing Co. at around 6:00

And I'm spent. Literally. Here's to tomorrow. The last day (?) of the #BrewDiet.

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Eye to the future of the #BrewDiet

 

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Free Beer Tomorrow by Infrogmation of New Orleans"][/caption]

After today, there will be five more entries chronicling my month-long experiment of eating sausage and drinking beer. The end, as they say, is neigh.

At this point, it's a foregone conclusion that I'll finish. It's not been challenging since October 6th. That was a Very Bad Day. But now, my body has completely adapted and continues to shed weight. More importantly, FAT. Hell, look at my daily intake below! Two sausages and four beers? That's an incredibly low calorie count.

So what's next? Do I keep going, finding the equilibrium point? I can't continue to lose weight on this diet. There exists a point of diminishing returns. If not, I'd be below my birth weight by next Thanksgiving! (Do the math).

Or do I stick with the low-volume eating (call it caloric restriction if you like), adding in foods I've missed, like pizza. But instead of a whole pie (not all that uncommon previously), have only a slice? But will I be able to keep up the protein level that keeps my doctor grinning? Oh, and my muscle tissue from not being devoured for nourishment.

Maybe I keep the beer intake and mix in the idea of small portions, to see what happens? Do I switch over to scotch? Sake? Maybe mixed drinks of equal impact?

It's a damned fine question. And one I guess I'd better figure out in the next five days, huh?

Here's what I did on my #BrewDiet today:

• Breakfast was a Clementine by Clown Shoes. Very tangerine-y
• For lunch, a Brother David's Triple Abbey Style Ale by Anderson Valley Brewing Company and the remainders of my sausage/curry medley from last night
• Dinner was another Italian sausage from Costco and a 471 Small Batch IPA by Breckenridge Brewery, which you may count as two as it was a bomber

Here's to tomorrow!

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"Your diet would never work for me"

 

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="No beer here :( by Chris"][/caption]

I've heard that a few times now. And it puzzles me. Sure, I know I'm a sample size of one. And because of that, I may be a statistical outlier. But if you know anything about stats, you know the odds say something different. Outliers are things you find in a large sample size. I haven't tried this before. I tried it once. And it worked. Is there a chance I'm a fluke? Sure. But you'd be a fool to bet that way.

Invariably -- and this may get a little on the sensitive side -- the people who have said this to me have been overweight. And oddly enough, they've all been women.

The first part I get. People who are overweight have probably been through more than one "lose weight fast" scheme before. And they've all -- obviously -- failed. So here's one more idiot with what ostensibly looks like the novel-est of novelty diets ever. If that crazy diet lauded over by thousands didn't work for me, there's no way this one can. I get it.

The latter is stranger, but could simply be explained by machismo. Boys are supposed to like beer and sausage. Girls are not. No offense, Bavarian Babes, but that's the way it's done over here. So some of the immediate incredulity could have to do with gonads. Who knows?

But here's what I know;  this isn't rocket surgery. I'm not losing weight because I'm drinking beer and eating sausage. I'm losing weight because I'm eating less. The data I'm collecting will ultimately demonstrate that even foods considered "unhealthy" are perfectly fine as long as they are consumed in moderation. I can't say that all calories are or are not created equal. But I what I can say is that it sure as hell doesn't look like calories from beer and sausage are all that bad for you.

But the again, our data collection of this experiment isn't over. Speaking of that...

• A rather late (11:00a) breakfast beer of a Palo Santo Marron by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
• For lunch,  A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale by Lagunitas Brewing Company to go with my andouille sausage!
• Dinner was a sausage medley with a coconut curry sauce and an Alleycat Amber by Lost Coast Brewery
• Ended the evening with a 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA by Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Four beers? Wow. That can't be much more than 1400  calories for the day. And I'm not hungry. Nifty! Thank you, #BrewDiet!

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Sausage + Beer = -2 lbs. of pure fat. Losing again!

Monday is check-in day with the doc. It always makes me nervous, and this time was no exception. Largely because of the stupid amount of food I ate yesterday. But still, that was only one day, so only the scales will tell.

