Alcohol tolerance down on new food plan?

missiontofitness
missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I hope this is the right forum. But I have a random question.

I've been incorporating a lot more fruits and veggies into my plan. Having a few drinks with friends is something I'll plan into my macros. Usually I will eat a decent size meal before if I know I'll be getting drinks with friends. Generally I'll try to eat pasta with some sort of protein, and maybe bread. Just something to fill me up and slow down the process, since drinking on an empty stomach is awful.

Well, I ate a giant dinner salad recently before going out. It had chicken, greens, tons of veggies, and had a piece of Texas Toast. I was full and felt awesome, and enjoyed two dirty martinis (1 shot of vodka each) over the course of several hours. I know martinis aren't like beer, but after years of trial and error, I know what I can drink to enjoy a night out with friends, without becoming the next Jersey Shore castmate.

Well, not that night. It hit me like a sack of bricks. I didn't get blackout drunk, but I was definitely feeling it harder than usual when my friend and I walked back. Two martinis never hit me as hard as they did that evening. I even spaced them out over the night. I never drink hard liquor mindlessly; I'll sip on it, and gauge how I feel as I go. If I feel something too strongly, I'll either wait to finish it, or stop drinking entirely. I felt okay, so I finished my second drink. It wasn't until the walk back that it slammed me. The hangover the next day was also one of the worst I've ever had. I could only manage to down one meal the entire day, and coffee/water was my best friend that day.

Has anyone noticed the same thing? I haven't had anything since that night, but it definitely was out of character for my system to be so out of whack. I had eaten enough during the day, I did what I usually do before going out, and drank an amount I am familiar with. Maybe eating salad was a bad idea before alcohol? Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks!

Replies

  • bigbelly54
    bigbelly54 Posts: 2
    Yeah, I like a few drinks once in a while too. I've lost 43 pounds in 10 weeks. I always eat before, usually a tuna sandwich and I make an extra one to take with me. If I feel a little tipsy the extra sandwich helps. Good Luck on those unwanted pounds!
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Have you noticed your tolerance going down?
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    My tolerance has went down a TON. Yaaaaaay!

    I think it is a combo of the weight loss, and the fact I drink less often.

    My hangover severity has also spiked.
  • cchew686
    cchew686 Posts: 108
    Last time I drank I was feeling it after two beers. My alcohol tolerance has completely gone AWOL since I started eating better and exercising. My college roommate always had theories about how to avoid a hangover and prolong your drinking time.

    1. Eat Greasy food, she swore by a Rallys chili cheeseburger.
    2. Pretzels. Eat pretzels and you can't get drunk...according to her. I disagree.
    3. Chugging water. Of course, combined with drinking alcohol this means spending the night in the bathroom. What fun.

    Ahhh...college. To be young and drunk again.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    My tolerance has went down a TON. Yaaaaaay!

    I think it is a combo of the weight loss, and the fact I drink less often.

    My hangover severity has also spiked.

    Guess we gotta remember to chug water too! Lol
  • dragon1ady
    dragon1ady Posts: 335 Member
    My tolerance has went down a TON. Yaaaaaay!

    I think it is a combo of the weight loss, and the fact I drink less often.

    My hangover severity has also spiked.

    This.

    Lots of carbs before drinking and lots of water while drinking can help, but ultimately the simple truth is that your tolerance for alcohol drops as you avoid it. The only way to keep your tolerance up is to indulge frequently, which really probably isn't something you should be doing if you're trying to lose weight and change your eating habits to healthier ones.

    @TC:
    Dirty martinis are the best drink ever! I miss them... :cry:
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member

    I think it is a combo of the weight loss, and the fact I drink less often.

    Ditto on this.. definitely lost it when I lost some weight and don't drink nearly as much anymore.. I put WI to shame sometimes....
  • cheekym7
    cheekym7 Posts: 570 Member
    My tolerance has went down a TON. Yaaaaaay!

    I think it is a combo of the weight loss, and the fact I drink less often.

    My hangover severity has also spiked.

    Mine too, and I'm also cursing the hangover! LOL great ticker BTW
  • dragon1ady
    dragon1ady Posts: 335 Member
    LOL great ticker BTW

    LOL

    That IS a great ticker! It didn't load for me before.... it has a built-in motivator to stay on track! :bigsmile:
  • Dalker
    Dalker Posts: 44 Member
    I stopped having my post alcohol bedtime snack - let's face it, it was usually junk food or tonnes of carbs. I learnt the hard way that I do need to eat before bed as I had the worst hangover ever the next day, complete with the shakes. I managed to get a bit of food down me and felt much better, think it was blood sugar related.

    Hard to say about my tolerance though, since I've been drinking less it's gone down anyway.

    I NEVER drink on an empty stomach, it's not pretty at all....
  • Arydria
    Arydria Posts: 179 Member
    My tolerance has went down a TON. Yaaaaaay!

    I think it is a combo of the weight loss, and the fact I drink less often.

    My hangover severity has also spiked.

    ^ This... in spades.

    I used to be able to have several craft beers a night. Now 2 will put me under the table. And if I don't drink water along with my drinks, the next day can be brutal. I'm a cheap date now :)
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Things that can kick your alcohol tolerance:
    1. Weighing less.
    2. Drinking less often
    3. Aging
    4. Raising your metabolism (i.e. running and then drinking)
    5. Donating blood
    6. Being dehydrated beforehand.
    7. Consuming caffeine
    8. Liver cirrhosis
    9. Celiac disease
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Things that can kick your alcohol tolerance:
    1. Weighing less.
    2. Drinking less often
    3. Aging
    4. Raising your metabolism (i.e. running and then drinking)
    5. Donating blood
    6. Being dehydrated beforehand.
    7. Consuming caffeine
    8. Liver cirrhosis
    9. Celiac disease

    So I had 1,2, 4, 6, and 7 working against me last weekend, haha.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    My tolerance has went down a TON. Yaaaaaay!

    I think it is a combo of the weight loss, and the fact I drink less often.

    My hangover severity has also spiked.

    Ohhh my god, just repeating what everyone else has said.

    Your ticker is hilarious!
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    My tolerance has went down a TON. Yaaaaaay!

    I think it is a combo of the weight loss, and the fact I drink less often.

    My hangover severity has also spiked.

    This.

    Lots of carbs before drinking and lots of water while drinking can help, but ultimately the simple truth is that your tolerance for alcohol drops as you avoid it. The only way to keep your tolerance up is to indulge frequently, which really probably isn't something you should be doing if you're trying to lose weight and change your eating habits to healthier ones.

    @TC:
    Dirty martinis are the best drink ever! I miss them... :cry:

    I loveee them. I'm a huge olive fiend, so anything that incorporates olives into it, I'll drink.
    I'm gonna try again tonight....but definitely eating a completely different type of food, and chugging water tonight in between drinks. Thanks for the input!
  • wistera
    wistera Posts: 22 Member
    I used to be able to have several craft beers a night. Now 2 will put me under the table. And if I don't drink water along with my drinks, the next day can be brutal. I'm a cheap date now :)

    My craft beer tolerance going down is one of my saddest side effects from my weight loss. :c Still don't get hangovers, but even one higher alcohol content beers will get me pretty happy, where it took 3-4 in the past.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    I used to be able to have several craft beers a night. Now 2 will put me under the table. And if I don't drink water along with my drinks, the next day can be brutal. I'm a cheap date now :)

    My craft beer tolerance going down is one of my saddest side effects from my weight loss. :c Still don't get hangovers, but even one higher alcohol content beers will get me pretty happy, where it took 3-4 in the past.

    So I guess that's one benefit to weight loss! ;D
    Speaking craft beers...Yuengling just came back to MA, and they have an under 100 calorie beer on tap! It's a really tasty beer, that doesn't taste light at all.
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
    Things that can kick your alcohol tolerance:
    1. Weighing less.
    2. Drinking less often
    3. Aging
    4. Raising your metabolism (i.e. running and then drinking)
    5. Donating blood
    6. Being dehydrated beforehand.
    7. Consuming caffeine
    8. Liver cirrhosis
    9. Celiac disease

    Shouldn't this also include eating less food?
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    Since I started eating Keto, my tolerance has gone down significantly. I heard that's common though, so I wasn't surprised in the least.
  • rondaj05
    rondaj05 Posts: 497 Member
    I definitely would not eat salad if I was going to drink. :wink:

    If I know I'm going to have more than a drink or two I eat a higher protein meal that will stay with me longer. But yes, cutting calories, eating healthier and of course getting older ALL work together to bring your tolerance down.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    I definitely would not eat salad if I was going to drink. :wink:

    If I know I'm going to have more than a drink or two I eat a higher protein meal that will stay with me longer. But yes, cutting calories, eating healthier and of course getting older ALL work together to bring your tolerance down.

    Haha, def a lesson learned! It made me think getting home at 2AM was a great time to do dishes...still can't find some of them. :|

    I think I'm gonna down another chicken wrap after finishing my workout. Full of carbs and protein..so hopefully I'm good! Lol.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    I have a weekly tolerance "builder" night lol
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Interesting conversation. Also, did someone else make the drinks? Maybe they had more alcohol in them than you realized, maybe they weren't really properly measured. Maybe they had 2 or 3 shots per drink and not just one. It sort of depends on what size a person considers a shot.

    I have a very low tolerance for alcohol and it's not predictable, it varies a lot. My husband has noticed that. I never have more than one or two drinks. Sometimes you can't even tell I had a drink and other times it really effects me. I am also a very small person, so I'm sure that contributes. I drink very infrequently also. So, I never build any kind of tolerance. It does seem being tired can influence it as well.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Interesting conversation. Also, did someone else make the drinks? Maybe they had more alcohol in them than you realized, maybe they weren't really properly measured. Maybe they had 2 or 3 shots per drink and not just one. It sort of depends on what size a person considers a shot.

    I have a very low tolerance for alcohol and it's not predictable, it varies a lot. My husband has noticed that. I never have more than one or two drinks. Sometimes you can't even tell I had a drink and other times it really effects me. I am also a very small person, so I'm sure that contributes. I drink very infrequently also. So, I never build any kind of tolerance. It does seem being tired can influence it as well.

    I watched them make it, and it was put into the small martini glass. Everything was measured out properly, to my knowledge. I've had enough of them to know if they're too strong (i.e too much alcohol). I personally like them when you can barely taste the alcohol, and there's a nice mix of both the olive juice and vodka. So I don't think it was too much alcohol that was the issue...moreso that my body was just wicked off that night!

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