Ok... So... ~sigh~ One thing that I need to work on being better about is alcohol Not only because of the calories, but because alcohol does all sorts of things that makes it very difficult to lose weight.

The problem is (can you hear my whining voice?) that it is Spring and it is getting nice out and I like to sit out on my deck and sip wine with my sister, drink beers with my mom friend, mixed drinks with my other friend...

Ok... I will stop whining now.

SO... MY thoughts ARE - to limit the evenings I drink to ONE weekEND evening and one weekDAY evening.

Anyone else have to limit their booze intake??

yes i have major issues with this! i'm gonna try and do one night a month i guess...i'm whining too lmao

I used to go through quite a bit of wine and beer, it wasn't unusual for me to drink a bottle of wine to myself in an evening, or a beer (or two) a period during the hockey game. During summer the hockey beer was replaced by the bbq beer. I've really cut down, I limit it (usually) to special occasions only. I'm usually ok with that because it changed the way I think about drinking... instead of being an everyday thing I now think of it as a special thing, to be done on occasions only. I remind myself that it tastes better when you don't have it as often and it makes the occasion even more special. You may have to limit the number of "special occasions" (um.. no, of course I didn't have to do that ), but I think it really does taste better if you don't have it so often.

Yes I'm trying too...lol
At the end of a long day there is nothing like sitting outside and sipping on a glass of wine! What can I say?

Me too!

I have a lot more to say about this but no matter what I write, it just sounds like I have a major problem so, I'll just say that I understand. I am also limiting myself to Saturday night and Monday (date night with husband).

It can just be hard...no matter what the weather is, it puts me in the mood for something. A nice spring day, margarita weather! Then when you have margaritas you want chips and salsa (or vice versa). It is a vicious cycle.

So now I'm working on making new associations between moods, weather, etc. and other behaviors. Like last night I went for a long walk...Perfect spring evening and the walk just made me happy. It was a natural stress reliever and when it was all said and done, I didn't need anything else to relax.

I try to keep it to just Friday happy hour. Every now and then I will indulge on a Saturday night as well. I have been losing weight consistently, even with drinks on the weekend.

It's easier when I am working; I don't really drink when I have to work in the morning. Summer time will me much tougher though. I have 8 weeks off work over the summer, and patios and drinks tend to occupy too much of my time Maybe I should look into getting a second job for the summer. . .

i feel ya, i'm 22 yr old so with every weekend comes social events. i know it's not good for me but i'm trying to count it into my calories.

I love having a few drinks with friends. I'm not one to get drunk all the time, but there's just something magical about having a few beers while grilling on Spring and Summer evenings. My issue with alcohol is, I get the munchies BAD, and of course it lowers my self control. If I'm feeling even slightly buzzed, I crave Taco Bell, lol. So on top of all the calories from alcohol, I'm bound to eat too much.

I haven't drank in months, my boyfriend is in Iraq, and I really only drink with him. When he gets back, I'm definitely going to have to limit myself.

Oh god me too. Before I tried to lose weight, I could put away some Taco Bell after a few drinks.

I rarely drink nowadays. It hinders my weight loss a lot, it irritates my eczema, I end up doing stupid stuff, and I get hungover easily. I save it for really special occasions.

I hear you about the buzzed munchies. I don't know if it is legitamate or a pavlovian response, but it seems as though the moment some tasty alcohol containing swill crosses my lips, I think I can eat all the snacky junk food I want! I'm thinking that limiting my intake to rare is going to be instrumental in weight loss for me. I need to reprogram myself in the future so that drinking doesnt equal caving into cravings. But in the meantime, better be no booze for me!

Ha! I'm reading this while I sip on a (small, carefully measured 4 oz) glass of riesling. (And no, I don't make a habit of drinking and posting on message boards... though, I am usually such a lurker, maybe wine lowers my inhibitions to typing posts. )

I know some people find that any alcohol interferes with their weight loss, but I haven't found that to be true in my case -- with the huge caveat that *moderation* is key. Carefully measuring each oz of wine in a pour is something still relatively new to me, but I've found it's absolutely essential to keeping myself honest so I can include it in my daily calorie count.

I'm 24, so I hear ya on the pain of weekends and social events. I've made trade-offs to survive it: My favorite mixed cocktails are out for now, in favor of one beer or, preferably, a glass of wine. Any more than that, and suddenly very bad food choices seem very, very good. Cutting alcohol out entirely would probably be healthier, but that wouldn't be realistic for me. Holding myself accountable (counting) and forcing myself to make trade-offs (limits) is much more manageable.

Tonight I am having a can of seltzer with a splash of juice! No alcohol! Yay for me!

I am SOOO glad to hear I am not the only one who likes a drink or two! I am NOT going to have anything tomorrow night either... I am going to save myself for Saturday.

I can definitely commiserate. My weaknesses are Twisted Tea and Smirnoff Pineapple....which are around 250 a bottle. And my work friends are pretty heavily into going out. It's reeeeally hard. I sometimes have these little mini meltdowns where I think, "It's not fair. Everyone else can drink what they want, and I have to watch everything that goes into my mouth."

Ah man, I hear ya on the taco bell cravings! Nothing goes better with being drunk than taco bell.

I do enjoy a glass of wine now and then. I also like to binge drink. (Hate to admit it but it's true) I like once a month or so to go out with my hubby and friends and get completely waisted, followed by taco bell, because by that point I've consumed so many calories I figure (in my drunken state) it doesn't matter. To be honest, it hasn't hindered my weight loss at all. I'm sure it would be different if I were doing it more often.

Off topic: I also really like chips and salsa and if I am somewhere that serves them I will eat them. And a lot of them. And I don't care. lol. Still losing weight. Really those are my only vices I think. I'm loving it because it doesn't feel like I'm dieting at all with my little cheats, even though 90% of the time I am OP.

You mean a glass of Sangria doesn't count as a serving of fruit??!!! Damn!

I can totally relate. I drink twice a week (which sadly is a big improvement for me). I'm losing at an average of 1.5 pounds a week. I count all my alcohol, I'm sure I'd lose more if I eliminated it all together. But, I want to be realistic in having a plan I can stick to for life.

Strangely (and awesomely) alcohol curbs my hunger. After a few glasses of wine the last thing I want is food interferring with that warm feeling.