I drank a lot. When I drank I was a WTF binge eater. I then became a WTF hangover eater. I drank every night. I drank and smoked and ate. They all went hand in hand. I quit drinking, smoking and eating crap all around the same time. I know I would have never lost 193 pounds if I contiunued to drink. I know I would never have stayed off the smokes if I continued to drink. I also know I would have never been able to afford the 12 new shirts, 8 pair of pants, 2 new dresses, 5 pair of shoes, 4 belts, 2 new purses and 2 spring jackets I have already bought for spring/summer if I would have contiuned spending money on booze and smokes. It's a win-win situation for me!
You ladies are admirable! I've been avoiding it altogether, although I know I can't put my social life on hiatus forever...
If I do partake, it's worked into my daily calorie count. One of the nice side effects of eating less than I usually do is that it takes a lot less booze for me to get buzzed! The bummer is that I love microbrews and light beers generally blow.
And let's not forget the potential weight loss benefits of red wine, with all that resveratrol... (Here's a confession: once, when I knew I was going to be home alone on a Saturday night, I calculated the number of calories in an entire bottle of wine. Let's just say if I were to go for it, it would bring all my other meal plans for the day to a screeching halt.)
I really like amazing beer. Not the standard domestic beers, but good imports and craft microbrews. What is hard for me is that many of these beers have higher alcohol contents just from how they are made which means they have more calories. (Though they are technically healthier in a lot of ways because they contain natural ingredients vs. the chemicals that "regular" American beer has.) I have a beer every so often but it is a rare, special treat.
I do have to be careful because the more I drink the less will power I have. I need to be careful that the drinking doesn't enable poor eating.
While I'm not a big cocktail person this thread reminded me of some tips I read at Hungry Girl recently on making lower calorie cocktails. It sounds like it would help some of you!
* When you're out, order a club soda with a single shot of fruit-flavored vodka and just a splash of fruit juice. If the bar has fruit (orange slices, pineapple chunks, etc.), ask for a piece in your drink. That super-fruity sipper will likely clock in with no more than 120 calories and a POINTSŪ value of 2*. Just be sure to ask for club soda (remember, tonic has calories!) and only a splash of juice.
If I do partake, it's worked into my daily calorie count. One of the nice side effects of eating less than I usually do is that it takes a lot less booze for me to get buzzed! The bummer is that I love microbrews and light beers generally blow.
Mmm... I agree - I love micro brew beers. BUT I would rather have two GOOD micro brew beers than 5 nasty light beers... AND microbrews tend to have higher alcohol content, so really calorie for calorie, alcohol is all the same.
I have NO alcohol last night. Just a seltzer and juice and then straight water.
Tonight, I will be doing the same, b/c I would like to indulge in some drinks tomorrow. Then I will just have to plan ahead of time WHICH ONE weeknight evening next week I want to have a drink or two.
I relate to what everybody is saying. Especially Lori Bell. When I was in my 20s, I used to smoke two packs of cigs, drink 4 nights a week, and partake in (ahem) extracurriculars from time to time. I was overweight, was wheezing in the mornings, and had high cholesterol. I was very unhappy at the time.
But now, I will have a single drink when out with friends. I don't partake of the inevitable pub appetizers that get ordered. Fortunately, one beer nursed over a couple hours doesn't cloud my judgement.
When I go out dancing, I will allow myself maybe two drinks. But I dance off the calories and then some. I've been losing steadily on my 2 - 3 drinks per week plan.
I've heard about the metabolic effects of alcohol, but I am being moderate so haven't had a problem.
Hey, thanks guys!!! Now I am sure I’ll crave Taco Bell next time I drink :/ LOL and that isn’t a joke
I also try to keep drinking for the weekends only for the same reasons... I try always have the light beers, with the very low cal, which right now has been Bud 55, which I didn’t like when I just tried because I thought it was too weak, but now I am used to it... so it is fine!
Once in a while, when work is very stressful I soooo feel like having a glass of wine during the week day night, but I HAVE to remind myself is isn’t an option if I want to keep the weight off...
talking about hard stuff!!! Thank God today is Friday and tomorrow will be my drinking day!!! all this drinking talk is making me crave some booze... LOL
Lori Bell, I agree with everything you say. Its an expensive habit too!!!
If you drink and smoke, it could cost you several hundred for the month.
And the drinking and eating thing, I know I have to stop or I will never lose.
My cholesterol and blood pressure are high and I am not happy. I am trying rigorous exercise in the evening, it does help me relax. Last night I was too tired to go to the store.
I totally relate to this thread. I've figured out ways to fit drinks into my calorie budget for the day (and Beeofthebird, I definitely know the calories in a bottle, and have actually budgeted that in once or twice). My issues are now either the nibbling after I let my inhibitions down (yes, I will have some chips, sure!) and bad math skills while inebriated. I try to leave myself 100 calories or so for snacks while drinking, and then realize that drunk people can't measure, or think 100 plus 100 equals 100.
