Alcohol - two reasons not to drink?

Searley_Pants

Ok, so we all know that alcohol is high in calories and won't aid us in weight loss, but I wondered if anyone else finds that it effects their motivation and self control? I gave up drinking last year as after a few too many in too many years it was taking it's toll physically and mentally. Now I really fancied a drink this weekend and thought why not, I know I'm not going to go mad with it, no problem. But I ended up having just a couple too many, well enough to give me a hangover, and it has taken me to today to feel motivation to eat healthy again, don't get me wrong I have forced myself to try and come in under on my calories, but the need to snack and want for bad food was overwhelming at times. Is this because the alcohol affected me, or maybe psychologically because I gave in to something I had given up, did I want to give in to bad food as well?

So I am just curious, is this just me and my own alcohol demons, or do others find this as well?

One thing is for sure, I won't be doing it again any time soon!

Gerald_King

I was a very heavy drinker and i didn't trust myself so i gave up a year ago

Searley_Pants

I was a very heavy drinker and i didn't trust myself so i gave up a year ago

Was this because you didn't trust yourself to not drink too much or because you lost control with other things too? ie dieting or working out.

bgelliott

I only gave it up because of the empty calories but I have found that my life is much fuller without it. I do have more energy and motivation to do things other than drink and sit around.

No_Finish_Line

two reasons not to drink:

my motorcycle crash and the DWI the next summer

moustache_flavored_lube

Alcohol stimulates your appetite and lowers inibition, it is a dangerous combo which often leads to poor food choices.

I notice a negative effect on my performance the next day with even 2 drinks

kelfer80

I too was a pretty heavy drinker and have recently cut it out (almost) completely. I feel now that it simply isnt worth the calories! If I do indulge and have a few too many it causes me to make really bad food choices and also effects my going to the gym the following morning. So as mush as a nice stiff drink may make me fee at the time it just isnt worth it anymore!!

Searley_Pants

I too was a pretty heavy drinker and have recently cut it out (almost) completely. I feel now that it simply isnt worth the calories! If I do indulge and have a few too many it causes me to make really bad food choices and also effects my going to the gym the following morning. So as mush as a nice stiff drink may make me fee at the time it just isnt worth it anymore!!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! Bad food choices is an excellent description of what I get. Luckily I'm much happier without booze in my life, but it would just be nice to think I could have a couple in the future and not have such a negative reaction afterwards.

CharityGC

I swear as I get older, the less I can handle a hangover. And not even a real hangover but just the tired, run down feeling that comes with the crappy sleep I get when I've had more than two drinks. I do enjoy a glass of wine or cider with dinner and will do that if I'm within my calories for the day but it's not as often as I used to. And I'm positive that there will still be occasions in the future that I have one too many but that's not very common anymore, either. I am lucky in that I am not a "drunk eater" in that I don't run for junk after I've imbibed.

No_Finish_Line

i only really miss it if i'm around other people drinking.

I was only really going out to meet someone anyway.

Can't go out any more tho and i suppose myself and everyone else are better off for it.

Can_Change_Natalie

I have stopped drinking so much, i used to have a glass of wine in week and now i just see it as a waste of calories i could have eaten something yummy instead.

Also i find when i go out drinking at the weekends i always make bad choices with food and never want to do anything the next day. I haven’t stopped drinking all together but now i think twice and when i know i am going to drink alcohol i eat a big meal beforehand to try and stop me getting something bad while im out. I also log my drinks it keeps me aware of how many calories im consuming just through alcohol.

soccerella

even if i dont feel hungover, the "effects" of drinking are still with me the next day - im not gonna get up early to work out and may not make the best choices because you are still craving crappy stuff. Im not giving it up completely, but no longer going to sit and have a glass of wine at night just because

SoDamnHungry

Maybe you felt crappy, so it triggered your emotional need to eat comforting foods. Whenever I'm sick I eat all sorts of crap, and it triggers my binge eating.

flynnegan

After a boozy night out, which to be fair is few and far between these days, i find all i want to do is eat, chipper (take away resturant) on the way home from the pub and or some crisps while in the pub!!

