Living the Lifestyle - Monday 1/11/21
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crewahl
Posts: 3,857 Member
We meet here to explore, share, celebrate and (sometimes) agonize over how we do (or don't) incorporate weight loss guidelines into our daily lives. "It's a lifestyle, not a diet" is easily and often said, but sometimes not so simply put into practice.
This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!
Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion.
Monday - crewahl (Charlie)
Tuesday - whathapnd (Emmie)
Wednesday - Al_Howard (Al)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - imastar2. (Derrick)
TODAY’S TOPIC: Alcohol
So what’s the deal? Does it have a place that in your plan? What issues have you had with it? How have you tried to manage it? If you partake, what’s your preference?
This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!
Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion.
Monday - crewahl (Charlie)
Tuesday - whathapnd (Emmie)
Wednesday - Al_Howard (Al)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - imastar2. (Derrick)
TODAY’S TOPIC: Alcohol
So what’s the deal? Does it have a place that in your plan? What issues have you had with it? How have you tried to manage it? If you partake, what’s your preference?
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Alcohol has never been a large part of my life. I drank beer in college, and once I got into a professional role I switched to more of a professional’s drink - scotch. (Hey, I know it was dumb, but there were these ads . . . ) That lasted about seven years, until my promotion party. Suffice it to say scotch and I came to a parting of the ways.
But I still drink beer. Ironically, I decided my senior year in college that I would drink beer instead of wine. Wine has all that sniffing and swirling, and the descriptions seem artificial and pretentious. “Buttery, with hints of wild apricot and old straw, and just a suggestion of aged saddle.” Yeah, right; it still all tastes like sour grapes to me.
Steve Hendler’s nephews - Sam in particular - got me started on craft beer. I tried their first six beer, and when he asked, I gave him my rankings. “Hey, you’re a malt guy!” I did NOT know that about myself. However, based on that knowledge I find I drink less and enjoy it more.
So I drink beer. As a malt guy, I’m out at the porters and stouts end of the spectrum. I may have one beer two or three nights a week. If I go to a brewery, my preference is a flight so that I can try different things. And when I get a flight? Why, I sniff each one, and swirl the glass, and look at the color and foam . . .
Honestly, beer is a weight loss tool for me. A beer in the evening fills me up, so I’m not snacking while drinking. Based on my age, it also doesn’t stay with me long, so it doesn’t affect my weight that way.0 -
Oy. Alcohol is among my larger weight-management challenges!
I love beer (craft and homebrew), wine, and bourbon as my main drinks. I will on occasion have other things like scotch, ports and sweet wines, etc. Someone mentioned grappa recently and I have been known to have a bit of that when available. I've had kicks where I've made a lot of mixed drinks, cocktails, and other fancier drinks. However, my favorites are still beer, wine, and bourbon.
When I'm best "on-plan," I limit my imbibing to the weekend only. I've previously discussed how religion plays into it (we bless Shabbat with a glass of wine on Friday night and before lunch on Saturday, and we bless its departure with a glass of wine). Those single glasses of (required) wine usually mean that we'll have more than a glass at the two main meals, and finish off any leftovers through the rest of the weekend. Sometimes I'll allow myself a Shabbat beer before Friday night hits.
With all of that said, it's a bit of a tricky walk for me. It's easy to rationalize that I "need" to unwind with a glass of something during the week, and that gets me right on the slippery slope of drinks and snacks, etc.
So, I do my best to limit my intake to the weekends, and if I'm careful about it, I can manage it in my plan.0 -
I'm mainly a social drinker. During normal times, I probably average a couple drinks a week. During COVID times, much less. I drink more during holidays and vacations. We generally do a lot of walking on vacations, so I'm okay with the extra calories. I like drinking to feel a little giggly and fun. Drinking at home just makes me sleepy and sometimes sad. Although I have used it to try to help with sleep. Sometimes it helps, other times it makes things worse. Timing is key.
Due to allergies, I mainly drink vodka with club soda. I also like tequila now and again. I absolutely love a good porter or stout, but rarely drink them due to allergies. Beer is very filling to me, so even before allergies, I rarely drank more than one in a sitting.
I view alcohol the same way I view other "treats and snacks." Make room for it if you want it.
I've recognized in the past few years my ability to overeat (perhaps binge) on items I really love (e.g. salty snacks, certain cookies.) I feel fortunate alcohol isn't part of this list as there's a lot of alcoholism in my extended family. I always carry that fact in the back of my mind.0 -
Yeah I like craft beer for sure. My son and DDIL took me on a beer cycling trip to Belgium visiting many spots including Rochefort, La Chouffe, Chimay, Orvall, and a self proclaimed smallest brewery called "Interpol" (I kid you not and the guy had a great sense of humor too). Oh and Caracol with a wood fired vessel.
I have cut back a lot on alcohol for sure.0 -
Loved my Sams, but, as of today I'm 1 month, 13 days since last drink. However, I seem to be doing wonderfully filling up my caloric and SP logs.
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I used to drink too much. Plus, as a friend once put it, when I was wining and dining the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. I would organize evenings out with friends where we would spend 4-5 hrs just eating and drinking.
