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MyFitnessPal Community

Giving up Alcohol

RMSchmidt17

Anyone else giving up alcohol as part of their plan? I'd love some support. I have been cutting drastically back as that's my only source of extra calories, but man, do I miss that glass or two of wine at the end of the day when the kids have been crazy!

Replies

SchroederNJ

I'm trying to cut back (esp. on the beer) but not necessarily quit all the way ... I had a glass of wine last nite but I logged it

seansquared

Haven't had more than a sip of wine in the last 79 days as a tasting, spit it out when done.

So yes, and it's easy, just remove it from the house and stop buying it. Try another stress relief method for dealing with kids\work\family\etc. I suggest pushups!

BeLightYear

Nope, I just workout more to earn my after work beer

and I have lost 25 pounds so far this year.

RMSchmidt17

seansquared- lovely idea but my husband decidedly is not joining me in giving it up and we have (no joke) a 1,000 bottle wine cellar. But good point on avoiding having it around- I will lock it and have him keep the key. It's hard not to join him and it's hard socially when people invite you out for drinks. I will say that the fact that I'm running early every morning is a good deterrent. Much easier to run at 6am when you've slept well and are hydrated....

nknjansen

I feel so much better after giving it up.

I'm not entirely inflexible, but I wil only drink on very special occasions and if it has been preplanned.

For example, I went out for my friends milestone birthday ths weekend which included drinking and dancing. But the fact that I was so sluggish and awful feeling the day after even thought I didn't get "drunk" reafirmed that I made the right choice.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying a non alcoholic drink when out with friends :-)

serenity1097

This has been a huge hurdle for me...I've been trying to "cut back" but I'm beginning to think that I just need to cut it out completely. I've always been an all or nothing kinda girl, and that doesn't sit well with opening a bottle of wine & only having one glass

hbrittingham

I didn't give it up the first time I lost 40 lbs here on MFP. I did give it up on January 1st of this year. I will say that working out is so much easier when you actually are eating your calories rather than drinking them, at least for me. I figured that I was actually only eating about 900 calories a day when I was drinking. I much prefer eating those extra 400 calories! And I sleep better, too.

MickyMo

I am a rum and coke fan and I have not had any as part of my diet for 49 days. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I think it was more of a habit than anything. Now I'm to the point where I don't want the extra empty calories. I have tried cutting back in the past but I'm finding giving it up completely, at least until August when I go see Kid Rock, is the better route to go. It's kind of nice waking up with a clear head on the weekends!!

Lonestar5775

I never drank so did not have to give it up but I did completely cut out sweets which was my weakness. After reaching goal and maintaining for 6 months I gradually began adding some back in and now enjoy sweets again but with full control to keep me within my calorie allowance. I hope you are able to reach a similar place.

MickyMo

P.S. I am a single Mom right now and have 5 kids (15, 13, 13, 10, 10) so trust me when I say, I know what you mean about kids acting "crazy."

Soopatt

It is just not worth the calories so I hardly drink any more. I had one night of drinking in 4 months and I went completely overboard. It almost doubled my calories for the day and I struggled to get my eating on track the next day too as I felt terrible and wanted to eat everything greasy I could lay my hands on.

My strategy involves avoiding situations where others drink and where this is not possible, drinking sparkling water out of a wine glass so that people leave me alone

edack72

I gave up alcohol completely January 8th 2015 and not for weight reasons it was ruining my life and I won't bore you with those details but I dropped almost 30lbs like nothing and I can say I don't miss it at all

punkrockgoth

I don't particularly enjoy alcohol, but unfortunately it is a part of being social. I try to avoid it as much as I can by avoiding situations where alcohol is the activity. It's not as bad if I'm out at a dinner party or something where there are a few people not drinking and it's about the food and company vs going to a pub or bar where you're there to drink.

But it's still hard because choices in pub situations suck. So you could have a non alcoholic drink, like a soda or juice and still be drinking your calories while getting death glares from the bar staff, or you could triple your calories sharing nachos with your friends or some other form of high fat/sodium/processed pub food. Or you could be the person at the bar drinking water. Sitting there with your drunk friends one of whom will giggle and say "you're not drinking? Haha, you're pregnant?" every single time thinking they're clever and original.

I avoid the bar at all costs. But it wasn't really my favourite place to go before starting to lose weight.

arabianhorselover

edack72 wrote: »

I gave up alcohol completely January 8th 2015 and not for weight reasons it was ruining my life and I won't bore you with those details but I dropped almost 30lbs like nothing and I can say I don't miss it at all

Good for you.

biodigit

I actually had alcohol last night for the first time in close to a year - regret making that decision. Only had two beers and never wanna touch it again.

biodigit

Soopatt wrote: »

It is just not worth the calories so I hardly drink any more. I had one night of drinking in 4 months and I went completely overboard. It almost doubled my calories for the day and I struggled to get my eating on track the next day too as I felt terrible and wanted to eat everything greasy I could lay my hands on.

