Given up alchohol on your weightloss quest? Other foods?

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_AllieCat_
_AllieCat_ Posts: 515 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Curious.

I decided to give up drinking until I hit my goal weight and start maintaining. I used to drink sparingly and realized if I would have a beer with dinner and was well within my goals the next few days I would never drop down in weight. Even that small amount would mess up my body. It seemed like my occasional drinking was ruining all my hard work! I swore the stuff off, and people always look at my like I am some kind of lunatic when I explain I don't drink anymore. My family always hounds me to "just have one drink" but just the one seriously messes my hard work up. I wish people would just let me be and respect MY decisions for MY body.

Has anyone else noticed alcohol messing up the scale for them? Any other foods that wreck your metabolism that you've discovered? Or simply foods you can't touch because you know you can't stop?

I am all for "everything in moderation". I eat about 90% clean and 10% dirty. I can eat my pizza and french fries and still loose. But I realize some foods are triggers, and everyone has to set different boundaries for themselves in order to achieve what they want.
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Replies

  • MrsRadder
    MrsRadder Posts: 207 Member
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    I drink..... like more than socially.... being on here has really helped me to see how many calories that adds to my day. My job is stressful and there are some days when I just want to come home and drink. Use to be the only way I could sleep. Getting better but I know drinking is holding me back from my fitness goals. Wish I had your willpower!
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
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    I started trying to get in better shape around October of last year. ...I'm 5'11 and i was probably around 250-255-260 at my heaviest...honestly I was too embarrased to get on the scale to tell you how much I weighed. I LOVE beer...I used to feel electrified on Friday evening knowing I would stop at the grocery store on the way home and get a 12 pack of Stella Artois or Peroni, or Heineken...Maybe, sometimes there would be 2/3/4 bottles left on Monday, I was drinking them by myself...a 12 pack a week easily. After my goals started to solidify a little bit, I looked at the calories in beer, and I was blown away...even in something like a shot of vodka or kahlua or whatever...the calories they pack are in sumo wrestler league. I doubt I've drunk 6 beers or this year. I realized my weight loss goals were more important than my love for beer. If there's a get together at my house, at the end of the evening, I give away any left over beer...i don't want it tempting me in the fridge. Cutting out beer and soda pop made such an immediate, drastic difference, that I knew I was right to give that crap up.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    I gave up booze except on "free day", and I do not miss it.
    It's a huge change I plan on keeping.
    In life a person can have anything he or she wants but not everything.
    Sometimes we must choose.
    I choose health:drinker:
  • waffleflavoredtea
    waffleflavoredtea Posts: 235 Member
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    I gave up anything with MSG, high fructose corn syrup, or high amounts of processed starches or sugars, because they cause an 'addiction' and it makes it impossible to reasonably moderate them, I end up eating more than normal because they spike my insulin so bad! I feel so much better after learning to TRULY savor homemade and healthy foods. :)
  • essjay76
    essjay76 Posts: 465 Member
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    I haven't given up but I've cut down considerably. Alcohol is one of the main reasons I joined MFP. I know how to eat right and exercise, but alcohol is my main poison. When I drink, I drink like a sailor, and with that comes lowered inhibitions and drunk eating. Since I've joined MFP, I've kept my alcohol consumption to once or twice a week, and they're usually on days I've worked out a ton. I used to drink at least 500-600 calories worth of liquor every single day.

    Keeping a journal helps put all that drinking in perspective... you think twice about where you want to spend your calories.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I haven't given anything up, but I am much more aware of the calories in those "treat" items like alcohol, cakes, biscuits, chocolate etc, and I usually go for moderation when I enjoy them.

    I still drink, but about half the amount I used to (probably about 5 - 6 drinks in an average week).

    I can't say I've noticed any weight loss starts or stops related to alcohol - for me, it really comes down to calories in/calories out.
    If I eat within my cals, I'll lose weight. If I don't' - I don't.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    Yeah, I have to cut out the alcohol if I want to lose weight. I don't think it's the calories, which I always log, but it does seem to mess with my metabolism (maybe it slows it? It's a depressant, after all) and also after keeping a diary for a while I've come to believe that it affects my motiavtion, energy levels, and general mood more than I was prepared to acknowledge before. There's a very clear correlation in my diary: no alcohol = really quite fast weight loss, moderate alcohol = erratic lose a few gain a few, drinking at the levels I'm used to = either no weight loss or I gain. I'd like to argue with it but I can't. I hope to reintroduce the stuff when I hit maintenance, and I still plan to have few on special occasions, but I mean really special, not just because it might be the cat's birthday, LOL. The next such occasion is a month away...
  • amiramira
    amiramira Posts: 4 Member
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    I had to re-think my drinking and limit myself to once or twice a week. Granted, this was something I had to do regardless. I was drinking nightly and it didn't occur to me that it was becoming a very dangerous habit until I noticed the pounds add up. Being relatively healthy in terms of exercise and diet, I never gave my alcohol intake much thought till the weight gain crept up. It wasn't so much that I was craving alcohol, but that it was 'there' and well, why not.

