How Do I Get A Beer Belly Without Beer?

Hey, I have read your posts for a while now and think You give good advice. I would like to grow the classic beer belly older teenagers get but being underaged and not having much access to alcohol I would like you help telling me how to still get the beer belly sort if thing.


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Well, one of the terms we use in the health profession--you have what is called a "self-limiting condition"--which means you'll grow out of it.  You will, at one point, no longer be underaged.


That's the good (although delayed) news.  But here's the more complicated response:


A)  A lot of your fat deposits are genetically determined.  That just means some people tend to gain weight in specific areas (like a belly) and others will tend to add pounds in say, their rear end and thighs.  You'll usually see this as described as "apples" (those who get the ball/beer belly look you admire) and "pears"--those who stay relatively small "on top" and then widen at the hips and thighs.  And some people just basically get fat all over.

B)  The other thing you won't be able to control to your satisfaction is whether or not you have "visceral fat" or "subcutaneous fat."  People genetically programmed for visceral fat store fat internally around their organs.  This will usually "push" out  those inside parts, which is how a beer belly or ball belly will develop.  If you watch fat guys on Youtube, these are the ones who will smack their round bellies and very little moves.  In the illustration on the left, the guy is pushing against a belly with visceral fat---notice how his hand isn't "sinking in."  A fat guy with subcutaneous fat stores his fat underneath the skin.  When you watch a fat guy on Youtube with a soft and flabby belly that jiggles when he shakes it--he's got the genes for subcutaneous fat.  These are the guys who can grab a handful (or a slab) of gut without a problem.

C)  "Beerbelly" - although a commonly used term, is not a direct result of beer itself--but excess calories, and it doesn't really matter where the excess calories come from.  I know of only one study that linked alcohol consumption and high fat foods (think drinking beer and eating french fries or potato chips) with fat being stored around the middle.  But I've never seen the study replicated, and trust me, there are many well bellied men (and women) who have never had a beer in their lives.  You have to realize as well--guys who blame their bellies on the beer they drink are often doing it with friends in a pub/bar.  Alcohol tends to lower inhibitions, as does being with friends, so it's much more likely they'll not only be drinking beer (and most likely drink more than if they were at home by themselves) but getting  loads of excess calories from unlimited chicken wings or nachos, and then finishing the pitcher of beer.  Does this make sense?  It's not the beer itself that blows up a belly--it's all the other things associated with going out and sucking the beers (and junk food) down in a social setting.


D)  Look around at your extended family to see what sort of genetic potential you have.  If you see a lot of the men among your cousins, uncles, father, grandfather, etc., with a ball belly, then your chances are excellent you're going to turn out the same way.  If most of the men in your family end up "pear-shaped," well, you better hope your mother has passed on "apple" genes.


E)  The bottom line--you don't need beer (at any age) to expand your waistline.  One option, that adds a healthier combination of calories would be keeping a loaf of bed in your room, along with a jar of peanut butter and honey (or nutrella)--these don't really need refrigeration, so if you're not living on your own, you don't have to make several trips a night into the kitchen.  You can indulge in the privacy of your bedroom.  Two or three of these sandwiches every night before you go to bed (which combine carbs, protein, and a type of sugar, along with the fat content of peanut butter) will help you outgrow your pants.  A number of gainers also suggest trying to wear your pants lower down on from your bellybutton to encourage the "potbelly" look usually associated with a "beerbelly."  If you have a smaller ass in comparison to your growing belly, many gainers suggest rather than using a belt to hold your pants up, use suspenders instead.  You give your belly room to grow without having your pants fall off. 


Good luck!