Stop the drinking insanity!!

lambchoplewis1
lambchoplewis1 Posts: 156 Member
edited November 16 in Motivation and Support
When I lost my weight two years ago, I stopped drinking wine. I logged every day, weighed myself and exercised. I maintained my weight for over a year. Then last summer, I sat on the patio and had a glass of wine. One led to two and so on. I am up to a 1.5 liter bottle a day. I feel like crap, don't sleep good and have gained 20 lbs back. I wake up motivated to quit and around 2 in the afternoon, convince myself that I can drink a little. NOT!!!

This is day one. I hope to log everyday that I am wine free. It will happen. I need to stop thinking about this everyday and live life

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Replies

  • tibby531
    tibby531 Posts: 717 Member
    I work my drinky-drinks into my calories. but if never drinking again works for you, then best of luck! :)
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Good luck to you! Most people have something that they are best to avoid, rather than try to moderate.
  • rugbyphreak
    rugbyphreak Posts: 509 Member
    I give myself one day a week to drink moderately, usually Friday and Saturday. I usually consume more calories than I'm allowed, but hey, a girl's gotta live a little! If you can't control it within your calories or to just a few drinks a week, not drinking at all may be best. :/
  • rebekah708
    rebekah708 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm the same... Once I start, I don't stop until the bottles are gone for me it's Mic Ultra.. It's only 95 calories! lol... :p
  • wcurudy
    wcurudy Posts: 7 Member
    Yay for sobriety! I was in the same boat, but with whiskey. I lost ~15 lbs within a few months of quitting.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    Yes, I only buy 1 bottle of wine at a time for that reason...I like to drink the entire bottle once it's open. Funny though when I get a box of wine I am OK with drinking only 2 glasses if that and that's it....weird.
  • MarciRenee74
    MarciRenee74 Posts: 22 Member
    It doesn't sound like moderation with wine works for the OP. This sounds like more of an issue of/with addiction rather than an issue of diet. I would approach it from that angle rather than a moderation angle. There are just some people that can't have ANY alcohol, period. And there is nothing wrong with that, you just have to realize it and move forward from that place.
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
    Based on that I would start only getting boxed wine. Then keep the calories within your allowance and enjoy!
  • lambchoplewis1
    lambchoplewis1 Posts: 156 Member
    MarciRenee74 wrote: »
    It doesn't sound like moderation with wine works for the OP. This sounds like more of an issue of/with addiction rather than an issue of diet. I would approach it from that angle rather than a moderation angle. There are just some people that can't have ANY alcohol, period. And there is nothing wrong with that, you just have to realize it and move forward from that place.

    I think u make a good point. Maybe I need to get some help with the alcohol addiction. Thx for this thought. I was using weight loss as an excuse to stop drinking. But I have it backwards. I need to stop drinking and the weight will come off.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    Do you have people in your life who love you? Try to keep them at the forefront of your mind when you feel like drinking and when you're considering getting some help. My mom drinks, and I worry about her like crazy. I all but hold my breath waiting for her to realize she can't handle it. You're already in a place where you're willing to examine you're behavior and consider that you might need help, which is huge in and of itself. Now it's up to you to decide what to do next. Hope you figure it out!
  • deathninja82
    deathninja82 Posts: 108 Member
    I'm pretty much alcohol dependant, but manage to keep the calories down, just log it as carbs.
  • fatjon73
    fatjon73 Posts: 379 Member
    edited April 2015
    Personally I changed my alcohol need every night for something else......................cant discuss that here ;)¬~~~~~~.....but it really is a life choice in my opinion at this time......do you want to carry on drinking??? if so...change the wine habbit for something else that maybe is not as bad.....3 pints of beer is not as bad as the 3 pints of wine your on....it wont get you as pissed....but it will be the same amount in fluids.....if you like the getting pissed side of it....shorts all the way....buy the strongest rum you can find.....and add zero soda........you be on the floor a pint of that.........lol.....

    If you think you have a issue with drink in general....that you cannot moderate and control....then I agree more drastic measures are needed....family interventions.......self punishments for slipping....rehab if that bad.....or something like a simple change of daily routine may help also......you say at 2 ish you get the neeeeed.......is 2 a trigger?? is it finish work time?? is it everyone is out of the house...your on your own time......whatever...change it.....go swimming....gym....friends.....clubs...groups....take up knitting......you need to break that cycle some way......and only you can answer the how to do it.....

    I hope you can control it rather than banish it completely....as it sounds as though you obviously like a drink...and that is fine...if you can control it.....

