Hiatus from alcohol

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  • ppatter815
    ppatter815 Posts: 1 Member
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    Most fitness gurus will tell you to go one month without alcohol. It gives you at time to get your body on track and helps with your "jump start" weight loss. After a month, you can add a glass of wine or a drink if you want. I believe Bob Greene, Oprah's trainer recommends this. Sometimes I need to add a few calories to get the minimum of 1200 so I add a glass of wine. I have just started back with the food diary but before my hand surgery, I had lost close to 10 pounds and that was with a glass or wine a several times a weeks. I would give it a few weeks at first. Sometimes, you just need a nice glass of wine with dinner.
  • shelltob
    shelltob Posts: 3
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    I totally understand the alcohol thing! I am in my 40's and my life is crazy and I like to relax with a beer or wine a couple - 3 days a week. I did stop drinking for lent and felt 100% better but I didn't lose weight, but I also have thyroid problems (another excuse?) As far as your boss' - co-workers maybe you can tell them you will go but cant drink due to medication. good luck
  • adopt4
    adopt4 Posts: 970 Member
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    maybe you can stick to a "64 calorie" beer and limit to 1 or 2? At least that wouldn't be as bad as regular beer or hard alcohol. That way, you are helping yourself with your calories and sugar intake, and reserving your calories for actual nutrition for your body, and yet still being able to go out in social situations where it is demanded. (By the way, that's very, very freakin' immature, to give anyone a hard time for not drinking.)

    The picture might be a bit bigger than you think... are you developing a drinking problem? Best to cut it out and find it out now, before it's gotten any worse. You may not be, but there are indicators in what you've written that you "might", so it's worth exploring now.

    Drinking because someone else says, "oh you have to, or it's no fun!" is not good. you have to look at that person and say, "seriously? you only like me when I'm drunk?" I drank a LOT in college due to peer pressure, and sure, I'm a lot of fun when I'm drunk...of course I'm funnier to everyone else when they're drunk too... but I learned a couple of things from that. One being if my friends are forcing me to drink, they're not really friends (learned that after nearly dying of alcohol poisoning). Friends will watch out for you and do what's best FOR YOU. I also learned that alcohol gave me an excuse to be goofy and silly, but in reality, I could be that goofy and silly and wild without the alcohol, I didn't need an excuse to do it!! I'm normally a very shy person so drinking let me "get out of my shell" without fear of being rejected, becuz I was drinking, so if they didn't like me, it could be blamed on the alcohol, you know?

    I was a lot like you, drinking socially, from peer pressure, although I drank a LOT I didn't have an alcohol problem. When I finally realized I didn't even enjoy it, I stopped. Now I don't drink hardly ever, unless I want to and I'm in the mood - don't care what anyone else thinks. But my friends love it when I get in the mood, since I rarely do, makes it more of a party atmosphere! I still go out with my friends, I just don't drink, the side benefit being I"m also the designated driver so I can make sure my friends get home safely, and don't get into trouble if they drink too much.
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
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    i gave it up! starting last week...doin ok so far!
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
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    Those are all really good ideas, anners. I don't know how I would be sneaky at happy hour at the bar downstairs b/c the bosses know the bartender and seem to order more (strong) rounds before I even ask for another one!! Plus they pay for it, so I could tell them I would like mine to just be soda, but then my bosses would either see on the tab that it wasn't, or they would be paying for alcohol that I didn't drink! Ha ha. I think I will either have to nurse one drink slowly -- and even ask the bartender not to make it too strong, which they usually do -- or suck it up and tell my bosses I am not drinking but I would love to go have an iced tea with them, or something.

    Why would they be offended if you don't drink? Why don't you just honestly say you are trying to get healthier and prefer to have water or something like that. Anybody with half a brain would appreciate you wanting to be healthier and would encourage you to do that.
  • hasiangirl
    hasiangirl Posts: 1,613
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    i hate to say it...but i love having my drunken nights every so often.....i'm thinking of just stopping until i get to my goal weight and then learn how to drink so that i can maintain my goal (mind u i only drink about 2-3 times a month) but the munchies come after my drinking episode :laugh:
  • blondeheat
    blondeheat Posts: 254 Member
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    If I can remember to make myself, having a glass of water for each alcoholic drink is a great way to slow down consumption, get people used to see you with water and reduce the dehydration that comes with drinking.