Oh, and what a sweet song they sang! The details:

Body Type: Standard
Gender: Male
Age: 43
Height: 5′10″ (though my license says 6′ even, because I am still a growing boy)
Weight: 188.5 lbs (2 lbs. down from last week!)
BMI: 27.3 (down  another .3 things. Of what? Dunno...)
Fat %: 22.7% (down almost a point from 23.5%!)
Fat Mass: 43.01 lbs (2 lbs. fat, GONE!)

To say I'm a happy camper would be an understatement. I can't remember the last time I was under 190. A decade, at least.

This is going really, really well. Were I a superstitious man, I'd wonder when the other shoe was dropping. But I'm not, and I'm doing all the right things -- even when those right things go against conventional wisdom -- so I'm happy to keep things going.

I've noticed an interesting banter among people when they learn of my success. I think I'll save that for tomorrow. Here's the intake for those playing along at home:

• Breakfast found me in a meeting, drinking a Messiah Bold by Shmaltz Brewing Company (He'Brew)
• Working lunch was an andouille sausage (hot!) and a a He'brew Genesis Ale by Shmaltz Brewing Company (He'Brew). Yeah, the people I work with are officailly jealous.
• Dinner was a nice Italian sausage from I-don't-remember-where and an Old Blarney Barleywine by Moylan's Brewery. Count this as 2, since it's a bomber. And a VERY BIG BEER.
• I'll end with a Ten FIDY by Oskar Blues Brewery. Fitting.

Good night!

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Sunday, with sausage on the #BrewDiet!

I ate way too much food today.

Headed to a late-morning meeting, my belly commanded a stop at Doggie-bertos. You had me at Chorizo Burrito!

Then we went to Citizen Public House again in Old Town Scottsdale. They've taken the Sausage of the Day off the menu, but were happy to adapt to my dietary restrictions with a plate full of sausage (and maybe other) goodness!

Also, it pays to know folks. Got introduced to Richie at CPH by Dan, while the mural you see above was being painted on the outside. That led to a bit of special treatment by the CPH staff, for which I am quite grateful! Significant thanks to our friends Susan & Paul from Los Angeles for spending a great evening with us.

That's my kind of Sunday on the #BrewDiet! Here's the intake:

• Breakfast was sans beer. Sorry. But damn, that was a fine chorizo burrito!
• Lunch was sausage free (after that breakfast) when I cracked open a 22 oz 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog by Abita Brewing Company. It was very decent and got much better when I let the second half sit for an hour on the counter before drinking. Don't get this too cold.
• Sundays are bomber days, so I started off with half of a Danny's Irish Style Red Ale by Moylan's Brewery. A solid red. I like mine more aggressive, but I can deal.
• Waiting for our friends to arrive, I enjoyed a Ruination IPA by Stone Brewing Co. at Citizen Public House. Bomber. So count as 2.
• During the off-menu extravaganza of sausage, I washed it down with a Hefeweizen by Four Peaks Brewing Co. at Citizen Public House
• Now, writing this post, I'm killing the last of the Danny's Irish Style Red Ale by Moylan's Brewer

Tomorrow I visit Terry's office again. I'll have weight results tweeting out mid-afternoon, and a blog post coming!

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You, me, TV and the #BrewDiet

Tonight I was interviewed by the lovely Carey Pena, investigative reporter and fantastic woman on 3TV here in Phoenix. She came to ShEvo Studios with Jeremy The Camera Guy and did a big photo shoot that will show up on the news in about 30 minutes. Yay! And just as soon as it's available online, I'll tweet and Facebook it to the world.

So here I sit, post-#evfn, post-TV interview and trying to figure out what we're doing tonight. That is completely controlled by the women-folk in my life, so I'm calling it short.

