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I'd have to say of the three things, the one that definitely has to be given up to lose the weight is beer.

Beer is not only caloric, but contains alcohol. When alcohol is ingested, the body's fat metabolism practically stops until it's out of your system. Drinking a beer each day would almost make it impossible to lose fat efficiently.

It wouldn't matter if you were eating under, because your body would not be able to easily burn fat for fuel. Instead, it would burn other things, acetate (from the alcohol), carbs, your own muscle, then fat, etc.

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Instead, it would burn other things ... your own muscle, then fat, etc.

That's the first I've ever heard that a human body would burn muscle before fat. Also, a beer each day would be out of your system relatively fast, so it should have no lasting affects on your body's metabolism.

Also, if you're drinking a beer a day, then be sure it's at least bottle-conditioned craft beer since the suspended yeast has many nutrients. ;)

The only circumstances where you will burn a significant portion of muscle before fat is if you are eating a high fat diet with less than 30 grams of carbohydrates or protein per day.

If you are fasting or in nutritional ketosis, your brain still needs about 120 grams of glucose (or as low as 20 grams after it adapts to producing and using ketones for fuel). If you aren't getting the glucose it needs or ingesting carbohydrates that can be broken down into glucose, your body will begin gluconeogenesis, a process that turns amino acids (from the breakdown of protein) into glucose. If you are still consuming dietary protein, it will break this down first, but if you are not, it will get these amino acids from your muscles and other "lean" tissues.

Basically, if you are consuming an adequate amount of protein, it's pretty hard to lose muscle mass without losing a significant amount of fat.

I might not be right on the money that the body would burn muscle first, but I can say with certainty that drinking causes your muscles to degenerate: http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/277/2/E268

RE: the only circumstance -- I think sleep deprivation would do the trick, too.

Is this true?

I used to work out a lot, and was in good shape- muscular and probably 12% body fat.

I haven't been working out for about eight months and I've lost probably ten pounds. I don't feel leaner though. I'm pretty sure I'm still at least 12% body fat, and that I've lost a significant amount of muscle.

I think I have been significantly losing muscle without losing any significant amount of fat.

If you're at 12% body fat, the ratio will be about 3:1 lean to fat loss[1] unless you're working out very, very hard and eating a ridiculous amount of protein (1+g/kg)

You'll need to work out a lot and be very careful with how much of a deficit you're running if you want to isolate fat instead of just reducing total body mass.

[1]http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n3/full/0803720a.html

I just want to point out that (1g protein / 1kg body mass) is high, but not a ridiculous amount for someone doing lifting. The rule-of-thumb number I've seen quoted a lot is (1g proten / 1 lb body mass), or in metric, (2.2g protein / 1kg body mass), as the maximum useful intake.

1g/kg is at least double what most people eat :) it's ridiculous from a general population standpoint. Personally I aim for more than that, but I'm not sure it's indicated for people who don't work out.

Alcohol doesn't go away after you stop feeling the effects, it stays for many hours more than that. If a person on a learners license was at a big party overnight, and had a big binge, then they likely still have enough to trigger a positive breath test the next morning.

I'm unsure what amount is required to produce the supposed fat effect though.

> When alcohol is ingested, the body's fat metabolism practically stops until it's out of your system.

Can you provide a source for this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

The impact of alcohol (ethanol) on the metabolism starts around minute 50. Still, I strongly advised watching the entire lecture/presentation.

I smell a ketoer

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