Anyone else having a hard time cutting out alcohol??

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Replies

  • Bobbyjr72
    Bobbyjr72 Posts: 28 Member
    I definitley notice the difference when I am not drinking for a while. It's easier to control my eating, especially at night. it's easier to wake up and work out in the morning. the pounds literally fall off. I try to add it back in moderation but I know my limits and I'm a bit of an extremist. It's all or none. Therefore, i am drying out for a few months and hopefully the added health benefits of more weight loss and better morning workouts outweigh all of the resveratrol I'm missing from my nightly wine (which by the way is a dumb excuse for drinking excessive amounts of wine...or so my wife has reminded me repeatedly).
  • coderedjulia
    coderedjulia Posts: 43
    I have been banging my head against the wall all day trying to figure out how I am going to fit a few drinks in tonight when my hubby and I go out with friends later! My conclusion is to work out extra hard and extra long at the gym tonight.... Hope it works :)

    Oh, I know what you mean! I have a date tomorrow, and he wants to have chinese food. I thought one meal wouldn't hurt, but he also wants to have some drinks after..lol. Sometimes the opposite sex can sabotage your diet..lol.
  • imtrinat
    imtrinat Posts: 153 Member
    I have an affinity craft beer. No matter how carefully I watch my diet, I ALWAYS go over by exactly the number of beer calories I drink. I'm just not one of those people who can save my calories for beer. Life is meant to have some level of enjoyment. I'm willing to have a few extra lbs around the hips if it means I can enjoy my drinks. It's a trade off.
  • 1stday13
    1stday13 Posts: 433 Member
    I'm in no way, shape, or form an alcoholic, but I enjoy a cigar and a stiff drink most nights. It's my "thing". Anyone else trying to find a way to cut calories during the day to make room for drink? Is alcohol as bad for weight loss as I hear?
    I looked up alcohol calories, ( just pure research mind you) :laugh: I was amazed at which ones had the least calories. Vodka being one of the lower ones (wine is not all that great you are talking only 4oz (Vs a shot of hard stuff about the same) so this is the site where I found it, I just googled it, (there are a bunch of sites out there) http://caloriecount.about.com/ I agree with most on here. Just allow for it in your daily calorie consumption You should be fine, :drinker:
  • Bigwig236
    Bigwig236 Posts: 74 Member
    Its the only way my friend. Giving up all the food naughties is bad enough, but a nice drink as well? No chance. I love my wine, and build it into the calorie count. Tonight I did 40 mins on the cross trainer so I dont have to feel guilty about the bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc...
  • PJClay57
    PJClay57 Posts: 16
    They say its all about moderation and will power; I haven't met this Will Power guy yet so if you see him, please send him my way!
  • 1stday13
    1stday13 Posts: 433 Member
    Also, check this out for good measure:

    http://getdrunknotfat.com/

    Well now, isn't that handy! Interesting
    Perfect!! even 100% better than one I found. Yours just got saved to favs :drinker:
  • Chloe0602
    Chloe0602 Posts: 93 Member
    Since I"ve quit smoking, I've also decreased my vodka intake. If I do plan on having a few on the weekends, I just plan for it through the day :)
  • lizrosscollier
    lizrosscollier Posts: 7 Member
    I agree with those that still enjoy the odd drink and even those that exercise more or eat slightly less to compensate for it. I believe that if you 'cut out' any given food or drink completely, it makes the whole healthy lifestyle changes just that much more difficult. If I know that I'm likely to have a few drinks on any given day, I plan for it and make sure the foods I have are low cal to save some for the night. I also mix drinks with a zero calorie drink to save even more calories. It works! Those people on the message board that have spoken about moderation are so right! That's exactly what it's about ... and not beating yourself up if you go overboard. Tomorrow is another day ... and eating healthy is for life. Not just for one day.
  • Lalasharni
    Lalasharni Posts: 353 Member
    I've ditched alcohol for the time being. I dont think there is anything wrong with fitting a couple of beers into your daily planning, its just that alcohol (even that small amount) makes you weak willed and increases your need to nibble - peanuts, chips etc, while you are drinking.
    Yes - its tough. I have been a half bottle of wine (sometimes a full bottle) each evening girl for 20 years. I only bought high quality red wine and I enjoyed it, and so its been a loss to quit it. The loss feeling lasted two weeks, and then started to get better. I would now rather have that 400 calories in good food than slug it down from a glass.

