Taking a break from drinking alcohol

amelia_atlantic · May 2010

This is not "Hi, I'm Amy and I'm an alcoholic speech" but I have been drinking (and over drinking) a lot lately. I'm 24 and living a city (Portland, Maine) that's all about good restaurants and bars. It's inevitable and really hard to avoid. It's the social scene here.

Aside from a million other bad habits (and regrets!) that go with drinking, my diet is really being affected. It's very counter productive to this "life style change". I'll over eat if I over drink. I exercise on days I know I'll over indulge on alcohol but it would be nice to not have to factor that empty calories in at all.

A guy in my office stopped drinking for one month prepping for his impending marathon training and lost 15 pounds! Granted, men and women lose weight at different levels anyway, I couldn't help but be inspired!

IF I really do commit to this idea, I would cut out drinking completely for one month. I think I'll feel like a million bucks if I can really do it!

So, MPF friends, what kind of advice can you offer me about "quitting" drinking for a whole month, especially in social situations?

Thanks!

cdavis1126 · May 2010

When I started my food program back in October, I quit drinking for 3 months. I was a social drinker on the weekends but same as you, a few drinks and then I want to order fries or something else quite bad for me. We basically stopped going to the bar where all our friends hung out. I needed to get myself under control before I could venture out again. Now we do go out and meet up with everyone however I really have not gone back to drinking. I may have 2 drinks a month, that's it. And I'll tell you what I've noticed. I don't like the way it makes me feel anymore, even 1 drink. I start to feel my feet swelling up immediately from the sugar in the alcohol. I don't want to add those empty calories into my diet. I just feel so much better overall after losing 69 lbs since october that I don't ever want to go back to that other lifestyle including alcohol. I find that I can still go out and have a great time, laughing, talking, dancing without the alcohol so why drink it at all? I'm also saving alot of money!

marybethbeech · May 2010

I quit drinking for about a month. Not on purpose, pretty much without even realizing, I just got really serious about weight loss.

I will say this, if you quit drinking for a while, it will take much less for you to feel the effects of alcohol once you start drinking again. Social drinking becomes two glasses of wine instead of 4. Which is great for calorie counters like me.

SHBoss1673 · May 2010

People don't want to hear it, but quitting the alcohol is probably THE best single thing a person can do to improve their health, assuming they drank regularly to begin with. Besides the fact that it's poison, it also makes it extremely hard to lose weight. Alcohol supplants all other energy sources in the body, which means your body stores all the carbs, fat, and protein that it would normally use as energy, and you know what that means.... fat!

I'm not saying you need to stop for life, but cutting back from a few times a week to a few times a month can really help greatly with weight loss (not to mention it might save you from sclerosis of the liver later in life as well, among other things drinking does to you!)

sabes2631 · May 2010

I think somewhere on this board I have the EXACT same post. I have tried it. I too live in an area where we go out often to restaurants - its a lifestyle. I would recommend this - it kinda worked for me because I was going out every night and making bad choices about not only food, but other things...

I said - today, i am not going to drink. and when I do that I usually make it til tuesday - sad - I know. And I always over do it on weekends.... i find t hat i have to say it day by day. not becuz I have a problem, but because it is a lifestyle with so many friends and places to go and newly single...

I didnt drink all last week and I felt great - a lot of energy. But my workout this morning was terrible because of the Amstel Lites and pizza on saturday...

so in short - i dont know what to give as advice - its so tough. but try one day. i also didnt refill my wine rack - that eliminates the tempation of "just one glass of wine" at night to relax

good luck!

happybrooke · May 2010

What really helped me kick the alcohol, for dieting purposes....was to actually see how many cals were actually in the drinks and then add up how many cals I was taking in overall. IT'S AMAZING! I could not believe that I could easily drink my daily cals...so now I make waaaayy different drinking choices than I used to. I try to stay away from the fruity drinks as they seem to be chocked-full of sugars and cals. Rum and diet coke, or something like that seems to be better.

It's all about choices. If you are doing this because you want to be healthy, then just know that from time to time, you'll want to go out and drink and eat. I plan ahead for those occasions, exercising more that week...or finding a way to eat less cals and still be satisfied for the other meals of the day. Moderation. If you are making a lifestyle change, its ok that these things happen from time to time, but it's what you do with the "in-between" times that count.

smuehlbauer · May 2010

I quit drinking about 7 months ago. I feel awesome now. I feel so awesome that I have kept it up for 7 month despite the fact that all of my friends are heavy drinkers. I drink water with lemon or diet tonic with lime. It's easier to have something that looks like a drink instead of having to explain why you aren't drinking sometimes.

