Yeah, I'm afraid to drink for all of those reasons too, but I do imbibe occasionally. I don't react well to beer now that I'm low carb, though. I prefer mixed drinks or red wine. For mixed drinks I tend to have gin and diet tonic, vodka and diet tonic, or whiskey and diet cola. I think the kick out of ketosis is pretty brief, so for me there's not much of a stall in weight loss except that when I'm drinking it's harder to avoid the temptation of carby foods. I also keep pickle juice on hand and drink tons of water before bed to avoid hangovers.

Haha, I just said there's not much of a stall but I'm currently in an 18-month stall. But it's not because of alcohol. I just had to clarify.

I have wine occasionally (low carb, not the sweet ones), gluten-free, so as much as I love beer it doesn't love me back...very rarely I will have hard cider

As I have posted on other threads, I have become quite the light weight since going keto. More importantly, craving for alcohol has pretty much gone completely. Really, the only time since going keto that alcohol sounded good was when I tried to watch the presidential debates during the fall. Even with alcohol I was unsuccessful at making it all the way through any of them.

AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »

Having had two alcoholics in my direct family, alcohol scares the bejeezus out of me, but for entirely different reasons. Safe to say as a teetotaller, I have no problems abstaining.....

I'm very much in the same boat as @AlexandraCarlyle is here. My father is a full blown (recovering?) alcoholic, and I've always had addictive tendencies, but thankfully, due to some events that happened in my youth, I have a full on mental block with it. I have, a few times in my younger years, started to get the barest hints of a buzz, continued drinking, and ended up vomiting or going to sleep before achieving any measure of feeling good from it.

Because of that, it's incredibly easy for me to abstain. But still, it scares me. I still get that feeling at the end of (or in the middle of) a hellaciously stressful day of wanting to drink until I forget my worries, etc. It's a kneejerk reaction, from I don't know where. But I joke that I either want to eat my body weight worth of [insert favorite comfort food here] or drink my weight in booze to forget. I wish I could nullify that stress response, but it stays with me.

I even declined a toasting drink this past New Year's. I'm thankful to be the permanent designated driver amongst my friends. Leaves me a built-in excuse to not drink or be pressured by others to socially drink...

AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »

Having had two alcoholics in my direct family, alcohol scares the bejeezus out of me, but for entirely different reasons. Safe to say as a teetotaller, I have no problems abstaining.....

Same here, only its a whole family of alcoholics and then I married into one as well. I will have a drink maybe once every 2-3 years, usually at New Year's. Usually surrounded by people reminding me why I don't drink more often.

At various times, when I've had an aggressive or "jump start" type goal I've cut out alcohol with much success. Currently, like everything in my health journey I try to simply "make good choices". I do enjoy a glass of wine and have some wonderful friends in the micro brew scene here so its not a part of my life I look to cut out entirely but I have shifted my preferences (I taste their beers now rather than drinking 16oz) and I also recognize that a glass of wine to "unwind" at 9pm at home in my jammies generally leads me to make less than stellar food choices.

Generally, I do not view anything as off limits.Thats a mindset that doesnt work for me though I realize a hardline approach is necessary for some.

I can't drink as much as I did before this WOE. I have never been a big drinker, I do one glass of wine now instead of two/three, a few times a week, not daily. But I am not afraid of alcohol. Your body burns it before fat, so it will slow things down a bit weight loss wise.

But I have decided I have given up enough of my vices, wine and chocolate are the only ones left. I make chocolate fat bombs now, no store bought stuff at all.

I can't image my life without the occasional glass of wine on a sunny day watching the sunset with DH.

Only with respect to my decision making.

johnnylew wrote: »

Awesome posts guys! I learn everyday from you guys/gals! Can you just call everyone guys now? See ya

In these particular parts, it's probably safe...

PS. I prefer guys/dolls, but that's my age showing.

2t9nty wrote: »

I decided a number of years ago that alcohol fell in the wrong place on the cost-vs-benefit scale for me and I stopped. I remember at one point, my doctor (10 years ago maybe) asking how much I drank. I said I had averaged 3 bottles of beer annually for several years. The truth is that I had six bottles of beer that I put down half finished. There would be some social event every couple of months that seemed to have alcohol as an important factor. I would get one and nurse it to be sociable.

In the interests of full disclosure, I do ablutions at the altar, and so I do consume what is left in the chalice each time I celebrate Holy Communion. This probably adds up to several ounces a week. I went to an appointment with a new ophthalmologist recently and tried to explain all this so I would know how to fill out the forms with patient info. They said this qualified as a "non-drinker."

I had to explain in a Methodist church recently why I didn't queue up for communion. I said as politely as possible that I'd reconsider once they start serving insulin with the sweetened grape juice and white bread.....

2t9nty wrote: »

RalfLott wrote: »

I had to explain in a Methodist church recently why I didn't queue up for communion. I said as politely as possible that I'd reconsider once they start serving insulin with the sweetened grape juice and white bread.....

The Welch's they serve at the Methodist Church is really sweet. You might as well put a sugar cube on your tongue. We use wine at least...

Bingo! I sometimes get roped into playing for service, and the pastor still comes over and offers me the BG spikers. I manage not to smart off about not being a hummingbird, but it's hard sometimes.

Nope

I think I should clarify my response above. I'm not afraid of the alcohol itself. I think it is more of my passionate and intense response that worries me. It's just another coping technique, and I don't like depending on those, as they are never a winning situation.

I agree that I don't really consider anything hard and fast off the table permanently, but some things are better left reduced in quantity and frequency...

@johnnylew - no, I think afraid is a perfect word here. Just the way I used it in my initial response was incorrect to my meaning/intention.