Alcohol

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  • gem975
    gem975 Posts: 29
    Im australian and dont know ANYONE who drinks fosters lol
  • samseed101
    samseed101 Posts: 97 Member
    If you're serious about getting healthy, then drop the alcohol. Thinking that just counting calories of the beer you drink is all you have to is a mistake. Alcohol has to be dealt with by the liver. If the liver is busy trying to detox your blood, then it can't metabolize fat at the same time, well not efficiently anyhow. So that will slow your fat loss drastically.

    Want balance? Go out once a week and have 1-2 beer. You're still going out and having beers, just a little less. Like everything else you put in your mouth, moderation is key.

    THIS is the biggest issue with alcohol. People are often concerned with how many calories are in whatever they are drinking. But they seem to forget that as long as their is alcohol in the system, the body is not going to be able to process fat, carbs, or protein! I would think that the LAST thing that you want to do is literally bring all fat burning to a halt. Meanwhile, any calories you consume while drinking essentially gets "stored" until the body can clear itself of what it thinks is poison.
  • CareyT
    CareyT Posts: 43 Member
    I've started only drinking on Saturday night. I realized all the bar/restaurants my friends go to serve herbal tea. It's a little dorky, but at least I have something to drink guilt free and I don't get a hangover. If I go out on Saturday, I get a nice whiskey in a glass with ice and sip it. I can actually make it last for an hour and then wait a while before I maybe have another one. I also made a standing date with my friend to go hiking on Sunday, so I stop myself from getting wasted so I can get up and have fun. I ruined so many weekends last year puking and feeling horrible, ordering pizza and watching movies. It wasn't even fun because I felt like crap and I blocked the beautiful sunny Sundays out with the curtains so I could wallow in my toxicity. For me, quitting drinking so much has no only helped me lose weight, it has made my life more fun and exciting. But you do what makes you happy. That's important, too.
  • Dom_m
    Dom_m Posts: 336 Member
    If you're serious about getting healthy, then drop the alcohol. Thinking that just counting calories of the beer you drink is all you have to is a mistake. Alcohol has to be dealt with by the liver. If the liver is busy trying to detox your blood, then it can't metabolize fat at the same time, well not efficiently anyhow. So that will slow your fat loss drastically.

    Want balance? Go out once a week and have 1-2 beer. You're still going out and having beers, just a little less. Like everything else you put in your mouth, moderation is key.

    THIS is the biggest issue with alcohol. People are often concerned with how many calories are in whatever they are drinking. But they seem to forget that as long as their is alcohol in the system, the body is not going to be able to process fat, carbs, or protein! I would think that the LAST thing that you want to do is literally bring all fat burning to a halt. Meanwhile, any calories you consume while drinking essentially gets "stored" until the body can clear itself of what it thinks is poison.

    Thanks. This is what I wanted to know. So basically eating target calories then exercising against alcohol wont work, especially if eating and drinking occur at the same time. I might need to apply a multiplier to alcohol calories or something.

    I kind of feel like I've been cast as a major alcoholic. The evening I described was obviously exceptional, which is what makes it worthy of description. Some of the puritanical statements in this thread, while not untrue are not very helpful and mostly annoying since most of them just state common knowledge in an aggressive manner. Whatever, each to their own. Just don't assume your goals or priorities are my goals and priorities.

    Since my overall health is really quite good and I'm happy with the weight loss progress I'm making (about 10 pounds to go - half way in 3 weeks), I think I'll mostly keep doing what I'm doing, which is drink a lot of water when I drink alcohol and try to keep number of drinks to no more than 4 in a night. I might add an effort to cook my own dinner on drinking nights to make sure I stay away from wedges etc. This works better with my other goals, some of which are more important than weight loss or marginal changes to risk of various ailments.

    The tip about meeting people late and leaving early was excellent! Thanks whichever Aussie gave that one ;)
  • hilthealth
    hilthealth Posts: 3 Member
    I struggle with this as well. I used to have a few beers each day. What I did was switch from beer to vodka tonic. I'll put ice and vodka in pint glass, and fill the rest with diet tonic. As the glass empties, I add only more diet tonic.

    I know this is probably not the best way to cope, and it would be best to cut out alcohol completely, but I have been able to turn my 3-4 beers a day into 1 or 2 shots of vodka, which has severely cut my calorie intake from alcohol.

    On my cheat day, I will allow myself a few beers. I can't live without a good IPA every now and then.

    Again, this is probably not the best advice, but it has worked for me.

    Good luck.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    Most everything I'd say about the fact that you're going to have to bite the bullet and cut way back on alcohol if you're really concerned about becoming healthy has already been said. The bottom line with all that is excessive (or really even "moderate") alcohol consumption is not healthy not matter how you try to twist it to fit into an otherwise healthy lifestyle. It may be fun, it may taste great, but it's bad for you. So, that's the end of that story.

