Tag: How to get rid of a beer belly

I love meals I can make once and eat all week long. Soup is one of those meals. However, not any old soup will do. I like soups that eat like a meal and stealing a line from the Campbell’s Soup debate- I like soups you can either eat with a spoon or a fork.

Unfortunately most pre-packaged and processed soups lack flavor and are loaded with salt and preservatives to make up for it. Solution- we’re going to make a kick-ass homemade soup from scratch that is heart healthy, gut slimming, filling, tastes amazing and doesn’t take much time to do.

In today’s Cooking with Beer we’re going to throw together a hearty Chicken and Vegetable Soup using Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale.

Mmmm… Let’s get started.
 

Irish Cream Ale Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Kilkenny Chicken, Lentil and Vegetable Soup

 
Here’s what you need:

• 1 can of Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale
• 1 qt or 900 ml of Chicken Broth (preferably organic or at least reduced sodium)
• 1 Chicken Breast
• 1/2 cup of Dry Quinoa
• 1 small Zucchini, 2 Carrots, 2 Celery Stalks, 2 Medium Onions, 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 can (15 oz) of Lentils
• 1 can (24 oz) of Diced Tomatoes
• 2 cups of Cauliflower
• 2 cups of Broccoli
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried Basil
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper

 
What to do:

Wash, peel and chop the zucchini, carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to a saucepan at medium heat then add the chopped vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes stirring every 30 seconds or so. Meanwhile in another saucepan bring to a boil the Chicken Broth, Can of Tomatoes, Can of Kilkenny and half cup of Quinoa. Once the vegetables have cooked for 10 to 12 minutes transfer the boiling beer broth to the pot. Rinse and drain your lentils, chop the cauliflower and broccoli into small florets and chicken into small pieces. Add everything to the soup. Stir, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Season with a little sea salt and pepper and enjoy.

Yours in health,

Sean

PS. Follow the link for more Cooking With Beer Recipes.

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Top of the Morning Lads…

 
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day is not just for the Irish and leprechauns- but for everyone who wants an excuse to attend the parade, drink beer and be merry.

This special weekend is when a ton of men and woman get intimate with their beer and will see an abundance of green, ‘kiss me I’m Irish’ tees, Guinness hats, shamrocks and river dancing floats. Oh, I almost forgot- Green Beer.

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to this St. Patty’s day tradition. Me? I’m not too fond of the Green Beer concept, particularly of how it exits the body but it’s not to say I wouldn’t try it again.

To me nothing says St. Patty’s Day like a pint or two of Guinness (read that over again in your best Irish accent). Maybe you’ll even get lucky and the bartender will draw a shamrock or heart in the foam.

Surprisingly a lot out there are not Guinness drinkers. I believe as with most alcoholic beverages, you acquire a taste for the Irish beauty over time.

Here are two ways to drink a Guinness for those who love it and for those getting to know its thick “milkshake” like goodness:
 

 
 
One word of advice going into the weekend is drink a glass of water between each pint of beer (especially if it’s green beer). You will make a few more trips to the pisser but guaranteed have just as good a time if not better and be thanking me in the morning.

Everybody is Irish come St. Patty’s day. What’s your favorite way to spend it?

Slainte and ‘Erin go bragh’,

Jon

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer

If the title from today’s post is throwing you off a little- it should. Who in their right mind would want to do exercises for their beer bellies?

To reduce confusion I should have re-worded the title “exercises to reduce your beer belly, beer gut or love handles” but contrary to popular belief, it is actually impossible to spot reduce or burn fat from a targeted area on your body, hence more confusion.

I thought I was saving you from scratching your head by calling the blog post what I did but now that I read it over, it does sound a little perplexing. In any event my aim was not to confuse you but to stir the pot and encourage you to listen to something very important I have to tell you.

This “something” will save you the hundreds of dollars spent on late night infomercials selling contraptions that promise to blast beer belly fat away and carve out mouth-dropping six-pack abs where the keg once lay.
 

Beer Belly’s cannot be Spot Reduced

 
The concept of spot reduction is a widely misunderstood field and one that deserves more focus. When you exercise, whether it is in the form of running, weight training, body weight training or high intensity interval training- you cannot target a specific area like your beer belly and expect that you are going to get 6-pack abs from them.