Here's what I drank/ate tonight:

• Breakfast found me sipping a Milk Stout Nitro by Left Hand Brewing Company
• Lunch was kielbasa with BBQ sauce and a Polestar Pilsner by Left Hand Brewing Company
• Then Carey Pena came over and made me eat another kielbasa and a Double Stout by Green Flash Brewing Co.
• Transportation arrived to take us to a Rotator IPA: Falconer’s IPA by Widmer Brothers Brewing Company at The Hungry Monk.
• I kept drinking, heading to a Kellerweisse by Free State Brewing Co. at The Hungry Monk
• Not to call it too early, I moved on to a NorCal IPA by Moylan's Brewery
• I called it a night -- so far -- with a Two Hearted Ale by Bell's Brewery, Inc.
• LATE EDITION! Looks like I wasn't as done as I thought. A buddy of mine with different drinking tastes came over and we split a Belgian Style Yeti by Great Divide Brewing Company. Damned tasty!

And now, in theory, I'm off to dance. Tomorrow I'm drinking with the Arizona Society of Homebrewers. That'll be interesting.

 

 

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Death of a #BrewDieter

No, it wasn't a literal death. And no, it wasn't me!

But tonight, I was saddened to see this tweet by fellow ex-#BrewDiet follower, Charlie the Beer Guy:

Charlie hit the wall later in the process than I. He also had arguably a much more difficult challenge. He's in a profession rhymes with "rule leacher", and they rather frown on day-drinking. So he didn't, which reduced the number of hours he had to consume 6-8 beers. So it is with a heavy heart that we bid Charlie adieu. Guess I'll just have to bike over to his place and help him get rid of all those extra beers!

Me? I'm doing great! Still very up from my doctors appointment, and I've seen a sneak preview of the documentary video that's being assembled  by the fantastic April Simpson. She's made of awesome, so it's made of a similar element! We'll be adding more clips, so I can't show you the final product just yet. But trust me, you're going to love it!

I took another blood test today at about the halfway mark of this month. Terry said my pre-diet levels looked good. I'm not sharing them just yet because I want this set -- and maybe a post-diet set -- to compare them with. By themselves, some uneducated asshole would jump in and start arguing why this number is high and that number is low... and I want to avoid that bullshit. We're interested in a change over time, not what any single reference point looks like. That's why I've been doing weekly check-ins on the weight, fat mass, etc.. When it's time, we'll talk blood serum levels.

For now? It's time for today's stats, again courtesy of Untappd:

• Trying a little  Coconut Cream Stout by Battered Boar Brewing Company for breakfast! Way over-carbonated, but very tasty in the AM!
• Lunch was a kielbasa and a Pale Ale by Stone Brewing Co., possibly the only Stone I'd not yet checked into!
• My late dinner was a hot Italian sausage and an Old Monkeyshine by Nimbus Brewing
• Tonight's nightcap was provided by Mandy, who shared with me one of her favorites, a Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel by Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan. You can see the note she wrote me as the image that accompanies this post!

That's it. A few loose ends to tie up, and I'm calling it a night. A low calorie day, really. But I'm plenty full!

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Of Sundays, sausage and beer

It's day 16 on my #BrewDiet. I'm more than half-way through the month. And I'm doing fantastic!

People keep asking me about the deleterious effects of a diet consisting of nothing but sausage and beer for an entire month. An in all honesty, there really haven't been any. I do notice pretty severe dry mouth at night. But that's easily defeated by keeping water on the nightstand. Wake up. Drink. Sleep. Easy.

Nor am I sick of eating sausage. Or drinking beer. The variations of both are legion. So if boredom does sit in, I just pick up something out of the ordinary. Like when I was at the store today and picked up some sausage that I've been craving. Oh, it's going to be a great week coming up!

Today was my lowest beer-intake day ever. That's due to a rather uncharacteristic breakfast, as you'll see below:

• No beer for b'fast. Instead, I wolfed down an entire chorizo burrito from Filibertos . Because they are made of awesome. Gigantic awesome.
• Finally after noon-time, I started in to the beers. Bombers for me this weekend, and it started with  Our Own Bavarian-Style Doppel Weizen by Lagunitas Brewing Company
• Not to let a good beer die, I finished up with the rest of the Our Own Bavarian-Style Doppel Weizen by Lagunitas Brewing Company
• I finally started getting a little hungry and chowed down on a maple-blueberry sausage patty, enjoying with a Yeti Imperial Stout by Great Divide Brewing Company
• That was pretty sublime. So I drank the rest of the  Yeti Imperial Stout by Great Divide Brewing Company

So that's two (ish) sausage meals and only 4 (ish) beers. Pretty light. Tomorrow is weigh-in day. Here's to hoping!