    I lead a very social life (work wise and personal) and there's always drinking involved at these events or gatherings so I can relate to the OP. I've cut back to only weekends if I'm out, or only for certain events. I've managed to lose 4 pounds in the last few weeks just by cutting alcohol and most refined sugars. I haven't changed much else about my diet so far.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
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    I am not a big drinker, so I don't drink unless on special occasions. I think the biggest thing I had to give up was potatos and white rice...
  • Ke22yB
    Ke22yB Posts: 969 Member
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    I basically gave up drinking on May 22 2008 the first day of my life change that got me here I have had 2 occasions to drink since once on vacation in Aruba had 2 glasses of wine and felt like crap in the morning when I went out to jog on the beach and new years 2011 2 glasses of bubbly didnt work out the next day. I had to choose weight loss and exercise or drinking I chose health. I realized I was consuming over 1200 calories a day in drinks and snacks no more
  • Christi6604
    Christi6604 Posts: 245 Member
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    Good for you. I don't drink...just because I don't like the taste of alcohol...and people give me weird looks at first, but then they get used to it.

    I agree about the moderation...I eat about 90% clean also. I gave up fried chicken because it's a trigger for me. I also don't keep ice cream in the house. I find that french fries and low-fat ice cream alternatives just make me crave chocolate more...so I prefer to save those calories for my free day and enjoy a small, decadent dessert (i.e. like a small ice cream sundae or frozen yogurt with toppings).

    Keep doing what works for you. It's surprising sometimes the "advice" or "concern" others show when you're losing weight. Keep on truckin. :smile:
  • hark15
    hark15 Posts: 148 Member
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    I have cut way back but haven't cut it out all together. I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner once or twice a week and occasionally a night out with friends. I was playing in a kickball league which involved a lot of day drinking, but after joining MFP and having to log my desire to drink all day really diminished - it just wasn't worth the consequences. My fiance and I used to get a bottle of wine to share every time we went out to dinner. Now I will either just have water or have just one glass of wine and really savor it.

    So I guess I haven't completely cut out anything, but I try to do everything in moderation. I find 100 calorie packs of cookies/other treats that I enjoy to help myself control portions, which has always been a problem for me. Just trying to make better decisions overall and a trend towards less processed food in my life!
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    I have cut way back but haven't cut it out all together. I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner once or twice a week and occasionally a night out with friends. I was playing in a kickball league which involved a lot of day drinking, but after joining MFP and having to log my desire to drink all day really diminished - it just wasn't worth the consequences. My fiance and I used to get a bottle of wine to share every time we went out to dinner. Now I will either just have water or have just one glass of wine and really savor it.

    So I guess I haven't completely cut out anything, but I try to do everything in moderation. I find 100 calorie packs of cookies/other treats that I enjoy to help myself control portions, which has always been a problem for me. Just trying to make better decisions overall and a trend towards less processed food in my life!
    ^^^^^^
    THIS
    I will enjoy some vino with a fabulous meal; all things but in moderation.
    My disconnect is how I used to get together with my fat friends and drink, eat, and eat and drink..and drink, eat, and eat and drink...and drink, eat, and eat and drink:bigsmile:
  • lelstar
    lelstar Posts: 374 Member
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    I used to drink sparingly and now its rare, it has to be an occasion like my partner's bday. When I do drink its usually vodka and juice. I also am supposed to not have sugar, much harder for me than alcohol.
  • cmurray234
    cmurray234 Posts: 112 Member
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    I don't drink except for the VERY occasional glass of red wine. And by occasional, I mean once or twice a month.

    Drinking slows my weight loss disproportionately to the number of calories it adds. Also, when I drink I get sick more easily. The alcohol not only slows down my metabolism, I think it also slightly compromises my immune system.

    I REALLY like wine, but it's just not worth it.
  • dentedearmuffs1
    dentedearmuffs1 Posts: 34
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    Being as I'm a young 20-something year old living in Manhattan, i can't even fathom giving up alcohol. The one thing I HAVE given up/cut down on is coming home after a long day and cracking open a beer or mixing myself a cocktail because I used to do that on a daily basis. Now I only try to save my drinking for the socializing...which is still very frequent regardless as I'm very social ha.
  • peachyxoxoxo
    peachyxoxoxo Posts: 1,178 Member
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    I have given up alcohol, at least for the summer. I'm in college so I dunno if I'll keep that up when I go back to school. But if I do start drinking again, it will be way more controlled than the crazy nights of binge drinking I've had in the past couple years.
  • lifesazoo
    lifesazoo Posts: 118
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    I gave up my soda completely. I also gave up drinking booze for a while, although I pretty much gave it up after drinking 9 jagerbombs in one sitting and not being able to keep them down. Ick...
  • nicehormones
    nicehormones Posts: 503 Member
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    If there is anything I try to "limit," it's alcohol because it takes me so many calories to get a good buzz on. I usually drink once every week or two, but more so lately. I need to cut down even more because it makes my body feel crappy. I will allow myself as long as I measure everything out and have set aside enough calories..
  • McLifterPants
    McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
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    I still drink, but a LOT less than I used to. My guy and I used to split a bottle of wine or a 6-pack of beer pretty much every night with dinner, and I'd drink when I went out, and I'm a brunch addict. Anymore I'd say I drink probably once every week or two. I do notice that it sets me back a bit when I do it, but I'm not ready to go completely dry!

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