Day Eight - One Down, Fifty One to Go

I’m referring, of course, to weeks in my quest, not pounds of weight. I have hinted that my waistline is not what it was twenty years ago (who’s is?), but I failed to mention that I am an active (I use that word loosely) member of a well-known organization that promotes a healthy lifestyle. I’ll give you a hint: it starts with “W” and ends with an “r.” No, it’s not Whataburger.

Now you might be thinking, “What kind of moron would undertake a beer quest while trying to lose weight?” That would be, um, me. In my defense, I would say that the goals are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Yes, in the past week, I did consume 2,000 empty, yet very satisfying, calories from beer alone. But that doesn't make weight loss unattainable.

If Weight Watchers teaches you anything, it is that they promote a lifestyle instead of a diet. Nothing is off limits, but make your choices with some care and consideration. Everything in moderation. Limit the bad things and focus on the good things and good things will happen. The contrary is also true. Simple enough in concept, but like many people with free will, I exercise (I use that word loosely) it a little too strenuously from time to time.

The point, however, is that I can drink beer and lose weight, as long as I make good choices elsewhere. And that is really to the heart of WW’s message. It’s not a diet. You don’t have to give up the things you love. You just have to manage what you love within the scope of a healthy lifestyle.

I do that by eating low-fat, high-fiber at virtually every meal. Whole grains for breakfast, healthy salad and fruit for lunch, lean proteins and vegetables for dinner, water for fluid intake (when I’m not drinking beer). The end result: I lost one pound since last Wednesday.

So tonight I celebrated by having a Blue Moon Belgian White. Good stuff, brewed by my good friends in Colorado where a very nice Irish Red is made. Of course, to my point yesterday, I'm running out of standard brews to order in a restaurant, but I was able to get one in tonight even though I didn't get home until later.

So just because I'm trying to lose weight doesn’t mean I’m giving up my quest. I have a whole bunch of new selections that I’m anxious to try, from pale ales to stouts and some lagers thrown in for good measure. Total Wine had their single-serving shelves loaded to the brim, so I was like a kid in a candy store filling up six-pack cartons. I'm good for at least the next week or so.

Next week's headlines: two down, fifty to go.