Considering a "No Alcohol November" challege

husseycd
husseycd Posts: 814 Member
in Food and Nutrition
After a fun weekend of, well, fun, and an upcoming Halloween weekend trip to New Orleans, I am considering a "No Alcohol November" challenge to give my body and liver a break. I'm definitely a social drinker, so it isn't like it's a challenge to avoid the booze during the week. Although I do like a glass of wine or a cocktail in the evening during the week, it's easily skipped. Weekend shenanigans, however, can sometimes be excessive. This past weekend it was a World Series party on Friday (I'm in KC, so the World Series is a big deal for us right now), and then a wedding and masquerade ball on Saturday.

I will probably make an exception for Thanksgiving. And I will still be in NOLA on Saturday the 1st, so I wouldn't start until the 2nd. And then there's my husband's birthday on the 3rd... Not that I have to drink for his birthday, but since we will be headed to the in-laws, drinking is almost required, lol.

Anyway, I haven't committed yet. But I'm strongly considering it. I'm also starting a bulk in November, so it will help me get a feel for the extra calories. I tend to bank calories for the weekend whether maintaining or cutting, so this will be a different plan of attack for me. I'd like to see if the extra food will truly help with strength and performance goals. My guess is it will.

Anyway, anyone interest in joining? I'd love to hear your reasons.

Replies

  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    Nope - beer keeps me happy. And I find that trying to "cut" things from my diet has inevitably led to failure in the past, so I won't do that anymore.

    Good luck though.
  • d6melanie
    d6melanie Posts: 84 Member
    edited October 2014
    I'm pretty much doing the same thing, No Alcohol November, sans Thanksgiving. I drink similarly to what you described and I tend to do a "No alcohol" month a few times a year because of that. I say do it, it's a great way to save calories and money, and right before the holidays that second one is pretty convenient! :)

    I'll also add, just as a personal reason, I want to know I don't have an alcohol addiction of any kind, and taking a month off the social sauce purposefully here and there, is a way I can just confirm to myself I don't. That's not to say people who don't take a break have a problem, or people that do take a break definitely don't have a problem. It's just a way that works for me to regulate enjoyment of something that can be addictive.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,251 Member
    I've just done Sober October with the exception of a glass and a half of bubbly when we got some good news. I actually started half way through September, and will probably keep it going through November :)
  • RISEOFPATRIOTS
    RISEOFPATRIOTS Posts: 52 Member
    sjaplo wrote: »
    Nope - beer keeps me happy. And I find that trying to "cut" things from my diet has inevitably led to failure in the past, so I won't do that anymore.

    Good luck though.
    That's because you have an addiction problem and refuse to figure out how to fix it because beer sure as heck doesn't help with the diet.
  • SuninVirgo
    SuninVirgo Posts: 255 Member
    Good idea, go for it!
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    I actually don't really drink anymore. Not because I dislike alcohol (although I actually don't like the taste) but because I prefer to eat my calories as much as possible... and just haven't wanted to bother working it into my day. But I've been pretty happy to not be drinking alcohol, with my background it's not really a great idea to drink anyway!
    RISEOFPATRIOTS wrote: »
    sjaplo wrote: »
    Nope - beer keeps me happy. And I find that trying to "cut" things from my diet has inevitably led to failure in the past, so I won't do that anymore.

    Good luck though.
    That's because you have an addiction problem and refuse to figure out how to fix it because beer sure as heck doesn't help with the diet.

    Beer helps with the diet if it means OP is enjoying his food/how he eats while maintaining a deficit.

    Calories in vs calories out. Beer fits into this if you want it to.

    I 2nd this guy's message, restricting things for the purpose of weight loss does not work in the long run. Cutting things out because you feel bad, or because your overall health is at risk, these are different things.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,251 Member
    RISEOFPATRIOTS wrote: »
    sjaplo wrote: »
    Nope - beer keeps me happy. And I find that trying to "cut" things from my diet has inevitably led to failure in the past, so I won't do that anymore.

