I went the past two weeks without alcohol to kick start some weight loss. It felt great, and obviously not having those empty calories helps.
My girlfriend and I were talking about how to go forward with better habits around drinking. We both love it but want to stay healthy. We aren’t raging alcoholics, in fact neither one of us seems to have a physical addiction, just some bad habits. We also both hate being really drunk, but love the buzz of 1 or 2 drinks. We drink something most nights, often just 1 or 2 beers, glasses of mead, cocktails, or whisky (not 1 or 2 of each). But often, maybe a couple times a week I have enough to get a bit drunk and feel crappy the next morning. I know from experience that just saying we’ll drink less or not drink on certain days is ineffective.
So we have started a ten drink a week rule. This puts us on average in the healthy 1-2 drinks a day range but gives us the flexibility to have a few drinks when friends are over for dinner or to let loose on special occasions etc. Its also realistic, I know we can do this. Basically it makes us think and make a decision each time we decide (or not) to drink.
Anyone ever do anything like this?
I have been following my own variation of the “drinking mans diet” and it has helped shed a great deal of weight while being able to enjoy that nice relaxed loose feeling a good drink gives you
I basically have cut out all starchy carbs. Nothing white, no bread, no sugar, nothing that will expand and soak up space in my belly.
I stick to all meats and green leafy vegetables. Tons of asparagus, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, egg plant.
I also try to never have a drink when I have a full stomach because I will not get that satisfying feeling which accompanies a delicious well brewed beer
I find myself having 2-3 beers maybe 3-4 nights a week. I will abstain from all alcohol at least 3 nights a week
I won’t do anything that will eliminate a whole category of food. It feels like deprivation (and it is!) and its not sustainable. I am cutting back on empty carbs but love bread and pasta. I will always have it but as a treat, not part of my everyday diet. I eat a very healthy plant-based diet with a fair amount of fish and poultry and cheese so not much to change there.
I do this also. I’m typically no more than 3-5 beers/week. If I know I’m going out one weekend with friends, I’ll cut my weekday drinking so that I don’t overindulge. I think setting a number is a good thing and it gives you a limit to follow.
I’m not going to limit myself on any particular day, but I try to have a glass of water to each beer, wine, Bourbon, Tequila, whatever.
Yesterday I worked in the garage, had two glasses of Prosecco with our mid-afternoon dinner (3pm), then four beers from 7pm until 11pm. Never felt one iota of a buzz and no ill effects this morning either. My typical MO is one to three beers in a day so four was rather odd, but today is a holiday.
Now as far as weight loss, skipping the alcohol will remove many calories, I’d rather drink the beer and exercise more.
I like to have a beer or two after I bike, and I bike 30-40 minutes everyday after work. I guess I could cut out the beer and loss weight but then I would miss something I very much enjoy.
Another detail is that I enjoy alcohol very much but I’m not missing something I enjoy because I’m not cutting out the alcohol I enjoy, I’m cutting out the alcohol I DON’T ENJOY. A weekly limit makes me decide each time if I really want the drink, it will eliminate drinks that are just habit or the ones I have after I already have a buzz that will make me feel bad in the morning.
Also, I’m not trying to proselytize, I just thought its a good conversation to have here: how do we enjoy alcohol but still be healthy and happy. That means different things to different people, as it should, except for delusional beliefs. I think it also is different at different stages of life.
I like to do stretches at a time without anything to drink. Usually 1-2 weeks per season of nothing to drink. The problem I have is that I usually start something else to make up for the calories. Starting November 1st, I try hard to cut out the alcohol, and other empty calories until Thanksgiving.
I never really set rules for myself with drinking, but I fall in the 3-5 drinks per week average pretty organically. I like to relax with a beer or drink at the end of the night when everything’s done and it’s time to relax. But there always seems to be a couple of days a week where I either don’t get enough time to bother cracking into a brew, or i’m just not feeling it.
It also helps that my wife can’t drink alcohol. I had an alcoholic parent, so I’m really not into drinking alone. That hits a bit too close to home for me.
I’m going to have to do sober October and kickstart some weight loss. The past 2 years I’ve gained 30 pounds due to a bad back, hip, and neck. I can’t run, bike, or weightlift - I can walk about 20 miles a week though. My neck keeps me from doing other stuff around the house; if I twist my neck wrong or hang upside down fixing things, I get a pounding migraine.
Typically, I’ll have 1 drink during the week (normally tue or wed) and then have about 8 total during fri/sat/sun. However that’s about 1/2 pound worth of calories in the drinks alone much less the additional food I eat during the buzz.
I tell you what though, I’d rather cut out the booze and have more to eat.
I’m right with you Denny. I don’t drink every night, but will drink 3-4 pints when I do. My solution is to brew more < 4% session beers. I don’t get drunk and way less calories.
My drinking (amount) hasn’t changed since becoming a brewer, but I do seek way more variety. Especially anything I haven’t tried yet. A big drinking day for me is a six pack. Probably 3 days a week I just drink water.
I get a kick out of talking with beer drinking non brewers. They almost always assume I must be drunk all the time. I always have about 4-6 full cases on hand so that must equate to drinking it all. I think there’s a lot of BMC folk who buy a half rack a day and never have any beer on hand. If its there you have to drink it.
Same here. I don’t drink every night, usually weekends only now. But it’s 3 or 4 when I do, not taking abv% into account. As mentioned by someone, a few more on most holidays. The older I get, it’s quite a bit less fun to overdo it, though.
I don’t drink Sunday through Wednesday now. With a little one around I think it’s best. If i drink a six pack of 5%over a 6 hour period I have a raging head ache the next day. Tolerance is way down. And I feel better.
