Alcohol...my biggest downfall!!!

13

Replies

  • We may be twins! I have the same problem. Thankfully, I'm not a beer drinking, but man, oh man...champagne brunches really screw with me. Beer drinkers have Bellies, and I have a Champagne Belly. It's pretty gnarls. I'm in the process of doing those lipocavitation things to try and reduce it...I'm not really sure it's helping, I digress.

    But to answer your questions, there are several changes I made to my drinking that helped. 1 - I'm a whiskey girl, and I became that way because it has less calories than other hard alcohol (well not vodka, but I can't stand the stuff!). 2 - I started to order ALL my drinks with water (inside). If I want to go hard, I'll have a Maker's Mark with a splash of water. If I'm going to be drinking all night, it's a whiskey and water. I basically get half of the alcohol intake, but still get my physical "drink fix" - if I have an empty glass...all hell breaks loose and I need a refill stat!

    My tummy can't handle sweet drinks or cocktails, but if it suits you, in my young professional years it was common to order flavored Stoli with sparkling water and twist of lemon/lime. It's actually pretty good, refreshing, low in calories.
  • Fsunami
    Fsunami Posts: 241 Member
    Sorry missy your attitude sucks. Just putting it out there. It really does. Face it maybe food isn't your only issue. In fact I can assure you it isn't. Also your "free drink" attitude AND your avatar speaks volumes.

    Pot, Kettle, Black.

    You've divined this somehow from reading a few of her posts?

    She's 20. and was specific in what she was asking for.

    The only thing you can assure anyone of is youre pretty judgemental.

    And yeah, I divined that from the blurb you wrote. I didn't even need an avatar to figure it out.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    Sorry missy your attitude sucks. Just putting it out there. It really does. Face it maybe food isn't your only issue. In fact I can assure you it isn't. Also your "free drink" attitude AND your avatar speaks volumes.
    i actually laughed at the ignorance of this post. how can you call yourself canadian, hoser
  • BarbieFromHellx
    BarbieFromHellx Posts: 758 Member
    Sorry missy your attitude sucks. Just putting it out there. It really does. Face it maybe food isn't your only issue. In fact I can assure you it isn't. Also your "free drink" attitude AND your avatar speaks volumes.

    I got a good laugh from this :laugh: I think your attitude is miles worse than mine, just by reading this post. I don't feel the need to judge people wrongly and write nasty spiteful comments to others in their threads haha :)
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    Oh, man, the irresponsible part of your twenties is too short not to go out and party if you enjoy it. Just because not everyone DOES enjoy it doesn't make it wrong as long as you keep yourself safe and maintain a healthy non-dependent attitude.

    When I was losing weight, I just chose to go out less often, or chose events that weren't as drinking-centric (like I'd go to a backyard barbecue and have one beer rather than going to dive-bar karaoke where everyone was slamming highballs, or I'd go split a bottle of wine with a friend at a fancy bar rather than drinking margaritas all night at the cheap Mexican place.) Hanging out with your drunk friends when you're sober isn't always an awesome time, so I found it was better just to attend stuff selectively and skip the 2nd time in a week my friends were hitting the dance floor until 3AM. It's cheaper, too.

    My friends are all now used to me being super firm with them at the bar. I just keep yelling "Vodka water!" in their ears and now that's just what everyone habitually orders me. I only drink the fun, fruity-sweet stuff when I'm only having one or two drinks.

    Sometimes I chose the designated driver option too. If you drive, you might consider going out and being the DD so there's no pressure to drink at all but you can still hang out with your friends.
  • I might have a different take on things than most, since I will not give up my rockstar nights.

    I say go out, enjoy yourself and it's a new day the next day.

    Now obviously, it simply isn't something you will be able to do every weekend anymore, unless you limit your intake. You can also try switching to lower calorie drinks (this site will help: http://getdrunknotfat.com/).

    The main thing for me was to limit any eating I do while drunk - and I don' t have any advice for that - but that was my biggest downfall. The alcohol calories were bad enough, but once you added all the food I ate then I could easily ruin an entire weeks' deficit. I simply had to stop all the drunk eating.

