
Scotch as a Diet Hack - mburney
http://bradpilon.com/weight-loss/my-favorite-diet-hack/
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russell_h
Am I the only one who eagerly clicked through hoping that through some
scientific miracle drinking scotch could lead to weight loss?

As to the actual topic, I'm not sure that its so much that people think scotch
has a higher alcohol content, I've always imagined it had more to do with
seeming somewhat classier and in control. Sipping a scotch while your
companions pound beers establishes you (perhaps on a subconscious level) as
the leader of the group whose choices aren't really up for discussion.

Of course I rather like scotch so maybe I'm biased.

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varjag
Hard liquor abuse actually leads to weight loss. Plenty of alcoholics are
dried out like raisins.

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gaius
But no-one really wants weight loss, and that should be easy to prove: say you
were offered a choice, drop 5lbs of fat or convert 5lbs of fat to 10lbs of
muscle, what would you do?

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stoney
That depends on my starting weight. If I weigh 120lbs then I'll take the
muscle. If I weigh 220lbs then I'll take the weight loss.

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hnal943
It shouldn't. His point is that if you're 220, what you really want to lose is
fat, not weight. Having more muscle will increase your caloric burn rate and
actually help you to lose fat faster. This is why dieting must always be
paired with exercise.

To take the argument to an absurd extreme, the fastest way to lose weight
would be to cut off your leg.

Obviously "losing weight" is really a euphemism for "losing fat."

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seven
My diet hack: Do not give a sh*t about peer pressure and drink what you think
is best for you.

"Mach dein eigenes Ding, dann klappts auch mit der Nachbarin." - German for
"Do your own thing and it will work out with the neighbours girl."

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tfh
These Germans, always chasing the neighbours.

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danielsiders
Seems equivalent to being the one person with a D-SLR and 5 lenses when
everyone else carries a point and shoot. Even if you take fewer pictures
people assume you're the more serious photographer. Apparent overkill is an
effective way to preempt annoying comments?

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aaronbrethorst
Until you get cornered by the asshole with the Rebel and the abysmal EF-S
18-55mm kit lens who's badgering you with questions about why your 50mm f/1.2L
doesn't zoom.

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elai
There are seriously people like that?!

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danielsiders
Sadly the merits of prime lenses and the subtleties of optics are lost on the
masses. Show up with a hasselblad medium format film camera and a Zeiss prime
anywhere amateurs assemble and be met with confused stares

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nailer
I don't know anything about photography and I still know a Zeiss lens is
pretty damn good.

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Alex3917
"Oh and you still get the anti-inflammatory actions of alcohol too, just
without any of the extra calories."

Alcohol causes inflammation, it's not an anti-inflammatory in any way. Maybe
the author was confused because both alcohol and aspirin reduce your risks of
heart attacks, and the latter is an NSAID. But taking alcohol if you have
inflammatory problems is an extremely bad idea.

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mburney
From another post by the author: "it is interesting to note that small amounts
of alcohol (the occasional drink) is associated with reduced levels of markers
of chronic inflamamtion like IL-6, CRP and leptin." Don't have any sources of
the research, but it seems like he may post it soon.

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Alex3917
I'd be interested to see this research. It's obviously no surprise that
drinking would be associated with lower levels of inflammation, considering
how much physcial/emotional discomfort alcohol causes to people prone to
inflammation. I just have a really hard time believing there could be
causation without seeing the research.

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forsaken
Last weekend I went out with a flask of Laphroaig (some damn good scotch), and
was just sipping that most of the night. I let a bunch of my friends have
some, and always came back with some left in the flask. It's a great way to
drink really delicious scotch, share with your friends, and drink less.

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megablast
Came here to talk about Laphroaig. Laphroaig is the smokiest whiskey you can
get, really nice drop, from the Isle of Islay. Very flavorful.

Perhaps worth saying as well, please do not buy a nice whiskey, and ask for
coke mixed in. If you tried that in Scotland or Ireland, they would at best
refuse you.

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greendestiny
Have you tried the 10 year old Ardbeg? That might change your mind on the
smokiest.

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rudyfink
Bruichladdich Octomore (~130 ppm) and Ardberg Supernova (~100 ppm I think) are
way up there beyond the Ardberg 10. Off the top of my head I'd guess the
Ardberg 10 is something like 20-40 ppm.

The "ppm", in the Scotch context, is for the amount of peat phenols, which is
essentially a peatiness metric, and it is recently a competition metric, for
some reason, between at least a few distillers (
[http://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2009/03/bruichladdich-
octo...](http://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2009/03/bruichladdich-octomore-
ardbeg-supernova-tasting/) as an example article but you can just google
scotch ppm and get a ton of articles ).

I haven't had the Octomore but the Supernova is not that great in my opinion.
It was interesting to taste a Scotch intentionally that peaty, but I'd
consider it more of a novelty than a great taste improvement. That said taste
is an amazing thing, so it might be precisely your cup of tea.

In terms of enjoyable smokiness I'm with you on the Ardberg, but in terms of
the crazy +peatiness competition in Scotches, it isn't the winner.