    If it suits you to have the beers then write it into your logging, but make sure that you dont snack as well.
    I am more worried about your cigar however, but as an ex smoker, I cant preach !!!
  • MsKeelah919
    MsKeelah919 Posts: 332 Member
    YES!! This is not scientific by any means...but when I lost weight last year (about 30 lbs.) I didn't drink for the first 6 weeks. I lost weight FAST AND STEADILY. When I added an occasional glass of wine (even within my caloric allotment) the weight loss slowed. Once I added liquor, it seemed to stall it. Like, even if I lost...I looked puffy. Now I have to use the week to recover from two little nights of drinks. SUCKS!!
  • jazdchef
    jazdchef Posts: 1
    i go 15oz a day w the smirnoff. 1000 cals. Iz the JETS fault. haha. GO JETS!(mesn my whole program up),(stil losn a few a wk tho)(lbs i mean). GO JETS!
  • 1stday13
    1stday13 Posts: 433 Member
    Re: wine oxidizing if you don't drink it "fast enough" - - a great investment is a wine vacuum top, which sucks the air out of the bottle (still or sparkling wines) to make it last MUCH longer. Great for wines you use to cook with only too, this really gives you a longer shelf life. Less than $10 (got 2 for $4 on sale recently). Good luck
    That's why God invented box wine :laugh:
  • 1stday13
    1stday13 Posts: 433 Member
    You can make room for it if you want, I still drink beers. Big beers, not diet beers. I want my beer to taste like beer if I'm gonna spend my calories on it. Just personal preference, but I'd rather have one Lagunitas Sucks than 4 64 calorie beers or two and a half 100 calorie beers. Quality over quantity as far as my tastebuds go.
    All this is driving me to want a drink tonight & I have nothing in the house :sad: I have lots of calories left too :grumble:
  • PJClay57
    PJClay57 Posts: 16
    One thing that I have changed is that I no longer "sip" my wine while I cook. I wait till I am seated to eat to enjoy my glass or two of wine!
  • bluelena
    bluelena Posts: 304 Member
    My drinking habits have changed so much over the last few years. I used to head for the pub at least three days of the week after work. Once I moved to a new city, I didn't have my "Cheers", so I didn't go anywhere after work. That's when I realized that I DID have time to work out.

    Over time, I've kind of become a bit of a craft beer snob, but when I go out I only have a couple before I'm just over it. I LOVE beer, but too much of it and I just feel heavy and slobby. I do keep wine at the house, and when out for dinner I'll enjoy a glass or two. At home, it depends on the day. Usually I'll have a glass on the weekends if I'm not doing anything else. Like, if it's a gorgeous evening, I'll enjoy a glass on the patio with friends.

    Like someone said upthread, wine is pretty low calorie and nice to have around if I've had an especially trying day. It's a lot easier for me to work into my daily goals than beer. It COULD be a nightly thing, it's just not. Mostly because I'd much rather eat my calories than drink them.

    Sometimes, though... DAMN THE CALORIES: It's cold beer-thirty!

    I tend to overdo it on special occasions, though, and enjoy way more than I should from time to time. Maybe once every few months. It may sound weird, but my favorite hangover cure is a nice, long run. I feel so much better sweating it out, and it beats lying around on the couch eating crap all day because I drank too much the night before.

    I just do my best to enjoy what I want in moderation. Food AND drink. If I go over or have a ridiculous day now and then, whatever. The next day is a new day.
  • alexbusnello
    alexbusnello Posts: 1,010 Member
    I know I want to build muscles and burn fat and being a woman, this is harder....But I'll be honest...I do like the feeling of being pretty drunk.... = / i don't have a problem...it has been months and months since my last drink (Actually....a couple nights before Halloween) but it's usually farther apart than that.
  • adjunct
    adjunct Posts: 1
    I feel your pain. I too love a little drink; my poison is wine. I have not had a gass all week but today is Friday and i measured out 12 oz of a nice cabernet ane I am not going to feel guilty! If I want a white wine, I will mix it with some no calorie seltzer water and make a nice spritzer out of it. That seems to help. The problem I have is if I have some wine, my resolve for not having snacks goes out the window. So, I am limiting my drinking to Friday or Saturday evenings. I hope this helps you!
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
    Honestly, I cut alcohol out of my diet completely for three months and there was no difference in my weight loss.

    I think it's one of those things that is different for everyone. I only have one or two drinks a week, and some weeks I have no alcohol at all. I measure it on my food scale when I drink at home, but when I go out and have a drink I make sure to have a good allotment of calories for it. If you are making sure it fits into your calorie bank, I see no problem with it.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    I'm in no way, shape, or form an alcoholic, but I enjoy a cigar and a stiff drink most nights. It's my "thing". Anyone else trying to find a way to cut calories during the day to make room for drink? Is alcohol as bad for weight loss as I hear?
    If it fits in with your calorie intake it is fine. I have a good cigar and a fine Scotch once or twice a month. More than that, and the cigar smoke gets to my lungs to much. I notice it when I am working out. But have a stick and drink, just don't do it every day. You'll be golden!
  • jeffsieck
    jeffsieck Posts: 10 Member
    What's all this about alcohol making you week willed and prone to eating? I don't understand how a beer (or two) or a cocktail is anything more that a beer (or two) or a cocktail? I have my drink in the evening and work out at 6:00 AM, where does the sluggishness come into it? I think if you want to nibble, you're gonna nibble, drink or no. Ditto, if you're looking for an excuse to not work out, you will find one.

    The biggest change for me came when I started viewing working out as a deposit into the calorie bank that I could withdraw later in -- in the form of liquid calories if I desired. I've lost 16 pounds this month, just through counting my calories and working out. I still drink; in fact, I have a section of my food diary for cocktails and I have programmed the exact calorie count for all my cocktails in MFP.
  • Synapze
    Synapze Posts: 499
    I dont drink a lot, but i do like Cider during the summer and bourbon during the winter.

    I just finished the last of my ciders, and my plan is to leave it at that...hopefully.

    Winter tho might be a problem as i have 21 cartons of pre mixed jim Beam here :/

    The wifey thinks i should use it as a barter to get work done around the house. :tongue:
  • lizlkbg
    lizlkbg Posts: 566
    I started measuring my pours - I like whiskey and it's 70 calories per fluid ounce. I used to drink about 4 ounces a night but now have 2 ounces most nights. I was surprised at how short a pour an ounce is! :laugh:

    It's the same as planning anything else, but should be treated like any other other high-calorie, no-nutrition foods. :drinker:

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