Unfortunately, the body does not burn fat that way. If you have fat on your beer belly you cannot hammer out 1000 crunches and hope for razor sharp abs. When you exercise, fat loss happens from all over the body. You cannot pick where you want it to come off first.

Sad right? Unless you sign up for liposuction and the Doctor sticks the blow-torchy fat melting thing directly into your “problem area” and sucks the fat out, you are stuck burning fat from your entire body one small inch at a time.
 

Beer Belly Fat Distribution is Genetically Influenced

 
To make matters worse, most of the fat burning that happens is genetically influenced. Everyone has witnessed this first hand; you workout like crazy expecting to lose weight from your gut and you end up losing weight from your back fat instead. Then you put in a few more hours in the gym and it’s your love handles that disappear. And finally you’re ready to give up because it seems impossible to shed the remaining L-B’s from the beer belly.

This process also happens in reverse. Subcutaneous fat tends to be genetically influenced in its distribution. When one doesn’t exercise and eats in excess, one’s body will pack the fat on in specific areas first.
 

Beer Belly Fat (Visceral Fat) is Hard to Lose

 
More bad news… The Anatomy of a Beer Belly taught us that our beer bellies are comprised mostly of visceral fat. Visceral fat is harder to burn than subcutaneous fat. Studies support that in can be done but the intensity needs to be there. A simple walk in the park won’t cut it. You need to hit it hard when it comes to exercising and working out. You need to earn your beer.
 

Exercises to Reduce Your Beer Belly

 
Enough sad news today, time to shift gears and figure out what exercises are best to reduce beer belly fat.

Now that the idea of spot reduction has been banished from our thoughts here are a few principles guaranteed to blowtorch body fat and thus reduce the beer gut as well.

1. Compound Movements – Are multi-joint movements that work several muscles or even several muscle groups at one time. Instead of a bicep curl, think about a push-up, an exercise that engages the back, abs, shoulders, arms and chest.

Compound movements activate large muscle groups and involve larger ranges of motion, both of which create a greater caloric demand and produce better results. Moreover, you can activate many muscle groups in one exercise instead of having to work each one individually, giving you more results in less time.

When performing exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pull-ups, and push-presses you demand more work from your body, which in turn stimulates the production of two very important hormones for fat loss and muscle gain- testosterone and growth hormone.

2. High Intensity Interval Training – Metabolic training that Shocks and Awes your body can be achieved through all kinds of workouts. Interval workouts, also known as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), combined with intense strength- resistance training is the most effective way to shed pounds from your body and get into shape fast.

Low-intensity cardio, such as aerobics or long distance running, work your body at 50-70% of your maximum effort for long periods of time. This type of exercise trains your body to become more energy efficient, requiring less fuel (fat) to perform the same amount of work. If you are looking to get in shape, this is the opposite of what you want. Ideally you want to burn through the maximum amount of fuel (fat) during your workout.

Think of long periods of low-intensity training as turning your body into an energy efficient Toyota Prius; a car that is able to undergo lots of work with little fuel burnt. Instead, what you want is to be a Formula-1 racecar; a car that pummels through the same amount of fuel in a fraction of the time. Formula-1 racing is your HIIT.

An interval training session involves a light warm up session followed by intense shock and awe bouts of increased exertion interchanged with a recovery period. By going hard and fast for short bursts and then allowing the body brief recovery periods you’re demanding a ton of work in a short amount of time. An example is 8-15 second sprints followed by a 45-60 second rest period. The added bonus to this sort of training is that workouts fly by, as you are busy catching your breath and watching the clock.

3. Metabolic Circuits and Supersets – Another awesome tool aimed at getting more results in less time is the “super-set”. A superset refers to pairing two or more exercises back-to- back with little to no rest in between. The idea is that you work multiple muscle groups in a shorter period of time and spend less time resting between sets, increasing your efficiency.

