Hey guys

I'm getting ready for my wedding in October and I am trying to lose these 11 pounds that have been steadily with me for about two years. My biggest problem is that I am a social drinker and on the weekends--I have a hard time not drinking with my friends. Any advice, suggestions, experiences would be most appreciated. Thanks guys.
T

Lots of people will have advice on how to switch out your cocktails with alternative beverages, but when I like a cocktail, not much keeps me from having what I want!

Having said that, I'm not much of a drinker to begin with. One cocktail and I'm still fun, but the second one puts me to sleep. So going past the first one is kinda stupid for me. I do like my cocktails dry, so I'm good with a gin and soda or vodka and soda. After the first one, I'm pretty fun! And no one is counting after that!

My problem is that I start eating after the one cocktail, so I try to save it for dessert.

But the biggest motivator for me to stay away from alcohol is knowing that I won't burn an ounce of fat through the night until the alcohol I have gets burned off. It takes about four hours to burn an ounce of alcohol. If I've been working out and keeping a limit on my calories all week, expecting to see a loss on the scale Monday morning, I know if I drink alcohol between Friday and Monday, and then pound pizza or chicken wings, I won't be burning any fat over the weekend. For me, that's a BIG deterrent!

I count the calories of beer/wine and I stay within my budget for the day/week.

If I don't work out hard that day, I'm not allowed to drink. No matter what! Saying "O, I will drink this now and work out hard tomorrow" isn't allowed because sometimes, you just wont live up to that end of the deal.

Another thing you could do is just order one drink and after that its purely water. Just picture the wedding and how disappointed you would be in yourself on the day of the wedding that you didn't give it your all!

Yes, I am also a social drinker...and with football season quickly approaching I too worry and stress about it. One thing I do that tends to help is I am always the DD. I know it sounds crappy, but it really keeps my drinking in check when we go out. It's the staying at home that gets me in trouble now. lol

I'm sure a glass of wine wouldn't hurt you, if you can stick to sipping a glass of wine and then switching to water or diet soda. Good luck!