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Boundary Bay Brewing gets it right on a #BrewDiet

Friday is always a good day on the #BrewDiet. This one was even better, as I only worked until about noon. Making up for that terrible long day on Wednesday that we're just going to forget about, OK?

Major props to Boundary Bay Brewery. They hold the distinction of being the first and (as of yet) only brewery to reach out to me on social channels, thanking me for including their beers in my #BrewDiet. These guys are smart and paying attention to the social space. They didn't offer to send me beer or ask for a testimonial from me. They simply chimed in on one of my (drunkenly misspelled) checkins from yesterday:

Easy. And smart. Our replies went back and forth a couple of times, and they got exposure to everyone who follows my antics. Many of whom are craft beer drinkers. Their target audience. And you can bet the next time I find myself in Bellingham, I'm stopping to knock a few back at BB!

Here's what I did today:

• Breakfast was an Imperial Oatmeal Stout by Boundary Bay Brewery
• Lunch was a full chicken sausage and the rest of the Imperial Oatmeal Stout by Boundary Bay Brewery, and so ends the fine gifts given to me by Ryan. Of all the Boundary Bay's he brought back, I liked this one the most.
• The afternoon found me a bit thirsty/hungry, so I had a pre- #evfn treat of a Japanese Green Tea IPA by Stone Brewing Co.
• Arrived early at Draw 10 Bar & Grill for #evfn and started off slow with an Easy Street Wheat by Odell Brewing Co
• I talked Mel, the cook, to making me a special sausage dinner. Again, I'm going way off the menu. It's a good thing JB likes me. Washed it down with an Orange Blossom by Papago Brewery at Draw 10 Bar & Grill
• Wrapped #evfn and the evening with a Leg Humper by Sleepy Dog Brewing at Draw 10 Bar & Grill

Saturday is college football day, which typically increases my beer count. Let's see what happens!

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O'Beer:30 Thursday meets #BrewDiet

Today was a good day to drink beer and eat sausage. All hail #BrewDiet!

Though it started out terrible. I've been up since 3:30AM. Yeah. That sucks. Couldn't go back to sleep. So I got up and posted on A Simpler Way about Podcamp AZ. Though I won't be talking (specifically) about beer, you should come. It's in November. And I promise you that my November can beat the shit out of your November.

Let's do the beer and food first:

• Breakfast was a Scotch Ale by Boundary Bay Brewery, with massive thanks to Ryan Gudmundson for supplying me with great Seattle beer! He's the theme of today (and probably b'fast and lunch tomorrow!)
• Scarfed down a whole chicken sausage for lunch, washing it down with the second helping of Ryan's a Scotch Ale by Boundary Bay Brewery
• Then it was O'Beer:30 time with my crew, where I started with a Kiltlifter Scottish Style Ale by Four Peaks Brewing Co.
• My goal is to march through the drafts here , so I ended with a Sunset Amber Ale by Grand Canyon Brewing Company at Mellow Mushroom
• Dinner was a sausage and salsa stir-fry and an IPA by Boundary Bay Brewery. Thanks again, Ryan!
• Of course, it's a big beer, so I had an IPA by Boundary Bay Brewery one more time.

And now... I'm fading fast. I stayed up this late doing updates for Podiobooks.com. Man... the chance of me making major screw-ups there are legion this month. So far, they've only been minor. I hope.

So I'm off to bed. As I said, it was a good day. Tomorrow is Friday, and I think I'm taking a half-day to eat up the hours I spent at the office yesterday. And remember: I rarely post on Friday nights. It's #evfn after all, and there's more than my normal amount of drinking involved. I'll see you Saturday morning sometime.

 

A monorchromatic #BrewDiet kind of day

I just spent over 12 hours at work, after a two days of being "on" at conferences. Anything I might attribute to the #BrewDiet is equally explained by anger and animosity.

So I'm not good company. With that, here's what I consumed today. I'll shoot for "more chatty" tomorrow:

• Late-ish breakfast was a Japanese Green Tea IPA by Stone Brewing Co.


