alcohol and dieting

sjserna
sjserna Posts: 48
in Motivation and Support
I would have to say my biggest craving is wine or alcoholic drinks. I don't go out much but I have a little stock in my house. And I've already once broke my diet from drinking continuously. Does anyone have the problem or did u sub with low cal drinks ?
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Replies

  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    I don't know if this will help anyone, but I quit drinking for about 6 months. After that period, i allowed myself 2 craft beers on Fridays and 2-3 beers on Sundays. It doesn't sound like a lot, but since I didn't touch alcohol for 6 months my tolerance was really low. Those 2-3 beers give me a great buzz without coming anywhere near sabotaging the rest of my diet.
  • newjeanbean
    newjeanbean Posts: 30 Member
    I would try what eric ^ is saying. The last time I was doing great, 2 months strong, went out drinking with my friends and ended up on a 3 day bender that led to completely destroying my routine for months. Now I'm back on track and I also haven't drank for a week now. I work in a bar so that's why I can get pretty mad with drink sometimes. I can't just have one or two when I go out.

    I think I'll try what he's saying as well! After 6 months I should be able to control myself :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Perhaps you should take the IIFYM approach on this one.
  • sjserna
    sjserna Posts: 48
    That's most likely what I'll do . I'll stop for a while and maybe later on I'll be able to just have 1or 2 without having to worry about breaking my diet. Thanks for the support ????
  • tremroy1
    tremroy1 Posts: 90 Member
    I understand the desire for a drink.....at 65.....I have done my share of drinking......I am cleaning up my act entering a new phase of my life......eliminating things I dont really need. Re started on MFP 152 days ago, stopped drinking at the same time. May not go back, not sure at this time. At first there was something missing, but now I dont miss it. Could go for a beer after golf, but have stayed clean. What I dont appreciate is the negative comments from friends about the fact that I may have quit completely. Good luck to all. I feel better after losing 25 lbs.
  • sjserna
    sjserna Posts: 48
    That's awesome about cleaning up. And stay positive cuz there is always someone negative with something to say to bring people down. Just keep the good work up
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,010 Member
    Everything in moderation. Just log it and make sure your portions are correct. 5 oz of wine isn't that much. I always use my smallest little wine glass.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    I understand the desire for a drink.....at 65.....I have done my share of drinking......I am cleaning up my act entering a new phase of my life......eliminating things I dont really need. Re started on MFP 152 days ago, stopped drinking at the same time. May not go back, not sure at this time. At first there was something missing, but now I dont miss it. Could go for a beer after golf, but have stayed clean. What I dont appreciate is the negative comments from friends about the fact that I may have quit completely. Good luck to all. I feel better after losing 25 lbs.

    Isn't that sad? The negative comments, I mean. I've encountered the same thing. Luckily, I feel so much better after giving it up completely (just a personal experience for my own body; I'm not against alcohol at all) that it's still worth it to me.

    Good job and keep it up!
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    I could never give up wine and craft beer. They will have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

    I did cut back though - mostly because I go to a 6:15am class at the gym. That said, I have a couple beers or a couple glass of wine 3-4 nights a week. I make sure it fits into my macros and I have it with dinner so that I don't snack needlessly. I try not to drink enough to get a hangover, because that leads to greasy food the next morning.
  • marie3221
    marie3221 Posts: 77 Member
    I am in the same boat. Drinking has affected my weight loss. I did not realize how many empty calories are in alcohol. 7 calories per gram, almost as much as fat calories! I have said several times on here that it is just not worth it when you are tring to reach your weight loss goal. Try your best to just stop, and the water weight you loss alone will make you motivated enough to keep it up. Good luck!
  • sjserna
    sjserna Posts: 48
    I could never give up wine and craft beer. They will have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

    I did cut back though - mostly because I go to a 6:15am class at the gym. That said, I have a couple beers or a couple glass of wine 3-4 nights a week. I make sure it fits into my macros and I have it with dinner so that I don't snack needlessly. I try not to drink enough to get a hangover, because that leads to greasy food the next morning.

    Omg, the is the biggest issue with me, drinking and then craving the greasy food. That's were I usually fail at the diet. But so far I've cut back to once a week having a drink.
  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
    I normally fit alcohol into my day, but I was drinking way more often than I was comfortable with, so I had tos tep back and I'm not drinking right now.