The trick to getting even more out of your supersets and getting more done in the shortest amount of time is using non-competing muscle groups. A non-competing muscle group is a group of muscles used by the body for different movements. Meaning if you were doing a pushing movement as the first exercise in the superset, you can immediately follow that up with a pulling exercise. This allows you to push hard and tax one muscle group and still have energy to pull hard with another. This also keeps your heart rate elevated because you are moving between pushing and pulling or lower and upper body exercises, all in succession.

Tri-sets are the same concept as a superset, but with 3 exercises done in sequence instead of two. You can even take it as far as 4 or 5 exercises back to back as your fitness and stamina increase, each pushing your cardio further and shredding off more fat.
 

The Beer Belly Exercise Wrap Up

 
Now that you know spot reduction is as much of a myth as thinking 12 oz beer can curls can give you sleeve-busting biceps it is time to implement these concepts into your routine. Your beer gut and the rest of the fat on your body won’t stand a chance.

Remember, losing the gut is possible but takes a little hard work, determination and total body resistance training like the plan outlined in the 3BG Beer Belly Fat Loss System.

Yours in health,

Sean

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer

How did I ever let myself get a beer belly? This is a question I have asked over the past few months. Before starting with the 3BG System I never made time for myself. That’s the real answer. With all the things going on in my life I never found time for me. Seems a bit crazy when I think about it now but I devoted a lot of time to my Beer Belly instead.

How much time did I need out of my day to take care of myself? Let me think… thirty minutes. Twenty-four hours in a day and all I had to do was find thirty minutes for me. You might be wondering what did these thirty minutes encompass? Well, here you go… I did fourteen, yes, only fourteen minutes of cardio. What about the other sixteen minutes? Well that was used to make sure I had food to eat throughout the day.

Yeah it’s pretty tough to stay fit these days (hopefully you got the hint of sarcasm). It’s actually not hard at all. In fact it’s easier than being lazy because now I have the energy to get things done. You might be sitting there, reading this and saying, “What a bunch of BS.” And if you have any doubt I encourage you to check out my before and after photos or my testimonial video. Those are 100% real and while we’re being honest- my cardio actually started out at only ten minutes, not fourteen. Don’t worry, if you want to see what the extra four minutes of cardio is doing for me- stay tuned. I’ll be sending BeerBellyBeGone.com a few updated photos shortly.

I like to think I’m a pretty busy guy and I know we all think the same way. I’m not going to sit here and tell you how to make time for yourself. You already know where the majority of your time is being spent and if you don’t I encourage you to think again (if you want some tips on finding time and staying active, check out Sean’s post Never Miss a Monday).
 

No More Beer Belly = More Time For Me

 
How I found time for me was quite simple. I made myself a priority instead of my beer gut. I made sure I had a pair of shorts and running shoes in my car so on the way home from work I could stop at the park or the gym and get in a quick workout. If by chance I forgot to do that, I had a skipping rope hanging on my bedroom door and dumbbells in the living room just so I wouldn’t forget about me. I didn’t sit on the couch until I had done what I needed to do.

The best part about it is, and I can say without a doubt- it gets easier as you go. After about two weeks I was hooked and actually looked forward to my workouts. Where you might lose some time is looking in the mirror each morning; well maybe not, but it sure feels good to see the progress staring back at you. An easy way to stay motivated when you start any routine is to take a few “before” pictures of yourself because for me, seeing a picture of my old friend “ the beer belly” is plenty motivation to continue living an enhanced lifestyle program like the 3BG System.
 

No more Beer Belly = Better Cook

 
That covers the working out part but how the heck did I manage to have all my meals ready in just sixteen minutes? Well you got me… It didn’t take me sixteen minutes to make all of my meals today; it took almost no time at all. I do what cooks refer to as prep or for us regular folk- I prepare my meals before hand. It’s simple. I come home with my groceries and divide up snacks into bags and containers. If I am going to cook chicken breasts I cook a few extra all at once, I cut up some vegetables and bam lunch is ready for tomorrow. Hey, it’s no slap chop; it’s just plain old planning ahead. I do however own a magic bullet that I have been known to use now and again… Soup, chili or anything else that can be divided up and frozen is a great trick too.

