Letting go of booze!

themonstermash

Lovely alcohol. The social lubricant. The anxiety reducer. The crisp drink on a hot summer afternoon. THE SABATEUR TO MY WEIGHT LOSS! Alcohol makes me binge. I don't mean it makes me care less. I mean full on binge. And my "I'll have one beer" turns into 4. So....I am embarkimg on a path to clear alcohol from my diet. Maybe not forever, but hey, maybe forever. At least July. Anyone else experience similar issues/care to join?

Elle_Bronwyn15

I have social anxiety and I am very awkward so between the ages of like 22-24 I was a big social drinker. In a little over 4 months I gained like 60 lbs from alcohol alone...yikes! I have always ate a healthy diet and went to the gym, so alcohol was a major issue for me. It also doesn't help that I'm a heavyweight when it comes to drinking, it takes a good 5-6 drinks before I feel even the slightest buzz. Good for you on quitting, I am sober myself and feel much more "lighter" because of it. It has also forced me out of my shell naturally without relying on that liquid fire.

themonstermash

Yes! Even without the binges, I'm packing on the calories because its BEER that i love lol

Mrs_Goatess

Booze makes me need to snack, also! Mine of choice is cider, and grown-up apple juice is NOT low cal. I feel that pain. Now I tend to treat it kind of like a dessert; if I can afford the calories at the end of the day, yeah. My go to if I want more than one has to be opting for harder stuff mixed with no-calorie mixers (like vodka with lemonade/iced tea).

Somebody_Loved

There was a thread started a while ago about going dry for July - here it is if you're interested.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10185180/dry-july/p1

tottie3912

So funny, I started 6 days ago and was thinking of posting the same! Cleaned up my diet food wise over the past two years, but could not shake the binge. Beer is my go to choice, but I can throw down whatever! And I am not talking about social drinking. It became a daily thing at home. Yes it's wrecked my figure, but what made me drop it was due to health issues rearing their ugly head. I'm In!

Cortneyrenee04

It's a game changer... I have a bottle of wine one day a month and try to keep it at bay the rest of the time.

tdecel

If any one is really serious about quitting, or has issues with alcohol, there is always www.soberrecovery.com/forums/

kmb4479

I can relate! I love the hard apple ciders too. They go straight to by stomach so I have gained a full on lady beer belly since college. Drinking doesnt make me snack or eat more, but it's the drinking wasted calories that has been so bad for me. Let's post our celebratory moments when we resist a drink!

sstout02

I think this is why I started losing weight. I love my wine.

Altrez74

I cant give up my Vodka for anything. over 1500 calories a day going to my fix.

longtimeterp

surprisingly i was on the verge of giving up alcohol as i thought it was the cause, but nope, just reigned in my food and lost weight this last month still drinking. and i mean still drinking like 15-20 beers 3-5 nights a week drinking.

As long as i don't eat crap when i'm drunk, and i plan on the calories, i'm good. and i also feel it helps to limit carbs on beer days. but that could just be me.

themonstermash

tdecel wrote: »

If any one is really serious about quitting, or has issues with alcohol, there is always www.soberrecovery.com/forums/

Thanks for that!!

themonstermash

tottie3912 wrote: »

So funny, I started 6 days ago and was thinking of posting the same! Cleaned up my diet food wise over the past two years, but could not shake the binge. Beer is my go to choice, but I can throw down whatever! And I am not talking about social drinking. It became a daily thing at home. Yes it's wrecked my figure, but what made me drop it was due to health issues rearing their ugly head. I'm In!

Yeah, i also used to drink home alone. I tried to cut it to only drinking while im out, but that usually leads me to buying more on the way home and chugging and eating.

themonstermash

kmb4479 wrote: »

I can relate! I love the hard apple ciders too. They go straight to by stomach so I have gained a full on lady beer belly since college. Drinking doesnt make me snack or eat more, but it's the drinking wasted calories that has been so bad for me. Let's post our celebratory moments when we resist a drink!

Great way to put a positive spin on it! As long as we're not rewarding with: booze! Lol

themonstermash

longtimeterp wrote: »

surprisingly i was on the verge of giving up alcohol as i thought it was the cause, but nope, just reigned in my food and lost weight this last month still drinking. and i mean still drinking like 15-20 beers 3-5 nights a week drinking.

As long as i don't eat crap when i'm drunk, and i plan on the calories, i'm good. and i also feel it helps to limit carbs on beer days. but that could just be me.

Wow what kind of low cal beer are you drinking? My problem is i love a good stout. Not low cal...not at all.

longtimeterp

themonstermash wrote: »

longtimeterp wrote: »

surprisingly i was on the verge of giving up alcohol as i thought it was the cause, but nope, just reigned in my food and lost weight this last month still drinking. and i mean still drinking like 15-20 beers 3-5 nights a week drinking.

As long as i don't eat crap when i'm drunk, and i plan on the calories, i'm good. and i also feel it helps to limit carbs on beer days. but that could just be me.

Wow what kind of low cal beer are you drinking? My problem is i love a good stout. Not low cal...not at all.

themonstermash

longtimeterp wrote: »

themonstermash wrote: »

longtimeterp wrote: »

surprisingly i was on the verge of giving up alcohol as i thought it was the cause, but nope, just reigned in my food and lost weight this last month still drinking. and i mean still drinking like 15-20 beers 3-5 nights a week drinking.

As long as i don't eat crap when i'm drunk, and i plan on the calories, i'm good. and i also feel it helps to limit carbs on beer days. but that could just be me.

Wow what kind of low cal beer are you drinking? My problem is i love a good stout. Not low cal...not at all.

Beer water! :P
Whatever gets the job done right lol

edwardetr

As far as one beer leading to four, that is a problem for me, too. I've found a non-alcoholic (<.5%) beer that I actually like. It's called Clausthaler. It's the only NA beer I've ever enjoyed. When I get home from the gym, I crack open an ice cold one and it satisfies the craving. Without the alcohol, I'm much less likely to have another.

Also, alcohol does not get converted to fat. It is metabolized to acetate. It does, however, get preferential treatment, so other calories consumed with alcohol will more likely be stored as fat. Those carbs in your beer take a back seat to the ethanol. Do a shot of the hard stuff on an empty stomach, instead.

Imogensmom

I'd like to join though I am late finding this thread.

sheldonklein

themonstermash wrote: »

longtimeterp wrote: »

surprisingly i was on the verge of giving up alcohol as i thought it was the cause, but nope, just reigned in my food and lost weight this last month still drinking. and i mean still drinking like 15-20 beers 3-5 nights a week drinking.

As long as i don't eat crap when i'm drunk, and i plan on the calories, i'm good. and i also feel it helps to limit carbs on beer days. but that could just be me.

Wow what kind of low cal beer are you drinking? My problem is i love a good stout. Not low cal...not at all.

I don't know what stouts you drink, but a Guinness is about as low calorie as real beer gets. Beer calories are 99%a function of ABV, and a regular stout is very low alcohol. If you're talking about an 11% double imperial, on the other hand, have one for me.