The Beer Drinker's Diet

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

I knew I was on to something; if only I'd written this book first, I could have financed subsequent (beery) meals in perpetuity with the royalties.

Beer Drinker's Diet

(CBS) There’s a new diet just in time for the Super Bowl. But don’t worry, this one’s different, and perfect for people with game day plans.

CBS 2 Medical Editor Mary Ann Childers reports that this diet allows that staple of tailgating parties – beer.

It's usually a no-no for dieters because beer is loaded with calories. But the author of a new book says you can have your favorite drink and diet, too -- on the beer drinker's diet.

Bradley Cailor was a yo-yo dieter. He hit bottom when his scale topped out at 266 pounds. Today, he's a trim 152, and he did it drinking beer.

"It's a mental thing, guys. Knowing that you're allowed to have fun makes it work for you,†said Cailor, author of “The Beer Drinker’s Diet.â€

Cailor says what makes the diet work is not so much what you eat, as how you eat. The foods and beverages you love are OK, only in moderation.

"Start by just getting your meals a little smaller. Don't have a gigantic thing of fries. Have some fries,†Cailor said.

The point is to keep from feeling deprived. During the week he eats small meals. Snack-sized ones, five or six times a day. And he works out every day.

But on weekends, he eats all the stuff he loves. And drinks beer.

"You gotta do the right things most of the time, and then we can have fun here a couple times a week, too,†Cailor said. “Remember: Eighty percent good, maybe 20 percent bad. That's the ticket."

Dietician Rachel Griehs says moderation and balance are key. And so is a diet that leaves you feeling satisfied.

"It's not a diet, it's just a healthy way of living,†Griehs, who is with the University of Pennsylvania, said.

"So by allowing yourself to have things you enjoy, you'd be more likely to stick with healthy eating,†she said.

“The Beer Drinker's Diet†says "Enjoy life. Enjoy food. Enjoy beer." But Cailor admits he enjoys only light beers now, with fewer carbohydrates and calories. And he only drinks two days a week.

But remember: it's a splurge, not a binge.

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