First week down with 5.5 lbs lost!

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Hi everyone! I'm Daniel from San Francisco, California. My goal is to get back into shape after a long absence. Hopeful to obtain a beach body by our wedding day next year.
The hardest thing for me to cut back on was alcohol; but since greatly lowering alcohol intake (particularly beer), I have seen great results. Although when social with friends, one drink is allowed per night.
Would love to make some friends on here that are going through the same challenges!

Replies

  • kylesbacon
    kylesbacon Posts: 21 Member
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    Well done Daniel and congrats on your upcoming wedding! Sure you'll do great. Im new here myself but there seems to be a lot of support around.
  • stephensweeney93
    stephensweeney93 Posts: 57 Member
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    As a fellow beer enthusiast I too have seen an improvement on cutting down. In just 2 weeks I find I've had better sleep and more energy in the day. I make sure I include my alcohol intake on MFP to keep track of the extra calories. I've also dramatically increased my water intake and grab a pint of adams ale when I fancy a beer midweek.

    Good luck !
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited November 2016
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    5.5 lbs is a lot of water weight. Just don't be surprised if that rate per week dwindles quickly.
    If it doesn't then something is probably wrong.
    You should not be losing more than about 2 lbs per week under normal circumstances.
    There are a few exceptions but 2 lbs per week is considered to be about ideal.

    Any alcoholic beverage has a tendency to inhibit fat burning, even good scotch which is practically carb and calorie free. :neutral:
    Alcohol is metabolized first because it is usually easy to process by the liver.
    During this time (from the stomach to the bladder) fat burning basically stops.
    The more often you drink, the more often you push the "pause button" on fat burning.
    That is an oversimplification, but you get the idea.
    Carbs in beer, wine etc. compound this problem because your body can easily store them as fat. Hence the "beer gut".

    If you are serious then limit yourself to 1 drink a week or even per month.

    I went 6 months without enjoying any of the great scotch and bourbon I have open, but I wanted results more than I wanted a glass of scotch.

    Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials.
  • barracudamuscle
    barracudamuscle Posts: 313 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Mmmm Scotch!!!! I wonder if you could eat light for breakfast and lunch and just drink scotch for dinner. I see 2 added benefits, staying within your calories, and a lot easier time getting a little bump to get your head on straight.

    Couldn't resist....
    anchorman-love-scotch-movie-poster-PYR33151_2.jpg
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Mmmm Scotch!!!! I wonder if you could eat light for breakfast and lunch and just drink scotch for dinner. I see 2 added benefits, staying within your calories, and a lot easier time getting a little bump to get your head on straight.
    Maybe I will try that some time, as long as I can work it into my c/p/f macro numbers...
    Still need enough protein & carbs for lifting & coaching. LOL
  • cottonanddust
    cottonanddust Posts: 20 Member
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    That's great news, congratulations! San Francisco is my home away from home. I'm there a lot on business . I honestly didn't think anything would happen with me for a while when I started but had similar results to yours. That's awesome, truly.