I spend slightly more time in the kitchen than I might spend waiting in line at a drive through but the rewards are well worth it. Don’t get sucked into commercial convenience. Create your own convenience and be way healthier because of it. This is something you will learn very quickly with the guys at 3BG. They work hard but most importantly they work SMART. Don’t let the big clowns of the world tell you what to eat. Take time for yourself whenever you have it and use it. At the very least, being smart enough to prep your meals at home will save you money in the long run, not to mention- save you from a beer belly as well.
 

No more Beer Belly = Better Beer

 
Now for the fun part… I drink a wider variety of beer than I ever have. I enjoy beer more now than ever before. The first thing to go when I wanted to “diet” was beer and I always missed it. I have learned to appreciate my favorite beverage more than ever and rather than buying the cheap stuff, I find myself searching for more unique beers with rich flavors. Whenever I am in a small town I seek out local breweries and craft beers. What does that have to do with being healthy? It’s simple- I deserve a good beer and I can afford a good beer because I’m not spending my money at the drive through. Think about it… a “cheap” meal these days costs about 10 bucks. Skip the drive through for a few days and you can enjoy a six-pack of a full-bodied beer. More beer and less beer belly is the life for me.

It’s so easy for me to say this today because I took the steps needed to get me here. I remember trying to get fit in the past and most of the time I would do something drastic like try to run up the Grouse Grind or spend an hour and a half at the gym. The next day I would try to get up and my body would be so sore it was a struggle to get the Fruit Loops out of the cupboard, say to myself, “Not doing that again.” And I wouldn’t.

The biggest thing that jumped out at me after joining Team 3BG is that moderation is the key to success. There are no quick fixes. Just consistency and having the ability to care about what you love. Most importantly, having the ability to care about you. I now know why I had a beer belly and with the knowledge I have gained with Team 3BG I can safely say good-bye beer belly, I know I won’t be seeing you again anytime soon.

In good health,

David Balback

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer

When you ask people what they associate beer with you get a mixed bitter-sweet response. On one hand it reminds people of the amazing taste that water, barley, yeast and hops make when they come together and hit your lips. And on the other hand they think of the dreaded beer belly, beer gut and belly fat associated with drinking beer.

For the record- I have and always will drink beer. Regardless of the reputation floating around that beer is bad and will make you fat, I know from experience and my clients experiences that it is possible to drink beer and still lose the beer gut, beer belly and belly fat. I’ve seen countless people lose fat, get stronger and still enjoy the wonderful taste of beer.

The reason it worked for these people (and can work for you) is because they adopted an attitude we call the “Earn Your Beer” mentality. The mentality states that if you want to enjoy beer guilt free and never worry about how it might expand your waistline, you have to EARN it.

Start implementing the following steps and you’ll be on your way to Earning Your Beer and torching off the “beer” belly fat from your midsection.
 

1. Beer Intake Control- The Beauty of Moderation

 
Depending on what kind of beer you drink the calories per bottle vary. Light beers range from 65-100 calories per bottle while a standard bottle of beer has around 150 calories.

Moderation is key. If you want to enjoy beer you must consume no more than 2 in a 24 hour period and keep it to under 5-7 drinks total per week. In moderate amounts beer has even been shown to be good for your heart and reduced the risk of cardio-vascular disease.

When in doubt choose darker beers. They are often more rich, contain anti-oxidants and are more nutrient dense. This in turn will fill you up faster so you’ll avoid over drinking.

The real culprit is the food you eat while you enjoy your beer. Fried, fatty and salty foods are the worst offenders and can do much more damage than 2 beers ever could. Don’t let the enjoyment of beer turn into a days worth of calories all in one sitting.
 

2. What to eat and your new shopping list

 
Beer bellies should really be called the sugar belly or the processed carb belly. If you truly want to get rid of that beer belly you must take nutrition seriously and look at getting all the fast convenient processed foods out of your kitchen. There are so many misconceptions out there regarding which foods are good for you and which ones are bad.

Typical foods that people think are OK to eat but are low in nutrients are:

 
The easiest way to avoid pre-packaged, processed and refined foods is to shop around the outside of a supermarket and avoid going down the middle aisles. Sticking to the perimeter of the store guarantees that you will hit mostly fresh foods that come with an expiry date. The goal is to remove clutter from your shopping cart, kitchen and body.