    I have gone through stages in my life where I've consumed an obscene amount of alcohol. I have gone through stages where I barely drank at all for a few years. Now, I'm finding that I drink once or twice a month-- 2-3 beers each time. One really great thing about having lost over 50 pounds is that last night I was really good and buzzed off 1.5 LIGHT beers. :laugh: So, cut back on those alcohol calories, lose some weight, and it'll take less alcohol to have the same effect as twelve (seriously, dude, TWELVE?) drinks. :wink:


    Edit: And I think the reason you may have gotten "puritanical" comments is that you never once, in your original post, explained to us that last night was an exception for you. Sometimes people don't read through all the responses before they respond. Quite frankly, you made it seem as though having 12 drinks is a very regular occurance for you and you wanted to fit your regular 12 alcoholic beverages into your "healthy" lifestyle. So, you can see how people would be a little concerned for your health/safety and confused. :smile:
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member

    I freakin' LOVE that! I actually just LOL at my desk. thanks for making my afternoon!
    <snip>
    And BTW-to all those people that think drinking is just 'oh, so terrible for your health': My grandfather has been drinking for basically 75 years or more. And continues to drink, sometimes even 3 times a week. And he still can get out on the golf course, play a full round, and beat most of the 60 year olds out there. AND HE'S 93! So obviously drinking occasionally isn't all that bad.

    Speaking of LOLing, you just made me.

    I have an employee who has never smoked (1st or 2nd hand) a day in her life being treated for lung cancer. According to your logic, that **proves** NOT smoking must be bad for you. Right? :laugh:

    There are many factors on how anything impacts a person's health. Your grandfather doesn't negate the fact that millions of us have lost loved ones to the health effects of alcohol consumption. Willful ignorance isn't really very good for your health, either. :ohwell:
  • jenng38
    jenng38 Posts: 105
    I am actually taking a class on this right now so I was so glad to find this thread. There are many many smart people who have given some excellent advice. I would just like to add that 5 or more alcoholic drinks (this includes beer, wine, mixed drinks) in one sitting when done sporadically like once a week or on occasions is actually considered binge drinking. so not good for the body. Thank you jib123 for your comment about your employee and the point that there are several factors on how things affect our health. our bodies are amazingly complex and how one individual metabolizes something like alcohol has nothing to do with how another person's body will handle it. so that's just my 2 cents. Domm...good luck, I hope you take the good advice on these pages and cut down on the drinking. Its not just the weightloss thing, it's your health. long term chronic alchohol use does other things to your body besides wrecks your liver, you can get something called Avitaminosis, which means that the alcohol basically sucks all the vitamins, especially B vitamins out of your cells and causes you to not be able to get nutrients from your food. Just something else to think about.
  • Dom_m
    Dom_m Posts: 336 Member
    Edit: And I think the reason you may have gotten "puritanical" comments is that you never once, in your original post, explained to us that last night was an exception for you. Sometimes people don't read through all the responses before they respond. Quite frankly, you made it seem as though having 12 drinks is a very regular occurance for you and you wanted to fit your regular 12 alcoholic beverages into your "healthy" lifestyle. So, you can see how people would be a little concerned for your health/safety and confused. :smile:

    This is a fair comment. I just re-read my original post and I can see I was expecting people to make assumptions about my general health and lifestyle without giving them the info. People obviously made assumptions anyway, but not the right ones. So I guess its unfair of me to sound snappish. Apologies, and thanks for all the comments. Some of them are very helpful.
  • oregonlady
    oregonlady Posts: 2,743 Member
    bump; i need 2 read this
  • feeny
    feeny Posts: 110 Member
    an ounce of vodka is only 64 cals. So vodka and diet coke, or vodka and crystal light are pretty good. Really though you should stop drinking so much. Once a week is ok as long as you're keeping it under control calorie wise, but having to count in extra cals every day just for alcohol would suck.
  • feeny
    feeny Posts: 110 Member
    an ounce of vodka is only 64 cals. So vodka and diet coke, or vodka and crystal light are pretty good. Really though you should stop drinking so much. Once a week is ok as long as you're keeping it under control calorie wise, but having to count in extra cals every day just for alcohol would suck.

    lol woops i just read the rest of the post.
  • laurabelle25
    laurabelle25 Posts: 184
    And BTW-to all those people that think drinking is just 'oh, so terrible for your health': My grandfather has been drinking for basically 75 years or more. And continues to drink, sometimes even 3 times a week. And he still can get out on the golf course, play a full round, and beat most of the 60 year olds out there. AND HE'S 93! So obviously drinking occasionally isn't all that bad.

    Look, when i wrote this, basically i was trying to say that some people just need to relax. If you want to drink...drink. If you aren't losing weight, try not drinking. Its what ever YOU decide. I know all the risks, I know plenty of alcoholics (including my own family members) and I've experienced and seen first hand how alcohol can effect the body and mind, in a variety of ways. I'm not saying if you do what my grandfather has done his whole life that you'll end up like him. I'm saying he loves to drink, so he drinks, and he's still active.

    I love to drink. I want to lose weight and get healthier. But I'm not going to stress out all about it and end up confusing my mind and body even more. So i'm going to drink. And i'm going to lose weight and get healthier. And if you're one of those people that can have the will power to just cut out alcohol all together...more power to ya, but that's just not me. Basically, what i'm trying to say is if you like to drink and want to continue to do so and lose weight, just figure out how to do that. if all these posts have made you to realize you want to give up alcohol and lose weight, then just do that. it's YOUR choice.
  • sparklepants
    sparklepants Posts: 149 Member
    I bet he's glad he asked! Hehehe!
  • itsbella
    itsbella Posts: 1,101 Member
    Interesting thread...full of caring people!
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