Lightbulb moment - Alcohol

eep223
eep223 Posts: 624 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've realized through tracking my calories that if I don't drink alcohol, it is super easy to stay within my calorie budget! When I do have some (even just a drink or two), I still go way over because I am more likely to add extra snacks that I don't need. MOTIVATION! Did anyone else lose weight by cutting out alcohol? Does anyone have a successful plan for building a little wiggle room for a glass of wine or two into their diet?
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Replies

  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,046 Member
    Oh hellll nahhhhhh I gotta have my nightcap booze!!!! I rather do an extra MILE or an estra Set on everything than give up maaaa boooze babycakes!!!!

    #1 Control the drunk snacking
    #2 workout a little harder
    #3 http://getdrunknotfat.com/ check this site out reference LOWER calorie drinks

    AND finally Enjoy that buzzzzzzzz:devil:
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
    Oh hellll nahhhhhh I gotta have my nightcap booze!!!! I rather do an extra MILE or an estra Set on everything than give up maaaa boooze babycakes!!!!

    #1 Control the drunk snacking
    #2 workout a little harder
    #3 http://getdrunknotfat.com/ check this site out reference LOWER calorie drinks

    AND finally Enjoy that buzzzzzzzz:devil:

    Haha, well yesterday I made myself go for a run (in the rain) and stop at the corner store on the way back to pick up a bottle of wine so I could feel like I "earned" it. I totally did earn it, but I didn't earn the rest of the crap I ate after I had a couple glasses! At least I stopped before I drank the whole bottle (this time).
  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,046 Member
    Oh hellll nahhhhhh I gotta have my nightcap booze!!!! I rather do an extra MILE or an estra Set on everything than give up maaaa boooze babycakes!!!!

    #1 Control the drunk snacking
    #2 workout a little harder
    #3 http://getdrunknotfat.com/ check this site out reference LOWER calorie drinks

    AND finally Enjoy that buzzzzzzzz:devil:

    Haha, well yesterday I made myself go for a run (in the rain) and stop at the corner store on the way back to pick up a bottle of wine so I could feel like I "earned" it. I totally did earn it, but I didn't earn the rest of the crap I ate after I had a couple glasses! At least I stopped before I drank the whole bottle (this time).

    Looks like were alot of like you and I :bigsmile:
  • Schmidt722
    Schmidt722 Posts: 35 Member
    Yep!

    I can leave the chocolate, never eat fast food, and don't really keep junk food in the house-- but god I love beer. So, I'm trying to cut WAY back as well. Here's a thing I sometimes do:

    I prefer microbrews but if I keep them around I want to drink many of them. If I keep a brand in the house that I don't especially love, like Miller 64, I'll have one but not crave more. But, because I *have* that pack of lesser beer in the fridge, it prevents me from going out to buy Stone Smoked Porter or something way more delicious, where a beer-less fridge would make me do just that.

    But dude, I would never give up the good stuff entirely! I haven't found any tricks or rule of thumb in terms of fitting beer into my calorie goal (it often is the thing that sends me over as well), but I have made the choice to drink less and I am losing weight without giving it up entirely.

    Good luck!
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
    ... I have made the choice to drink less and I am losing weight without giving it up entirely.

    This is incredibly encouraging to hear, thanks. I'm at early days yet. Oh man, Stone. We have a bunch of amazing microbrew stuff from out of state a friend gave us in the house right now and it's KILLING me. I'm sticking with 2 beers and thinking of it as a treat. That's totally what I'm doing. And hopefully my boyfriend will drink most of it so I can stop looking at it every time I open the fridge.

    EDIT: Two beers, once or twice a week. No more than that. BIG step up from 3-5 beers with one or two days a week off.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Try drinking "for dessert"--instead of drinking while you're eating, or having beer snacks, drink a beer when you're done eating for the day. And make sure you have those 200 or so calories stashed away :)

    But yeah, usually, I don't drink except on weekends... I have room in my calorie allowance usually, too, but I just don't feel like it anymore. It's almost like the stuff is addictive and I broke the habit. Hmm.
  • Schmidt722
    Schmidt722 Posts: 35 Member
    Are you me?!?

    My boyfriend came home last week with 3 12-packs of beer that they were just giving out at his work. Awesome. Thanks boyfriend! He's been drinking most of it too, but it's still hard to see SO much of it around.