My strategy involves avoiding situations where others drink and where this is not possible, drinking sparkling water out of a wine glass so that people leave me alone

couldn't agree more. So many calories, and they're just going to waste - no nutrition benefits whatsoever. I had to sacrifice my protein (and some carbs) intake so I could make some room for it.

kcn2bluesky

Drinking wine is more of a habit for me than anything else. Hubby and I have already given up all alcohol during the week, and only have a few drinks on the weekend. I'm thinking of giving it up entirely for awhile though. I am only 6 pounds from my goal weight, I've been adding a lot of strength training to my workouts, and the wine is just extra calories that would be better used with actual food.

netster5000

I have been going for 2 nights of light drinking a week - it affords you some flexibility and makes you prioritize when you'd really like to enjoy a glass of wine or two, rather than including it with dinner all of the time. It's been a good rule of thumb for me and has helped me lose 10 lbs so far.

mericose

Glad you posted this today! I was just about to post something similar as I am hoping to meet others who are cutting back / quitting. Feel free to add me

gobonas99

punkrockgoth wrote: »

I don't particularly enjoy alcohol, but unfortunately it is a part of being social.

this is SO not true. I rarely drink....maybe 4-5 times a year, tops. However, I socialize with friends often.

It does somewhat come down to the types of people you're friends with - a lot of my friends are fellow triathletes, so we're much more likely to get together and go for a bike ride, or meet at the beach and swim, than to go out to a bar. I can count on one had the number of times I've been to a bar (as in a place that serves alcohol and isn't also a restaurant) in the past 5 years. And even those few times I've been to a bar, I just drink soda or water. I've never been given a "death glare" by anyone (granted, if my soda is $1.50, I usually tip $1.50, because that's about what my tip would have been if I were getting a $6-7 drink). I've also NEVER had anyone comment on my drink choice (but again, that goes back to the types of people you're friends with....

foofyq

Mee! Just started seriously cutting back. Currently I'm only drinking on the weekends. It's really hard! I love me some wine. I've been supplementing with straight Le Croix seltzer water. It's definitely not the same but it feels special because it's got bubbles

bostongrl13

I gave up drinking wine during the week but still give myself 1-2 drinks during the weekend if we are going out or have a special occasion. Luckily my boyfriend is not a big drinker either and we both have cut it down for fitness reasons so his support makes it easier. When I do drink I tend to drink stout beers and dry red wines that take me longer to drink and fill me up more. At first I thought I was going to miss my wine every night but now that I get up super early to workout, and I'm seeing myself get back into shape I don't miss it at all. It's all personal preference though...

whmscll

RMSchmidt17 wrote: »

Anyone else giving up alcohol as part of their plan? I'd love some support. I have been cutting drastically back as that's my only source of extra calories, but man, do I miss that glass or two of wine at the end of the day when the kids have been crazy!

Yes, I haven't had any alcohol for two months. I'd much rather eat my calories. Of course, I'm at 1200 a day plus exercise calories, so I don't have a lot of room. If I did, I would choose cake or cheese over alcohol, though.

anklebiter3

I haven't had any alcohol for just over three months

I had been drinking for the extra calories, but in the end it was harming me too much to be worth it. It's not nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be, but I do miss the occasional drink. You can do it!

catherine1187

I'm in the same boat... I love wine and beer and the social aspect, especially during the summer! I am planning on cutting back drastically because I know it will make a huge difference. Sooo I'm going to aim for moderation and definitely only weekends/special occasions!

gkclanin

Me...I poured out all the alcohol in the house this morning. Drinking=making bad food choices for me so I decided to cut out the drinking.

elboriquany

3 months ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hyper tension........as part of my change I've cut out all alcohol and I don't miss it one bit.........I've lost 26 pounds and have my diabetes under control.........you can do it

RMSchmidt17

gkclanin wrote: »

Me...I poured out all the alcohol in the house this morning. Drinking=making bad food choices for me so I decided to cut out the drinking.

Ditto. It's not just the extra 2-300 calories from having wine, it's the chips or cereal I have afterwards because my willpower dissolves. It's the fact that I can't push myself to run as far the next morning because I never sleep as well. The calories and the spillover consequences are not worth it!

Clo747

I've reserved my wine for special occasions...even if that occasion is just a day I've decided I'd really like to fit in a glass or two! I try and keep at least 4 weeks between the last time, too. Its not something I'm prepared to totally give up because I really enjoy it and feel I can manage to do so responsibly. But I don't keep cheese in the house because I'm not strong enough to resist, so I appreciate when people need to go teetotal!

horseswinelife

Funny - I just decided this morning to have a Dry July (or at least the rest of it). Im curious to see how I feel and sleep. Maybe make it permanent? Who knows