Cutting out alcohol

NicoleMGetsFit

I've noticed recently that I have been doing well in the week and then ruining it all by going out on the weekends and just completely not thinking. I'm a student in London so drinking is a pretty regular thing but I think it is hindering my results so I'm considering going teetotal.
I was just wondering if anyone else has abstained from alcohol? If so have you felt the benefits?/ Have you found anything you really enjoy to replace it whilst out?

JessiBelleW

My problem wasn't the alcohol per say, but the two bad meals I'd eat to go with it (late night / 3am burger or fries, and then some crappy breakfast in the morning to help settle my tummy).

Maybe pick two nights a month to drink on, or limit yourself to a certain number of drinks per night. Also it may be worth remembering (maybe) that beer has a ton of cals, followed by wine, followed by spirits with regular soft drinks or juice and spirits with sparkling water or diet sodas will have the least cals.

Getting rid of alcohol was good for a bit, but I missed being able to go a social event and just do and drink whatever.

HippieMomma86

I was able to lose without cutting it out completely, but cutting back. I would only limit myself to 1 night a week of drinking, and I would have something healthy before to help curb the "drunk munchies" that happen after drinking a lot. As long as I ate right before drinking and the day after, and got right back to working out, it didn't seem to hinder my loss at all. Everything in moderation.

Alatariel75

I cut it out about 10 days ago after my fiancée and I tended to drink at least a few wines every night, and have big nights on the weekends. It hasn't been long enough to recommend alternatives, cos I haven't sourced any yet, but benefit wise, I'm more alert, awake, less anxious (turns out wine gives me anxiety, who knew?) and I dropped 8lbs in 10 days, just like that. I know a lot of it is water weight, because drinking makes me retain fluid, but even losing that bloat is a good thing.

Heading out with friends tomorrow night so it will be interesting to see how I go. I can have one or two, but I'm thinking it will be easier to have none and not even get started.

kmillers

I cut out alcohol 21/2 years ago and really started working on fitness about 2 years ago. I have lost 65 lbs since then. The thing I notice is how great I feel, no hangovers, no excuses for not working out. No binge eating because I am not in the right state to stop myself.
It has been something I do not regret. I still party and have fun, just sober and I can be out until 1 or 2 am and still get up and work out for an hour while my friends are sleeping off the effects of the party. Its the best of both worlds.

All I can say is try it, it can't hurt.

m4ttcheek

Do you stick to your calorie? If not then you wont progress.

You can drink and stay within, you just have to be smart.

Emilie04444

Do you stick to your calorie? If not then you wont progress.

You can drink and stay within, you just have to be smart.

I don't know about this. I find that my belly is flabbier despite workouts and am still soft so I am cutting it out. Maybe it's a mental thing but I need to give it a try.

Capt_Apollo

alcohol can be good for you. like everything else, in moderation.

now, if you're having a ton of drinks on the weekends and therefore causing you to binge eat, then alcohol isn't the problem. it's how you consume alcohol that is thre problem.

MinimalistShoeAddict

I've noticed recently that I have been doing well in the week and then ruining it all by going out on the weekends and just completely not thinking. I'm a student in London so drinking is a pretty regular thing but I think it is hindering my results so I'm considering going teetotal.
I was just wondering if anyone else has abstained from alcohol? If so have you felt the benefits?/ Have you found anything you really enjoy to replace it whilst out?

If its just calories you are worried about, check out this website: www.getdrunknotfat.com/
They rank beers, wines and alcoholic beverages by their ratio of calories from alcohol.

SexyLovinmeCook

I have been practicing this the last 40 days and I must say I have slipped maybe 3-4 x but compared to weekly and weekend drinking thats awesome...the next 60 days I am going to try to completely go without it... I do see a major difference in my hard work.... Try making small goals like for 2 weeks and keep increasing to see if you see a difference...

toutmonpossible

I've been able to go without drinking for short periods when I was buoyed by my weight loss success. Alcohol has so many calories that it's an obvious thing to cut out. But I like to drink. If I were going out, I'd have a beer (something that would make me full and would take a while to drink), followed by a couple of glasses of water, than another beer....