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paylesworth
I had a chance to sample the Octomore while visiting Bruichladdich this year.
Holy crap that stuff is like drinking liquid fire. Does not have the smooth
finish like Lagavulin 16, but it was sure fun to try.

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nhebb
Using the word 'hack' is a linkbait hack.

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zbyszek
"good ol’ Scottish Whiskey"? It's Scottish whisky, and Irish whiskey.

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garret
The point of this article seems to be: people believe scotch has more alcohol
than it does, so you can drink less without their pressuring you into drinking
more.

 _Obviously you could just have a water_

This is more about hacking other people than it is about diet. Managing other
people's impressions of you without having to be upfront about what you're
doing.

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ShardPhoenix
If you want to drink less, can't you just do it however you want?

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InfinityX0
Pretty easy to say, harder to do. It's best to set up barriers like this to
prevent overeating. Another barrier is eating foods with low calorie density.
The barrier here is the harshness of the drink - it is very hard to chug
scotch. It is not very hard to chug a beer.

When I don't want to eat a lot, I set up barriers. I have literally no food in
my apartment. 0. I am a former fat person, who has gotten into shape purely by
avoiding the need for willpower. I like this hack - I'll try it this weekend.

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Confusion
Just ordering Scotch wouldn't work for me: I love the stuff and, corrected for
the alcohol content, I will consume it faster than beer. If you have the same
'problem', what may work is ordering water on the side.

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dotBen
I have/used to have this problem - which is why I gave up drinking. In fact as
I read this, I thought to myself "yeah, that's fine if you have the will-power
not drink the scotch very quickly and order 2 more in the course of your
friends single bottle of beer.

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geuis
I have to agree 100% with this story. I have recently taken up a taste for
scotch. Not only do I drink less, I save money because I'm drinking less. Here
in SF a beer or non-scotch drink might range from $5-$10. I can get one scotch
for usually $8-$11 dollars, drink it for 2-3x longer than other folks with
their beer and cocktails, and in the end save money even if I have a second.

I had some Blue label on Saturday. Oh my, so so lovely...

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iuguy
I'm surprised as to how you can talk about Scotch and Johnnie Walker in the
same breadth. Sure it's technically Scotch Whisky, but it's a disgustingly
promoted chain brand that convinces people they're drinking real Whisky
instead of overpriced mass-manufactured tat, like Ginsters Cornish Pasties
(made on the Cornish border next to the main road leading into Devon).

I'm not attacking you, and I apologise if this has come across this way, but
really, it's made in a factory in Glasgow, not the original Kilmarnock
distillery and Blue Label is ridiculously overpriced for what it is. There are
so many other beautiful Scotches out there, it's a sin to eschew them in
favour of lining Diageo's pockets.

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khafra
It's hard to drink Scotch in America without lining Diageo's pockets--I mean,
they own Glenkinchie, Lagavulin, Knockando, Oban, Royal Lochnagar, and
Talisker, among others. If you're claiming Talisker is mass-manufactured tat,
I don't know if we can be friends anymore. And do bear in mind that Talisker
is the largest component of the Red Label blend.

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iuguy
That's fair enough I'd say if it's hard to get decent Whisky in the states.
It's difficult to get decent Bourbon in the UK unless you're willing to go for
Jack Daniels or worse.

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barkmadley
A bunch of my friends and I have been organising a regular event we call
Scotch Guard. It is a time when we come together and bring exotic alcohols to
share and sample.

I have noticed my gut has receded slightly since attending these events
because I haven't been drinking as much beer, yet still socialising just as
much. 'Tis a good hack I say.

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dermatthias
Why don't you just skip the extra candy bar after dinner and drink as much and
whatever you like?

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fmw
Another benefit to your diet is taking a glass of whisky as an alternative to
your "evening snack". For me, it is a good way to avoid the urge to eat
something. Especially when paired with a good cigar or tobacco pipe. Last
night that was a dram of Highland Park 18yo accompanied by a Trinidad Reyes
cigar, which was a wonderful experience.

The only problem with giving in to vices like these is giving yourself an
excuse to drink. Thankfully, I'm pretty relaxed with alcohol and often don't
drink anything at all for weeks or even a few months on end, but you still
have to be careful that it doesn't become a daily ritual.

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isleyaardvark
Am I the only one here who thinks scotch acts as an appetite suppressant?
Scotch reduces my hunger in a way that beer or wine doesn't.

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iuguy
I have to say I much prefer Irish Whiskeys like Bushmills Malt and Jameson.
Then again, I'm not a lover of peat, so Speyside's the place for me.

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arethuza
For anyone seriously interested in whisky I can recommend this:
<http://www.smws.co.uk/>

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paolomaffei
Does not apply to people not in USA, UK or China.

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jpr
What do you mean?

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paolomaffei
Well in Italy at least you aren't really FORCED to drink more and more during
a night out with friends.

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c00p3r
_One scotch, one bourbon, one beer_ \- that is a hack!

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Raphael
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

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hnal943
...not to mention this song isn't exactly about diet advice

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hysterix
why does everything have to be a hack?

