Drinking and fitness

13

Replies

  • You really need to just add it into your daily allotment and stay within that range. If you go over, get burning some.
  • Wow, I have never posted before but I am reading over and over the same issue I have with drinking wine. My diet is clean, I do cardio 5 days a week, lift weights 3 but drink wine every night. I will have 3 to 4 glasses and the empty calories add up. Glad to know I am not alone. Wish I could figure out how to not drink during the week and would appreciate any suggestions.
    Steve
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Wish I could figure out how to not drink during the week and would appreciate any suggestions.
    Steve
    count the calories and make it fit into your goal, or don't drink?
  • After several years of being overweight and lazy I'm attempting to get fit and lose weight.

    But I'm coming to the conclusion that booze is ruining my progress and so I've quit.

    I tend to drink several days in a row. Enough drinks to push me about 500 calories over my quota each day. I drink in the evening after starting off the day eating healthy so after getting drunk I don't really have the option of exercising off the calories. Then I'll be good for a few weeks and then have my little binge again.

    Yes I know I should exercise moderation but it doesn't happen.

    Wondering if anyone had a similar experience.

    Not drinking is a good start... Binge exercise sucks. It sucks because the way exercise works, both cardio and strength, you break down your muscles and they rebuild = you get stronger/you develop stamina. You never capitalize on the compounding nature of exercise if you aren't somewhat consistent. Don't go full-retard though. Start with physically challenging yourself twice a week doing something you like. I hike... I love it. I can spend all day doing hill sprints and climbing mountain but 30 min in an eliptical is torture. Once you start feeling stronger and healthier the motivation will follow driven by the curiosity of how far you can push yourself.
  • catchtheislands
    catchtheislands Posts: 25 Member
    Uh Ya same problem.
    Nowdays I get super hung over... Man I hate it. Plus then I eat crap I never would put in my mouth if sober... bah

    I am not going to suggest you are an alchy. I think by definition we all probably are. If you are avoiding it or drinking it...
    That aside-

    A couple of tricks.
    1) Load up on protein first. This helps level your blood sugar and helps it absorb slower.

    2) Drinks something you hate. Something you do not care for. I homebrew so going out I drink the ****tiest beer I can find or bad wine... You get the idea.

    3) Take every opportunity to pour your drink out, get another one, let a plant have it, spill it, whatever.

    4) Slam a glass of water in between drinks. Order a water with your drink. Slam the water, sip the drink.

    5) When you go to go pee, do 50 squats in the ladies/mens room. Burns off that sugar using the largest muscles you have.

    6) Eat more protein while drinking. Again slows the absorption and levels the sugar.

    7) Leave booze in the glass when you are done. This changes your relationship with alcohol magically.

    8) Quit drinking long before bed and water water water protein water.
  • emaybe
    emaybe Posts: 187 Member
    I work in a bar and am a touring musician -- drinking is a part of my everyday life, whether I'm drinking or not. I've found that when I'm out at the bar (which is almost every night in my lines of work), putting down a pint glass of water between each cocktail helps -- it forces water intake, which hydrates and helps the hangover the next day, and it paces your drinking, which will put a dent in your calorie intake and your wallet. Usually I go for seltzer water because it takes a little longer to drink and the fizziness makes it feel like you're drinking something substantial. Squeeze of lime or lemon doesn't hurt either -- as long as the bar fruit doesn't look gross. Always check the bar fruit. Ughhh... you don't want to know what I've seen.
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    I dink some bourbon neat every now and then. Only costs 104 calories.

    Ditto, but my "every now and then" is most weeknights. Switching from beer to bourbon saves a ton of calories because you sip it rather than chugging it, so one drink can last awhile. It's also cheaper for me in the long run (one bottle of good bourbon costs me about the same as 5 sixpacks, but lasts longer).

    It costs A LOT more in bars, though.
  • emaybe
    emaybe Posts: 187 Member

    2) Drinks something you hate. Something you do not care for. I homebrew so going out I drink the ****tiest beer I can find or bad wine... You get the idea.

    This is how my mom quit smoking! Capri ultra slim menthol 120s. (She used to be a Marb Red lady.)
  • catchtheislands
    catchtheislands Posts: 25 Member
    Ha! Awesome. It works for me down here in the Florida Keys where every hour is a happy hour.
  • Uh Ya same problem.
    Nowdays I get super hung over... Man I hate it. Plus then I eat crap I never would put in my mouth if sober... bah

    I am not going to suggest you are an alchy. I think by definition we all probably are. If you are avoiding it or drinking it...
    That aside-

    A couple of tricks.
    1) Load up on protein first. This helps level your blood sugar and helps it absorb slower.

