German monks did it and now J. Wilson is giving it a go; the beer- and water-only diet for Lent.
Just past his halfway mark, the journalist and beer blogger from Iowa has received attention (and criticism) from around the world. The married father of two describes himself as a non-denominational Christian and admits that he became fascinated with the 300-year old story behind doppelbock.
He took that fascination a step further when he contacted a local brewer to create a recipe for a high-calorie beer to suit his needs. He’s documented the entire journey on his blog, Diary of a Part-Time Monk.
The home brew created for him is his breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact, he keeps a keg in his office and assures anyone with questions that he spaces the beers out as to not get drunk. In his first 23 days, Wilson had gone through 11 gallons of beer. He allows himself four servings a day during the week and five on weekends. He’s also lost 15 pounds in that amount of time.
He explained, "I was hungry the first couple of days but after that, the hunger is gone. I’m not hungry." He also noted that his kidney function was cause for a bit of worry, seeing as his body has used up all of its fat and is now eating its own protein, which clogs the kidneys. Thankfully, that can be controlled by more water consumption.
Wilson has been consulting with his doctor throughout the journey and he’s anxious to be done. He’s actually the first to admit that he was sick of the dopplebock four or five days in.
Cool story, right? Actually, it doesn’t sound like a bad weight loss plan if you are fortunate enough to be able to drink on the job and exercise that much self-control. Best of luck to J. Wilson! We hope you enjoy your post-Easter feasting.
TAGS [ BEER DIET | LENT | DOBBELBOCK ]