    I am trying to cut back - it can be hard in social situations. The best strategy for me has been to always have a drink in my hand (water, diet coke etc) Then I can easily say I'll have a beer once I am done with this - sometimes I am never done with the non alcoholic beverage.
  • neeterskeeter
    neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
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    sorry - I see someone already shared that in your other thread 'alcohol'.
    Stay strong!

    It's okay, I enjoyed hearing it from the source, and what your results are so far. Thanks for sharing. How long do you intend to stay dry?

    I keep thinking it's okay to have some wine because of the health benefits. But then I try to get those same benefits from my clean diet, so, really, I am just making excuses to drink something. :wink:

    I am interested in hearing your further results so please let me know, thanks!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    I was just thinking, if I'm not sure whether I should quit drinking alcohol all together, or just watch my intake and make sure it's in moderation (see my other thread titled "alcohol"), maybe I should just try not drinking anything at all for like a month, and see if this helps me, both fitness-wide and mood-wise etc.

    Has anyone else done this? What were the results?

    When I was in college I would do this, mostly to confirm that I could be at a fraternity party and not NEED to drink (alcoholism is in my family) so I was scared that I would fall into that. But yeah, for what ever reason you do it, it's not a bad idea. Truely, now, I drink once ever 3 or 4 weeks, and I don't miss it at all. Even when I do drink, it's not usually more than 4 or 5 over a whole night. Which for a guy my size, isn't really all that much. Seriously, I never miss the alcohol, actually it's more fun watching others get stupid drunk and be able to remember them the next day.
  • neeterskeeter
    neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
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    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
    There are so many more reasons for not drinking than there are for drinking.

    Alcohol is all empty calories.

    If you can't go without alcohol in order to improve your health, that might be a serious red flag that you have a problem with alcohol. And if you have a problem with alcohol than you shouldn't be drinking it.

    Try it for a week and see what happens.
    :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

    Well that about sums it all up, barbiecat. I am going to take your advice.
  • neeterskeeter
    neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
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    maybe you can stick to a "64 calorie" beer and limit to 1 or 2? At least that wouldn't be as bad as regular beer or hard alcohol. That way, you are helping yourself with your calories and sugar intake, and reserving your calories for actual nutrition for your body, and yet still being able to go out in social situations where it is demanded. (By the way, that's very, very freakin' immature, to give anyone a hard time for not drinking.)

    The picture might be a bit bigger than you think... are you developing a drinking problem? Best to cut it out and find it out now, before it's gotten any worse. You may not be, but there are indicators in what you've written that you "might", so it's worth exploring now.

    Drinking because someone else says, "oh you have to, or it's no fun!" is not good. you have to look at that person and say, "seriously? you only like me when I'm drunk?" I drank a LOT in college due to peer pressure, and sure, I'm a lot of fun when I'm drunk...of course I'm funnier to everyone else when they're drunk too... but I learned a couple of things from that. One being if my friends are forcing me to drink, they're not really friends (learned that after nearly dying of alcohol poisoning). Friends will watch out for you and do what's best FOR YOU. I also learned that alcohol gave me an excuse to be goofy and silly, but in reality, I could be that goofy and silly and wild without the alcohol, I didn't need an excuse to do it!! I'm normally a very shy person so drinking let me "get out of my shell" without fear of being rejected, becuz I was drinking, so if they didn't like me, it could be blamed on the alcohol, you know?

    I was a lot like you, drinking socially, from peer pressure, although I drank a LOT I didn't have an alcohol problem. When I finally realized I didn't even enjoy it, I stopped. Now I don't drink hardly ever, unless I want to and I'm in the mood - don't care what anyone else thinks. But my friends love it when I get in the mood, since I rarely do, makes it more of a party atmosphere! I still go out with my friends, I just don't drink, the side benefit being I"m also the designated driver so I can make sure my friends get home safely, and don't get into trouble if they drink too much.

