Can't give up alcohol - started replacing meals with beer...

123468

Replies

  • livemusik
    livemusik Posts: 1
    Hi OP, can I just ask which country you're from? I think having a couple of pints a night is pretty standard in the UK personally.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member

    or this!

    20131110_114852.jpg

    This is one of the worst beers I've ever had.
  • blb85
    blb85 Posts: 187 Member
    I totally get it girl! My boyfriend is usually the one pressuring me to drink with him on the daily basis... I do love to drink with him to just unwind after the day, so I get it! I have tried to make sacrifices though to try and be better overall with the drinking and calorie intake. I've learned that unfortunately drinking makes me usually make poor eating decisions that day and the next... So I've done my best to try and eliminate as much as possible during the weekdays. However, here is some advice that I've picked-up along the way:

    - light beers (while disgusting, because they are watered down): Bud 55 (55 calories), Miller 64, plus a lot of 95 calorie beers to choose from (Michelob Ultra, Amstel Light, Miller Lite, Corona Light)

    -wine (it gets you drunker but don't need as much as you would beer); or wine spritzers (especially good with white or rose wines; just mix wine and 0 cal club soda)

    -vodka or other liquors mixed with 0 cal drinks (a friend of mine would drink vodka with crystal lite while dieting)

    It's all about doing your research to try and find the best alcohol with the least amount of calories

    http://getdrunknotfat.com/
  • CrusherKun
    CrusherKun Posts: 353 Member
    OP - how old is your pic...you look malnourished. Just concerned. Not trying to flame you.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Hi OP, can I just ask which country you're from? I think having a couple of pints a night is pretty standard in the UK personally.
    It isn't about how MUCH she drinks. It's about the "I can't imagine not having it" and "I replace dinner with beer" and "if I didn't drink, I'd eat a pint of ice cream."

    I could go on. There are plenty more.
  • jeffd247
    jeffd247 Posts: 319 Member
    Ok I've had the best idea... I can have a beer with a vodka added... beer taste... more alcohol!


    Finally a post with some reason in it.

    If your're drinking for the "alcohol" stop wasting time trying to find good beer and just learn to like clear alcohol. After all you can mix it with lots of zero calorie things (like soda).

    I ~love~ beer. I love it. I'm fat because I have consumed a ton of it. I want to lose weight so now I don't drink beer very often. Sometimes when I'm stressed or bored and I just want to get my drink on, I make a gin Martini... and by martini I mean a glass of gin with an olive in it.
  • Will_Run_for_Food
    Will_Run_for_Food Posts: 561 Member
    On days I know I am going to imbibe a little, I work out more. 2 drinks for every 5K!
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    dang! this is making me want a drink now and its not even 2pm!!(central time)....time to run out and get me some zero calorie margarita mix to add to my patron!!!

    Hey - it's always 5 o'clock somewhere. :drinker:

    Time of day doesn't matter!
  • sheltrk
    sheltrk Posts: 111 Member
    I like to have a nice beer most evenings. Most of the beers I tend to enjoy range from ~150 calories to ~250 or so. When I need to work it in to hit my calorie goal, I "pay" for my beer by taking an hour long leisurely walk. Or a 20 minute jog or similar if I'm in a hurry. It's really not a big deal. Exercise is good, and beer is good. It's a win-win!
  • Ok, thanks for the replies

    To be honest beer fills me up pretty well so it's a pretty good substitute for dinner hunger wise.. anyway I am usually highly active - at work I am on my feet all day and on days off I am walking my dog and doing housework... but I have cheat days a few times a week where I go out to bars/clubs/parties and usually eat pretty badly on those days too. That's why my calorie goal is 1250 - to make up for cheat days.

    Anyway, I think I'll start drinking spirits then.. or maybe wine?

    Ok that makes more sense for the reason why you are eating so low. What I would do is consider aiming more for a weekly goal rather than a daily goal when it comes to the calories you gain from physical exercise. For example, if you gain 500 calories from running today, make that 500 calories usually any time during the week and not just on the day you worked it.