The after mat is never good, the day after is usually a wash out, and usually it takes a good two/three days to get my motivation back!!!

As i said its few and far between these nights out and im happy to go and enjoy myself on the splurge. If i had a glass of wine in th evening on a weekend night at home it doesnt affect my excersise the next day. But i would be inclinded to look for a snack with my glass of wine. Humous with some carrots sticks have seen me through sometimes!

Though i have heard of a packet of roasted/chilli flavoured chickpeas that are very low in calories in comparison to other crisps type things

Summer_Lunatic

Alcohol stimulates your appetite and lowers inibition, it is a dangerous combo which often leads to lack of self control.

Erica_theRedhead

I like drinking but was drinking far too much in the past 6 months. I've cut it down to 1 or 2 nights per week, and try really hard to limit it to 2 max. I've found that choosing drinks that you sip has helped. I've cut beer, vodka, and any big fruity or mixed drinks like margaritas. Instead I choose wine, whiskey, or bourbon.

Verity1111

I don't think alcohol does anything to me, but I have only drank a few times in my life. I will turn 23 April 6th of this year. The one time I went out to dance & drink, I drank what others considered a lot (strong long islands, cosmopolitans, jägermeister shot, etc) and I was not tipsy or affected, but it may have been because I danced a lot. (?) I was not hungry at all and didn't eat, but I felt very relax & happy the entire time. I went back to where we were staying with my now husband and went to sleep. That was it. I wonder if when people drink often they become more "addicted" to it, even if they aren't really addicted to it, and it causes them more side effects.

Erienneb

I stopped drinking entirely because it was hard for me to control. I would make poor food choices not only during the time I was drinking, but the entire next day as well.

It was getting harder to just have one, and I didn't like how that made me feel. I have only ever been flat out drunk once, but I was spending more of my weekends tipsy and I don't want people to be friends with that person, I want them to know me.

I decided to cut it out for February and reassess my feelings in March.

gerrielips

Interesting post & replies...I rarely drink, but if I do it is with dinner but no more than once a month and one glass. Yet on Sunday night I had 2 glasses of wine over an episode of Downton Abbey ...have noticed fatigue and sleeping difficulties since then and I've been way over calories (and self-control) on Monday & Tuesday...I'm also insulin-resistant. It is likely that I'm one of those people who shouldn't have any alcohol at all to have had two glasses of wine have such an impact.

unnur16

I am not a heavy drinker but i like to drink couple of drinks with my friends sometimes, and on the day i drink i go to the gym and work crazy hard, and then i´ve already buy my food for the next day so i dont have to make poor choices about my meals.

Searley_Pants

I am not a heavy drinker but i like to drink couple of drinks with my friends sometimes, and on the day i drink i go to the gym and work crazy hard, and then i´ve already buy my food for the next day so i dont have to make poor choices about my meals.

That's a really good idea actually, I plan in advance for my fast days and also most main meals for the week, so why not plan my 'hangover day' and buy in some tasty treats that are also healthy and make sure there is nothing else in the house to tempt me!

MinnieInMaine

It's not just because you drank, it's because you drank to excess and so you're hungover and feel like crap so you're craving comfort food. I went through the same thing after a night out with my girls a couple weeks ago. And the older I get, the longer it takes me to recover!

I don't think it's necessary to cut it out altogether (unless you have a problem, of course) but find a happy medium, just like many of us have to do with certain foods. I would have a drink or two reguarly when I first started dieting but slowly realized I'd rather use those calories for real food. Nowadays I don't drink unless I'm going to a party or hanging with my girlfriends - which is maybe once every couple months. If you're at a party or out with friends, learn to pace yourself by having a glass of water or diet soda in between cocktails.

swishandflick

I had a bottle of wine on Thursday and a glass on Sunday, and I'm pretty sure it's the reason I haven't seen any weight loss this week (I weigh every day). It's such a downer.