    2) Drinks something you hate. Something you do not care for. I homebrew so going out I drink the ****tiest beer I can find or bad wine... You get the idea.

    3) Take every opportunity to pour your drink out, get another one, let a plant have it, spill it, whatever.

    4) Slam a glass of water in between drinks. Order a water with your drink. Slam the water, sip the drink.

    5) When you go to go pee, do 50 squats in the ladies/mens room. Burns off that sugar using the largest muscles you have.

    6) Eat more protein while drinking. Again slows the absorption and levels the sugar.

    7) Leave booze in the glass when you are done. This changes your relationship with alcohol magically.

    8) Quit drinking long before bed and water water water protein water.

    Why drink something you hate? Why not just not consume alcohol? Offer to be DD. Be the picture taker (and black mailer *wink wink*

    Seems like an awful lot of work to do something you don't want to be doing....
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Uh Ya same problem.
    Nowdays I get super hung over... Man I hate it. Plus then I eat crap I never would put in my mouth if sober... bah

    I am not going to suggest you are an alchy. I think by definition we all probably are. If you are avoiding it or drinking it...
    That aside-

    A couple of tricks.
    1) Load up on protein first. This helps level your blood sugar and helps it absorb slower.

    2) Drinks something you hate. Something you do not care for. I homebrew so going out I drink the ****tiest beer I can find or bad wine... You get the idea.

    3) Take every opportunity to pour your drink out, get another one, let a plant have it, spill it, whatever.

    4) Slam a glass of water in between drinks. Order a water with your drink. Slam the water, sip the drink.

    5) When you go to go pee, do 50 squats in the ladies/mens room. Burns off that sugar using the largest muscles you have.

    6) Eat more protein while drinking. Again slows the absorption and levels the sugar.

    7) Leave booze in the glass when you are done. This changes your relationship with alcohol magically.

    8) Quit drinking long before bed and water water water protein water.

    Why drink something you hate? Why not just not consume alcohol? Offer to be DD. Be the picture taker (and black mailer *wink wink*

    Seems like an awful lot of work to do something you don't want to be doing....

    agreed with that. There are some good tips in there... water between drinks, food, etc. but I'll be damned if I'm gonna go out and spend money on crap beer to pour into some plant.
  • BigBadVanna
    BigBadVanna Posts: 65 Member
    About three weeks ago I gave up my 3 to 4 glasses a night wine habit. I definitely feel better in the mornings and have more energy.

    I always saved the hard liquor for the weekends, usually just one night. So far I've given that up, too. I'll save it special occasions.

    And someone mentioned working out the next day to help offset the calories. There is NO WAY I could work out on a Saturday after going out Friday night. Nope, that just wouldn't happen. When I'm hungover, I barely have the energy to sit on the couch and watch bad TV.
  • laurie04427
    laurie04427 Posts: 421 Member
    3) Take every opportunity to pour your drink out, get another one, let a plant have it, spill it, whatever.
    I got a good giggle imagining you sipping a beer next to a very withered plant hehe. All really good tips though and thank you everyone, I'm taking note of all the suggestions.

    Instead of drinking spur of the moment I'll plan it out ahead, eat protein first, sip water inbetween. Sounds fun rather than regretful.
  • KimiSteinbach
    KimiSteinbach Posts: 224 Member
    Uh Ya same problem.
    Nowdays I get super hung over... Man I hate it. Plus then I eat crap I never would put in my mouth if sober... bah

    I am not going to suggest you are an alchy. I think by definition we all probably are. If you are avoiding it or drinking it...
    That aside-

    A couple of tricks.
    1) Load up on protein first. This helps level your blood sugar and helps it absorb slower.

    2) Drinks something you hate. Something you do not care for. I homebrew so going out I drink the ****tiest beer I can find or bad wine... You get the idea.

    3) Take every opportunity to pour your drink out, get another one, let a plant have it, spill it, whatever.

    4) Slam a glass of water in between drinks. Order a water with your drink. Slam the water, sip the drink.

    5) When you go to go pee, do 50 squats in the ladies/mens room. Burns off that sugar using the largest muscles you have.

    6) Eat more protein while drinking. Again slows the absorption and levels the sugar.

    7) Leave booze in the glass when you are done. This changes your relationship with alcohol magically.