    When I am drinking, I either need to stick to ONE delicious beer, or I go with vodka and a calorie free mixer.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    I could never give up wine and craft beer. They will have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

    I did cut back though - mostly because I go to a 6:15am class at the gym. That said, I have a couple beers or a couple glass of wine 3-4 nights a week. I make sure it fits into my macros and I have it with dinner so that I don't snack needlessly. I try not to drink enough to get a hangover, because that leads to greasy food the next morning.

    Omg, the is the biggest issue with me, drinking and then craving the greasy food. That's were I usually fail at the diet. But so far I've cut back to once a week having a drink.

    What helps me is that I try to drink things with flavor. A lot of people will go for a light beer, for example, and then drink them too fast which leads to more drinks. I drink a hefty IPA and it takes me a while to drink a pint. Add the higher alcohol percentage and I'm calling it quits after 2. I love the taste, like the buzz and it's not enough to make me hungover the next day. For me, wine is more dangerous in terms of the volume I can drink (but has fewer calories).
  • hallo_spacedog
    hallo_spacedog Posts: 40 Member
    I used to have about 3 beers every single weekday and more on the weekends, but I tried to bring it down. Now I often don't drink on weekdays but if I'm drastically under on calories I may have one or two. I try to keep it to 3-4 max a session on weekends, normally.

    But yeah, I count it like I would other calories and just make room for it otherwise I would be completely miserable. I would rather give up some food and keep drinking than other way around.

    To be fair though I don't really exercise though, so if I did it might not be a smart thing.
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
    I follow the IIFYM
    I generally add a shot of vodka to some Crystal Ice drinks that have zero cals or I have a glass of barefoot cabernet. It's not too bad.
  • chelledawg14
    chelledawg14 Posts: 509 Member
    If I'm going to have a few beers, I plan it ahead of time so I make sure I extra calories for the week to accommodate the beer. I also drink Miller/MGD 64 whenever they have it. If not, then Miller Lite. The only "craft" beer I'll drink is Summer Shandy. I'm glad I don't care for the heavier beers. Wine, well, that's a once every six months or so thing so that would go for my cheat day.
  • samanthagraessle
    samanthagraessle Posts: 12
    I did great from January to April with not drinking or only having 2 beers tops. Now, Mon-Friday I eat great and workout. But once Friday night hits, its party time til Sunday. I have not gained anything, but havent lost anything either. Its actually getting pretty tiring bc summer is almost over and I'm still where I was in April pretty much. So this week I'm going back to how I was, minimal drinking. Maybe a special night out with a few more drinks once every 8 weeks.
  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
    For me, drinking alcohol is a triple bad thing because-
    1. It has lots of empty calories
    2. It makes me want to snack
    3. The lower inhibitions make me have more than the ( planned) one and also lots of food I don't really need.

    There is also the theory that alcohol is metabolised before fat so it can slow down weight loss- not sure if I am explaining that correctly.
    I have been cutting right back on my drinking since trying to lose weight and I feel so much better for it.
  • red66stang
    red66stang Posts: 38
    I could never give up wine and craft beer. They will have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

    I did cut back though - mostly because I go to a 6:15am class at the gym. That said, I have a couple beers or a couple glass of wine 3-4 nights a week. I make sure it fits into my macros and I have it with dinner so that I don't snack needlessly. I try not to drink enough to get a hangover, because that leads to greasy food the next morning.

    Omg, the is the biggest issue with me, drinking and then craving the greasy food. That's were I usually fail at the diet. But so far I've cut back to once a week having a drink.

    That's the problem for me too. It's not the couple of beers or whiskey/diet cokes, it is the frozen pizza I eat at midnight because I got the munchies. I now plan what days I'm going to drink and make sure to put it in my daily calories ahead of time so I don't overdo it. I also started limiting my drinking to just weekends. It's like anything else. If you enjoy drinking and can do it in moderation without going overboard, then do it. Just know your limits and stick to them.
  • Kimdbro
    Kimdbro Posts: 922 Member
    I could never give up wine and craft beer. They will have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

    I did cut back though - mostly because I go to a 6:15am class at the gym. That said, I have a couple beers or a couple glass of wine 3-4 nights a week. I make sure it fits into my macros and I have it with dinner so that I don't snack needlessly. I try not to drink enough to get a hangover, because that leads to greasy food the next morning.