This Thursday (my drinking night lol), I'm going to force myself to have no more then two glasses of wine with a healthy dinner (prob a salad) and that's it! But that self control is always tough after you're two glasses in.

Moxie42

I decided to stop drinking for the month of February for several reasons: 1) I was drinking too much. My tolerance was too high, it was too expensive, and I kept overdoing it. I didn't want to head down a bad road. 2) it was sabotaging my no-smoking efforts. 3) It was sabotaging my weight-loss. I was much more likely to eat crap food and/or binge if I was drinking, and since drinking led to smoking off and on, it make working out difficult.

In the 5 (now 6) days I haven't drank, I've felt more awake, happier, more focused, and more confident in myself to get through rough times (and there have been a lot of those this week), smoking has been way less tempting, I've eaten consistently healthy, I've worked out, and I'm on track for a nice loss this week (I did a mid-week check-in today and down almost 2 lbs since Sunday...I know it's mostly water but not drinking is the reason I'm not retaining that water...my sodium has actually been higher lately).

Once the month is over, I plan to introduce it back in slowly...just wine with dinner on weekends or something like that. I want to make it an occasional treat, instead of a part of my almost-daily life.

Sometimes I'm tempted but I know it's not worth it- I'm learning so much about myself and am already seeing benefits

SilviaGutierrezRaghu

Very interesting, now I undertand what happen last week, I was so happy that I lost 3 pound and after a dinner with my spacial Mexican family, I eat like a pig and I had 3 glass of wine, in the time I drank 3 glass of water but and the next day I fell like crap my bady/tomy hurt, hurt, I was so hungover I don't know if was because the food or the wine, but I got 4 pound up,, ,,,

MyChocolateDiet

Ok, so we all know that alcohol is high in calories and won't aid us in weight loss, but I wondered if anyone else finds that it effects their motivation and self control? I gave up drinking last year as after a few too many in too many years it was taking it's toll physically and mentally. Now I really fancied a drink this weekend and thought why not, I know I'm not going to go mad with it, no problem. But I ended up having just a couple too many, well enough to give me a hangover, and it has taken me to today to feel motivation to eat healthy again, don't get me wrong I have forced myself to try and come in under on my calories, but the need to snack and want for bad food was overwhelming at times. Is this because the alcohol affected me, or maybe psychologically because I gave in to something I had given up, did I want to give in to bad food as well?

So I am just curious, is this just me and my own alcohol demons, or do others find this as well?

One thing is for sure, I won't be doing it again any time soon!

So really 3 reasons not to drink:
1 the calories themselves.
2 the hangover affecting your motivation to eat right and probably get in the gym.
3 the drunk time itself lowers your inhibitions and leads to poor self control.

MelisaBegins

I stopped drinking in January when I (re)started this journey I'm on to get healthy. I would have a glass of wine at night and maybe on the weekends if we went out, but I decided I didn't want to work this hard and then drink it away in empty calories. Last weekend, my hub and I had a date night and I had factored 3 glasses of wine into my day on MFP. Well, of course we decided to go out dancing after dinner so that 3 turned into a total of 5 (!!!). Not only did I feel like crap the next day, I also made dumb food choices while drinking that only added to the problem.

I know that Crystal Light is not healthy, but occasionally when I want a "festive" beverage to go with a meal, I'll have one of their margarita flavors - seriously, they are good!

Unknown

This content has been removed.

northfresh

Imo, its empty, non-nutritional calories and therefore to be used sparingly and only on special occasions. Also, even if I'm not hungover, I almost always feel depressed and unmotivated the next day, and since I'm trying to find non-medicated ways to work with my bipolar disorder is rather just avoid the experience and keep my spirits up.

ebilisoly

I like a drinkiepoo here and there but the main reason I haven't drank since last June is because it stops your weight loss for 48 hours. Alcohol numbs something in your thyroid impeding your ability to lose weight for 2 days.

drchimpanzee

Drink less and not as often? Three light beers on a Friday night isn't exactly a diet killer. Slamming down 3 suitcases full a week is.