• Lunch was a White Hot from Ted's, and then yet another Japanese Green Tea IPA by Stone Brewing Co. Rick said he thought I was cheating eating a dog. I told him to eat me.


• By then I knew I was working super fucking late and asked my lovely wife to bring me a Japanese Green Tea IPA by Stone Brewing Co. and a sausage.


• I ate that, then was thirsty again. So I had another Japanese Green Tea IPA by Stone Brewing Co. Noticing a pattern?


• And then I got home and had my 5th Japanese Green Tea IPA by Stone Brewing Co. of the day.

Monochromatic day, and it's still a damned good beer. Which is the best thing I can say about today.

Good night.

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Of smuggling sausages and beers

Well that was interesting! As you know, my work is way-OK with me and the #BrewDiet. My day-job is in advertising, and our industry has a history of the three-martini lunch with clients. We don't do that in 2011, but there's no violation if I have a beer at lunch. And breakfast, it seems.

But today was a little different. Huge off-site with 50+ individual representatives from our client roster. A catered breakfast and lunch in the ballroom rendered me cracking open a beer and whipping out a sausage from my briefcase rather inappropriate.

Fortunate for me, one of the client's (more that a representative: this guy is the client), somehow heard of my diet. He met me at the door with a surreptitiously wrapped turkey sausage smuggled from the breakfast bar! He said he had a beer up in his room. I told him I had a beer in my briefcase. I don't think he believed me. That's OK. I didn't believe him!

Lunch almost worked. A paella, which is traditionally (at least in Arizona) served with chorizo. But in this version, the chorizo was an afterthought, and it would have taken me way too long to pick out just the sausage. And since the chorizo isn't the central part of the dish, I considered that cheating.

So I snuck out the parking lot with lunch kit (yeah, hidden previously in my briefcase), downed a G'Knight and ate half a jalapeno & cheddar sausage. Chomped on a few sticks of Trident and slipped back in undetected.

In my next life, I'm gonna be a double-naught spy!

No one was the wiser. At least I don't think so. If I show up tomorrow with a pink slip on my desk, you'll know differently. Here's how today played out, minus the drama listed above:

• Breakfast of a Dale's Pale Ale by Oskar Blues Brewery. When I got to the off-site, I had a couple of turkey sausages from the buffet. Meh.
• Lunch was a hastily consumed half sausage and the smuggled G'Knight by Oskar Blues Brewery at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale
• Came home and enjoyed a GUBNA Imperial IPA by Oskar Blues Brewery
• The day winds down with a bomber of a Lips of Faith Kick by New Belgium Brewing Company. Count this as two. And pucker-y

That's it. Though some out-of-town friends just showed up with a six pack. Work could suck tomorrow. Ciao!

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Does beer you make fat? Quite the contrary, data shows.

More great news from the doctor 10 days in on the #BrewDiet, where I subsist on nothing but¹ sausage and beer for the month of October. Survey says...

Body Type: Standard
Gender: Male
Age: 43
Height: 5′10″ (though my license says 6′ even, because I am still a growing boy)
Weight: 193.01 lbs (exactly the same as last week)
BMI: 27.7 (exactly the same as last week)
Fat %: 22.9% (that's 2.1% down from last week, the biggest shift yet!)
Fat Mass: 44.01 lbs (that's down 4.5 pounds! Huge!)

Those data in bold are fantastic! My weight is staying exactly the same, but fat conversion is happening at a great rate!

How much can I convert? Hard to say. Well, for me. Terry probably knows. His fancy scale tells me that my fat percentage should be somewhere between 11-22%. I'm almost at the high end of that range. Can I get to the middle? Maybe. Probably, even. But I think the low-end is an unrealistic goal for me. I've never been what you'd call svelt, so getting down to 11% will probably require sacrifices and commitments I'm not ready to make.

I still have a couple of more pounds of fat mass to shed before hitting in at the top end of the desirable range. It says I can go all the way down to 18.5 pounds of fat mass, but see my holy-shit-that-sounds-like-hard-work innuendo above.

This is going great. Here's a rundown of my consumption for the day:

• Breakfast of my go-to-standard and all-time favorite, a Dale's Pale Ale by Oskar Blues Brewery
• I tossed back a couple of a Pale Ale by Oak Creek Brewing Co. at Big Earl's BBQ with my good friend C.C. Chapman, in town as an invited speaker at Bolo 2011. Those were paired with a couple of tasty hotlinks!
• Dinner was a Nitro Cutthroat Porter by Odell Brewing Co and a fantastic brat from Citizen Public House
• I wrapped the day with an 8th Street Ale by Four Peaks Brewing Co. at Hotel Valley Ho Ballroom as we watched the Vaudeville show at Bolo 2011.

Tomorrow is tricky. I have an off-site client meeting all damned day long. I may have to smuggle a sausage and beer into the bathroom when no one is looking. Make your own jokes.

I'll tell you how it goes tomorrow.

^{1 - And by "nothing but", you can assume that I'm taking other liquids, like coffee, yerba mate and water. Nothing with sugar or calories, though. And if the sausage happens to be presented in it's natural habitat, like with sauerkraut or on a bed of peppers and onions, it's possible that some (many) of those will be consumed. But I leave off the side dishes. That's cheating.}

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I'll see your Vienna Sausage and raise it a Tapatio on #BrewDiet

I'm marking today's #BrewDiet in the WIN column. Loads of things to do, and all of them done smashingly well, fueled on nothing but beer and sausage.

The highlight of the day had to be Ruth's I-passed-the-bar celebration where her mom made me a special sausage dish... by opening up me a can of Vienna sausages! They paired nicely with some Tapatio hot sauce, oddly enough.

The next two days will be a bit of challenge. I've got a conference to attend tomorrow and clients to entertain the day after that. Expect massive smuggling to get me through the coming days!

Also, I check in with The Good Doctor tomorrow, so I'll report back on my (or rather his) findings. Here's how today shook out:

• Breakfast was a American Amber Ale by Rogue Brewery
• Lunch was a G'Knight by Oskar Blues Brewery and the remains of the maple sausage
• Started Ruth's party with an Anchor Steam Beer by Anchor Brewing Company to wash down the Vienna sausage
• Ended the party with BridgePort India Pale Ale (IPA) by BridgePort Brewing Co.
• Capped my evening with 1/2 a sausage and a bomber of  Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Great stuff!

 

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Return of the #BrewDieter

Where was I? Oh yes, hitting the wall. Hard. Who would have thought there would be difficulty in a nothing-but-beer-and-sausage diet?

Oh, right... You people.

But that's OK. My diet. My rules. I am by no means a masochist (sadism is another thing entirely), so a minor tweak to the diet has me back in the game with a vengeance!

Remember that we're doing this for science (and my love of beer and sausage), and that my observations along the way will help in the hypothesis Terry and I put forward. With that...

Observation number 1

All calories are not the same. Not to my body, or at least not to my brain that is telling me how my body feels. Months ago, I restricted my diet to around 1500 calories a day, simply by eating much smaller portions. Last week, I had more calories than that every day, sometimes over 500 more. Back then, I only noticed a slight nagging hunger. The hunger I felt last week was by no means slight, and nagging turned into hard-core bitching. That, and I felt like shit. Very much not right. Even with more calories.

So it's not the calories. It could be the increased caffeine. It could the increased beer consumption. But I can feel the effects of those when they hit. They tend to be short lived. I don't think that's it. Here's why:

Thursday night, I gave into my cravings and ate more than 1/2 of a sausage. I ate two sausages. And I ate the accompanying sourkraut. I skipped the potatoes offered, feeling that as more a side-dish that didn't quite fit.

I slept like a baby that night. And I didn't wake up ravenous. First time in a week.

Not to let a good lead die, I grabbed on to the idea and ran with it. The next day for lunch, I ate my normal 1/2 sausage. But rather than scarfing it down in 5 minutes and returning to work. I sat there, chatted with some folks, and took another half hour to slowly eat the second half. That's new for me. I'm a speed-eater, as anyone can tell you.

At around 5:00 that night, I consumed another half a sausage. That filled me up nicely. And then around 7:30 that night, I ate the rest of that 2nd sausage. And as you'll notice below, the beer-intake Friday was relatively low, considering it was #evfn.