    Omg, the is the biggest issue with me, drinking and then craving the greasy food. That's were I usually fail at the diet. But so far I've cut back to once a week having a drink.

    What helps me is that I try to drink things with flavor. A lot of people will go for a light beer, for example, and then drink them too fast which leads to more drinks. I drink a hefty IPA and it takes me a while to drink a pint. Add the higher alcohol percentage and I'm calling it quits after 2. I love the taste, like the buzz and it's not enough to make me hungover the next day. For me, wine is more dangerous in terms of the volume I can drink (but has fewer calories).

    I've done the same thing, and this helped me immensely! Wine is the devil for me because I could just keep drinking it like water, before I know it I've finished a bottle and downed up to 700 calories in the process. I started drinking a light beer, but I hate light beer and found I just drank more also, I figured I might as well have the wine. Then I discovered an IPA with a wicked punch. I drink it way slower, I can't possibly have more than two and I'm satisfied.
  • jos05
    jos05 Posts: 263 Member
    I can completely relate. My biggest vice has always been drinking! And I can finally say that I feel comfortable with my decision to give it up. I have been alcohol free since Aug 1st....and yes I realize this isn't a long time; but the longest I have gone without a drink in the last 9 yrs ... was 3 days....tops! ***Except for about 2 yrs ago when I stopped for about 2 weeks...when I initially started my weight loss journey. I let alcoholic drinks...consume my weekends and all of my social time. But I finally have a complete handle on it...
    I noticed that when I was drinking...it really just held me back in the gym. Your body takes time to eliminate it completely and after a while...you spend more time trying to catch up completely. Ugh! I am just so much happier without it...

    Someone recently told me something that has just stuck with me...
    I've eaten and drank my way through life; doing what I want...for the last "x" amount of years...it's not a hard chore to just do what needs to be done for a short time...to recover the years of damage I've done... IDK...it's just kind of stuck with me...
    If I can drink for 9 yrs... (started at age 26)...can't I just give it up long enough to get my life, my body, and my fitness under control...

    Best of luck to you! I know this journey is different for each person...so I wish you the best of luck...moderation is the name of the game and in some cases we know it's best just to give things up... find what works best for you.
  • Monkey_Business
    Monkey_Business Posts: 1,800 Member
    Have to agree with Paige and MizTerry; IIFYM rule and moderation.

    I have times where 8oz of bourbon just hits the spot :-). And I do not go over my macros.

    Calories are calories and I control the hungries. I try to workout extra hard on the days when I think I may have a drink or more.

    Its what counts over the long run not what happens in a day. It took us a period of time to get where we needed to lose weight and it will be the same to get back into shape.

    Just one ole man's opinion............
  • emilyGPK
    emilyGPK Posts: 83 Member
    I am on 1200 calories and have a glass of wine every few days within that limit. I don't keep a lot in the house to avoid getting carried away and buy single serve containers.
  • AlliSteff
    AlliSteff Posts: 211 Member
    I have week day booze out from my home. I used to sit on the couch with a glass of wine or 2, almost every night. Now, if I drink during the week, it is at an event- which occurs rarely.

    I try to drink only 1 weekend day....and if I go a little over, it is ok. I have cut so much of it out of my life, and I dig some wine with dinner or a good beer
  • Chuck_Finley
    Chuck_Finley Posts: 29
    I'm on about 1,000 calories a day for a bit now. I reward myself for my dedication with a Friday and Saturday night of drinking. It's not ideal weight loss, but sometimes you need inefficiencies to keep yourself from completely giving up.

    For me, not drinking would be a dealbreaker.
  • Luluke7767
    Luluke7767 Posts: 35 Member
    I follow the IIFYM
    I generally add a shot of vodka to some Crystal Ice drinks that have zero cals or I have a glass of barefoot cabernet. It's not too bad.
  • Luluke7767
    Luluke7767 Posts: 35 Member
    What does IIFYM mean?
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    What does IIFYM mean?

    If It Fits Into Your Macros
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
    i don't drink alcohol very often now.. just on very special occasions.
  • Mariachicat
    Mariachicat Posts: 311 Member
    I stick with vodka Martinis with olives. One is a great buzz and it's not that high calorie so I can have two last me a couple of hours. Works for me.

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