    8) Quit drinking long before bed and water water water protein water.

    These are quite clever! Thank you!!
  • LBFLBF
    LBFLBF Posts: 14
    Hiya, I'm kinda in the same boat , I'll be honest and say a while back I was drinking wayyyy too much, as in 6 to 7 pints of beer a night, followed by a few vodkas and maybe even a bottle of wine! Yup! I know!!! Bad me!

    I cut right back and recently managed to cut it out completely, it's hard, really hard esp as my partner drinks when he gets in from work and it takes all the willpower in the world to not join him.

    Last week I managed to go 5 days without any, then I buckled and bought a bottle of red wine, I had 3 glasses out of it and wow was I ill, hungover for 3 days, the thought of red wine now makes me shudder..

    It's hard to cut out, however, when you do, if you then want a drink for an occasion or when out and about you'll find it sooo much cheaper, I'm now officially a lightweight and can't handle very much anymore, it's just breaking that cycle, you'd be amazed how alcohol becomes a daily way of life, how it's so acceptable etc etc..

    I'm looking at it this way, come the summer I'll be able to have a glass of wine and be merry, nice and cheap for me and not doing too much damage!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    When I first started tracking on MFP, I was just trying to see where I was with eating. To my surprise, my food calories (and this was normal eating) never passed what maintenance would be for my ideal weight. But my booze calories consistently put me way over. I got chubby from alcohol! This infuriated me.

    I've cut back a LOT, but not cut it out. I feel it's cruel to expect a girl to have dinner without wine :)

    um no - you got chubby from taking in more calories than your body used. Whether it was solid food or liquid food is irrelevant.........

    Irrelevant?? Ridiculous! She identified a problem area in her diet and corrected it. That's hardly irrelevant.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Additionally, your body turns that liquid sugar into fat immediately.
    This ^^ is utter nonsense.
    It's also expensive! Finally, I would rather save my calories for cheese burgers than beer. I don't know why people prefer boozes over yummy food.
    It can be expensive, and while I find it odd that some people would rather have ice cream than wine, I certainly know why. Personal preference.


    Exactly! Lmao

    I find it odd someone wants a cheeseburger over a shot or a drink. Different strokes for different folks.

    I will take the beer and the cheeseburger….

    While I admit that I too occasionally have both, my 52 yo female metabolism isn't the same as that of a 34 yo male, so I often have to choose to stay on track.
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    I came home after drinking a few beers with friends and then ate a whole box of girl scout cookies. I really need to stop drinking.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I came home after drinking a few beers with friends and then ate a whole box of girl scout cookies. I really need to stop drinking.

    Or to stop buying Girl Scout cookies. :wink:
  • fitandfortyish
    fitandfortyish Posts: 194 Member
    I've gone running drunk - it's not that bad.

    :laugh: :heart: :heart: :drinker:
  • Stuartw31
    Stuartw31 Posts: 117 Member
    Hi, Knowwhere your coming from with the alcohol, Thing for me is that when I drink I snack more and my only exercise was walking to the fridge, cut right down recently and finding it so much easier not to snack now, good luck on your journey and feel free to add me to your friend list.
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    I came home after drinking a few beers with friends and then ate a whole box of girl scout cookies. I really need to stop drinking.

    Or to stop buying Girl Scout cookies. :wink:
    True, but sober I can at least restrain myself to about half a box.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    I came home after drinking a few beers with friends and then ate a whole box of girl scout cookies. I really need to stop drinking.

    No you need a better hiding place for the cookies:smile:

    I keep hearing about this boat everyone's on - is it a party boat, if so room for one more.

    My particular vice is red wine, at least a glass a night (and I've got a big glass).

    I know it's empty calories, but it is darn hard to cut back.

    One thing I do make sure of though is that I only drink it with food or on a full stomach (the longer it's digested in the stomach the less work my liver needs to do - it's my way of being kind to my liver).
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I came home after drinking a few beers with friends and then ate a whole box of girl scout cookies. I really need to stop drinking.

    No you need a better hiding place for the cookies:smile:

    I keep hearing about this boat everyone's on - is it a party boat, if so room for one more.

    My particular vice is red wine, at least a glass a night (and I've got a big glass).

    I know it's empty calories, but it is darn hard to cut back.

    One thing I do make sure of though is that I only drink it with food or on a full stomach (the longer it's digested in the stomach the less work my liver needs to do - it's my way of being kind to my liver).

