Letting go of booze!
themonstermash
Posts: 71 Member
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?
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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.0
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Yes! Even without the binges, I'm packing on the calories because its BEER that i love lol0
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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).0
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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/p10 -
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!0
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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.0
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If any one is really serious about quitting, or has issues with alcohol, there is always www.soberrecovery.com/forums/0
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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!0
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I think this is why I started losing weight. I love my wine.0
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I cant give up my Vodka for anything. over 1500 calories a day going to my fix.0
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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.0 -
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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.0 -
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! Lol0 -
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.0 -
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.
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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
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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.0 -
I'd like to join though I am late finding this thread.0
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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.0 -
themonstermash wrote: »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?
I did that. Other than a glass of wine at family holiday dinners like Thanksgiving and Christmas, I stayed away from alcohol for about a year (and lost 80 lb). Recently I started adding it back in and I found out 2 things: 1) I can have one glass of wine or 1 beer and really enjoy it when I do and 2) I no longer need it to feel social. If I don't make some big announcement that I am only having NA drinks tonight, nobody cares. I just order what I want and leave it at that.
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Hi I am hoping that cutting back on alcohol is going to be the answer to me losing weight. I've tried dieting but I already have quite a healthy diet so wasn't having much success. So I'm blaming the booze. I used to drink at least half a bottle of wine a day and lots more when partying. So now I don't drink at all at home but I don't want to be a party pooper so I do have a small drink when I'm out with friends.
I've been doing this for about a month but have been to a few parties so...... I don't know how much I've lost because I hate weighing myself but I feel better. I would really welcome some support from other people who are cutting back. I have not been on MFP for over a year so have lost most of my friends.0 -
I'm a homemaker and I have no friends here, so I am home all day with just my dogs. I was drinking pretty much every single day. Margaritas and Moscow Mules every day will definitely hinder my weight loss goals, so I stopped once I started my weight loss journey a month ago. I'll definitely have a drink or two on my bday (7/25), but my goal is no alcohol until I go on vacation in November.0
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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.
I've actually never considered a non-alcoholic beer! I think I'll play around with a few different deliciius and low cal beverages so thatbI have SOMETHING to replace it with. Because yes, opening up a delicious cold one after getting home from whatever hectic activity may be a bit of a habitual & ritualistic thing.
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sheldonklein 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.
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.
I actually never drink Guinness becaude they use fish bladders in their beer making process lol! But to be honest I'm usually out, will order a fantastic sounding beer only to log it afterwards and see a good 250 for a pint. And like i mentioned earlier, one becomes four EASY and then I'm like yes, fries sound awesome. Should I pre-log? Probably...but i think for now it's better to just cut it out so I'm less dependent in general.
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Imogensmom wrote: »I'd like to join though I am late finding this thread.
Join! Today is only my second day not drinking!0 -
themonstermash wrote: »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?
I did that. Other than a glass of wine at family holiday dinners like Thanksgiving and Christmas, I stayed away from alcohol for about a year (and lost 80 lb). Recently I started adding it back in and I found out 2 things: 1) I can have one glass of wine or 1 beer and really enjoy it when I do and 2) I no longer need it to feel social. If I don't make some big announcement that I am only having NA drinks tonight, nobody cares. I just order what I want and leave it at that.
I am hoping to reintroduce it later & to have similar results as yourself. Although i only have 10 lbs. to lose I have definitely been struggling with these same 10 for a good while (i suspect due to frequent alcohol and food binges!)0 -
Hi I am hoping that cutting back on alcohol is going to be the answer to me losing weight. I've tried dieting but I already have quite a healthy diet so wasn't having much success. So I'm blaming the booze. I used to drink at least half a bottle of wine a day and lots more when partying. So now I don't drink at all at home but I don't want to be a party pooper so I do have a small drink when I'm out with friends.
I've been doing this for about a month but have been to a few parties so...... I don't know how much I've lost because I hate weighing myself but I feel better. I would really welcome some support from other people who are cutting back. I have not been on MFP for over a year so have lost most of my friends.
I don't mean to be rude, but are you accurately counting calories through weighing foods and tracking exercise? Having a healthy diet is wonderful and I applaud you for that, but eating healthy foods does not necessarily mean you will lose weight. You can eat over or at maintenance calories while eating healthy foods.0 -
I'm a homemaker and I have no friends here, so I am home all day with just my dogs. I was drinking pretty much every single day. Margaritas and Moscow Mules every day will definitely hinder my weight loss goals, so I stopped once I started my weight loss journey a month ago. I'll definitely have a drink or two on my bday (7/25), but my goal is no alcohol until I go on vacation in November.
Its tough once you get into the habit of daily drinking. Especially when I'm alone im tempted to buy a bottle of wine and watch movies!0 -
I was a heavy drinker (wine) until recently when I got very serious about my weight loss. I can easily polish off a bottle or bottle and a half of wine by myself and of course overeat because of it. I have given it up entirely since I started in early June. My husband and I had sparkling wine at our anniversary dinner at the end of June and I had bloated so much the next day that I vowed not to do it again. My goal is to enjoy red wine sparingly but once I have lost the weight. I am a wine club member and would go up to Napa usually every month for pick up parties and indulging. I have suspended by account for the time being.
I have done it for health reasons too, as I come from a family of alcoholics, diabetics, heart disease, and people with various health issues. I love wine (and the culture that goes with it) but it's just not worth it to me anymore. I admire the people who can just have one drink and be done with it. 0
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