And again, I slept like a baby. No waking up in the middle of the night with food cravings. Victory!

Tour de #BrewDiet

On Saturday, I fried up some maple breakfast sausage and settled into an early-AM session of drinking. The University of Oklahoma Sooners were in the Red River Shootout game against the University of Texas Long Horns. This is one of THE classic rivalries in college football. I'm heavily vested in one side winning. Because #texassucks. I had one beer per quarter and (eventually) four sausage patties. And OU kicked the snot out of Texas. Why? Because #texassucks.

Glowing in the post-game (and 4 beer) buzz, I crawled on the Strida and headed over to fellow #BrewDieter Charlie's house. He then saddled up on his Strida, and we hauled our two over-the-hill bodies the 4.6 miles to The Watering Hole at Whole Foods. Every Saturday, every pour of beer is $4, which is a smoking deal. We both notched up a couple of uniques, started to talk about food options, and biked another 3.3 miles to Flanny's. Both of the Johns were happy to see us and fully aware of #BrewDiet. So much, in fact, that Big John went completely off-menu, preparing for us a sausage appetizer and main course that we thoroughly enjoyed. LJ played "stump the beer drinkers", choosing one of his tap selections for us before we saw the menu. We recorded it on my iPhone and, if the quality is acceptable, we'll release it. Who knows? It may be the kick-start of a new beer podcast featuring Charlie and me.

Biking, beating Texas, great beers and a reinforcement of how fun the #BrewDiet can be. That's what I call a good weekend.

#Brew Diet Stats for the last few days:

Friday

• Breakfast beer was a Mocha Porter by Rogue Brewery
• Lunch and the full sausage enjoyed with a Dead Guy Ale by Rogue Brewery
• A quick 1/2 a sausage & then #evfn began with a Wet Snout by Sleepy Dog Brewing at Sleepy Dog Saloon & Brewery
• ... which was followed quickly by a a Red Rover Irish Ale by Sleepy Dog Brewing at Sleepy Dog Saloon & Brewery
• ... and then culminated with a Dog Pound by Sleepy Dog Brewing at Sleepy Dog Saloon & Brewery. About a half hour later, I finished the other 1/2 of the sausage. That's 2 per day.

Saturday

• Since I knew that OU was going to devour some burnt orange, I though it fitting that I consume a Somer Orange Honey Ale by Rogue Brewery at kickoff. It's a whole bomber, so count this as two beers.
• The game was in the bag by halftime so I celebrated with Estate Homegrown Ale by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and fried up some maple sausage. Again, count this beer as two.
• Charlie and I discussed the finer points of the #BrewDiet over a a Devil's Ale by SanTan Brewery
• Then we biked over to see James for a Saison de Silly by Brasserie de Silly at The Watering Hole @ Whole Foods
• We tried a taster of the Orange Marmalade by Bison Brewing Co. at The Watering Hole @ Whole Foods, too. Don't count that. Only sip. Not very fantastic.
• We wrapped there with a Double Mocha Porter by Rogue Brewery at The Watering Hole @ Whole Foods.
• John's mystery-beer was a Celebrator by Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying at Flanny's Bar & Grill
• We tried for a a Camelback IPA by phoenix ale brewery at Flanny's Bar & Grill, but the keg blew. We only had tasters. Which was enough. Nothing special. Don't count this.
• And our specially prepared sausage-feast dinner was enjoyed with Torpedo Extra IPA by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. at Flanny's Bar & Grill.

And then I went to sleep at 8:00p, crashing out for 12 glorious hours. Looking at the list above, I see why!

#BrewDiet continues. I'll write another post tonight to get today's stats in the system. Tomorrow I check back in with the doc. I'll report on my stats as well as a rundown on my bloodwork. Here's to doctor-supervised craziness!

PS

Thanks to those of you who've offered to send me sausage and beer. I'm having an ongoing fight with the shitty business that houses my mail box. If you are sending me something, get a tracking number and send it to me. I have very little confidence in their ability to get anything right. I eventually get my things, but I'd hate for something to spoil while I wait on them.