    Weight watchers is a great program and is also a calorie counting program like fitness pal. What WW does that is smart is it requires you to eat a certain amount per day, but allows you to exercise and save extra calories for parts of the week. In other wards, you can have a bad day once in a while if you save up calories for it.


    I agree - weight watchers is nice because it is based off of a weekly goal rather than a daily goal. MFP is great, but for those of us (I'm like you - i'm really great one day and then if i decide to go to the bar - holy hell) who don't have a very set schedule from day to day, it is nice to have a program that allows for spontaneity. I've done it before and would recommend it!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Ok, thanks for the replies

    To be honest beer fills me up pretty well so it's a pretty good substitute for dinner hunger wise.. anyway I am usually highly active - at work I am on my feet all day and on days off I am walking my dog and doing housework... but I have cheat days a few times a week where I go out to bars/clubs/parties and usually eat pretty badly on those days too. That's why my calorie goal is 1250 - to make up for cheat days.

    Anyway, I think I'll start drinking spirits then.. or maybe wine?

    Ok that makes more sense for the reason why you are eating so low. What I would do is consider aiming more for a weekly goal rather than a daily goal when it comes to the calories you gain from physical exercise. For example, if you gain 500 calories from running today, make that 500 calories usually any time during the week and not just on the day you worked it.

    Weight watchers is a great program and is also a calorie counting program like fitness pal. What WW does that is smart is it requires you to eat a certain amount per day, but allows you to exercise and save extra calories for parts of the week. In other wards, you can have a bad day once in a while if you save up calories for it.


    I agree - weight watchers is nice because it is based off of a weekly goal rather than a daily goal. MFP is great, but for those of us (I'm like you - i'm really great one day and then if i decide to go to the bar - holy hell) who don't have a very set schedule from day to day, it is nice to have a program that allows for spontaneity. I've done it before and would recommend it!

    I use MFP and I work on weekly goals (both calorie goal and macros) versus only daily. There is a way to track the week (more convenient on the phone app than the website, imo) so you still have flexibility.
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    dang! this is making me want a drink now and its not even 2pm!!(central time)....time to run out and get me some zero calorie margarita mix to add to my patron!!!

    Hey - it's always 5 o'clock somewhere. :drinker:

    Time of day doesn't matter!

    ummm - that would be the point. It's called irony?
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member

    or this!

    20131110_114852.jpg

    I was disappointed by the whole voodoo line. I mainly bought them for the pretty bottles, which was all they were good for to me.

    Rouge's chocolate stout makes an amazing beer float though.

    Sad to admit, but I have to agree with you. I prefer a west coast IPA myself. Scullers IPA from Skagit River Brewing is most delish!
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member

    Apparently I also don't know how to post a link. Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz. Delicious!

    I love Schnickelfritz. Are you in STL? Have you been to Urban Chestnut's new brewery? I haven't, but it looks fantastic.

    4 Hands Brewery has a summer ale called Contact High which is pretty good, hoppier than a normal summer wheat beer.


    OP:
    Agree with others that some of your comments are concerning about "needing" to drink, but with that said, I have days like that too, just not every day. I do however, have a drink almost every day, I just don't "need" to. I drink less since before I lost weight, but I drank while losing weight. It can be worked in, just like ice cream or pizza or whatever else you choose to work into your daily calories.

    I also agree with others that 1250 sounds really low, even if you are trying to offset your cheat days. Do you know when your cheat days are going to be? Like is it always a Friday night happy hour, or work dinners, or a girls night out that are known ahead of time and are not spontaneous?