    Great site, thanks Ted!

    I went a little overboard with the Guiness on Saturday night. But I planned for it, and ate a pretty light lunch. Only ended up about 200 cals over my daily goal, which I made up in slight deficits the rest of the week.

    I've gotta say though, hangovers are worse if you're on a deficit. Much worse. I think I'm probably going to try to just drink a little less, because the headache is just not worth it.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Red wine is fairly low in calories and carbs (if you are watching them). I still have my once in a while one-to-many, but I just make sure I drink plenty of water before bed and the next day because the water weight is what drives up the scale for me. I also don't drink during the week and typically only have 2-4 on the weekends. I do measure everything (OCD I know), but I find it keeps me in check. And don't let the Debbie Downers get you. Some of them have forgotten what it is like to be human.
  • xhecate
    xhecate Posts: 17
    I used to have a very active social life. Then I decided to lose weight. Now my active life is in the gym! But it's not all bad, for me I enjoy the strength and solace the gym brings me. But that's just me.
  • DaivaSimone
    DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
    When I was your age, I was drinking until the point I would almost passed out, and I would do a lot of drunk eating. Life was good! Now that I am a little bit older, and a little more wussy about hangover and short sleep nights, I moderate my drinking by chosing to drink only things I find good enough (in taste) to spend calories on.

    Actually, those drinks worth of spending calories are, for me, a good red wine (and even with wine, I'm picky), an Old Fashioned made with a kick *kitten* bourbon (Old Fashioned are basically made with spirit and a pinch of sugar, so it's probably lower in calorie then a lot of cocktails, but you have to love your drinks stiff and bitter) or a crafted IPA beer (70 IBU or more, it's the bomb). And, in some case, I will also say yes to gin and tonic (with handcrafted tonic syrup and small batch gin, how can you say no?) and caïpirinas (another drink made with spirit and a pinch of sugar only).

    The fact that I'm quite picky over my drink comes with the fact that my drinking is usually well planned (that helps a lot for controling alcohol calories), and I will drink more often at home with my BF than in bars. When I go out with friends, I usuallty drink soda water with lime, except if the bar have a good selection of bourbon and can make me a good Old Fashioned (or a mint julep! I forgot that one on my list). What I have learned while becoming a picky drinker is that I can enjoy a night out with friends without alcohol if I want to, I just have to decide that drinking does not worth it for that night. This is not sacrificing your social life: you still have a social life if you're not drinking, And on the days you chose to actually drink for real, you enjoy your drinks a lot more. It's like best of the both world.
  • maz504
    maz504 Posts: 450
    I don't know what a fortnight is but if you're only going out once in a while, just go out, enjoy it, and move on? I go out drinking maaaybe twice a month (and maybe have a glass of wine on a few nights in between) and it hasn't derailed anything. Maybe slowed down my progress for a few days but it certainly isn't the end of the world. If you want to do something sustainable you have to allow yourself room for pleasures as well as discipline.

    ETA:
    and nobody wants to be in a state where they have no control over what they're doing..

    Speak for yourself! When I go out I make it count. :wink: :drinker:
  • Heirgreat
    Heirgreat Posts: 262 Member
    champagne!!! Low crb, gets me tipsy and laughing quick and I also ensure I drink water or diet soda, I really like red wines but more sugar, I stay away from the mixed drinks, just too many calories almost fell out of my chair (not because I was drunk!) when I looked up how many calories my dirty Vodka martini packed compaired to champagne--also I now keep a tab, drink one alcohol drinks, if long night next few are w/out alcohol, then have another, limit to 4 drinks max for the eveninng, but I must down a liter or more of the other non alcoholic stuff. Works out too because I don't have to deal w/ hangover and I do limit it to weekend dates only.