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Angry #BrewDiet Day 6

To say my system is fucked up is among the greatest understatements in history. This is significantly harder than I ever thought it would be. Holy shit. I manage to keep it together fairly well during the day,  but my evenings are devolving. Big time.

But I'm continuing. Why? Well for starters, I'm a stubborn bastard. Ask around. And I also know that this is the proverbial "wall". If I can get past it, things will get better. It's no different than what happens to anyone saddling up to challenge. Changing from one routine to another is hard. I  get that. It just sucks hard how much I'm experiencing that now.

But I shall carry on. I can quit whenever I want, but right now, I really don't want to quit. Even though this sucks. Hard.

Here's what I did today on the #BrewDiet:

• Breakfast was a nearly undrinkable Wild Blue by Blue Dawg Brewing. Seriously. What a piece of shit beer.
• Lunch was a  St. Rogue Red by Rogue Brewery and half a mild Italian sausage. Some dickhead used up all the Sriracha sauce at work, so I had to go with hot wing sauce. Which I don't really care for. Oh, and I had to eat it during a mandatory lunch meeting. Strike three, and I'm still fucking at the plate.
• It's 0'Beer:30 today. Desert Amber by Sonoran Brewing Company at Mellow Mushroom
• Which was followed by Turbodog by Abita Brewing Company also at MM.
• Skeptics & Cigars started at St. Lupulin by Odell Brewing Co at Robbie Fox's Public House, where I also gorged on bangors, no mash. Don't ask how many. More than a half. Deal.
• I wrapped with a Duvel by Duvel Moortgat at Robbie Fox's Public House

Now I'm home, outwardly exhibiting much less vitriol than I'm feeling in this post. I hope. You readers, you are my rage release. Enjoy.

Let's try this shit again tomorrow.

 

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Beer + Coffee gets me through the day. Oh, and sausage.

I did a slight change-up of order today, the 5th day of #BrewDiet, and that seemed to work better. Chugged some coffee early on, and the caffeine let me hold out until around 9:00 for my breakfast beer. Which was interesting, because there was a meeting called at that time. At least two of the attendees were a little shocked I was drinking a beer during the meeting.

Lunch came and went without issue. More beer. Half a sausage. The mild Italian sausage are good. They are just light on flavor. May need to add a little Sriracha sauce to it tomorrow to add some kick. Flavor I need. In a big way.

Worked a little longer than usual, so added a beer around 4:45 to end the day. That worked OK, as I had a consultation after work that kept me away from my final half of  the sausage until around 7:15. That sucked. Hard.

Ended the day with a trip to Total Wine for a re-stocking, since I'm running low. Have enough now to get me through the weekend. I'll need to load up again after that.

Hunger today: manageable. Mostly because I got a large coffee around 2:30p. And I drank one beer less than normal, so that's probably a good thing. Or bad.

Tomorrow a film crew comes to document my diet at work. No, not kidding. Rather surreal. But having fun.

Here are the stats for today:

• Breakfast beer: Dale's Pale Ale by Oskar Blues Brewery
• Lunch was a G'Knight by Oskar Blues Brewery and 1/2 a mile sausage from Von Hanson's
• Pre-dinner brew was GUBNA Imperial IPA by Oskar Blues Brewery, rounding out my Day of Oskar Blues. Love those guys.
• Had an Isolation Ale by Odell Brewing Co on the dime of a client between work and home
• Chased my final 1/2 of sausage with a an Inversion IPA by Deschutes Brewery to end the day.

Oh, and I've given up on MyFitnessPro. It's a nice app and all, but I'm putting in bogus numbers. Most of the beers I drink have approximations at best for calories, and it's a pain in the ass. I'm a simple guy, going for the simplicity of the Untappd checkin. If I average out 6 beers a day and a single sausage, I'm happy to call that good enough. And if any of you want to ferret out the original gravity and final gravity of the beers I'm drinking to give me a true count, have at it. Me? I'm good.

This is part of my entire month of drinking beer and eating sausage. I call it #BrewDiet. Yeah, that it. And yes, I'm serious. Want to more? Here's how it all started. I'll post daily (I hope) and keep you all updated. In theory.