Then one day I quit cold turkey. Much to my surprise, drinking turned out to be just another bad habit for me. After a period of adjustment to a new routine it wasn’t such a big deal. Plus, what I thought would result in the death of fun, turned out to be liberating.
As a byproduct, over the next year and a half I lost about 65 lbs with little effort. Then I added the gym. It was great.
Fast forward about 10 yrs. Still at about 215 lbs I joined WW. By now I’m drinking wine about 4X per week. I’ve found a few bottles that I like in a price range I’m comfortable with. As a WW experiment I try a couple of weeks with no wine. Even though everything I take in is planned, measured and counted, I found that I do better on weeks with no alcohol. As a result, my drinking just tapered off to nearly none.
Preferences now? Guinness or high end rum. I hadn’t had a drink since lockdown started. Someone gave DW, who never touches it, a bottle of high class rum as a Christmas present. On Christmas I sampled it and it was very good.0 -
Steve Hendler’s nephews - Sam in particular - got me started on craft beer. I tried their first six beer, and when he asked, I gave him my rankings. “Hey, you’re a malt guy!” I did NOT know that about myself. However, based on that knowledge I find I drink less and enjoy it more.
It's like there was a siren call pulling me to the board.
I'm not a huge drinker. Like food, I find the better the booze, the less I need to feel satisfied. I can go days/weeks without a drink.
Definitely a beer kind of guy, too. Craft lagers. And I agree with Charlie that the 'flight' approach is an excellent way to taste a range of [hopefully] good beers without overbloating.
OTOH, I also like a good wine. When we were in Italy last year, wine was a daily thing. But, other than a winery trip (or two), it was generally a bottle for the four of us. One good wine after another.
And I like a good quality 'classic' cocktail. Martinis and Old-Fashions come to mind.
Or a nice port.
One of my partners makes his own Irish Cream at the holidays. Like that.
Geez, I sound like an alcoholic here...0 -
Always a pleasure to have both Steves on a thread. 😃2
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The more Steves the merrier!2
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Alcohol: @crewahl you ask what issues have you had?
After deciding to quit the night of September 4th,1986 and requesting help from a higher power I woke up on September 5th, 1986 never to have another drink. I'll begin by saying that I loved my Chevis and/or Johnny Walker Scotch and water. Prior I loved beer and mixed drinks and occasionally wine but my physician told me early on that the mixed drinks, beer and wine would put a lot of weight on me and if I wanted to lose weight I should stop those drinks. That was almost 20 years prior to 1986.
So now almost 35 years later I've survived without Alcohol. I don't need to but I'll continue with with my why. My dad had an issue with alcohol before I was born. My Mom died with cancer but was an alcoholic and my 1st wife passed away at age 36 from alcohol. So alcohol was not my friend. As tragic as it sounds however I'm the beneficiary of realizing alcohol could become more of a problem than it was in 1986. So there you have it and not sure the exact reason I shared except Charlie @Crewahl mentioned about any issues with it?
I still say however there are flashbacks where I sorta miss my chevis and water in the evening.
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I'm a tea-totaler.0
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So alcohol was not my friend.
You have clearly mastered the concept of understatement.
I appreciate your courage in sharing your history. That’s a lot of trauma associated with alcohol, and pretty clearly alcohol has not brought a lot of pleasure to your life. Hope I didn’t stir up unpleasant memories, and if I did I apologize.0 -
I'm similar to countcurt. I like a large variety, mostly not sweet.
Wines, esp dry reds, crisp whites, ports are some favs.
I'm a fan of tito's or Gin and tonic, and DS has gotten interested in gins, so I'm drinking a variety of them. I love a dry martini too!
Sipping bourbon neat is new in the last couple years, and DH, DS and I enjoy trying lots of different ones. And I like old fashioneds too.
Cruise drinks are usually margaritas on the rocks or long island iced teas.
And DD's SO has got me drinking spiced bloody Marys when we do overnights at the cottage.
And having named all of those, I should add that while I drank a lot early in quarantine (we perfected the old fashion), since June, I hardly drink at all. It's not that I don't have enough points, I just prefer to lose faster by not drinking very often, tho I do still taste DHs bourbon or wine, and have a drink every few weeks.
But, vacation is another matter! My consumption goes way up, and I'm guessing my first stay at an all inclusive (this Feb) is going to be interesting. Plan to walk a lot, and eat a healthy Bfast and lunch. The rest will just be a matter of being mindful so I enjoy what I consume and toss what I'm not enjoying.
As for problems with alcohol, DH and I have had concerns at certain times in our life. Our solution is to go dry for a couple weeks and check ourselves.
@imastar2 Sorry for all the hurt in your life caused by alcohol Derrick. 🤍0 -
Never got in to beer very much even in college, so today other than at a picnic or ballgame I am not having beer.
I do love a good scotch or whiskey (there is a difference you know) but its rare for me to have 1 these days as I cannot have more than 1.
My dw and I do like a glass of wine with dinner, problem is its a glass plus more often than not, and the planning and control seems to go out the window after one. I have in the past been my most successful when I eliminate it from my plan altogether.0 -
@crewahl Charlie not problem I'm not sensitive in that way at all. Just hope it may have resonated with someone else. We all have to March through this life and impossible to get out of here without challenges.
I'll add that we should never shy away from a subject as it may be the very thing someone needs to hear about.👍1