    Am thinking about less alcohol in my life given I am an old lady now, but nawwwwww, work to hard, my glass of wine or champagne after work on Friday nights I am not giving up, still losing so not a problem,

    Hey, since you've received so many little nips on this thread, just to be redundant, don't drink and drive:) Take care have a good journey.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    champagne!!! Low crb, gets me tipsy and laughing quick and I also ensure I drink water or diet soda, I really like red wines but more sugar, I stay away from the mixed drinks, just too many calories almost fell out of my chair (not because I was drunk!) when I looked up how many calories my dirty Vodka martini packed compaired to champagne--also I now keep a tab, drink one alcohol drinks, if long night next few are w/out alcohol, then have another, limit to 4 drinks max for the eveninng, but I must down a liter or more of the other non alcoholic stuff. Works out too because I don't have to deal w/ hangover and I do limit it to weekend dates only.

    Am thinking about less alcohol in my life given I am an old lady now, but nawwwwww, work to hard, my glass of wine or champagne after work on Friday nights I am not giving up, still losing so not a problem,

    Hey, since you've received so many little nips on this thread, just to be redundant, don't drink and drive:) Take care have a good journey.

    Sorry, but champagne has TONS of sugar. :noway:

    ETA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne_(wine)

    "Méthode Champenoise is the traditional method by which Champagne is produced. After primary fermentation and bottling, a second alcoholic fermentation occurs in the bottle. This second fermentation is induced by adding several grams of yeast (usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae, although each brand has its own secret recipe) and several grams of rock sugar."
  • eAddict
    eAddict Posts: 212 Member
    Spirits with diet drinks are lowest calories, I always go with vodka and diet coke
    Vodka and diet coke is always a favourite!

    Skip the Diet Soda.
  • Pectinbean
    Pectinbean Posts: 62 Member
    I have little to no self control when I drink. It's ridiculous. Not so much with the getting hammered but with the eating badly and sneaky cigarette Not to mention hungover eat-a-thons. I'm a week into a 2 month hiatus from alcohol. I won't be hungover so there's no excuse not to do early morning runs on weekends, I'll save money, I'll eat better and I won't bleedin smoke (I NEVER do soberly).

    I reckon it's about changing mentality. Going to the pub is a release but I don't have to let go of everything! Hoping the 2 month dry spell will knock some sense into me. I do miss a wee Brew Dog of a Friday night already though (it's only been one Friday!)

    If you're not up for a break for booze, how about splitting rounds into water - booze - water?
  • xMrBunglex
    xMrBunglex Posts: 1,121 Member
    When I started this journey, I partied hard. I did the same things a lot of people preach: worked out a lot, and logged all of my drinks in the calorie counter (for me, Jim Beam & Diets - at 105 cals a pop).

    Did I lose weight? Yes, the first 30-40 lbs or so came off rather easily. It became a slippery slope though, when I would tally up the drinks and say "Whoa, I better skip lunch if I want to party tonight & stay under goal." Also, although I got smaller & required less booze to get the same effect, I still drank as much as a 240-lb fat@ss.

    So a couple years ago, while ping-ponging around 175-185 lbs, I decided to see how big a role alcohol played in my inability to lose those stubborn "last 10 pounds" - after all, my goal was to get under 180 and I was having a hell of a time getting there. Not to mention I was on the other side of 40 and partying was starting to get a little boring, honestly.

    So, I took the plunge & gave it up. Dec 31, 2011 was my last drink.

    And I'm now down to 167 lbs & I'm as lean as I was in my mid-20s. I feel better than I've felt since then, too.

    Is there a correlation? Ab-so-****ing-lutely. Can you drink & lose weight? Sure. Can you drink as much as some people say they do and truly be healthy? Doubt it.

    I'll admit, I'm a bit of an extreme case. I'm sure there is a happy medium somewhere. Good luck!
  • suediet55
    suediet55 Posts: 27 Member
    Hi I know exactly what you mean. i either drink brandy/diet coke or red wine.So now every other round i will try and just have diet coke so i'm not drinking as much. then hopfully i wont go over board and eat everything in sight. If i am drinking in the house i limit to 2 glasses of wine. Hope this helps
  • I Have noticed a lot of people on here curse alcohol with a magic wand, but I dont see why. Sure, if you are drinking every day or even 2-3 days a week, it may be a bit excessive, but there is no harm in having a free day where you can take some shots back and drown a few if thats what floats your boat. If you work hard the rest of the week, I really dont see any harm in having a few drinks on a saturday night.
  • MiniMarc
    MiniMarc Posts: 19
    just possted a thread on this. I always sabotage my results! I tend not to eat crap or over eat when i drink but beer is my vice and it goes straight to my stomach. The problem is i dont want a life without beer. Its not so much the calories its more the chemical/hormonal inbalances particularly beer creates which i worry about as not only is it calories but it will affect how your body stores fat/makes muscle for days after
  • StevenH74
    StevenH74 Posts: 129
    When I started this journey, I partied hard. I did the same things a lot of people preach: worked out a lot, and logged all of my drinks in the calorie counter (for me, Jim Beam & Diets - at 105 cals a pop).

    Did I lose weight? Yes, the first 30-40 lbs or so came off rather easily. It became a slippery slope though, when I would tally up the drinks and say "Whoa, I better skip lunch if I want to party tonight & stay under goal." Also, although I got smaller & required less booze to get the same effect, I still drank as much as a 240-lb fat@ss.

    So a couple years ago, while ping-ponging around 175-185 lbs, I decided to see how big a role alcohol played in my inability to lose those stubborn "last 10 pounds" - after all, my goal was to get under 180 and I was having a hell of a time getting there. Not to mention I was on the other side of 40 and partying was starting to get a little boring, honestly.

    So, I took the plunge & gave it up. Dec 31, 2011 was my last drink.

    And I'm now down to 167 lbs & I'm as lean as I was in my mid-20s. I feel better than I've felt since then, too.

    Is there a correlation? Ab-so-****ing-lutely. Can you drink & lose weight? Sure. Can you drink as much as some people say they do and truly be healthy? Doubt it.

    I'll admit, I'm a bit of an extreme case. I'm sure there is a happy medium somewhere. Good luck!

    This is pretty amazing to be honest. I am heavier than you are but my goal is what you have achieved. I start at 125kg and have lost 6kg. I am aiming to be 85.

    Booze is my biggest demon. I have managed though to get down to maybe only two nights a week, maybe my next step is one and then nothing for a few weeks and then nothing.... I am trying, I am hoping.....
  • ChristineRoze
    ChristineRoze Posts: 212 Member
    I only drink once a month, but when i do drink it's to get drunk I'm not going to lie haha. I used to consume like 2500 + calories of alcohol depending on what i drink. So now i try to buy things like coke zero & jacks, Diet lemonade & vodka or sugar free cruisers.

    Some of the clubs here even sell the sugar free cruisers or make diet lemonade and vodka which helps.

    But when i know i'm going to have a really big night and i don't want to spend my time paranoid about calories, i just don't eat much during the day. I'll eat as little calories as possible in food, and then drink alcohol and have a nice big breaky the next day (eggs & bacon etc) :)
  • playthagame
    playthagame Posts: 5 Member
    Hiya,

    I have the same problem. Once I start drinking I cant stop myself from drinking more. I noticed that when I have been drinking it takes me about 4-5 days to get the weight gain from it off so I've decided to give alcohol up for a few months and see how it affects my weight loss. I agree with people saying plan ahead and if you can stick to what you have counted for the day thats great. I canr personally so thats why I've given it up altogether.
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    I can relate to this! I tend to have a 'big night out' every 2-3 weeks, so what I usually do is 'save' most of my exercise calories during the week, then on the day I pre-log a bunch of drinks, do a big workout in the morning and try to still have some leftover calories in case I give in and get pizza or cocktails or something. I often end up over for the day, but stay under for the week because I had calories left over from exercise. I'm at a level of fitness now that I can burn around 600-700 calories in a hard workout so I tell myself I have to earn my night out and it motivates me to keep up my exercise during the week. Plus I figure I usually burn a fair few calories dancing on those nights too :)
  • sati18
    sati18 Posts: 153 Member
    Anybody else have a problem sticking to their diet when they're on a night out? I know I do :( basically I eat really well in the day and start off with just drinking diet coke and vodka which is fine, but then as the night goes on people start buying you loads of drinks and you're just like "yayyy this is free so why not!" and you end up drinking SOOOO much sugary crap by the end of the night. Also strawberry cider is my massive downfall!

    It's something I need to work on, and especially when I'm drunk I tend to stop caring about my goals and drink whatever I want which really needs to stop. So my question is what do you guys do when you go on a night out and what kinds of stuff do you drink?

    Please no unnecessary comments like "don't drink alcohol it's stupid". Helpful advice only yeahh.

    I find that really difficult too. i dont want to go out and not drink or treat myself so at the moment i'm banking most of the exercise calories i earn during the week so i have an extra 1000-1500 calories or so left for the weekend. that way i can splurge on one night and not have to worry too much if i sank a bottle of wine and then decided to get cheesy chips afterwards. It's helped a lot i've stopped gaining weight and now maintaining / losing very slowly which is what i was aiming for
  • jdhoward_101
    jdhoward_101 Posts: 234 Member
    I don't bother counting calories when i drink; i'm very well behaved the rest of the week, i have a stressful, full-time job and i'm studying a Masters on top of that so god damnit i deserve some fun!

    But saying that, it's easy for me because i stick to diet coke and vodka; it's cheap and it has low calories and i like it. I don't like beers or cider as they're too gassy. The fruit juice in cocktails make me feel uncomfortably full and bloated. Occasionally i'll have a whisky and diet coke or a neat whisky. If i'm just meeting up with my girlfriends for an evening, i might have a bottle of wine, which is about 500 cals and i work that into my daily aloowance.

    And plenty of dancing on nights out to compensate!

    That's my attitude, which i know isn't really that helpful!
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    Anybody else have a problem sticking to their diet when they're on a night out? I know I do :( basically I eat really well in the day and start off with just drinking diet coke and vodka which is fine, but then as the night goes on people start buying you loads of drinks and you're just like "yayyy this is free so why not!" and you end up drinking SOOOO much sugary crap by the end of the night. Also strawberry cider is my massive downfall!

    It's something I need to work on, and especially when I'm drunk I tend to stop caring about my goals and drink whatever I want which really needs to stop. So my question is what do you guys do when you go on a night out and what kinds of stuff do you drink?

    Please no unnecessary comments like "don't drink alcohol it's stupid". Helpful advice only yeahh.
    Dang girl, what bars do you go to where you get free drinks? Sign me up! Actually would it be plausible to prelog some drinks and work it into your calorie budget?
    Some of my friends are " in recovery" from meth/substance abuse so by default when I am with these friends I don't drink out of respect which helps me stay within my goals anyway.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Anybody else have a problem sticking to their diet when they're on a night out? I know I do :( basically I eat really well in the day and start off with just drinking diet coke and vodka which is fine, but then as the night goes on people start buying you loads of drinks and you're just like "yayyy this is free so why not!" and you end up drinking SOOOO much sugary crap by the end of the night. Also strawberry cider is my massive downfall!

    It's something I need to work on, and especially when I'm drunk I tend to stop caring about my goals and drink whatever I want which really needs to stop. So my question is what do you guys do when you go on a night out and what kinds of stuff do you drink?

    Please no unnecessary comments like "don't drink alcohol it's stupid". Helpful advice only yeahh.

    I decided to just quit because I had a problem with excess drinking. Umm I would prelog and learn to say no to free drinks which i used to think was impossible. Bank calories throughout the week if you want to get wasted over the weekend.
  • HikeCyclist
    HikeCyclist Posts: 153 Member
    Phrick didn't say that alcohol was dangerous and bad for you. Only that, if you tend to over-indulge when you're drunk, then don't let yourself get to the point to getting drunk. As a result, you won't over-indulge. lol.

    As for me-
    Throughout my life, I went from being a person who drank hard alcohol, to wine, and now, to light beer. I find that the carbonation from the light beer makes me feel full, so I don't drink through them as quickly. The light beer also keeps me from getting drunk too quickly, and thus, my chances of over-indulging (on more alcohol or food) increases.

    I agree that it's hard. Maybe you can ask the bartender for a small glass instead of a tall one? I always used to get vodka with unsweetened iced tea (so I'd only consume the calories from the alcohol). Don't drink with a straw, either, I've *heard* that drinking liquids through a straw will tend to make you drink much faster. Maybe you can start off with a couple of hard-alcohol drinks, just to get you buzzed up, then switch to beer to just keep the buzz and not get drunk off your *kitten*. lol.

    There's many things you can do, I guess. Tricks. But when it comes down to it, I personally think it's your will that makes all the difference. I'm not the person today that I was a couple of months ago. I loved my wine. I loved getting tipsy 1-2x a week. Now I'm worried that if I drink too much, I won't have the energy to work out the next day. Or that I'll waste calories on non-nutritive food (alcohol) and just be generally unhealthy.

    Whatever. You'll figure something out, if you want it badly enough.

    Good luck :)
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
    Spirits with diet drinks are lowest calories, I always go with vodka and diet coke

    Vodka and diet coke is always a favourite!
    I had a much bigger goal than you to start but in the beginning I had to give up alcohol. Period. It was too easy for me to go from one glass of wine to three and completely derail all my hard work. I told myself when I lost 10 pounds I could have a drink again and then I only did on the weekend. It's a little different for me though, because I'm an old lady at home with two kids so it wasn't affecting going out with my friends. :) Try and space out your drinks with water and take your time. Good luck!

    I think drinking water in between drinks sounds like a good idea. I never drink on weekdays, I used to drink every weekend but now it's maybe once every 2-3 weeks but as my weight goes lower I find that even one night can reallyyyy mess up my hard work.
    I never could figure out how to do it and was unable to lose weight and have drinks! Of course I typically drank more than once per week. My drink of choice was always beer, whci led to three problems, more beer, more food and feeling lazy! Good luck, I hope YOU figure out how to do it!

    Luckily I don't like beer! Sometimes I think it's easier to just not go out at night for drinks at all haha. This is by far the hardest problem I face when losing weight.
    Try having either a club soda or diet soda with a spritz of lime or lemon. It will look like you're drinking and you're not.
    Binge drinking is just as bad or worse for your body as daily drinking. If stopping at 1-2 drinks isn't possible, then you might have a problem.
    Wine with half club soda or diet sprite is another way to cut down calories and alcohol.
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
    Try doing this questionnaire, being brutally honest with yourself:

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    The CAGE questionnaire, the name of which is an acronym of its four questions, is a widely used method of screening for alcoholism.

    Two "yes" responses indicate that the possibility of alcoholism should be investigated further.
    The questionnaire asks the following questions:
    Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your drinking?
    Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
    Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking?
    Have you ever felt you needed a drink first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?[1][2]
    The CAGE questionnaire, among other methods, has been extensively validated for use in identifying alcoholism.[3] CAGE is considered a validated screening technique, with one study determining that CAGE test scores >=2 had a specificity of 76% and a sensitivity of 93% for the identification of excessive drinking and a specificity of 77% and a sensitivity of 91% for the identification of alcoholism.[4]

    By far the most important question in the CAGE questionnaire is the use of a drink as an Eye Opener, so much so that some clinicians use a "yes" to this question alone as a positive to the questionnaire; this is due to the fact that the use of an alcoholic drink as an Eye Opener denotes abuse since the patient is going through withdrawal in the morning, hence the need for a drink as an Eye Opener

    It is not valid for diagnosis of other substance use disorders, although somewhat modified versions of the CAGE questionnaire are frequently implemented for such a purpose.
  • random_user75
    random_user75 Posts: 157 Member
    I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do I use the tips outlined in this
    http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/science-binge-drinking/

    Thanks for this.