The shopping list that follows has been stripped down to the basics. Strive to eat good quality food that is nutrient dense and works with your body rather than against it. The following foods will keep you energized, lean, strong and keep the fat off your belly effortlessly.

Items for your cupboards or pantry

 
Items for your refrigerator or freezer

3. How and when to eat carbs

 
Burning fat from your midsection depends on your body’s ability to regulate cortisol and insulin. If you have chronic high levels of both you will likely have more belly fat than you need. Cortisol is best controlled by keeping your stress levels down and getting adequate sleep.

Whenever you eat a carbohydrate- insulin is released to remove the calories from your blood stream. When this hormone is released in excess (by eating processed carbs) it will take those calories and stuff them in your fat cells. End result- a rapidly expanding waist line and beer belly.

The best time to have carbs and not worry about this boost in insulin is when you first wake up and immediately after an intense workout. Otherwise if you are going to eat carbs in a meal make sure they are eaten last. Always start with a salad and plenty of vegetables, then your protein source (eggs, meat, fish, poultry, shellfish, dairy) and follow it up with your carb. Eating vegetables and protein first will ensure your stomach is better suited to digest and break down carbohydrates (yams, sweet potato, wild rice, quinoa), as well as shunt any potential spike in blood sugar.

Do not mistake this as an open invitation to eat all the carbs you want. Much like step #1, moderation is key. If you have a sweet tooth stick to mixed berries with a piece of dark chocolate (85% or higher) for dessert.
 

4. Sleep your way to a leaner waistline

 
You’ve heard it before and no one likes being told the same thing over and over again. So I’m going to lay it out for you in a different way, one that will help you realize that if you’re falling short on sleep- you might be expanding your waistline as a result. Aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

Inadequate sleep has been shown to:

 
Hormones are the common theme. Without proper sleep good hormone levels drop and bad hormone levels rise. Chronic elevated levels of cortisol can lead to brain cell deterioration, decreased function and belly fat.
 

5. Exercise

 
Mention cardio and people generally think of going for a jog or sitting down on an exercise bike. Whatever the exercise you choose, it is then done at a steady pace for a set amount of time. The longer the session the more calories you burn, right?

While that isn’t necessarily a wrong statement, it’s just not the best way to burn fat. Would you rather workout for 40 minutes or 15? Studies show you can burn more fat and save more time with shorter, more intense cardio sessions.

A long jog at a slow to medium pace does not elevate your metabolism enough to generate exercise post oxygen consumption (EPOC). EPOC can keep your metabolism elevated for 15-25 hours after you stop exercising. The beautiful thing about generating EPOC is that it can be done in a high intensity interval session lasting as little as 12-20 minutes. The same can not be said for a 40 minute jog where oxygen consumption falls 30 minutes after completion.

Also of note, a large percentage of exercise options for cardio only target the lower body. Making use of your entire body when performing cardio/interval training involves more muscle mass and will burn more calories by creating a bigger oxygen deficit.

High intensity interval training (HIIT) incorporates both aerobic (oxygen dependent – walking/jogging) and anaerobic (non oxygen dependent – sprinting) training into one brief, but intense workout. This type of training will strengthen your heart more than aerobic (long slow boring cardio) training due to the strain involved with an all out effort. The increased pressure constricts your artery walls and forces your heart to work harder with each beat to maintain proper blood flow throughout the body.

Typical cardio prescription

Type: Running
Total time: 45 Minutes
Pace: 5-7 mph

The New HIIT prescription

Type: Flat sprint or uphill sprints with 4-6 push ups between each sprint
Total time: 15 minutes
Pace: top speed sprint for 8-10 seconds (uphill or flat) walk 40 seconds then drop down and complete 4-6 push-ups. Repeat process for 15 minutes.

In order to get rid of a beer belly, beer gut or belly fat you need to be determined, willing and patient. Healthy fat loss of 1-2 pounds per week can be expected. Think of it as a long term goal rather than an overnight fix and I guarantee you will get there.

Stay Strong,

Drew

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer