Alcohol balance gone wrong
NutMoosh
Posts: 3 Member
I've been on a good streak for a few weeks since I started limiting my calorie intake and increasing protein. I've now lost a third of the weight to my goal, so feeling good that clothes are less uncomfortable and a little excited that I'm making progress. Usually I count alcohol in with snacks, and it puts me way over my target, mostly at weekends.
Now after a stressful week, I've started barely eating, saving the calories so I can have a few drinks and on weeknights too.
I'm still losing weight, slower now but I feel awful all the time, I know I'm letting stress get to me and going the wrong way.
Can anyone offer any tips? I know I'm going to crash and burn real soon but seem unable to stop it.
T x
[thread relocated by MFP support]
Now after a stressful week, I've started barely eating, saving the calories so I can have a few drinks and on weeknights too.
I'm still losing weight, slower now but I feel awful all the time, I know I'm letting stress get to me and going the wrong way.
Can anyone offer any tips? I know I'm going to crash and burn real soon but seem unable to stop it.
T x
[thread relocated by MFP support]
3
Replies
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Is drinking more than you want to a pre-existing problem that is now being made worse by the fact that you're now limiting food to still meet your calorie goal? Or is the alcohol now serving a purpose in your life that it didn't before.
Any time someone says they feel "unable to stop" drinking, it's concerning. I don't have any new or amazingly innovative tips. You've probably thought of stuff like "find a better way to deal with stress" and that didn't do it, which is why you're here asking for help. I hope things get better and I'm wishing you well.5 -
Thank you.. it has been a problem in the past but the proportion is much higher now I have stopped eating so much so It's just magnified it.
At the start of the diet I was able to stop after one but not now. The solution would be to quit alcohol altogether as I'm managing it so badly but i worry this is extreme and potentially craving inducing.
I think I had been using food and alcohol to numb a great deal and now I'm at a bit of a loss now the initial big weight loss buzz has slowed1 -
Thank you.. it has been a problem in the past but the proportion is much higher now I have stopped eating so much so It's just magnified it.
At the start of the diet I was able to stop after one but not now. The solution would be to quit alcohol altogether as I'm managing it so badly but i worry this is extreme and potentially craving inducing.
I think I had been using food and alcohol to numb a great deal and now I'm at a bit of a loss now the initial big weight loss buzz has slowed
The bolded is very likely going to happen but that will be part of your recovery, a tough part. If you cannot keep yourself from giving in you may need to seek help.
I tend to think that if your instinct is quitting is your solution that is what is correct for you.
Adopt a proactive mindset. Do not think of yourself as a person who is trying to stop drinking. Think of yourself as a person who doesn't drink.7 -
Thank you, that is great advice0
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After reading your post I think that with your weight loss, you're seeing a shift in your equilibrium. That is frightening but also an opportunity to stop drinking. It's time. I never drank much, but when I was pregnant with my first, I just didn't have any, and once he was born, I didn't want any. I hope it works for you. You're making great progress.0
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If it helps, OP, it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing decision. Maybe eventually you will make that choice, but you don't have to now. For example, many successful long time maintainers have a maintenance range vs. a discrete weight. Once they exceed their range, they go to deficit eating to get back in range, and many of those cut out alcohol only when deficit eating. That's one model for handling it. Since you identify consuming food/drink to numb as a past problem, it merits adjusting your thought patterns and behavior, and it totally makes sense that cutting calories would be a logical jumping off point for that work.
I've done some work on this, too. Here are a couple resources that helped me identify/modify my thought patterns and resulting choices.
- CBT for numbing with food: https://www.amazon.com/Beck-Diet-Solution-Train-Person/dp/0848732758
- alcohol: https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/the-alcohol-experiment-registration
I have been a slow work in progress, but I have always found the work to be worthwhile. Wishing you the best!
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Not sure how much weight you had to lose, but losing 1/3 of it in a few weeks seems extreme unless you had very little to lose.
It sounds like you might need professional help with the alcohol and not help from people on MFP.0 -
Totally relate to the OP, they say that 14 days of doing the same thing becomes a habit, after the weekend focus that from Monday for 14 days to change your eating/drinking habits. No alcohol and nutritious food. Hopefully you will kick the craving into touch. Best of luck 🤗0
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