Alcohol Hiatus- Officially Doing It

neeterskeeter

Those of you who commented on my "Hiatus from Alcohol?" post know that I have been wondering whether it would be beneficial for me to take a break from drinking any alcohol. Thanks for all your helpful advice; I've decided that yes, I should do this, for a bunch of reasons.

1. My original reason was that I've noticed it's hard for me to lose weight and get the definition I want when I drink. Even after a drink or two, I don't feel as healthy and my stomach doesn't feel as flat. several of you pointed me to very helpful information about how alcohol affects fat burning, and one of my goals is to reduce body fat. Plus, in addition to being detrimental to weight loss, alcohol is just empty calories and I am aiming for the best nutrition possible. I've been eating clean and working out and I feel much healthier doing that without alcohol.

2. After thinking about whether I could/should go alcohol free for any period of time, I realized how much my social/career life revolves around alcohol, and how much I need alcohol to loosen up in social situations, and I don't think that's good. I would like to evaluate my relationship with alcohol and try to be myself and be confident without it.

3. I have a sleep disorder which is provoked by stress/anxiety and worsened with alcohol, so that alone is reason not to drink!

So... today is my fourth day of not having a thing to drink (starting with Sunday), and I aim to keep going without alcohol until Labor Day weekend, which is when my family and I are taking a beach vacation. I don't mean that I will binge then... I'm hoping I won't even feel the desire to drink at all, just like I no longer crave sugary foods or bad carbs etc. due to eating clean.... but on the other hand I can imagine myself wanting to have a cocktail on the beach or at the condo with my family, and I don't want to deprive myself too much. So for now until then, which is 19 days, I am not going to drink, and will instead pay attention to how both my body and my mind feel without alcohol. Maybe it will also help my weight loss but that's not even the main reasons I am doing it at this point! I'll let you guys know and I would appreciate your continued support and encouragement. Also, if anyone wants to do this with me and we can help each other out, just let me know!

igmom

I gave up alcohol for Lent this year. Not only was I extremely short tempered after a couple weeks, but I also found myself nibbling when I would have been sipping wine. As a result, I gained weight. Since then MFP has really helped me figure out how to lose weight while drinking with just a bit of moderation. You can look at my weekend menus to see how.

I wish you the best, but if it doesn't work for you, perhaps you would be happier and more successful with a plan something like mine. Either way, don't give up. You can figure out something that works for you.

neeterskeeter

Thanks koegl. I've heard of this happening. However I switched to clean eating a couple weeks ago and I find that I am never hungry, and never nibble on bad snacks like I used to. I eat whole, healthy foods (for the most part) every 2 to 3 hours and something has switched... now I feel full and satisfied instead of hungry or jumpy or stuffed like I used to when I ate a lot of processed foods and sugar. So I am planning to keep that up except to replace any alcohol calories with even more nutritional food. I am also trying to get into super good shape -- my 29th birthday is December 9th and I want my present to myself to be that I am in the best shape ever for my last year of being in my 20's! :sad: I can't seem to get the absolute best results or the absolute best healthy feeling while drinking alcohol so I decided to cut waaay back on it, even though I know it will be hard. This was my last hurdle and the one thing I always thought I could never do. Well, I am going to try to prove myself wrong, and do it!

But I do understand what you are saying and eventually when I reach my goal weight and my goal fitness level -- hopefully in three and a half months in time for my birthday -- I may work alcohol back in and also keep it at my allotted calorie level (which is what I do now, for the most part, but I think I will have better results cutting it out completely and still staying at my allotted calorie level). And if I work it back in, I want it to be in moderation and for the right reasons, as I've started to realize my relationship with alcohol at its current state is a bit troubling.

Thanks for the help!

Casi23

Ah what the hell. I am going to try it too. I have the same exact problems - I think the sleep disorder is the worst. So I will give it a go. The weekends are going to be the hardest. :noway:

But what have we got to lose?

neeterskeeter

Yaaaay thanks for being my non-drinking buddy, Casi. For me happy hours are bad because my bosses oftne want to go downstairs and have a drink and I am going to have to order water despite their WTFs, ha ha ha. And on the weekends when I get together with friends it will be very hard not to drink so I know where you're coming from. I think we can do it though.

Ripgirl

Good for you guys!

I'm trying it too, as I was getting frustrated with lack of progress even though I am eating clean and exercising. Today is day#10 without a sip. I'm hoping this will be the change in lifestyle that will get things moving.

I'd be really interested to know if anyone who tries this notices better results - please post about your experience when you're ready.

Good luck to you!

barbarella

BRAVO!! I salute you girl! :drinker:
(with a drink of tea!) :flowerforyou:

That's awesome to take a break and really pay attention to your body & mind w/o alcohol.
See how you feel when (or IF), you enjoy a cocktail later with the family.

I once dated a guy who had no clue why or how I could stop drinking for awhile. :noway:
Turns out, our social activities were really BORING without it! I also gained a lot of weight.

neeterskeeter

Awesome, ripgirl. I will post my results and hope that you do the same.

So far in my 4 days "dry" ha ha I have mainly noticed that I feel much healthier and my stomach has stayed feeling flat!!! Instead of bloated like it does when I drink.

Today was my weigh-in and I am down a pound from last week which makes me happy. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I kept my calorie intake at 1225 net which probably included some alcohol, then on Saturday I went way over because I threw an engagement party for one of my best friends and had bananas foster, a cupcake, alcohol, etc. The next day I felt crappy and the next few days I ate under the 1225 net (I still ate about 1400-1600 cals a day but I didn't eat all of my exercise calories so my net was more like 1000) so that at the end of the week it all balanced out and I was at an average of 1225 net calories per day for the week. I would rather stay consistent each day but I'm thinking it's better to do it this way and balance it all out (not sure if my theory on that is correct). Anyway the Sunday through Tuesday calories did not include any alcohol at all. So I think not drinking did contribute to my weight loss this week -- if I had had a couple drinks at happy hour last night, the scale would not be down, and I think that's how I keep yo-yo losing and re-gaining the same few pounds. I don't want any more of that! I also measured myself and have lost inches so that makes me happy. I feel overally lighter and my stomach feels flatter and I feel healthy. All of this has given me motivation to stay dry.

XFitMojoMom

Hurray! I'm not going to stop completely, because having kids DRIVE you to drink...:laugh: but I've already stopped having a drink every night. Do I feel better for it? I don't know... especially when my hubby is drinking an oh_so_refreshing vodka soda:grumble:
Am I sleeping better?... no, but that is because my 3 year old still wakes up every night, and it's not considered safe to get her drunk yet

BUT
I know long term this will benefit me, and it will benefit my girls having at least one parent sober!

JoyousMaximus

I've been pretty much drink free since May 1. I have drank a little since then, even got wasted once, but I don't really have the desire to drink that I used to and I found it is much easier to loosen up without alcohol then it used to be.

barbarella

Good luck everybody! :flowerforyou:
I enjoy a glass of wine once in awhile but could do without.

For social happy hours, you can order things that "look" like cocktails:

Club soda w/ lime

Cranberry & soda w/ lime

Any cocktail as a "virgin", no alcohol.

JoyousMaximus

Yaaaay thanks for being my non-drinking buddy, Casi. For me happy hours are bad because my bosses oftne want to go downstairs and have a drink and I am going to have to order water despite their WTFs, ha ha ha. And on the weekends when I get together with friends it will be very hard not to drink so I know where you're coming from. I think we can do it though.

You could always order a juice or club soda at the bar and just not tell them there is no alcohol.:laugh:

neeterskeeter

Hurray! I'm not going to stop completely, because having kids DRIVE you to drink...:laugh: but I've already stopped having a drink every night. Do I feel better for it? I don't know... especially when my hubby is drinking an oh_so_refreshing vodka soda:grumble:
Am I sleeping better?... no, but that is because my 3 year old still wakes up every night, and it's not considered safe to get her drunk yet

BUT
I know long term this will benefit me, and it will benefit my girls having at least one parent sober!

Ha ha, that's funny. :laugh:

My boyfriend has had a bottle of beer in the evenings with dinner or while we watch a movie and I thought that would be super hard but actually I feel strong being able to say no thanks and let him drink it. He can drink just one and be fine whereas once I have one, I usually want another one. Plus he is not trying to lose weight (he is lucky in that he can eat/drink whatever he wants and not gain weight!) nor is he trying to get in the best shape ever like I am (although I wish he were ). So he'll tell me he's going to have a beer and ask if I want one and I say no thanks and he says he's proud of me. I feel like just because he's having one doesn't mean I have to... I am fine with my water, or I'll make hot tea with a bit of honey if I want to treat myself.

I *do* think that that if our significant others know we are trying to do something they should support us, so it's hard to find a balance between wishing they would NOT drink something so tempting around us and also realizing that we are in control of our own actions and what we put into our bodies, and no matter how good it looks, we know it really isn't that good for us.

neeterskeeter

I've been pretty much drink free since May 1. I have drank a little since then, even got wasted once, but I don't really have the desire to drink that I used to and I found it is much easier to loosen up without alcohol then it used to be.

This is good to hear!! This is what I am hoping to do -- to let myself feel free to talk to people and be friendly without needing the alcohol. And if I still feel shy and solitary, I will need to take a look at why I feel that way and address it somehow other than drinking.

neeterskeeter

Re: Alternatives to alcohol - my bosses usually pay, in fact they know I like blueberry vodka and club soda so they usually order me that right away and maybe another round or two AND they pay, so... I am just going to have to tell them I'm not drinking for awhile and I would like a water. I don't like club soda on its own and I don't drink soda (except mixed with alcohol - another reason I shouldn't drink LOL), and I feel like cranberry or other kinds of juices would have more calories in it than the vodka and soda LOL. So really there is no option for me except water (which I'm fine with -- it seems I always have a problem taking in enough water) and lime or lemon, or maybe coffee or hot tea. Those are about the only things I ever drink besides alcoholic beverages.

neeterskeeter

One of my bosses just told me he is definitely going to have a beer sometime today, because he was working late last night. I know that was an invitation but I just laughed. I was going to go work out over my lunch break but now that I know he will be going for a beer after work, I'm going to skip a lunch break and leave early and be at the gym when he's rounding people up for happy hour.

Casi23

That is sucha good idea! I love working out at lunch but find that if I do it when I get home after work - I avoid that relaxing post-work cocktail with dinner.

Plus if you work out - you could swing by at the END of happy hour, and just say you need water b/c you just worked your butt off. They might be more understanding and not pressure you to drink then - and you'll still be social

I used to bartend, and avoiding that after-work chill-out time with all of the co-workers and our booze and smokes was NOT easy. So I completely understand where you're coming from.

I'm excited to try this!

neeterskeeter

I try not to exercise too late because it gets my heartrate up and can trigger my sleep disorder, but I still think that working out after work is a better option for both my sleep disorder and health and fitness than is happy hour. Plus if I leave work at around 4 it's not *that* late to work out. That's a great idea about telilng them I'll stop by afterwards, and then just drinking water. See, two heads are better than one! :laugh:

I always think I'll have a drink to "relax" but it doesn't really even have that effect on me, especially when it's with co-workers/bosses and I have to think about watching what I'm doing and saying etc. I think running or working out is much more relaxing.

neeterskeeter

I didn't get to leave early enough and one of my bosses said he's having a drink downstairs if I would like to join them. I told him I have a work-out date! And I did... with myself!

So today is Day 5 without alcohol. My boyfriend and I were talking about how I probably can't find excuses *every* time they're going to happy hour, so my plan is to just go with them sometimes and tell them I'm on a strict work-out program and "diet" that doesn't allow me to have alcohol. Which I am... it's my own! I'm training for a half marathon in October so I can tell them that alcohol interferes with my training, which it does. And I plan to start P90X in September after I get back from my labor day beach vacation. So there's also that.

BTW I am down one pound this morning... I don't know how I lost a whole pound in one day since I just weighed myself yesterday and was one pound heavier than I am this morning. Maybe it's the extra calories from drinkign and snacking on Saturday night that finally came off. Or maybe it is just water weight and random fluctation.

Casi23

Good Job! I love when I see the scale going the right way!

I am actually up 2 pounds this morning. :sad: I had a late-night snack of low fat cheese and turkey breast (no bread) after my P90X workout....so I think I was paying for my evening binge this morning. Blah.

But no booze and I am feeling pretty rested this morning. I am looking forward to my lunch time spinning class and tonight I'm trying Yoga for the first time...So maybe I will make the scale move the way I want it to tomorrow.

Good job planning ahead for upcoming happy hours! It's good to have a plan in mind when you know temptation is going to come. My problem is my late dinners and my nightly glass of wine with whatever I cook. Because it is never JUST one glass...

neeterskeeter

Casi, if you eat at night then the scale is likely to read higher in the morning because it hasn't all been digested yet. For me I've found it all balances out as long I stick to my net calorie limit (which for me is about 1225) and avoid alcohol. I had the problem of not eating enough calories so that my metabolism was slowing down. I often work late and/or go to the gym after work so often I don't get to eat until after 8 pm. I've decided I would rather meet my net calorie goal (with healthy food of course and no alcohol) than have the scale read lower in the morning. Because really it's just a "trick" -- if I don't eat enough calories than the scale is low because of that fact and as soon as I eat again the weight the scale would have said HAD I eaten the calories shows up. I hope I'm making sense!

Casi23

Yes...I think I get what you're saying.

It's like - I know I can lose 5 pounds in two days by starving myself...but that weight loss wouldn't be for long -term and as soon as I eat something, my weight will go back up again.

It's been a few days without booze...here comes the weekend - the real test! :drinker:

Ripgirl

Hey Girls - good for both of you, awesome!

I spent my lunch hours Wed/Friday this week spinning as well, and today is day#12 with no alcohol. Although I am missing the notion of wine, I'm actually not craving it the way I thought I might. As you say though, it's the weekend and that'll be the test - big family dinner tomorrow.

I can say though that the break from the booze may have helped break the plateau - I'm down another pound!

Have a great weekend - stay strong!!

BrendaLee

I'm so happy you decided to take this hiatus from alcohol. I just lost a brother to liver cirrhosis, and I've done a lot of reading about how alcohol damages the liver. As far as weight loss goes, a healthy liver burns fat and calories effeciently, so it's one organ you definitely want to keep healthy.

neeterskeeter

BrendaLee, I'm sorry to hear about your brother. That is very sad. Thank you for sharing though because that's one more reason to stay healthy and not drink.

Good job Casi and RipGirl for staying strong. I know the weekend is a test but I almost look to it like an exciting challenge - if I can not drink on the weekend, I can handle anything. My boyfriend has already told me that one of our couple friends wants to meet up at one of our favorite bars tonight. I am going to just have water and maybe they will have hot tea or something. I want to see how I feel without alcohol. Sometimes I think it's not even worth going out without it, all I do is waste money and time. Of course I waste less money if I'm not drinking but my boyfriend will be drinking and then there is always the food! We are going to grill chicken before we go and if they have a healthy appetizere like ahi tuna or shrimp cocktail, I may order that.

Poison5119

I'm so happy you decided to take this hiatus from alcohol. I just lost a brother to liver cirrhosis, and I've done a lot of reading about how alcohol damages the liver. As far as weight loss goes, a healthy liver burns fat and calories effeciently, so it's one organ you definitely want to keep healthy.

Brenda - I am so sorry to hear that about your brother. :brokenheart: My brother too died of alcoholic cirrhosis in November of 2007, so I'm coming up on the 2nd anniversary. He was not quite 46 when he died. My deepest sympathies to you.....

neeterskeeter

I'm so happy you decided to take this hiatus from alcohol. I just lost a brother to liver cirrhosis, and I've done a lot of reading about how alcohol damages the liver. As far as weight loss goes, a healthy liver burns fat and calories effeciently, so it's one organ you definitely want to keep healthy.

Brenda - I am so sorry to hear that about your brother. :brokenheart: My brother too died of alcoholic cirrhosis in November of 2007, so I'm coming up on the 2nd anniversary. He was not quite 46 when he died. My deepest sympathies to you.....

I am sorry to hear that, Russia. My condolences.

neeterskeeter

Well, I passed the "weekend" test. Last night my boyfriend wanted to go meet up with some of our "couples friends" at one of our favorite bars, close to our house. I ordered a Diet Coke with a lime, which was like a "treat" because I rarely drink soda, and a water. Since I hadn't had dinner, I ordered a roast turkey salad and my boyfriend and I shared a bowl of green chile chicken stew.

It actually felt good not to drink. The first two hours or so I enjoyed talking to our friends clear-headed. Then I wanted to go, but one couple stayed and kept drinking, with my boyfriend, and I was pretty bored because everyone still there was tipsy or drunk except for me and it wasn't much fun to talk to people when they were like that and I wasn't. We were there for three and a half hours and I started thinking about allll the hours I've wasted sitting around at a bar, on my butt, drinking. No wonder my butt isn't as small as I'd like it to be! :laugh: There are a lot of other things I would rather be doing with that time. I did enjoy going to meet up with friends and talk and eat, but after that I didn't see the point.

My boyfriend and I finally left around midnight and the other couple did too, and one of our friends remarked that they're surprised that I wanted to go home "early." I thought about how, in the past, I'd be sitting there wanting to keep drinking and for everyone to keep "having fun." It was really nice to go home without being drunk and with no fear of a hangover the next morning.

So... I am proud of myself for not drinking and for thinking about instead how alcohol affects me. For me, there is more negative about it than good things, unless perhaps it's a special occasion and I plan to spend all night out.

stephcheers

Am I sleeping better?... no, but that is because my 3 year old still wakes up every night, and it's not considered safe to get her drunk yet

Ha ha. Hang in there mama! They do drive you to drink.:laugh: But when the going get's tough, the tough get going.


I admire all the effort you all are putting in to be healthy!

Ripgirl

Nice work, Neeterskeeter! Amazing you made it through an evening at the bar with a group all drinking - very impressive!

We had a huge group of family over for a patio/bbq thing last night. I decided ahead of time that I would allow myself a single glass of wine with dinner. I stuck to water for the first few hours, then did pour that glass of wine with dinner but only ended up drinking about 1/2, and it was a small one to begin with. Then back to water.

I agree with you! Felt great to have made my decision and stuck to it, very empowering. And felt great this morning because of it, so I went for a run.

Hope to see some inches coming off soon!

neeterskeeter

Yaaay good for you, ripgirl. I agree it feels great to decide what we want ahead of time and not let circumstances or people change our minds.