    I live in Portland which is beer heaven so it's not going to be easy, but yeah. Definitely have to start thinking of it as a treat rather than a nightly reflex.
  • thesatch88
    thesatch88 Posts: 27 Member
    if you cant stop drinking at any given moment you have a problem. not necessarily one that needs help, but you do have one. try going 30 days without alcohol and see how you feel. Im not saying give it up for good, but if you cant set the bottle down for 30 days, maybe you should re-examine your priorities in life.
  • squeakyfish
    squeakyfish Posts: 109 Member
    Same here. Cutting out my nightly 2-3 glasses of wine has made weight loss pretty easy. I didn't realize how much the wine was leading me to snack at night. I'm down 23 pounds since Jan primarily from cutting back on alcohol. On some Friday's and Saturday's I let myself have 1 or 2 glasses but it's programmed in - I've worked out enough to compensate for it and there's no snacking. Now that I'm much more conscious of it, I'm finding that I'm enjoying it even more.
  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,046 Member
    We should make an MFP group!............damn theres alot of people like me out here. I might be alittle more though.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    I tend to loose when I drink O_______O

    Not even kidding, I usually have Jack Daniels and Lime Juice, a decent choice but I don't like to snack when I am drunk. I tend to eat what I need to so that I am less likely to be hung over the next day and drink a ton of water so I go to the bathroom way more frequently but usually weigh less the days following... on the flip side I sleep for days after drinking, even after just two, even though it takes a lot to actually get me drunk *shrug* wish I knew why the heck my body reacts this way.
  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,046 Member
    if you cant stop drinking at any given moment you have a problem. not necessarily one that needs help, but you do have one. try going 30 days without alcohol and see how you feel. Im not saying give it up for good, but if you cant set the bottle down for 30 days, maybe you should re-examine your priorities in life.

    Oh oh heres comes the Polllizzeeeeee. Everybody run!!!!:bigsmile:
  • marthajo1
    marthajo1 Posts: 68 Member
    Years ago when I found out I was pregnant, I quit drinking - obviously. I dropped 8lbs in 5 weeks of my first trimester and had made no other changes except ditching alcohol. I now limit my alcohol to weekends and only a couple glasses of wine. Like others have said, the more I drink, the more I snack! And not healthy snacking. Just a bunch of CRAP!
  • kf4vkp
    kf4vkp Posts: 164 Member
    In addition to the extra snacking that it causes, you body must burn the calories from the alcohol first.

    I try to have a glass with dinner when I need the drink, and then the 'snacking' is my dinner and I switch to water after the first drink.
  • IzzyBooNZ1
    IzzyBooNZ1 Posts: 1,289 Member
    Oh hellll nahhhhhh I gotta have my nightcap booze!!!! I rather do an extra MILE or an estra Set on everything than give up maaaa boooze babycakes!!!!

    #1 Control the drunk snacking
    #2 workout a little harder
    #3 http://getdrunknotfat.com/ check this site out reference LOWER calorie drinks

    AND finally Enjoy that buzzzzzzzz:devil:

    i love this answer
  • ThatSoundsHard
    ThatSoundsHard Posts: 475 Member
    If I plan on drinking wine, which I do, often, I add it well before consumption. always plan for 3 6ounce glasses (I almost always drink less) and I log the snacks I KNOW are going to accompany said wine. Then I measure my wine and make sure I don't go over my allotted snacking.

    I almost always consume less than I've planned for. Sometimes I consume more.

    I'm not cutting out wine. No.

    What really gets me is the chocolate. If I eat one peice, I'm eating six peices.
  • debussyschild
    debussyschild Posts: 804 Member
    Alcohol has been my number one weight loss problem, so I've cut it out. I feel SOOOO much better without drinking, that it's really not worth screwing up all my work for a drink. Even on cheat meal days. My body seems to be happy with the decision to avoid alcohol, too :bigsmile:

