This is something that I have been wrestling with lately... I tend to have an addictive personality. Food isn't the only thing that I tend to go overboard with... If I try on a shirt I like, I buy one in every color. If I like a TV show, I want to watch every single episode. I can't just run for 30 minutes a few times a week, I need to be training for something big (like a 1/2 marathon). I am a workaholic. I love hard. In many ways, I am a "go big or go home" kind of person.
And, in the past, this has included some binge drinking. I partied a lot in college... Nothing dangerous or problematic, really. I haven't had any alcohol related consequences in my life, and I have become much more moderate in my drinking as a whole over the past several years. But, from time to time, I like to drink more than a glass or two of wine.
I've noticed that when I get derailed from my weight loss or eating plan, it usually involves alcohol in some way. Generally, this means just drinking more than I plan to... But, at times, this also means that I eat much more after I have been drinking. Or I feel hungover and I eat greasy or sugary foods the next day while I am nursing my hangover.
I'm beginning to wonder if I have to stop drinking in order to stay on track... That kinda bums me out, because wine is a big part of my social scene. Many of my friends are into wine parties, wine tasting, and pairings. Of course, I can drink in moderation, but I can't seem to do that very well..
Can anyone relate to this struggle? Have you noticed needing to make some changes in your consumption of alcohol as you try to lose weight? Has that been hard? Easy? What has been your experience?
I eliminated. Sure, my friends were uncomfortable at the start, but it worked out. I learned to say no, my weight loss continued and they go used to it.
I was a big wine person too (I was even in the business!). It is hard, but for me, it was totally worth it to avoid the food cravings and have the weight loss.
I eliminated alcohol completely, too. During university I was a big drinker--binge drinking by all means--and I put on all of my weight during those years. Now that I'm out of university, I find that alcohol ruins the new routine I have for losing weight. If I drink, I do it to enjoy myself, and essentially "take the night off," but it means that my next day is ruined--so 2 days are gone.
I think after I get towards maintenance, I'll be able to factor drinking back into my life, but it's not for me just now
I switched from having wine at home to having beer. With beer, I have 1 and I'm good. And it doesn't mess with my brain. With wine (chardonnay) I have a glass and I feel all melty and good and then I want a little more, and maybe just a little top off with dinner. Etc. Expensive and fattening and bad for the liver.
So, I have beer at home. Wine with others since I don't have more than 1 if I'm driving.
Welllll, I drink 4-5 beers (with a glass of water after every bottle to help me drink slowly and to let the beer "sink in") about once or twice a week and fortunately, I'm still seeing 2lb losses per week so far. I am doing Weight Watchers, I drink tons of water and iced tea everyday and exercise 5-6 times a week using elliptical trainer and resistance/strength training. Obviously it isn't for everyone, you have to play around with what works for you.
Before I started working on my weight, I used to have a drink (wine or hard alcohol) almost every evening, often 2-3 on Fridays and Saturdays. Calorie counting really cured me of this - alcohol is just so caloric! I just hated making room for it in my calorie budget. Thinking about how many calories it will be, adding it into my food log and seeing what one small martini (smaller than I like to make for myself!) will do to my calories for the day, is often enough to make me not want it so much any more.
Nowadays I still enjoy a martini now and again, but much more rarely - occasionally on a Friday evening, not every Friday evening. I'd say I'm down to about 2 a month.
I know what you mean about going to excess - the best way for me to handle that tendency is not to start. With booze as with many other things, it's easier for me to just say "eh, not tonight". So, I save the booze for a once-in-a-while treat, where I've planned to include it in my calories.
I just about eliminated it! I do drink like 3 times a month maybe, it slows yor weight loss!
Perspective is funny! When I think of my "heavy drinking days", I drank maybe 3 or 4 times a month.
I quit drinking completely in August when we started fertility treatments. But even before that, I didn't drink much: mostly, it always seemed like a waste of calories: if I was going to indulge in empty calories, I almost always wanted a McDonald's ice cream cone more than a glass of wine. Sugar is my drug of choice. I also certainly have the "uninhibited eating" problem. In the end, it was rarely worth it.
I say leave it alone. I dont think its worth it at all. To me a few overly loaded sugary drinks-which leads to eating overly loaded fatty high calorie foods from being buzzed or drunk- is soooo not worth messing up on my diet ON TOP of feeling like crap the next morning. I dont really drink anymore bc i couldnt handle it and I would feel like straight crap the next morning, but I do know that if I do want a drink or a few drinks, it will HAVE to wait till Im done with my weight loss.
Alcohol totally screws up the metabolism..I have struggled with this myself and my weight loss...you just have to say..do I want to manage my weight and feel and look good..or do I want to get a good buzz on and gain???
I drink it only for social purposes- if I'm at a function or dinner party and it is appropriate to try the wine the host is offering. I only drink 1 a night though- nursing it, no more than once a week, and it's always only wine. An earlier poster said it right when she said calorie counting will definitely put the damper on wine- it's an "expensive" use of calories that can only be used very sparingly! I'd rather save those calories and spend them on something more nutritious and filling. Still, I'm an everything-in-moderation person, so a glass every now and then for me, as long as it's accounted for, is fine
I know that alcohol is the reason I am not losing and keeping it off when I do.
Need to cut it totally out of my life. One glass of wine and all I want to do is eat...eat...eat...
Like you, most of my slip-ups are alcohol related (either drinking too much or munching afterwards). This is part of the reason I decided to make giving up alcohol my lent promise... hopefully it will help my weightloss! I don't think I'll make it a permanent choice, but I'm going to try to limit myself to 2-3 drinks when I go out later on.
My tolerance which was terrible to begin with is now so low that I almost always get sick or fall asleep when I drink. As a result I rarely drink these days.
I did lose 25 pounds with drinking on average 2 weekends a month - not binge drinking or huge benders, but enough to get silly.
Alcohol and Weight Loss - What are your thoughts?