    Personally many moons ago...in a bad time of life...I used to drink a 24 crate pack of stubbie beers a night with a cheap half L bottle of gin.........every night for 6 months.....and either side of that I am a beer monster....when I go I can drink 24hrs straight....so I know the feeling....

    My way is not conventional...lol...but its worked for me....I even did Feb dry this year...32 days nothing at all......not done 3 days before for nearly 30 yrs........and yes I am only 41....so do the math.....lol.....

    I can now control it 95% of the time.....I have had a couple of rums tonight....that's all...I can have 2 beers before food and then stop......it can be done.....but you need to understand yourself first......

    Good luck with it...

    feel free to add me if you can take me......I can be a tough *kitten* if you need that type of motivation.....but I do tell it like I see it....



  • lambchoplewis1
    lambchoplewis1 Posts: 156 Member
    Okay, I did not make it this weekend. But I am wine free today. I will keep posting all wine free days. Exercised, ate clean. Lots of veggies and water. Actually feel full both literally and emotionally.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    Good Luck!
  • kimtessier
    kimtessier Posts: 3
    lambchoplewis1 wrote: »
    When I lost my weight two years ago, I stopped drinking wine. I logged every day, weighed myself and exercised. I maintained my weight for over a year. Then last summer, I sat on the patio and had a glass of wine. One led to two and so on. I am up to a 1.5 liter bottle a day. I feel like crap, don't sleep good and have gained 20 lbs back. I wake up motivated to quit and around 2 in the afternoon, convince myself that I can drink a little. NOT!!!

    This is day one. I hope to log everyday that I am wine free. It will happen. I need to stop thinking about this everyday and live life

  • kimtessier
    kimtessier Posts: 3
    I need to cut down the wine too. Gained 30 pounds, pretty much because of the bottle per day habit. So hard to quit!
  • Feistycat
    Feistycat Posts: 12,868 Member
    Me too, Kim Tessier. Kindred spirits, maybe.
  • francineb4
    francineb4 Posts: 20 Member
    Mine issue is Sierra Nevada Torpeda IPA. I love it and convinced myself that it was o.k. because I only had one a day. But 8 pounds later, I realize that the one 250 calorie beer adds up. It also was virtually impossible for me to drink without eating bad something along with it . I was planning to replace the beer with gin, but I just don't want it. The good thing is that I lost a few pounds, but the bad thing is I really miss my IPA every single day and have to work on not having it. Posting wine free days is a good idea. Good luck
  • francineb4
    francineb4 Posts: 20 Member
    PS I read that break habits/addiction is easier when you replace it with something else, like one of the earlier posters said. this also breaks the trigger. I am so used to reaching for the beer as soon as I come home, that I know it helps to reach for something else. i am trying sparkling water this week. other behavior modification techniques include keeping really busy so you don't have the nagging desire playing through your head all the time.
  • lambchoplewis1
    lambchoplewis1 Posts: 156 Member
    Day two with no wine. I woke up feeling great. No headache. I have weighed myself to get a baseline and logged my food. I can do this!!!
  • kuulmamma
    kuulmamma Posts: 19 Member
    Yes! You can do this! Great job!

    I quit smoking 3 years 4 months and some days ago. I may be weird, but resetting that clock to zero days has kept me from picking it back up. B)

    I understand drinking is different from smoking and many replace drinking with smoking, but you can do this.
  • kuulmamma
    kuulmamma Posts: 19 Member
    Off topic

    I love that lamb! I used to watch "101 Things for Kids to do" repeatedly. I was that kid that would rewind the VHS to view it over and over. Sherry Lewis is awesome!
  • Whittedo
    Whittedo Posts: 352 Member
    I completely quit all alcohol for the first 7 weeks that I was on MFP mainly to decrease my calorie intake but also because I was worried about who was in control, me or the booze. I now drink on the weekends but I feel that I am in control of how much I drink. I must admit though that I didn't need that 4th beer on Sunday.
  • jonsmithkidd
    jonsmithkidd Posts: 1,204 Member
    Not only can you do it, you ARE doing it! Amazing work so far, keep it up and be proud of yourself!
  • SatiaRenee
    SatiaRenee Posts: 798 Member
    lambchoplewis1 wrote: »
    MarciRenee74 wrote: »
    It doesn't sound like moderation with wine works for the OP. This sounds like more of an issue of/with addiction rather than an issue of diet. I would approach it from that angle rather than a moderation angle. There are just some people that can't have ANY alcohol, period. And there is nothing wrong with that, you just have to realize it and move forward from that place.