    If I were you I would just get better at planning things. Figure out your TDEE based on your activity level and exercise. Reduce that by 10-15% since you don't have much to lose. Eat food and log it, don't eat back your exercise calories. If you know when the cheat days are going to be, and if you know how much you usually go over by (are we talking 500 cals over or 1500 cals over?) then plan to eat a little less than your daily goal each day leading up to that and exercise a little extra that day. Work the drinks in to your day, but maybe cut back or do it less frequently, just as sort of a sanity check that you don't have a problem or aren't starting down the path of a problem. If you find you really do struggle with cutting back on the drinking, then maybe it is time to re-evaluate things or seek help.
  • brager3
    brager3 Posts: 2 Member
    Omgosh. Have a drink. I for one have worked hard on being able to fit in my beer. I like don't need but then everyone does something they do not need to do each day. I swear having a drink or two a day does NOT make you an alcoholic. I keep my calories from 1300-1600. I am 5'6 and fall 150-155. I am happy with myself and that is what my goal is. I will walk to make sure I earn calories for my downtime drink.
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
    It amazes me how many people don't know of the power of Google for simplified informational inquiries like 'low calorie beers'.
  • ROBINSTL67
    ROBINSTL67 Posts: 50 Member

    Apparently I also don't know how to post a link. Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz. Delicious!

    I love Schnickelfritz. Are you in STL? Have you been to Urban Chestnut's new brewery? I haven't, but it looks fantastic.

    4 Hands Brewery has a summer ale called Contact High which is pretty good, hoppier than a normal summer wheat beer.


    I am in STL. Haven't been to the UC brewery yet. I like Contact High too. And UC's Zwickel is good too!
  • http://www.11points.com/Food-Drink/11_Best_Beers_To_Get_You_Drunk_But_Not_Make_You_Fat

    I like Michelob Ultra, but I haven't tried any of the others (except Miller Lite). If you go the mixed drink route, try Coke Zero as a mixer or try the Master of Mixes zero calorie mixers.

    Offsetting with salads, fruits, and fresh cooked vegetables helps with the numbers, but 1250 is tight. I did 1200 for a few weeks to accelerate the first part of my diet, but I always felt hungry. Good luck with the diet and with the other problems you are dealing with.
  • janiceclark08
    janiceclark08 Posts: 1,341 Member
    Bump
  • v6s30
    v6s30 Posts: 43
    Hi OP, can I just ask which country you're from? I think having a couple of pints a night is pretty standard in the UK personally.

    UK :)
  • v6s30
    v6s30 Posts: 43
    OP - how old is your pic...you look malnourished. Just concerned. Not trying to flame you.

    It is 2 years ago - me at 120lb (a little under my goal weight). Keeps me motivated. I am too ashamed of my current weight to have a current pic.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I haven't read the replies....but must say: this looks like the perfect recipe for failure. Figure something else out. Even being an overweight drinker would be better.
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    Lol at the people saying a couple of drinks is a drinking problem. A drinking problem is when you can't stop after a couple.

    OP try vodka lime and soda, 76 calories per glass.
  • v6s30
    v6s30 Posts: 43

    I also agree with others that 1250 sounds really low, even if you are trying to offset your cheat days. Do you know when your cheat days are going to be? Like is it always a Friday night happy hour, or work dinners, or a girls night out that are known ahead of time and are not spontaneous?

    If I were you I would just get better at planning things. Figure out your TDEE based on your activity level and exercise. Reduce that by 10-15% since you don't have much to lose. Eat food and log it, don't eat back your exercise calories. If you know when the cheat days are going to be, and if you know how much you usually go over by (are we talking 500 cals over or 1500 cals over?)

    I hardly ever know when it's going to be unfortunately - my cheat days are unplanned, just when I lose self control or decide to stay on after the bar/pub
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    Also see getdrunknotfat.com
  • v6s30
    v6s30 Posts: 43
    OP - how old is your pic...you look malnourished. Just concerned. Not trying to flame you.

    How old is your pic? You look like a young child dressed as superman
  • amyx593
    amyx593 Posts: 211 Member
    I'm not a drink-after-work girl, but I do like to go out for drinks regularly with my husband, as we both work from home and like to get out to do things besides the gym. For me while trying to lose weight, I keep drinking to 1-2x per week, but I do binge drink! Not just a couple. I drink a vodka press.... plain vodka with half club soda and half sprite.
  • amyx593
    amyx593 Posts: 211 Member
    Oh, and we ride our bikes to the bars, so that helps negate a drink or two... :)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I didn't expect to see an alcoholism thread here on MFP.

    wow.
  • Bpsulliv
    Bpsulliv Posts: 1
    Mmmmm. Beer.