Any other moms out there having trouble breaking the evening cocktail/treat habit?

angiek941

Oh yeah! I love my evening glass of wine, but then I want another.. So, I've just cut it out completely during the week unless there's a special occasion. Honestly, once I decided to do it (and I don't have it in the house during the week), it just happened. But I don't see the harm in moderation either. Just count your calories and make it work. Some people make room for a sweet, others need a glass of wine!

csoderstrom

if you really want to sacrifice the desserts, I find that just not bringing it into the house solves the problem. I will occasionally buy cookies/treats for the kids that I won't eat (if it doesn't have chocolate, I won't eat it). I'm too lazy to drive to the store at 9 or 10 pm when I'm looking for treats. I may then sit there mad about not having it, but the next day I'm glad there was nothing to binge on. If there's turkey bacon made or a cheese stick I'll have that instead.

sengalissa

liznotyet wrote: »

sometimes a week or two of no alcohol helps a lot. Drink water out of the glass you would normally use for cocktails and ask yourself, is it the booze I enjoy or the ritual? And make sure that when you do have any it is absolutely your favorite.

Yes. I make drinking tea my ritual.

WinoGelato

I am a working mom as well and can relate to wanting to have a glass of wine when I finally "settle in" for the night. Before I started MFP I used to like to have a glass of wine when I got home from work while cooking dinner, then a glass of wine with dinner, and then sometimes a glass of wine after dinner too. Once I started logging and seeing how much that all adds up, I eliminated the before and during dinner drinks and I wait till after the kids are in bed (usually) before pouring a glass. If I wait till then, I usually only have time for one, maybe two glasses, and I'm so exhausted myself that I'm ready for bed. I also just have a small piece of chocolate or something if I want something sweet - if I want something more, like gelato - I usually do that instead of the wine.

I've lost ~30 lbs and have wine or beer pretty much every day. You can do it, you just need to track everything and fit it into your day. If you want more, work out extra. I found a FitBit very enlightening to help me understand how many calories I expend in a day - before I had one I estimated my TDEE to be about 1,800, but when the steps started adding up, I actually burn more like 2,100/day. That allows me to eat enough AND have room for my nightly treats.

BeMel

Alcohol can lead to greater fat storage, as it is burned in the body first. That being said I love my evening wine. I have decided to only have wine on the evenings that I don't work, replacing it with tea on evenings I do. I look forward to picking out new tasty teas at the co- op, or splurging on teavanna. Cheers!

eehoffman242

I don't know what a fitbit is, but I'm going to find out! Also, before posting this forum, I had no idea you could have friends on here who could help you along the way, And actually see what you're doing. I sure didnt want to have anyone see me log in 3 cocktails, so I just had the one small one. It was hard, because it was one loud and crazy night with two preteen firls and my 6 year old son, but I made it! I just refilled my glass with the sparkling water I usually mix . vodka with, and it worked!

WinoGelato

eehoffman242 wrote: »

I don't know what a fitbit is, but I'm going to find out! Also, before posting this forum, I had no idea you could have friends on here who could help you along the way, And actually see what you're doing. I sure didnt want to have anyone see me log in 3 cocktails, so I just had the one small one. It was hard, because it was one loud and crazy night with two preteen firls and my 6 year old son, but I made it! I just refilled my glass with the sparkling water I usually mix . vodka with, and it worked!

A fitbit is an activity tracker, it measures your steps and calories burned. It syncs with MFP so it tells MFP how active you were and your calories are adjusted accordingly. It is best for step based activities like walking and running. If you do a lot of other types of activities, some people prefer Heart Rate Monitors.

Yes, a support network of friends with common interests and goals (or just random people that you find motivational) can be very helpful here on MFP. You can choose to make your diary public or not public. Personally I keep my diary open and don't care if people judge the way I eat (not at all clean) and drink (a glass or two of wine a day). I choose friends on here who wouldn't judge me for my choices.

eehoffman242

I love the way you think! I will do the same.

Ohwhynot

OMG yes. Fortunately, I am still nursing so I *can't* drink that much, but I could go to town on a 6 pack of a good double IPA and some chocolates if I wasn't...

Ohwhynot

Also, if you'd like, you can friend me. I won't judge you if you have 3 cocktails

eehoffman242

Ha! Yes indeed. I remember timing when I could have an eve drink when i was nursing my son.

enterdanger

I am also 36 with two boys (2 years old and 4 years old) and a full time job. I understand what you are talking about. Not only do you just want to unwind with a cocktail/wine/beer I always feel like I've "earned" it. It was hard for me to get out of the mindset that the cocktail was my "reward" for making it through the day.

I switched to a hot mug of tea at night. No where near as satisfying but I have to keep telling myself not to reward myself with food or booze.

I also beat the late night munchies/drink cravings by going to the gym as soon as the boys go to bed. Most nights I'm there from 8:30-9:30 or 10pm. This helps to replace the need to deal with daily stress with a drink with dealing with stress with physical exhaustion. Its also the only time I have in my schedule for exercise (not a morning person).

joanthemom8

That's me! We have our own business - I'm at the office while the kids are in school, I leave to pick up my daughter then it's homework, get dinner going, kid activities, clean up, go to bed. Sometimes I drink a glass of wine at night, but if I drink it too late it makes my sleep "funny". Plus, I go to the gym at around 4:30 or 5 in the morning, (the only time I can go - when everyone's asleep!) and the wine sometimes interferes with that. I'm 49, so my metabolism has REALLY slowed down.

adidrea

I used to have the same exact problem!! I'd completely cave the moment I got home from work in the afternoon. What I started doing instead is going directly to the gym (my gym has 4:30 and 5:30 fitness classes so it's perfect) so that I could at least "earn" some of those calories. It worked for me and also made me more careful about what I eat because I think "well I had to work very hard to burn 500 calories so I'm not going to eat the piece of cake/chips/etc. etc."

If that's an option for you, maybe you can give it a try!