Johnnyswife · May 2010

I think somewhere on this board I have the EXACT same post. I have tried it. I too live in an area where we go out often to restaurants - its a lifestyle. I would recommend this - it kinda worked for me because I was going out every night and making bad choices about not only food, but other things...

I said - today, i am not going to drink. and when I do that I usually make it til tuesday - sad - I know. And I always over do it on weekends.... i find t hat i have to say it day by day. not becuz I have a problem, but because it is a lifestyle with so many friends and places to go and newly single...

I didnt drink all last week and I felt great - a lot of energy. But my workout this morning was terrible because of the Amstel Lites and pizza on saturday...

so in short - i dont know what to give as advice - its so tough. but try one day. i also didnt refill my wine rack - that eliminates the tempation of "just one glass of wine" at night to relax

good luck!

I know there are several posts like this floating around with all kinds of links too. The thing to remember is, that your body will take energy to burn off the alcohol before it burns off any food you ate. So weight loss will slow down or stop while your body tries to rid itself of any booze you drink. Having a drink once in a while won't hurt too much but having it everyday can affect weight loss. :flowerforyou:

dj_stevie_c · May 2010

I quite for 2 years a while ago.

And I plan on not drinking anymore, unless it's a very special occasion.

The best way to deal with it at first if you're struggling is to have something that tastes nice and is a substitute, even though it may still have calories. For example, Orange Juice with Lemonade (light lemonade if they have it) is a really nice drink, I used to have the same with Pineapple. At least that way you're taking in some juice.

Later on you can move on to Cordials with water. And then eventually just water.

jienelle · May 2010

I'm totally with you on this one! I'll tell myself I won't drink on the weekends...then I do..then I tell myself just one...and it's more than one and then I end up eating the worst things.

I think the best way to curb this habit is to not be around it at all. Try going out with friends where you can be active and have a good time and there isn't alcohol everywhere.

Or if you really want to go somewhere where there is going to be alcohol volunteer to be the DD. That way you can't drink.

melbhall · May 2010

Good luck to you. I usually have a glass or 2 of wine a couple of times a week, and by chance there was a week when I didn't drink but did drink a ton of water and BAM, my weight loss picked back up. Now that I'm back to my old ways my weight loss has stalled out. Stopping social drinking is hard, even harder than stopping smoking for me. Before I once convinced my husband to give up alcohol and limit our eating out to prove how much money per month we were spending on that crap. We saved almost $1000 that month. Every little drink, fast food stop, coffee, etc adds up. Keep track of how much your saving and that should motivate you to keep strong, and if you have any friends that aren't heavy drinkers try to get them on board with you. Having support helps! Good luck. Let us know how your month without drinking goes!

iplayoutside19 · May 2010

I wouldn't say I quit drinking last summer/fall, but I drasticly reduced it. And it did make a huge difference. I noticed that the alcohol industry has done a good job of establishing the myth that drinking has to be apart of your life to fit into our culture, and that is simply not the case.

Just remember what's important...drinking...or reaching your fitness goals.

Barneystinson · May 2010

I recommend signing yourself up as the permanent "designated driver" for a couple months. That way, you can still have a social life but be the responsible one not drinking and you won't get any snark from anyone about it. I did that in my last semester at college when I was on a pretty strict weight loss/maintenance goal for the military. I went 3 months with zero drinks and achieved my weight loss goals with few issues.

And now I know that at 26, I drink a tiny fraction of what I did at 22 and I certainly feel and look better for it. My wallet thanks me, too. Hehe.

amelia_atlantic · May 2010

Thanks so much for the support and suggestions!

Unfortunately, my friends are all pretty heavy drinkers. I'll have to either be the DD for the month or avoid them for most of it! Both aren't terrible things if it means I'll be healthy in the end!

I've decided June 1st is the day I'm going to start. :noway:
I'm going to use the next 10+ days to make a real plan, get rid (give away) the booze in my house and break the news to my friends.

I KNOW I can do this! Thanks again! :drinker: <---purposely ironic!

Vallandingham · May 2010

Good Luck. Good Idea.

I think I will join you. I am stopping today. Not going to have another drink until I set down in Puerto Vallarta on July 11.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Taking a break from drinking alcohol

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