You're there to socialize. A couple of beers should be plenty to relax you. You don't need to get drunk or even tipsy.

myfitnessval

my first round i was able to cut out drinking with the exception for only special occasions or like id have ONE drink ONCE a week. i had to pretty much cut out wine and beer because of calories and the fact that once you open a bottle of wine you only have so long to drink it lol. alcohol changes the way your body metabolizes things and can really slow your loss if youre drinking it regularly. even wine. its hard but worth it to limit it if youre on a time crunch.

UhOhItsKylie

A few months ago, I didn't drink for about 2 and half months solid. I didn't notice physical differences as much as the mental clarity and the obvious benefits to not experiencing a hangover in the morning.

After the 2.5 months of no alcohol, I started drinking again on occasion but the occasions have become fewer and farther between. Also, I've found that scheduling morning workouts keeps me from wanting to drink to the point of drunkenness.

It's all about priorities. I haven't quit drinking completely, but these days my workouts usually win over alcohol.

pongwiffy

I've tried to cut out alcohol but I have a hard time not drinking in social settings. I usually have 3-5 beers when I do drink, and that's around 700 calories right there I try to keep reminding myself how many calories are in it but most of the time I'm too drunk to care lol.

strawberrytoast

I used to drink all the time,now I don't drink ever and it hasn't made any difference what so ever. My personal experience btw.

lilpoindexter

Two years ago I asked a guy at work how he lost so much weight...he said he quit drinking beer.
I thought I could never do it...but I got desperate, and I quit drinking beer.
I lost 10 lbs in two weeks.
I have probably had maybe 7 or 8 beers in two years.

I don't miss it at all.

Track your calories when you drink...if you are serious about getting in shape, you will cut it out.

If you have to look cool when you are hanging out at the pub, have a mineral water with a lime in it, and tell your friends it's a gin and tonic or something.

SassyCalyGirl

No way-I just make sure I count every last drop in my given daily calories.

Sugalicious79

I totally sympathize with you! I'm a social/binge drinker. I usually drink vodka so I never worried too much about the calories. Recently I had a couple of embarrassing drinking episodes so I decided no more hard alcohol. Well now I'm on this MFP adventure and beer has too many calories! I was at a bbq tonight and everyone was drinking beer so I joined in. I ended up having 4, that is like 500 calories! To make matters worst after I had my buzz on I ate some chocolate covered strawberries. Now I'm sitting here in a shame spiral. In the big picture I only went over my daily calories by 130 because I worked out a lot earlier in the day but still is every event where alcohol going to be a struggle?

I did add spicy V8 to my beers so at least I got some nutrients out of the deal.

JessHealthKick

I'm from Australia, the drinking capital of the world... so I feel you!

I find I just don't drink normally, or maybe have one or two very nice quality drinks. I love my wine, so I'll go out with my bf and have some really good wine (here in Japan) or in Sydney will go and have oysters and yummy stuff with a couple of glasses of wine.

You get over being a trash bag and realise how damaging it is to your body and that it isn't actually fun at all...

This is coming from a 21 year old too haha! Bingeing is yuck, can't believe I used to! I would drink once or maybe twice a month now.

mnavoy

I started limiting my drinking to once a week, and gradually I stopped drinking altogether (within the past few months). I have been really busy so that helps a lot (not going out a lot) and still drink every once in a while but I drink a lot less now. I don't even miss it! But I haven't really noticed a difference in my weight as a result of it.

LillyBoots

I cut alcohol out when I decided to change my diet. Too many bad sugars and empty calories. Having said that, if I really want a drink I have one - a couple of glasses of nice red, champagne or a dirty martini but regular drinking has gone from my diet. I don't miss the hangovers either ;-)

angelic1123

I loveee booze. Jillian micheals says 2 drinks a week......but i cant do that. Sooo for chasers I do crystal light zero calories. Also check out skinny girl drinks. But I love dark booze so i'm screwed, nothings good for you. Just stop or cut it out but I don't have that strong will...yet

Lumen1505

I only drink if I'm out now (which isnt that often) I get hungover really easily so for me its not so much the alcohol calories as opposed to the awful hangover binges the next day ! - I 'allow' myself a day off from logging the next day and then start afresh :-)

LillyBoots

I've noticed recently that I have been doing well in the week and then ruining it all by going out on the weekends and just completely not thinking. I'm a student in London so drinking is a pretty regular thing but I think it is hindering my results so I'm considering going teetotal.
I was just wondering if anyone else has abstained from alcohol? If so have you felt the benefits?/ Have you found anything you really enjoy to replace it whilst out?

