I need to STOP ALCOHOL & Start Exercising...

Options
2»

Replies

  • xMrBunglex
    xMrBunglex Posts: 1,121 Member
    Options
    Let e start by saying everyone is different - this is just my 2 cents:

    When I was 35, I knew I drank too much & told myself "I'll quit at 40."

    It took me until 6 months after my 42nd birthday to quit for good (3.5 years ago on 6/1.)

    Hardest thing I ever did. It took me about a year to truly not want it anymore. Now I can go to parties, weddings, sports bars with friends, etc. and not have any desire to drink at all.

    I might add I'm trimmer & in better shape than I was at 27!
  • holly55555
    holly55555 Posts: 307 Member
    Options
    OP sounds to me more like a social drinker than an alcoholic. I could easily drink every day too (if health wasn't an issue) because I'm 24 and everything my friends do involve bars or alcohol.

    In any case, drinking more than one glass of wine with dinner a day is bad for you. Drinking every day period is bad for weight loss. And from the sounds of it, you're drinking A LOT of drinks per week. That's all empty calories AND drinking basically stops your metabolism in its tracks.

    I decided that I would only drink twice a week - usually Friday or Saturday night, unless it's a special occasion (birthday or even sometimes just an awful day at work haha) and then I will swap a day. If I'm on vacation or something, I loosen up a little. I also stick to a max of 2 or 3 drinks on these days.

    Once you start really counting your calories, you will not have ROOM for so much alcohol and you'll quickly see that you'd rather have a nice dinner than drink away all your food options! Good luck!
  • kellycasey5
    kellycasey5 Posts: 486 Member
    Options
    You can totally do this! I think the weight will come off rather quickly without the calories from the drinks. Congratulations for taking steps to become healthier!

    Another thought if you truly have been drinking a lot for a regular time period...is go see a doctor right away, like today. And watch for shaking, sweating, nausea/vomiting, sweating, clamminess, anxiety, and increased heart rate for the next few days without alcohol. Some people that suddenly stop alcohol (usually those that drink many drinks regularly) will go into withdrawal/dts and have seizures. I am not trying to scare you, but rather encourage you to see a doctor and get some help to stop drinking in a manner that is safe for your body.

    Good luck!
  • serenity1097
    serenity1097 Posts: 135 Member
    Options
    You should not quit cold turkey if you are an everyday, heavy drinker. A family member of mine was advised by her physician to wean herself off over the course of a week to avoid withdrawals. It can be quite dangerous!! Good luck OP, you can do it if you want it bad enough ;)
  • Fayeworth
    Fayeworth Posts: 60 Member
    edited June 2015
    Options
    Moderation is the key. I like a drink on a Friday or Saturday and sometimes both. I never drink through the week and exercise twice as long on the days I do drink so that it fits into my calorie allowance for those days. You ultimately have to decide what it is you want out of all this and whether you have the willpower to stick to it...that can only come from you. If you have spirits with diet drink it'll cut the calories in half, I like a nice vodka, lime and soda for around 80 calories. If you stop drinking through the week, think of all the extra food you can eat instead! X
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
    Options
    OP at my heaviest I weighed 155 lbs - I used to have two chocolate coffee martinis afterwork every night. I would have more than two on Friday nights, which meant I was usually hungover Saturday and would then eat horribly that day. I finally got tired on being generally unhealthy and stopped having alcoholic beverages, which also stopped the unhealthy eating on Saturday. Without doing anything else out of the ordinary, I weighed 120 lbs within a month and a half. I feel great at this weight and feel so much healthier in general. I think if you stopped drinking you would notice a more dramatic weight loss than you are experiencing now as long as you don't compensate by over-eatting lol.
  • emonteroflores
    emonteroflores Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    All-

    Thank you all for your comments! I'd like to think that I am a heavy social drinker going down a hill that is not too far from alcoholism. During the week I will crave a beer or two with my dinner or when I drink on the weekends it is vodka soda with lime which isn't too bad but the everday one or two and the binge on the weekends is just not helping my balance in life and I am not happy with the way I look and feel. At this age, I need to remind myself of that balance and get back to making better choices for myself! p.s. the other posts about cold turkey are freaking me out! LOL
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    Options
    emonteroflores wrote: »
    All-

    Thank you all for your comments! I'd like to think that I am a heavy social drinker going down a hill that is not too far from alcoholism. During the week I will crave a beer or two with my dinner or when I drink on the weekends it is vodka soda with lime which isn't too bad but the everday one or two and the binge on the weekends is just not helping my balance in life and I am not happy with the way I look and feel. At this age, I need to remind myself of that balance and get back to making better choices for myself! p.s. the other posts about cold turkey are freaking me out! LOL

    Eh, I think you're OK until you start freaking out if your'e not drinking. So, if one night you have an engagement (like a funeral, late meeting, whatever) and you don't drink? How do you feel? Do you crave alcohol every step of the way, or do you drift off to sleep later and maybe think, Oh, hey, first night this week with no cocktail! Cool." If you crave it all night, that's an addiction. In my mind, if it's the latter, it's a bad habit.

    12 step absolutism (one drink? ONE DRUNK.) and the disease model of treating alcohol overuse are actually not very successful, statistically. If you feel like your consumption is more habit than addiction, check out some of the alternatives out there. All the reputable ones require a period of abstention before imbibing again, that period will tell you if you are needing a 12-step style abstinence program or a harm-reduction behavioral model. Go with what works for you.

    And, in the meantime, perhaps take up another evening hobby? It sounds like your post-work routine is to hit happy hours for fun and human connection. How about taking a class instead? A fun one...painting or pottery or tennis or belly dancing. Some casual enjoyment with other adults that has an associated activity that isn't drinking. That might be all you need.
  • MsBonfire
    MsBonfire Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    OP I drink a lot and I enjoy it. This may seem a lot to some people but I drink a bottle of wine everyday. This has been part of my lifestyle for 20 years. It has never been an issue and it has never affected me as a person. I'm Scottish my partner is Portuguese and drinking is part of our culture albeit in different ways. I'm 123 pounds and hoping to head back to 110 pounds. I'm an extremely active person and train very hard. The weight was not gained by wine it was gained by my sweet tooth. Everyone has different attitudes to alcohol but you need to work out what is right for you.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,906 Member
    Options
    serenity1097 wrote: »
    You should not quit cold turkey if you are an everyday, heavy drinker. A family member of mine was advised by her physician to wean herself off over the course of a week to avoid withdrawals. It can be quite dangerous!! Good luck OP, you can do it if you want it bad enough ;)

    When I quit drinking, I just swapped booze for M&M's and other simple carbs for a short time until I realized I was doing this ;)

Categories