Alcohol Tips?

JoeCWV

Drink whisky. Drink is straight or on the rocks. This should substantially lower your calorie consumption. I like craft beers. I can drink ONE good craft beer or several drams of whiskey. I chose which based on mood.

CSARdiver

jadorade91 wrote: »

I've been told by a few people that it is "basically impossible" to lose weight if you drink alcohol, because it slows down your metabolism so drastically. Do you guys agree with that?

No - and would categorize this under "bro-science". It has almost no detectable impact on your metabolism.

CSARdiver

CorneliusPhoton wrote: »

It's hard to not drink when all your friends are drinking. It is a social habit. But you can set limits if you are serious about wanting to cut down. Try alternating between an alcoholic drink and a glass of ice water.

I stopped drinking completely. The hardest part was being with other people who are drinking. It took a long time to learn how to be social without having that crutch. Good luck

When I'm in a situation like this I order club soda and lime.

jadorade91

maxit wrote: »

jadorade91 wrote: »

Good morning everyone!

So I have a habit of drinking an excessive amount once a week or once every other week. Usually around 1000 calories worth but sometimes more. I'm wanting to make this a much less frequent occurrence in my life. Have any of you had this habit or still do? If so, could you give me some tips on how to improve upon this? I've definitely gotten better about the frequency but I'd like to get even better.

You say you have "gotten better about the frequency." What did you do different from your previous behavior in order to have less frequent binges? What have you noticed about how you feel? Those times where you have drunk to excess on fewer occasions, what were you doing instead? Getting curious about these things can lead you to some strategies that may work for you!

I used to just drink straight from the bottle, and now I'm building the habit of making mixed drinks--even with wine. I just mix either vodka or wine with flavored sparkling water, and it's delicious. By doing this, I'm not getting intoxicated so quickly, meaning I'm not making such impulsive decisions to drink more or eat badly with it.

With how I feel--I feel SO much better about it. At the time I feel better because I'm happily buzzed but know I'm not being excessive, and I feel better the next day because I don't feel bogged down from it!

Thanks for the questions. Good to reflect on this!

jadorade91

I used to drink a bottle of wine every night, pretty consistently for about a year (living with 7 other people does that to you), and I gained 10 pounds.
The year after that, I didn't drink every night, but I did binge drink (beer, wine, liquor, all of it) at parties and bars about 3-4 nights a week. I gained another 10 pounds.
This past year, I switched to only vodka. Although I'd still binge a few times a week, I maintained my weight the entire year.
In the past month or two, I've binged a few times, but not near as much as in the past. I don't drink every night, and if I do, it's just a few drinks rather than an entire bottle of anything. Typing this all out kinda helped me see the improvement I've made from where I was a couple years ago...

Unknown

This content has been removed.

z4oslo

I dont think food should be your main concern. Your drinking habits should be your main concern.

And for the rest of you guys in here, suggesting its ok to "save up calories to be able to drink alchohol" You should really start to think twice before posting, because its a terrible, terrible advice.

dreamsignals

This conversation is going back and forth between drinking less for fewer calories and drinking less as a lifestyle choice. Obviously both are super valid, but perhaps figuring out where your immediate priorities lie may help you figure out next steps.

cwolfman13

jadorade91 wrote: »

I've been told by a few people that it is "basically impossible" to lose weight if you drink alcohol, because it slows down your metabolism so drastically. Do you guys agree with that?

I don't agree...I lost 40 Lbs about four years ago and didn't give up alcohol.

jadorade91

Well clearly from posting this topic, my drinking habits ARE my main concern lol. And I've stated that I'm improving on them and just wanted some advice for further improvement.

jadorade91

dreamsignals wrote: »

This conversation is going back and forth between drinking less for fewer calories and drinking less as a lifestyle choice. Obviously both are super valid, but perhaps figuring out where your immediate priorities lie may help you figure out next steps.

Can't it be drinking less for both reasons?

adgarry2014

akmomof7 wrote: »

No, you just need to work it into your day. I frequently(2-3 times a week ) finish off my day with a Capt. Morgan and diet coke. I'm still losing just fine and only about 10 pounds from goal.

I love Captain Morgan and Diet Coke. Trying to get off the last 8lbs so I have stayed away from my 2-3 x a week CM&DC. Not sure if it has made a difference or not since, well, I have been having at least one alcoholic beverage on Saturday lunch or during a football game. I count it as my treat for the week since thankfully enough, I don't care much for sweets. I do at least try to make it a lower in calorie alcohol drink.

luv2shimmy

dreamsignals wrote: »

Note that I wrote "micronutrients." For example, there is evidence that heavy drinking is linked to low uptake of vitamin B and D (though D could be also because of the more nocturnal habits). I'm not sure it has any impact on macronutrient metabolization.

This is correlation, not causation. Generally speaking, people who drink heavily are not eating appropriately (at least, from what I've seen in the patients I've cared for), which would also explain their lack of vitamins B and D (as well as many other micronutrients).

dreamsignals

jadorade91 wrote: »

dreamsignals wrote: »

This conversation is going back and forth between drinking less for fewer calories and drinking less as a lifestyle choice. Obviously both are super valid, but perhaps figuring out where your immediate priorities lie may help you figure out next steps.

Can't it be drinking less for both reasons?

That is indeed what I think - both are super valid - but the immediate course of action could vary depending on priorities.

Are you more interested in making more room in your calorie count to maintain your drinking? Does that mean you'll try to exercise more or eat less? Or maybe you prefer reducing the drinking to eat more and exercise less? Or, as perhaps more of a lifestyle change, you can exercise more, eat more and drink less?

This is what I mean by immediate priorities and course of action - the balancing act that will help you achieve whatever you're looking to achieve.

dreamsignals

t_tullius wrote: »

dreamsignals wrote: »

Note that I wrote "micronutrients." For example, there is evidence that heavy drinking is linked to low uptake of vitamin B and D (though D could be also because of the more nocturnal habits). I'm not sure it has any impact on macronutrient metabolization.

This is correlation, not causation. Generally speaking, people who drink heavily are not eating appropriately (at least, from what I've seen in the patients I've cared for), which would also explain their lack of vitamins B and D (as well as many other micronutrients).

Yep, correlation.

jadorade91

dreamsignals wrote: »

jadorade91 wrote: »

dreamsignals wrote: »

This conversation is going back and forth between drinking less for fewer calories and drinking less as a lifestyle choice. Obviously both are super valid, but perhaps figuring out where your immediate priorities lie may help you figure out next steps.

Can't it be drinking less for both reasons?

That is indeed what I think - both are super valid - but the immediate course of action could vary depending on priorities.

Are you more interested in making more room in your calorie count to maintain your drinking? Does that mean you'll try to exercise more or eat less? Or maybe you prefer reducing the drinking to eat more and exercise less? Or, as perhaps more of a lifestyle change, you can exercise more, eat more and drink less?

This is what I mean by immediate priorities and course of action - the balancing act that will help you achieve whatever you're looking to achieve.

I see what you're asking now! In that case, my priority is the lifestyle change. The side effect of weight loss is just an added benefit that I'm also working towards. This week I have been exercising more, eating more (within my limit) and drinking less. But if I am having the type of day where I feel like "Yup, I'm gonna wanna drink later," then I plan on either working out a bit longer/more intensely, or skipping a snack or two. But I do not want to starve myself of food & nutrients just for the sake of drinking.