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

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  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
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    Thank you so much courtneymaybe – I didn’t know how to respond to the poster you quoted because I was shocked to be criticized on how my body looks – I have a pear shape and my upper body doesn’t have much fat on it. I have provided my stats and it is obviously I am not underweight!

    AshleyLeelett – I really want to lose weight, but I have a feeling that if I didn’t have a drink to look forward to I would start looking forward to ice cream or something instead – totally counter-productive. Everyone has their comforts right?

    Ice cream would be a better option actually. It has some good nutrients in it whereas alcohol has none. Also, your body does not metabolize anything (fat, protein, carbs) until it has finished metabolizing all of the alcohol in your system. Drinking alcohol is far more counter-productive to weight loss than anything else you could replace it with at the same caloric intake. Drink everyday if you want but don't delude yourself into thinking the alcohol is better than ice cream.

    If I started eating ice cream every night I would eat a whole pint. A few drinks is enough for me and definitely makes me feel better than an ice cream coma.

    Based on what you have said in this thread, I beleive you could have a drinking problem or may be devolping one so I stand by my first reponse of seek help. But you're a big girl and if you want to drink your problems away you can and no one has the right to tell you that you are wrong as long as you're not hurting anyone. So here's some honest advice:

    -I know you don't want to eat your exercise calories because of your cheat days. You could add additional work outs to what you already do now and eat back just those calories. That way you can still have your cheat days and enjoy your beer and eat dinner.

    -You may also want to look into what is causing you stress and try to remove it from your life (I know, easier said that done.)

    -If you cannot remove your stress factors, maybe consider therapy/prescribed medication over self medicating.

    -If you just want to calm your nerves and you are just as happy with ice cream as you are beer, buy small servings of ice cream and eat them with little spoons. It's always better to learn moderation then to just avoid something.

    There you go. I hope you find a solution and you can do it in a healthy way.
  • janicelo1971
    janicelo1971 Posts: 823 Member
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    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!!!
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
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    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:
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    "I feel sorry for a man that doesn't drink, when He gets up in the morning its the best he is going to feel all day"

    Frank Sinatra
  • nowiners
    nowiners Posts: 9 Member
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    I appreciate the honesty of the original question. I have replaced beer for dinner myself on occasion. The problem for me is low energy and low satisfaction ultimately with that method. Experiment with what works. I need to cut alcohol out if I am serious about losing weight. The sugars send my food cravings into over drive. I just can not win at losing while drinking. Some people can. It doesn't work for me. I like beer too but I had to chose. Do I like fitting into my clothes or do I want beer? Beer has won sometimes but then I feel lousy about myself. .....everyone is different though.

    It seems highly arrogant to tell you to go to AA based on the question; as your life with a couple of beers each day might be still very manageable to you. Over eaters anonymous is a similar 12 step program many people here could benefit from I bet. If food intake is difficult to manage, are people saying to go to OA ? I don't know as usually I don't visit the community here. I just track my calories and exercise but lately I wanted to find support as I am back to my high weight. I found this thread. Some people are helpful. Some people are not so much.

    I just wanted to say thanks for asking the question. I like hearing people can manage alcohol in a weight loss plan and are successful. It just is the one thing that sabotages my plan every time. Your question, for me, has reminded me that I just need to focus on how I feel with the amount and quality of food/drink that goes in .....and beer or wine or vodka, no matter how I want to manage those calories into the day....is not going to work...for me, for now. It might not be helpful (my response here) to you (sorry) but your question helped me think this thing through. So thanks for that!
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
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    "I feel sorry for a man that doesn't drink, when He gets up in the morning its the best he is going to feel all day"

    Frank Sinatra

    Dean Martin I believe!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    It seems highly arrogant to tell you to go to AA based on the question; as your life with a couple of beers each day might be still very manageable to you. Over eaters anonymous is a similar 12 step program many people here could benefit from I bet. If food intake is difficult to manage, are people saying to go to OA ? I don't know as usually I don't visit the community here. I just track my calories and exercise but lately I wanted to find support as I am back to my high weight. I found this thread. Some people are helpful. Some people are not so much.

    Actually, people are recommended to seek counseling if they feel they can't stop eating. So yes, I have recommended the National Eating Disorders website and OA to those who have issues with their food in that regard.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    "I feel sorry for a man that doesn't drink, when He gets up in the morning its the best he is going to feel all day"

    Frank Sinatra

    Dean Martin I believe!

    Nope, I thought it was too because it fit, but it was Frank
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    "I feel sorry for a man that doesn't drink, when He gets up in the morning its the best he is going to feel all day"

    Frank Sinatra

    "Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

    Oscar Wilde
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    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.
  • livemusik
    livemusik Posts: 1
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    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
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    or this!

    20131110_114852.jpg

    This is one of the worst beers I've ever had.
  • blb85
    blb85 Posts: 187 Member
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    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
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    OP - how old is your pic...you look malnourished. Just concerned. Not trying to flame you.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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!
  • perpchaska
    perpchaska Posts: 8
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    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!

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