A 22 yr old's worst enemy...ALCOHOL

I started with MFP on December 31, 2010 and made a decision that I was going to try to stop killing myself in the new year. Lets just say that I was drinking more nights a week than I was not. Starting January 1, 2011 I cut out drinking Sunday - Thursday and allowed myself to have a few on Friday and Saturday, I held to my calorie goals every day but Saturday (my cheat day) and continued my normal exercise routine 6 days a week.

The impact of ridding myself of alcohol during the week was pretty significant for me in a couple of ways 1) certainly helped not taking in those calories, and 2) My workouts were so much better because I was not sluggish and potentially hung over.

The weight has flown off of me and this is the best shape I have been in since Highschool. The moral of the story… for me drinking in moderation works for me.

I wouldn't ever want to give up my beer. About three years ago I started down the dark path of beer geekery... and I've no intention of coming back. A life without Black Oak Brewing's "10 Bitter Years" or a lovely Belgian trippel is not a life I want to lead.

That said... I've gone from having a beer on four to six nights of the week to having a beer on two to three nights of the week (usually weekends). I try to split beers with my partner whenever I can, so that I'm not drinking the whole thing, but still get the satisfaction of that delicious brew. I also rarely drink enough to get drunk anymore, but that's partly because I'm 25, not 22... And, as much as possible, I try to factor in the calories that I'm going to be drinking into my daily calorie quota. If I know I'm going to drink on the weekend, I will try to be extra careful during the week, and then make sure I work out hard as well!

I work for a beer distributor. It's almost required that I become a beer geek. I've found, though, that I'd rather have one malty-hoppy-delicious beer instead of 4 of the crap light beers. Which is good, because the calories are about equal (1:4). Today, for instance, I know I have a work "meeting" this evening, where I will be expected to drink AND it will interrupt my usual gym time. It's been on my calorie count for a week and I'm hitting the gym at lunch instead.

Mind you I'm a bit older than 22...I certainly had to cut back my alcohol consumption and it made all the difference in the world. I try now to drink less often. But also what you drink has an effect. I learned to love wine not that it's low cal (it's around 500cals a bottle) but alot of mixed drinks have a ton of sugar. The problem with beer is even if its lower cal, one tends to drink many to get desired effect! Shots of alcohol tend to be between 65 and 80 cals...that's pretty rough estimate but you get the picture...but then you mix them with more calories.

Lucky for me I have also learned to like scotch...or whiskey. The thing with Scotch is not that it's any lower calorie than other alcohols it's that you don't mix it and you don't drink a bunch of it. Three drinks of scotch with a dollop of water in the run of a night can make you feel pretty good. If you're only watering it down you're not adding calories and you don't drink it fast = roughly 210 calories for the night.

I realize not everyone can like scotch or wine...but this is my own finding hope it helps someone.

Speaking from someone with experience in this department, I've been addicted to everything in the book. Alcohol is one of them. I would drink every night. You have to think that along with drinking, come munching, because when you drink, food tastes and sounds all that much better. If you drink a lot, i am almost certain that you will see a significant difference. It is so bad for you anyways!!! I'm not saying give it up compeletely, but once in a while, is okay.