    I've discovered that, yes, I can lose weight and still drink occasionally, BUT--big but, here--it does set you back A LOT when trying to actually look good. It slows muscle recovery, it breaks down muscle, it breaks down everything. It dehydrates like crazy. Overall, if you're trying to be very fit, nix alcohol. If you're just trying to lose weight (which will include more muscle if you drink), then go for it. Just sayin'... :drinker:
  • ccburn5
    ccburn5 Posts: 473 Member
    Most definitely!! I think thats the first 10 pounds I lost. I have cut back to really only weekends except for the occasional dinner out or something. I do however cut loose on weekends and yes, I would say it adds to more eating for sure!
  • thesatch88
    thesatch88 Posts: 27 Member
    lol, definitely not. I drink more than most people I know, but I also routinely quit for 30 days. weight comes off, energy goes up. all im saying is that if you cant lay off the bottle for 30 days, maybe you need to be thinking about why.
  • debussyschild
    debussyschild Posts: 804 Member
    lol, definitely not. I drink more than most people I know, but I also routinely quit for 30 days. weight comes off, energy goes up. all im saying is that if you cant lay off the bottle for 30 days, maybe you need to be thinking about why.

    ^^BINGO.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    lol, definitely not. I drink more than most people I know, but I also routinely quit for 30 days. weight comes off, energy goes up. all im saying is that if you cant lay off the bottle for 30 days, maybe you need to be thinking about why.

    Yeah, I agree that if you can't put it away for a while, you might have a problem.

    I find that exercising in the morning is a lot easier when I don't have that nightly drink, so that's the chief reason I cut down on drinking. In the past, I used to put my drinking on hold just to lose weight--it's very effective.
  • lrbassmom
    lrbassmom Posts: 123
    We should make an MFP group!............damn theres alot of people like me out here. I might be alittle more though.

    Yes! A beer group.

    Ben Franklin said it best.... "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
  • lraymond14
    lraymond14 Posts: 22 Member
    if you cant stop drinking at any given moment you have a problem. not necessarily one that needs help, but you do have one. try going 30 days without alcohol and see how you feel. Im not saying give it up for good, but if you cant set the bottle down for 30 days, maybe you should re-examine your priorities in life.

    Oh oh heres comes the Polllizzeeeeee. Everybody run!!!!:bigsmile:

    BeerRunner - You must be my twin. Are you sure we're not related. :happy:
  • Mom4Liz
    Mom4Liz Posts: 55
    I think it depends how much you drink too. Like if I have just one glass of wine it decreases my appetite but if I have 3 I want to eat junk food.
  • MsJulielicious
    MsJulielicious Posts: 708 Member
    Drunken pilates. You'd be amazed at how bendy you can get whilst drinking. Giggity. Problem.solved.
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    Did anyone else lose weight by cutting out alcohol?

    99.9% of people probably did, yes.
  • Sharkington
    Sharkington Posts: 485
    When I drink, I usually always go over on my calories because I tend to drink on the days I go out to eat, then i come home with the drunkin' munchies and eat some more because f-it. i don't drink a lot, however - maybe a few times a month, so it hasn't really affected my weight. Alcohol is usually just one part of my splurge-y meals.

    If cutting out alcohol works for you and you are happy with that choice, go for it! It will probably do yer body good - and remember, if you still miss your favorite alcoholic beverage, you can always work on fitting it into your daily calories, or work on drinking in moderation (whatever "moderation" means for you. For me, it's a few times a month.)
  • Sharkington
    Sharkington Posts: 485
    Drunken pilates. You'd be amazed at how bendy you can get whilst drinking. Giggity. Problem.solved.

    :laugh:
  • Txracy
    Txracy Posts: 78
    I always leave room in my calorie allowance for an after-workout beer. It gives me extra motivation during my workout, knowing I have something to look forward to. Plus, since I work out in the evenings, I get all pumped up and have a hard time sleeping if I don't have something relaxing afterward (it's not always a beer. I also drink chamomile or sleepy time tea to unwind after the gym).

    Also, a cold beer while sitting in a hot bubble bath after a kick *kitten* workout? My favorite part of the day. :)

    Cutting out alcohol completely is doable, but I enjoy my microbrews, and don't want to give them up for the rest of my life, so part of my permanent, healthier lifestyle changes is learning how to incorporate my occasional indulgences.
  • AmazingRed
    AmazingRed Posts: 22 Member
    I have cut out booze, I think I've had just a couple of drinks since I started MFP. I'm not sure how much of a difference it is making, but I definitely don't have the calories to waste. Just reading this made me miss beer though :(

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