Alcohol

cottrellcottrell

So, I have a bit of a tricky question. I am a long time yo-yo dieter, with a history of jumping on one unsustainable eating pattern, falling off, and then jumping onto another. Rinse, repeat. Classic. Over the last few months, I have been making some slower food changes such as finding healthy substitutes for foods I love, increasing vegetables to prevent hunger, and increasing protein, which is usually my lacking macronutrient. Now that my post-grad life is settling into a more predictable routine, it is going fairly well.

The one major problem I still have is alcohol. As someone who works in the restaurant industry and is transitioning into more bartending, I basically can't cut it out completely. It's part of my job. I have to try new drinks, grow my repertoire at home, and continue tasting to expand my palette. This isn't a beer-binge-drinking habit, which is a different issue - it's professional. And I have no idea what to do. I've always thought alcohol and weight loss are inherently incompatible based on metabolism, especially with a female body, but I've seen some dieting books (like the Wall Street Diet) that still allow a drink (sometimes even one per day) with weight loss success. I'm not sure how to achieve this. I can cut beer and mostly wine (other than a tasting sip here or there), but cocktails just aren't going to happen. Plus, I love it, so cutting it out would be just as unsustainable as ever!

As far as exercise, I am basically a complete novice to exercising for weight loss, even though I have done things like muay thai, boxing, and yoga during periods of my life. I spend most of my life on my feet, so if I'm going to add any exercise, I would love it to be lower impact (i.e. preferably not running.) Does anyone have any recommendations for how to fight the metabolism-slowing effect of alcohol? I can count its calories pretty well, since I know what goes in different drinks, but I would love some help fighting the deeper effects.

DeguelloTex

Make enough caloric room in your goals to still meet them while drinking the alcohol or find another job.

Brisk walking, ellipticals, etc. are lower impact.

janejellyroll

I drank virtually every night while I was losing weight (around 35 pounds) and am now drinking while maintaining. The most important thing is to accurately track your intake and include it in your daily calories. Did it slow my metabolism? Not that I can tell.

This is what worked for me: I would pre-log my meals for the day, including the drink(s) that I planned to have in the evening. This way I wouldn't find myself wanting a drink at night and not having enough left to account for it -- I had already planned all three meals to see if I had calories available for a drink in the evening. I would measure out my drinks (including any mixers) every single time, no matter what (I have "greedy eyes" and am terrible at estimating anything). And when I hit my limit, that was it. My husband is a bartender and he has a knack for making up delicious and amazing drinks. He would sometimes make one after I had my drink or two and offer to make me one. I'd tell him to write down the recipe so I could have it some other night. If you can cut yourself off and make it stick, you don't have to cut the drinks. Some people struggle with that (like I struggle with having just a couple french fries) and it might be harder for them to drink while losing weight.

If you develop any lower calorie cocktails, please consider passing them on! As a cocktail lover, I'm always looking for new stuff, especially those that won't eat up a ton of calories.

calihoya

I'm a big craft beer lover and I manage to fit it into my calories all the time. I just exercise to try and mitigate some of the guessing that goes into the calories of beer etc. I love imperial stouts, and those are high alcohol and high calorie, and when I am good with my logging and give myself a bit of room for error I do just fine. I do elliptical and such to avoid high impact as my knees aren't so great yet (trying to get my legs stronger to support them!).

aledba

I'm playing devil's advocate and in no way am I suggesting you have a problem. I have known recovering alcoholics who work as restaurant managers and gourmet cocktail makers and they do splendidly. They never touch a drop. In your case, a few sips here and there probably isn't going to happen as often as you think. But think about reserving a few hundred calories on days you have to drink for work.

Kalikel

You could taste the stuff and spit it out. People do that all the time.

If you don't want to drink it, there is no law that says you must. But if you love it and don't wish to cut it out, drink it and cut back on food.

mbaker566

aledba wrote: »

I'm playing devil's advocate and in no way am I suggesting you have a problem. I have known recovering alcoholics who work as restaurant managers and gourmet cocktail makers and they do splendidly. They never touch a drop. In your case, a few sips here and there probably isn't going to happen as often as you think. But think about reserving a few hundred calories on days you have to drink for work.

I was about to say just this.

CSARdiver

My diary is open - feel free to check it. I incorporate a tasty alcoholic beverage nearly every day. Just budget enough calories for it and you'll be fine. Like @calihoya I'm a huge craft beer fan and stout lover, also a home brewer so I have to budget enough calories to ensure the quality of my own craft.

laur357

I've read a few articles about food critics, bloggers, and chefs and how they manage their weight. They might give you some ideas since the basic issue is the same - not science or my opinion any means, just techniques they use for themselves. They have to eat it to write about or talk about the food.

Disclaimer, some contain strong language in case you're not cool with that . . .

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/12/15/how-top-chefs-stay-thin.html
http://www.newsweek.com/food-critics-how-fight-weight-gain-when-eating-your-job-91039
http://www.livestrong.com/article/1011110-eating-job-staying-shape-isnt-easy/
http://www.foodrepublic.com/2015/02/18/how-do-restaurant-critics-avoid-getting-fat/

cottrellcottrell

Thanks, all. Super helpful advice. I get freaked out when I hear things about your metabolism dropping dramatically the day after a drink, but it's great to hear that you just stuck to your calories and were able to lose the weight. I certainly don't drink all the time (I'm known around the restaurant as one of the minimal drinkers), but I am trying to make more sustainable changes and don't want to deny my cocktail enjoyment.

I also love the idea of pre-logging the meals to know exactly what I have allowed - thanks for that!

cottrellcottrell

laur357 wrote: »

I've read a few articles about food critics, bloggers, and chefs and how they manage their weight. They might give you some ideas since the basic issue is the same - not science or my opinion any means, just techniques they use for themselves. They have to eat it to write about or talk about the food.

Disclaimer, some contain strong language in case you're not cool with that . . .

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/12/15/how-top-chefs-stay-thin.html
http://www.newsweek.com/food-critics-how-fight-weight-gain-when-eating-your-job-91039
http://www.livestrong.com/article/1011110-eating-job-staying-shape-isnt-easy/
http://www.foodrepublic.com/2015/02/18/how-do-restaurant-critics-avoid-getting-fat/

Love these!

loumrn

I recently moved back in with my parents and as a large social family we are big drinkers. One of the main reasons that I started logging is because I have put on all my weight since moving home. Mummy's massive portion sizes and the booze doesn't help. I was shocked to discover that some days/nights (even several in a week) I was managing to drink up to 1600 calories. That on top of my regular eating has caused havoc on my 4 11 stature. I have made the decision to completely cut it out. Whether that's a long term thing or if I do it for set time period remains to be seen. I'd like it to be the former. I also love wine and beer but I love skinny me more. For me I miss the ''having a treat'' aspect of it, so I am allowing myself a fancy soft drink of a night. I am looking forward to seeing the effect it has on my body. As I was certainly very surprised and uneducated when it came to how calorific booze is.

brandyosu

I generally have a glass of wine 3 - 4 nights a week. I just make sure I have enough room in my calories for it.

ahoy_m8

Don't worry about metabolism effects. Just count the calories. Cheers!