Quitting alcohol for a month (and does this work?)

kmdowd1

I gave up drinking for lent one year and it definitely contributed to my weight loss efforts. When lent was over, I was so used to eating my daily calories I didn't want to give up food for booze. However, When I am craving a beer or at a party, i drink Miller 64. It helps me feel not deprived. I have a beer in my hand like everyone else but it's half the calories.

Cr01502

I see your point completely, but as I've been asked by somebody I am paying to do this I feel I should obey.

My worry really is going overboard the minute I get my hands on any when the 4 weeks are over.

I suppose the main thing I am learning here is (as obvious as it probably seems to you all) - on days I am drinking (aka normally each Saturday) , eat less to allow for those calories. It's just becase for a while now I've stopped calorie counting and focussed on nutritional content and that has worked but I think I will alter that for each day that I do decide to drink.

To be honest if you feel like it will help you improve your diet than go for it. I quit booze for six months and I found that it allowed me to be more productive and focus alot more on training. I'm only making the point that the overconsumption of calories will prevent your weight loss not the booze itself. As long as you're getting adequate micro and macronutrients there's no need to cut alcohol out of your diet if you enjoy it. In fact some studies actually show that drinking in moderation may actually be more beneficial to your health than abstinence.

lilxocrush

I'm in my early 20's and drinking on the weekends or a mid-week happy hour is what all of my friends do. I thought it would be impossible for me to cut back on my drinking especially since me and my bf are beer snobs and love a good draft. I wanted to cut back on drinking because for the last 3 months I have hit a plateau and really wanted to get back on track. In the past month I have only had 3 beers and 1 shot and have noticed a big difference. I don't see that much of a difference when I look in the mirror but I feel way better. I feel a lot less bloated and think my stomach looks less bloated too. I also have more energy and do not feel guilty logging in all of those calories from alcohol. Also it is comforting stepping on the scale the next morning and noticing the scale staying the same or going down instead of going up like it would after a night of heavy drinking.

Socially, i find that it isn't that hard declining a drink. I get a water with a splash of cranberry juice or water with a lime and am perfectly satisfied. Some of my friends didn't even realize I wasn't drinking. I know it is not sustainable for me to give up on alcohol completely but my drastically cutting back I can now continue on my weight loss journey. For the future, I plan on saving most of my drinking for big events ( i have a lot of summer weddings) and the occasional happy hour but it was not too hard to break my 3/4 night a week drinking. Good luck on your journey!

aliceclutz90

thank you all, sensible suggestions! I will see hwo the 4 weeks go - towards the end of the last week I will start thinking about where to go from there really appreciate everyone's help though, great to know I am not alone in this

paige_eloise

I have up alcohol for lent, and it honestly wasn't that bad - and I'm a student!! It's almost against my nature to NOT drink.
It really isn't that challenging, it's fun - you get to watch others drink and make fools of themselves!!!!!

sunyhuny

The only way I've ever lost weight is if I stopped drinking. OR if I chose between eating and drinking ( um duh NOT HEALTHY)???

Also now that I'm not drinking, I also don't wake up hungover and want to eat 400 pounds of french fries and Indian food. Also I never accidentally eat pizza when I'm wasted.

I highly recommend.

I mean, also I'm an alcoholic so??? Weight loss isn't the only reason I try to cut down on drinking, but it's the most consistently compelling one.

CristinaL1983

I quit drinking for a while and definitely noticed that I lost weight more easily. I occasionally have a drink but much less often now.

It's also pretty easy to just not tell anyone that you are drinking. Soda water with lime and people assume you are drinking. Soda with a splash of cranberry is pretty tasty. Most of my friends didn't even know I wasn't drinking when I wasn't.

I would say try it for a month and see how it goes.

Ely82010

I am not a drinker and I don't drink mixed drinks or beer, but I do enjoy a glass of wine a couple of times a week, or when I go out for dinner. I didn't stop my occasional drinking when I was trying to lose few lbs, and I saw no difference in my achieving my goals.

Now that am on maintenance, I drink much less because wine is upsetting my stomach. But I am not losing anymore weight either. So go figure!

RobynMWilson

I stopped drinking alcohol almost 13 years ago for reasons other than fitness and there's NO looking back for me! It has been much easier to get results and step up my fitness without all that beer in the equation. I used to drink like a fish lol

JUDDDing

I have social events where alcohol will be all around me and no doubt there will be certain characters trying to get me to drink it.

Get a water, ask that it be in a glass glass and decorate it with some fruit - maybe a dash of grenadine. (tip your bartender - this will not be a problem) Drink it through a straw.

No one will notice or care.

Lesa_Sass

Giving up alcohol was my very first step in my healthy lifestyle change. I only stopped drinking and dropped 20 lbs in about 9 months (I gained a little bit at first because when I wanted a drink I hate brownies).

I had a hard time at first because I did not think it was possible to have a good time and not drink. I was wrong, it is not only possible, it is better with out alcohol in it. It is funny when people that are three drinks in try to get me to "drink one". I also found that NO was fine when someone offered me a drink. It was usually the alcoholic that gave me a hard time and wanted me to drink.

I did not realize I would think about not drinking as often as I did at first, but then again, I had a problem with alcohol. I soon realized that people that did not have a problem with alcohol, well, they did not put any thought into drinking, not drinking or how they were going to go on with out it. It took about 90 days for me to get over the obsession of alcohol. After that, I was about 18 months sober when I was able to go to parties and such and have a great time. Then a few years in I was walking the streets of Paris, having a magnificent time, arm in arm with my husband watching the Eiffel tower blink on the hour. I walked past bars and saw the drunk people in there, missing it. I would have not only missed it, but not remembered it had I saw it in the first place had I been drinking.

So, long story short, if you do not have a problem with alcohol, this will not be an issue BUT, if this 30 days makes you miserable then you may want to think about what is important in your life.

rosemaryhon

Hi

I love my booze and my PT has requested that I abstain from alcohol (amongst other delightful things) for 4 weeks. I am on day 3...lol. And this weekend hasn't been too bad because I've just been at home but in upcoming weekends I have social events where alcohol will be all around me and no doubt there will be certain characters trying to get me to drink it.

Has anybody else done anything like this? Was it easier than it sounds? And what sort of results did you get from it (I'm looking for fat loss, of course!).

Thanks

Before starting my new healthy lifestyle (7 weeks ago) I had been drinking a couple/few glasses of wine a few nites a week. I got in the habit of pouring a glass or 2 while I cooked dinner, than a glass with dinner. I stopped when I started being serious about losing weight because I realized they were empty calories and too I was concerned about sugar/diabetes. So I just don't keep it in the house (for now anyway, not saying I'll never have a glass again ~ in fact when I eat at my parents I have a glass with dinner still. It's easier to have just one when at someone else's dinnertable IME).

For me an incentive that has kept me strong was I remembering that I really hated how I felt the next 24 hours ~ I felt dog tired the entire next day and for some reason I'd end up seriously over eating that next day too. Hangovers happen to kill any willpower I have . I don't know if your drinking causes hangovers, but if so maybe keep in mind what a drag that can be.

Good luck!