For those who quit have quit drinking and started a diet at the same time...
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sam72691
Posts: 8 Member
So, I'm trying (once again) to get back on track to losing weight after reaching my highest weight ever. I do drink probably between 2-5 cocktails daily when not dieting (bad, I know). When I try to stick to a diet, I say to myself that I'm allowed 1-2 glasses of wine a day but somehow it ends up being 3-4 or more and makes me eat more since alcohol makes me more hungry and less strict about eating. I've now decided it's best for me if I just cut out alcohol if I really hope to lose weight and get healthy, but I'm finding it so hard to quit drinking AND cut calories. After work, I always had a routine of cocktails and eating (usually uhealthy food and too much of it), so I'm finding it really hard to change. Now when I get home, I get really fidgety and antsy and can't stop thinking about the food/drink cravings. I'm hoping it'll get easier with time but I'm hoping to get some advice from those who quit drinking and started dieting at the same time, what worked for you? Did it get easier over time?
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Replies
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I stopped drinking about 4 or 5 months ago. I was drinking 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 a night. I replaced drinking with going to the gym and taking Yoga and other fitness classes. I don't miss it and I feel healthier.6
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I don’t have advice for you, but I can relate! I have a routine of getting some dinner out (or a happy hour snack, so no good) and about the same number of drinks. And I know it’s the food as much as the drinks that I crave. I think what we need is something to occupy our time that we would normally spend doing our ‘routine’. Basically replace the old habit with a new one. I’m going to try and go to the gym after work on the two days a week that my fiancé has late classes, to start. Then after that hopefully I won’t have time or energy to go out to eat/drink. Food prep helps too. If I know I have yummy food at home it’s easier not to want to eat out. Then without eating out I’m not tempted to drink so much.
Keep me posted and let me know if you have ideas too or get some good advice!5 -
Wow, I could have written this myself! Quit drinking yesterday, started the diet today also because I've reached my highest weight and I'm having sleep problems. I don't have advice because I'm just starting out today but I do know that going for a walk/avoiding trigger times and locations helps prevent my alcohol cravings (I've quit alcohol before but not started a diet at the same time). Keep me updated, maybe we can help each other stay accountable!4
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It WILL get better, and probably pretty quick if you stick to it. Give it 2 weeks. It helped me to walk and listen to long podcasts, like Rich Roll. Drink lots of water and get lots of sleep. One day soon you’ll wake up feeling great and clear headed and it will get easier. I promise.7
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It may help to focus on not drinking for a week or two and then work on the diet.4
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I didn’t quit drinking but I did cut down a lot!!
I only drink wine on the weekends & a lot less then I use too.
After cutting back so much though I will say that often times I find it not even worth it to drink because I rather eat some more dinner! 🤣
Honestly it gets easier just got to stick with it!3 -
I decided last year to curtail my social drinking to reach my health goals. I even stopped drinking for six weeks. I now have drinks on the weekend when I go out to dinner. This is what helped me get it under control.
1. I don't have alcohol in the house
2. I don't drink during the week, never stop for happy hour.
3. When I did all this, I realize that being bored or thinking I was, would just be part of the deal and that I would grow past that emotion. It took time, but now it is easy.
4. I broke my drinking routine by shaking up my schedule. I decided to work later into the evening, so I wouldn't be tempted to go to happy hours or have a drink at home with my husband per our usual routine. when I got home.. I made my dinner..ate..took a bath and went to bed. Joining a gym and going there after work would have worked too.
In short, social drinking is a habit that you can actually live without and are better off without. You think you love it and will miss it.. but you won't.
when the scale starts moving down and you start feeling clear headed, more productive, and filled with energy... it will be "sobering."
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It gets easier every week. I love pouring a pelligrino into a wine glass, helps make it feel a little less routine6
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I quit drinking and started diet and exercising in 2013. It was hard at first but I haven’t had any alcohol in 6 years. And I never have any cravings for it anymore. It’s very impowering! Don’t give up! Once you quit drinking your eating habits will change and you will have more energy to exercise! You can do this! Have faith in yourself3
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Save your one glass of wine until right before bed- 9 times out of 10 I fall asleep before finishing it!
and b/c you're already in bed, less likely to cause you to eat more.1 -
Was a daily drinker , heavy , for ten years. 3 years ago I went cold turkey and started counting calories. 6-8 months later I met many goals and began to have a drink or two within my calories every other Saturday.
Funny thing tho.. As time went by, Saturday’s went by, and I didn’t even notice that it was one of the days I had planned out. So yes, it’s get a million times easier. I’d probably have liver failure by now since bad LFTs kick started this hole thing2 -
There are many good tips here on the first post from the MFP community:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10723593/less-alcohol-february-2019-one-day-at-a-time#latest
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Hi there. So I've been sober now for 7 weeks. I drank a lot more than you we're drinking, a stupid amount really. The cravings were really bad for about 2 weeks. But you just sorta have to plow through if that makes sense. I wish you the best of luck. You can do this.3
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I used to drink nightly as well. I quit all alcohol for about 2-3 weeks and found that some sparkling mineral water really helped during those weeks. I'm back to having drinks but only on the weekend. I don't crave it anymore and sometimes will go a week or two without a drink.5
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I've been doing dry January (no wine this month and I love wine!) along with counting calories on here and running. After the first 2 weeks or so it got easier. I've lost 8 pounds this month and feel much better. There's an app called dry days and also a Facebook group called dry days community if you would like other's experiences and support.2
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I started yoga shortly before I quit self-medicating with alcohol, and that was very helpful, as was the handful of Smart Recovery and Rational Recovery meetings I attended.
I believe RR no longer has in person meetings but SR still does. These are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy based and the tips can apply to food as well.
Yoga may not be your thing, and that's fine, but I do strongly recommend some sort of cardiovascular activity you like, as well as strength training.
If you quit drinking and up exercise, creating a deficit in order to lose weight may take care of itself. Just watch that you don't develop an M&M habit like I did
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Thank you so much for the replies, love the advice! Yesterday was the first day of not drinking in a while and I felt so much better this morning, in fact when I worked out I felt like I had more energy. Thanks for the support, it definitely helps to have others to relate to in my situation!1
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I stopped drinking about 4 or 5 months ago. I was drinking 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 a night. I replaced drinking with going to the gym and taking Yoga and other fitness classes. I don't miss it and I feel healthier.
I've been doing the same. I found I was using having a few drinks to fill the boredom that had settled in my life. I am sleeping better, more active and happier overall.
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I quit drinking about 2 months before I started losing. It's been 19 months since I quit drinking and 11 months since I got my BMI under 25, after starting with it around 34. I have been much more active and enjoy just about everything more. I feel like a non drinker now; took about a year to start feeling that way. I no longer avoid situations where people are drinking and/or there is access to alcohol. Lots of people don't drink; just say no thanks and carry on without a second thought now. I can't guarantee this will always last, but it is a lot better than I felt when I was feeling like a problem drinker who was fighting the urge all the time. I was a problem drinker.1
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I’m trying the dieting and stop drinking too. I’m rearranging my day so I’m busy at beer o’clock straight through to dinner. For some reason I don’t drink after I eat. 🤷🏻♀️2
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