    I think u make a good point. Maybe I need to get some help with the alcohol addiction. Thx for this thought. I was using weight loss as an excuse to stop drinking. But I have it backwards. I need to stop drinking and the weight will come off.

    @lambchoplewis1, This was my first thought as well, what @MarciRenee74. I come from a family of drinkers. We enjoy wine, occasionally a fine port, etc. My husband, however, comes from a family of alcoholics. He loves wine too. And occasionally a good bourbon. But whereas I can have a glass of wine or two with dinner and not touch another glass for weeks, he has one glass and it begins a gradual progression towards drinking a bottle or more a day.

    There is a saying in AA: One is too many; 100 is not enough. The idea is that yes, even one drink is too many because it's a small step from "I'll just have one" to "Give me another."

    I have a very dear friend. Our mother's were pregnant together and she is an alcoholic. Her husband divorced her because of her drinking and last winter she remarried in November. Her new husband was also an alcoholic and a pack or two a day smoker. They had been together for years and she now smokes about a pack of cigarettes a day and I don't now how much wine she drinks. She doesn't think she has a problem. And yet, in January, she took her husband off life support. He died from complications brought on by his years of smoking and drinking. She still drinks and smokes daily.

    All this to say, I wish I could give you a great big hug of congratulations for day 2. You can do this. One day at a time, one hour at a time, sometimes one minute at a time. I know because I've seen my husband do it. I believe it's possible and I know, from his experience, that making this commitment to your health will affect how you feel not merely physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

    You should be very proud of yourself.
  • lambchoplewis1
    lambchoplewis1 Posts: 156 Member
    Thanks for the motivation. I am also thinking about the $$ savings of no drinking.
  • Ribena145
    Ribena145 Posts: 201 Member
    Really, is there a reason to drink? No. I've had to quit twice. After quitting for 10 years the 1st time, I thought I'd be able to handle it....nope. Now I know after the 2nd time, I have no off switch, I plain out just can't drink. Much like you, I'd drink a bottle of wine a night and maybe something else too. So it's been about 6 1/2 years now and I constantly think back on the money hubby and I spent over the 15 years we drank together..probably around $100,000...yes you read that right! As you're noting, the money saved is HUGE and you feel great. Save that money in a bank account and take yourself clothes shopping when you need a new wardrobe.
  • dagost17
    dagost17 Posts: 53 Member
    Way to go! Keep it up! I'm the same. When I drank, I would drink a whole bottle of wine. And sometimes some beer too. I couldn't stop. It didn't help that my ex husband had an alcohol problem so all of our activities revolved around drinking. And I was not the type of person to only have one drink! When I got rid of him, I stopped drinking and I felt great! I lost a dress size, I was happier, my relationships are better. If you can't stop at one or two, you may want to eliminate alcohol all together.
  • sarawantsflatabs
    sarawantsflatabs Posts: 2 Member
    There is an intangible factor in wine and beer that definitely slows weight loss. Counting it in calories only helps slightly... it has to do with the way the liver metabolizes it and treats it much like it does sugar. So drinking and dieting can be a really slow process.

    When I cut it out in the past, I lost weight and bloating, and had more energy.

    Regarding the OP's issue, this is common. People don't like to talk about it because if they do or if they say, out loud, that they feel bad about drinking or like to drink a bottle, they might get labeled. And then you can't get un-labeled.

    Saying you have started a bad habit doesn't mean you are an alcoholic needing intervention. Clearly you have intervened yourself, often like we do when we are doing too much of anything that isn't good for us...that is a sign that it is a bad habit (and that you are aware of it), something you have leaned on. Why do you think bars are filled with people on weekend nights after a long week of work?

    I say good for you cutting it out. Get healthy, eat right, get lean. If you ever choose to have one socially once you feel you are in control, that is up to you.

    Not buying it and bringing it home can be a huge factor. Not in the house keeps it to very moderate and occasional cocktails vs. wine at the end of every night.

    By the way, I clicked on this b/c I want to lose 8 pounds and feel red wine is my weakness at the end of the day, I am also cutting it out. Makes me feel tired, makes me look bloated. I usually get a flatter stomach when not drinking at all.
  • MissusSpags
    MissusSpags Posts: 109 Member
    I needed to read this today. Thank you. I too tend to think, "Oh, just one more glass..." which turns into, "Crud, I just drank 1/2 a bottle".

    I've always blamed my weight gain on cheese and bread, which clearly are part of the issue, but truly, a large part of it is probably the wine as well.
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