I miss my adult beverages, though not as much as I thought I would. I'm generally a vodka person (vanilla or raspberry flavored) and always used a diet soda of some sort for the mixer. What really did my weight in was the drink munchies y'all have talked about. I would drink, get hungry, eat
crap food then go straight to sleep. I gained almost 50 lbs in a year doing that.
The program I'm following doesn't allow alcohol at all. It got easier when I replaced the drinks with different activities. My mom, my daughter and I now play dominoes almost every night. And when I think I really want a drink, I look at how slender my feet, ankles and legs have become because I'm not retaining so much water.
I'm in a bit of a different position it seems. I haven't had to cut down my drinking in order to lose weight (I never drank that much anyway, though I do have a soft spot for local and localish microbrews), but the smaller I get the lower my (already low) alcohol tolerance gets. Half of a pint makes me fuzzy and a whole pint can get me drunk now, which is incredibly obnoxious, though I suppose it is helpful in terms of limiting my consumption. I learned this the hard way, when having a beer at a networking event (it was at a brewery). It was a good thing I drank it standing up, and that I don't act any differently when I'm drunk (until I fall asleep).
This is something I really need to work on, too. I'm 23 and spring, summer, winter, fall -- there is always a social event on weekends (sometimes weekdays too), and their are always always drinks.
I am learning to limit myself to one or two with friends, which I'll admit is a pretty big change, and cutting out (almost entirely) the occasional drinks at home with my boyfriend. The other thing I'm doing is making room for drinks in my calorie intake goal on days I know I will be going out.
I wish alcohol were calorie free, and didnt severely effect the way your metabolism works - but it does For those of you that may not know: I've read that your body puts metabolizing and digesting the alcohol in your system before everything else. This means that if you are drinking a lot, your dinner from earlier might not be digested properly - you dont get all the nutrients from it and more of it is turned to fat than normal. Also, food you're eating while or after drinking often falls into this trap AND if you're hungover than your body is likely still working on the alchol - so breakfast and lunch suffer similarily. Of course, a glass of wine with dinner is still no big deal.
Sorry, long winded, and I'm not an expert. Just thought I'd pass along some of what I've learned in my research on the subject. I love/hate knowing! haha
I pretty much stopped drinking when I started dieting. A little bit here or there, but nothing much.
For me, I think this was the best choice. I always end up with drunk munchies and then I spend the next day off-plan too. Plus, not drinking this year has had much less affect on my social life than I thought. I can still go out, enjoy my friends, have a diet coke and enjoy the night. When I do want a drink, I'll have a diet coke with either rum or vodka and call it good.
Here is an idea... We could always drink so much we throw it all up OK KIDDING! That would be bad.
Really, I also like to have A drink in the evenings - not every single night but 3 or 4 nights. So I just measure and work it into my calories. My favorite is a tart little drink - equal parts tequila & lemon juice, topped off with about 4 oz. of diet tonic and ice cubes.
If I ever do drink more than just one drink, then I definately have food cravings. It is more like I just don't care at that point, so I start eating whatever.
My big problem is that I have to work in a daily mocha or two into my calories too (I make them at home and they come in around 100 calories each). So I often find that I don't get to eat much food. Hmmm. Maybe this is why I am such a yo-yo dieter.
I am also one that like to drink... An issue I have is that I work at a bar and people are always wanting to buy you a drink. Then I like to go out dancing a lot on the weekends. Luckily I don't drink at home hardly ever so that's not a problem.
My solution was to 1. count the calories into my day (because I have no desire to give up drinking) and 2. change what I drink. Crazy girly mixed drinks are OUT and I rarely drink beer. I prefer vodka over anything so I drink either straight vodka, vodka and soda water with limes, or flavored vodka and soda with a tiny splash of juice.
I know I sound like I'm marketing vodka now but its SO versatile that you can drink it a ton of different ways and it's one of the lowest calorie liquors there is.
Personal favorite- coconut vodka, soda water, splash of pineapple juice. Best pina colada EVER.
The bummer is that I love microbrews and light beers generally blow. 
(Here's a confession: once, when I knew I was going to be home alone on a Saturday night, I calculated the number of calories in an entire bottle of wine. Let's just say if I were to go for it, it would bring all my other meal plans for the day to a screeching halt.)
For those of you that may not know: I've read that your body puts metabolizing and digesting the alcohol in your system before everything else. This means that if you are drinking a lot, your dinner from earlier might not be digested properly - you dont get all the nutrients from it and more of it is turned to fat than normal. Also, food you're eating while or after drinking often falls into this trap AND if you're hungover than your body is likely still working on the alchol - so breakfast and lunch suffer similarily. Of course, a glass of wine with dinner is still no big deal.