Drinking tonic water is a good way to start, it tricks your brain into thinking you are drinking alcohol. I understand the peer pressure, I work as a DJ, my drinks are free and it's expected that I drink, I got a lot of crap from my bartenders....

EDesq

Almost everyone does or did this. It's called "let me reward Myself for being good" syndrome. But in actuality it is Punishment. Reality, people really do not know how to Love themselves, we have grown to believe or have been taught that to Love ourselves is to INDULGE our every desire. Actually it is almost the opposite, but psychologically we are into this syndrome, and NOW we have to fight to get out.

One thing I did/do is weigh Myself on Monday instead of Friday or Saturday. If you notice, most people, especially on here weigh in on Friday...so they can "Celebrate" the weekend and have time to make up their failures.Yes, giving up/reducing alcohol will help some, but finding different ways to reward yourself is better and more sustaining. I did what you are doing for 10 yrs and became obese and wondered why, in the process I messed up My metabolism, and was nowhere near as successful career-wise as I could have been...I finally realized that it took Me 4 days to get real clarity after drinking alcohol, in the mean time I was sluggish and dragging around the office - just above avg, and when I did get clarity it was "party" time again...a VICIOUS cycle!

Hope you get off the roller coaster and don't waste 10+ yrs.

ETA: If you can not be happy or LOL or have a good time without alcohol...that's NOT alcohol's fault, that's wrapped up in you. If you are not borderline alcoholic or alcoholic, you don't need a "substitute" for a mind altering drug (alcohol), just Live Well. If you NEED alcohol, then you are IN deeper than you thought, and it is time to just put it on the bar and back away slowly!

Kalielspinner

If you have time take a glance at my blog... I cut it (wine, beer) in January. I did it for economic reasons -life's full of trade-offs and trainers cost money. I dropped weight (I had been spinning 2-3 times a week for 2yrs) ...I made other changes as well but the biggy was alcohol.

EdTheGinge

I cut it out completely for the first 5months, in which time I lost the 70lbs I set out to lose and I found that it did have a positive impact as we all know that alcohol is wasted calories and bloats your stomach.

Since January I have drank, but in 4 1/2months it's probably only been on 4 or 5 occasions.

MissFitRocker

I think it's okay to enjoy a little here and there. But, then again...drinking the night before doesn't sit well with AM workouts. It's all about priorities .

susiepet

I started cutting down in January this year - previously I had at least one or two glasses of wine a day at home - it just became a habit - six o'clock arrived and I had a drink and a snack.
I counted it in my calories - but I wasn't losing weight.
I was helped by the fact that I went off the taste of white wine (my tipple of choice) and found myself - farcically - ordering rose wine in a pub because I disliked that less but had to have a drink when with friends.
So - I found a substitute - 0.5% lager - which is as close as I could get to zero and like the taste - as my six o'clock marker - and now I do that instead. I think it's helped that I've only changed one bit of my routine, rather than cut it all out, as I've hardly veered from that since.

Having said that, I'm not trying to give up, so I don't beat myself up if I go out and have a couple of drinks, or, as I did on holiday, drink every day for a week. I do find I'm thinking "phew, back to no alcohol tomorrow" though so I might cut back further in time.

The benefits
I've lost 5% body fat and the same in weight (got measured at the gym).
My head is clearer and I don't eat c**p food because of - even though you can't really feel it - a bit of a hangover the next day.
I can work harder at the gym.
Much cheaper shopping bills! I reckon I spent a fiver a day on wine - now it's £1.20 for the beer. I really noticed this the other day when I went shopping for a dinner party and the wine was more than half the bill.
I reckon I've had wine on about maybe 15 days out of the last 90 - which includes the week when I drank daily. Excluding that it's averaging less than once a week. I don't beat myself up about it as I'm cutting down, not out.

The downside
None so far - although I'm aware that drinking socially is still a BIG challenge for me. I'm back on holiday in two weeks which will be interesting as it's at the same place with the same boozy friends....

GIve it a go and see where you get!

Sue

Joehenny

It's a poison and it ****s up protein synthesis. Of course though, you can still see great results being a casual to moderate drinker.

StArBeLLa87

I only drink 2 days a week max sometimes not at all ht being said not a big drinker to begin with !

I just stay in my calorie daily goal without any problem and if I do go over Id just exercise a lil extra the next day to make up for it lol