    Good luck though.
    That's because you have an addiction problem and refuse to figure out how to fix it because beer sure as heck doesn't help with the diet.

    meme-well-that-escalated-quickly_zps70fb859c.jpg

  • RISEOFPATRIOTS
    RISEOFPATRIOTS Posts: 52 Member
    ana3067 wrote: »
    I actually don't really drink anymore. Not because I dislike alcohol (although I actually don't like the taste) but because I prefer to eat my calories as much as possible... and just haven't wanted to bother working it into my day. But I've been pretty happy to not be drinking alcohol, with my background it's not really a great idea to drink anyway!
    RISEOFPATRIOTS wrote: »
    sjaplo wrote: »
    Nope - beer keeps me happy. And I find that trying to "cut" things from my diet has inevitably led to failure in the past, so I won't do that anymore.

    Good luck though.
    That's because you have an addiction problem and refuse to figure out how to fix it because beer sure as heck doesn't help with the diet.

    Beer helps with the diet if it means OP is enjoying his food/how he eats while maintaining a deficit.

    Calories in vs calories out. Beer fits into this if you want it to.

    I 2nd this guy's message, restricting things for the purpose of weight loss does not work in the long run. Cutting things out because you feel bad, or because your overall health is at risk, these are different things.
    Beer isn't even healthy and can be replaced. Once and awhile is cool but seriously if you act like you can't let go of it then you got an issue. You can figure out how to enjoy food with a replacement or just filling yourself with the right foods. A healthy diet isn't restrictive... it's beneficial ;) It's ok though because I was there too.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,251 Member
    RISEOFPATRIOTS wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    I actually don't really drink anymore. Not because I dislike alcohol (although I actually don't like the taste) but because I prefer to eat my calories as much as possible... and just haven't wanted to bother working it into my day. But I've been pretty happy to not be drinking alcohol, with my background it's not really a great idea to drink anyway!
    RISEOFPATRIOTS wrote: »
    sjaplo wrote: »
    Nope - beer keeps me happy. And I find that trying to "cut" things from my diet has inevitably led to failure in the past, so I won't do that anymore.

    Good luck though.
    That's because you have an addiction problem and refuse to figure out how to fix it because beer sure as heck doesn't help with the diet.

    Beer helps with the diet if it means OP is enjoying his food/how he eats while maintaining a deficit.

    Calories in vs calories out. Beer fits into this if you want it to.

    I 2nd this guy's message, restricting things for the purpose of weight loss does not work in the long run. Cutting things out because you feel bad, or because your overall health is at risk, these are different things.
    Beer isn't even healthy and can be replaced. Once and awhile is cool but seriously if you act like you can't let go of it then you got an issue. You can figure out how to enjoy food with a replacement or just filling yourself with the right foods. A healthy diet isn't restrictive... it's beneficial ;) It's ok though because I was there too.

    I bet most therapists would pay a fortune to learn your skill at diagnosing an addiction from under 30 words on a message board!

  • crisb2
    crisb2 Posts: 329 Member
    @husseycd

    I did this too... it's been a year :) Once I quit I really didn't see the point of starting up again. I'll have maybe ONE drink every 1-2 months, if I'm in the mood. But it's a drastic change from what I was doing before. I was only a social drinker, but the "social" activities were every other day!!! I just cut out all those empty calories.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I go every month without alcohol, so totally in for November. :)
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
    I went dry for a couple of months a few years ago to prepare for a major bike race (for me :) ) . It did not make a big difference, performance-wise or weight-management. I don't binge drink, I have maybe 3 drinks a week tops and the last time I was drunk was years ago.

    But you might perceive a massive improvement. I say go for it. What's the worse that could happen? That you feel cranky and excluded in a social-drink situation. No big deal - good friends wouldn't even mention.


    And as a long-time suffering Jays fan - go Royals!
  • mombie2six
    mombie2six Posts: 157 Member
    I'd be willing to give it a go! Been meaning to cut back for the last few months, and it seems like every day that I say I'm going to take a break from drinking, I either end up in a social situation where everyone's drinking or I have a really bad day and want a drink to unwind. So, here's to No Alcohol November! ;)

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