    Adopt4... this is me to a T. I don't drink alone and I probably wouldn't even drink if it weren't around and everyone else weren't drinking. I might have the occasional relaxing drink with my boyfriend when we cook dinner but otherwise nada. So yes I do worry that I might have a problem with alcohol when it comes to social settings. I just can't say no and like you said I am shy and it lets me come out of my shell, and I really don't know if I would even want to be at events and stuff without drinking alcohol... I feel bored if everyone else is drinking and I'm not. So it's a combination of the expectation that I drink *plus* my own desire to drink, for the wrong reasons.

    I want to try being with people who are drinking and not drink and see if I can be myself and come out of my shell and be strong enough to say no thanks and mean it. But then I worry that I will fail and say "screw this, I need a drink." Maybe I should just avoid the situations with alcohol as much as I can (of course most of things I go to involve alcohol so that will be hard, but I could purposefully not go to happy hours and out to a bar with friends etc... I don't know who would want to go out to a bar if they don't drink, you must be a saint for taking care of your friends like that!!)
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    My only problem with being a SAHM is needing a drink once the kidlets go down! My god, kids drive you to alcoholism.:glasses:
    But I guess I can attest that while I am pregnant I LOST 30 POUNDS... BOTH TIMES... because, you know... that whole not being able to drink while pregnant thing... and those durned babies are like parasites when they are inside you... taking up all your calories.... LOL...

    Looking back on my life, I only started drinking in my 30's and that is when the weight started packing on. So yeah, alcohol is evil:devil: Even if it's OH_SO_GOOD after a long hot day with screaming, whining, crying toddlers....:noway:
  • neeterskeeter
    neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
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    i gave it up! starting last week...doin ok so far!

    That's great loathesome! Have you noticed better physical results?

    I started out wondering about the nutritional/physical effects of not drinking but now I am thinking I would greater emotional/mental progress too if I stopped drinking.
  • neeterskeeter
    neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
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    Those are all really good ideas, anners. I don't know how I would be sneaky at happy hour at the bar downstairs b/c the bosses know the bartender and seem to order more (strong) rounds before I even ask for another one!! Plus they pay for it, so I could tell them I would like mine to just be soda, but then my bosses would either see on the tab that it wasn't, or they would be paying for alcohol that I didn't drink! Ha ha. I think I will either have to nurse one drink slowly -- and even ask the bartender not to make it too strong, which they usually do -- or suck it up and tell my bosses I am not drinking but I would love to go have an iced tea with them, or something.

    Why would they be offended if you don't drink? Why don't you just honestly say you are trying to get healthier and prefer to have water or something like that. Anybody with half a brain would appreciate you wanting to be healthier and would encourage you to do that.

    I don't know. I am going to try it and see what they say and I've decided I don't care what their reaction is, I have to focus on me and my health. I know they think it's fun that I like to drink and that they are big social drinkers. But maybe I am anticipating that their response will be worse than it really is. There is no way I would be able to constantly dodge happy hour and pretend I have other things to do, etc., so I want to go with them and just drink water and catch up on the firm and try to fit in as myself instead of myself-while-drinking. And maybe they will be happy because it will save them money, as they always pay for my drinks LOL.
  • neeterskeeter
    neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
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    I was just thinking, if I'm not sure whether I should quit drinking alcohol all together, or just watch my intake and make sure it's in moderation (see my other thread titled "alcohol"), maybe I should just try not drinking anything at all for like a month, and see if this helps me, both fitness-wide and mood-wise etc.

    Has anyone else done this? What were the results?

    When I was in college I would do this, mostly to confirm that I could be at a fraternity party and not NEED to drink (alcoholism is in my family) so I was scared that I would fall into that. But yeah, for what ever reason you do it, it's not a bad idea. Truely, now, I drink once ever 3 or 4 weeks, and I don't miss it at all. Even when I do drink, it's not usually more than 4 or 5 over a whole night. Which for a guy my size, isn't really all that much. Seriously, I never miss the alcohol, actually it's more fun watching others get stupid drunk and be able to remember them the next day.

    Ha ha ha this is really funny and it made me laugh. I would like to be observing the stupid drunk people instead of being one.

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