    Is red wine really empty calories? Certainly it's not the best source of calories, but it does contain things that are good for us (other than the taste and buzz).
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    I came home after drinking a few beers with friends and then ate a whole box of girl scout cookies. I really need to stop drinking.

    No you need a better hiding place for the cookies:smile:

    I keep hearing about this boat everyone's on - is it a party boat, if so room for one more.

    My particular vice is red wine, at least a glass a night (and I've got a big glass).

    I know it's empty calories, but it is darn hard to cut back.

    One thing I do make sure of though is that I only drink it with food or on a full stomach (the longer it's digested in the stomach the less work my liver needs to do - it's my way of being kind to my liver).

    Is red wine really empty calories? Certainly it's not the best source of calories, but it does contain things that are good for us (other than the taste and buzz).
    Yeah I've heard many times that a glass of red wine a night can have some health benefits.
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
    I came home after drinking a few beers with friends and then ate a whole box of girl scout cookies. I really need to stop drinking.

    No you need a better hiding place for the cookies:smile:

    I keep hearing about this boat everyone's on - is it a party boat, if so room for one more.

    My particular vice is red wine, at least a glass a night (and I've got a big glass).

    I know it's empty calories, but it is darn hard to cut back.

    One thing I do make sure of though is that I only drink it with food or on a full stomach (the longer it's digested in the stomach the less work my liver needs to do - it's my way of being kind to my liver).
    Or, give the cookies away. Or, don't buy them in the first place.
    I don't think having food in the stomach really helps the liver. It still has to metabolize the same amount of alcohol.
    Drinking more than 2 drinks for women or 3 drinks for men is considered a problem and is hard on the body,too. Binge drinking can be worse than daily mod/heavy drinking. If you're drinking to get drunk, that's a problem. Everyone who feels they may be drinking too much, take the "CAGE" quiz. And go to some AA meetings, just to see if you can relate. It doesn't hurt to go to one or two meetings just to see what they're like. They won't force you to introduce yourself or anything.
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
    When I first started tracking on MFP, I was just trying to see where I was with eating. To my surprise, my food calories (and this was normal eating) never passed what maintenance would be for my ideal weight. But my booze calories consistently put me way over. I got chubby from alcohol! This infuriated me.

    I've cut back a LOT, but not cut it out. I feel it's cruel to expect a girl to have dinner without wine :)

    um no - you got chubby from taking in more calories than your body used. Whether it was solid food or liquid food is irrelevant.........

    Irrelevant?? Ridiculous! She identified a problem area in her diet and corrected it. That's hardly irrelevant.
    I agree with you. Also, because of the way alcohol effects the hormones, especially estrogen and testosterone, heavy drinking can have a greater effect on the body's overall metabolism.
  • ProudAirforceWife
    ProudAirforceWife Posts: 38 Member
    Before I started this journey, I could easily drink 3-4 glasses of wine a night...I truly love my wine and cosmos! But now I am accountable for everything I eat and drink. During the weekdays I either don't drink or have a nice glass of wine with dinner and I count it. My weekends, I will have a bit more, but, again, I count it.

    Sometimes, I put water in a wine glass and it helps me. There is something about holding a wine glass ;) Like others here on this post, I now drink lots of water to keep me full. I have also started to drink vodka/club soda with lemon and lime but in a tall glass so it last longer. Summer is around the corner and so are those darn patios, and water and these drinks will help me.

    I enjoy my drink, but in moderation. Everyone has to do what is best for them and their body.

    Cheers!
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    I came home after drinking a few beers with friends and then ate a whole box of girl scout cookies. I really need to stop drinking.

    No you need a better hiding place for the cookies:smile:

    I keep hearing about this boat everyone's on - is it a party boat, if so room for one more.

    My particular vice is red wine, at least a glass a night (and I've got a big glass).

    I know it's empty calories, but it is darn hard to cut back.

    One thing I do make sure of though is that I only drink it with food or on a full stomach (the longer it's digested in the stomach the less work my liver needs to do - it's my way of being kind to my liver).

    Is red wine really empty calories? Certainly it's not the best source of calories, but it does contain things that are good for us (other than the taste and buzz).

    Sure it contains antioxidants and other good stuff, also it aids in food digestion, due to its ph levels. I just didn't want to post that it was overly good for you - well not in the levels I drink it.:smile:
  • I understand what you are saying. I too like to have a couple of glasses of wine after work. but I am going to have to work it into my 1200 a day calories if I do that. So on the days that we go out to dinner then I will count it in. More exercise on those days.