As a student, I tend to go out and drink quite a bit of alcohol. I understand that alcohol contains a lot of calories, especially cocktails. I feel that this is the main reason I'm gaining rather than losing on NoS. Trouble is I only get one or two nights off a week where I can really let my hair down and have fun with my friends, who also tend to drink quite a lot. I don't feel like I can have as good a night out if I don't drink at all or only have one or two drinks, as then I'm left sober while everyone else around me is having a good time. On the other hand, I wanna stop the weight gain???
so far i'm been giving myself 'Green' days even when I probably consume lots of calories in the form of alcohol, I feel a bit guilty about pretending it was a 'success' day when it isn't.
alcohol
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
babyprrr,
I was in the same situation when I started nosdiet at the beginning of this year. I'll make this simple: it wasn't until I really forced myself to get into the 2-drinks habit, and started doing exercise, that I began to lose weight. You will have to control that, also. You could try to stick just to beer, whiskey, vodka, etc. without sugary drinks, just 2 or 3 drinks to get a little "happy" and take the social outings moderately.
It happened to me too, I had to "depend" on alcohol to enjoy. But it's just in your mind, change your attitude, and you will feel much better. Enjoy.
I was in the same situation when I started nosdiet at the beginning of this year. I'll make this simple: it wasn't until I really forced myself to get into the 2-drinks habit, and started doing exercise, that I began to lose weight. You will have to control that, also. You could try to stick just to beer, whiskey, vodka, etc. without sugary drinks, just 2 or 3 drinks to get a little "happy" and take the social outings moderately.
It happened to me too, I had to "depend" on alcohol to enjoy. But it's just in your mind, change your attitude, and you will feel much better. Enjoy.
Sounds like you need to add the "glass ceiling" to your No-S.
If you're female, then the basics need strict attention. I have to monitor No-S too - if I really indulge on weekends (forgetting that all-important "sometimes" phrase), I can "undo" a good week. And exercise is a must.
(And psst.... There ARE forms of fun that can be indulged in totally sober. Just a thought.)
If you're female, then the basics need strict attention. I have to monitor No-S too - if I really indulge on weekends (forgetting that all-important "sometimes" phrase), I can "undo" a good week. And exercise is a must.
(And psst.... There ARE forms of fun that can be indulged in totally sober. Just a thought.)
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NoelFigart
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I really, really encourage you to try the glass ceiling for a month.
If it's a problem to limit your drinking to one or two drinks a day, you've got an issue that really does need serious attention.
This is not a judgement, by the way. I'd been letting my drinking get out of hand and gaining weight (and doing God knows what to my health) in the past few months.
I decided I was going to limit my drinking to two a day, no excuses -- no saving up, no counting doubles as one, nothing like that. Two DMV definitions of a drink a day. Boom. If I could not do this, then I needed more serious help and counseling.
So far, my hatred of the idea of spending a bunch of money on a rehab program, as well as not wanting to spend any time in AA has been a powerful motivator for me. I had an annual party where I usually got quite drunk yesterday. Not only did I stick to the glass ceiling, no-one paid the change the slightest attention.
If it's a problem to limit your drinking to one or two drinks a day, you've got an issue that really does need serious attention.
This is not a judgement, by the way. I'd been letting my drinking get out of hand and gaining weight (and doing God knows what to my health) in the past few months.
I decided I was going to limit my drinking to two a day, no excuses -- no saving up, no counting doubles as one, nothing like that. Two DMV definitions of a drink a day. Boom. If I could not do this, then I needed more serious help and counseling.
So far, my hatred of the idea of spending a bunch of money on a rehab program, as well as not wanting to spend any time in AA has been a powerful motivator for me. I had an annual party where I usually got quite drunk yesterday. Not only did I stick to the glass ceiling, no-one paid the change the slightest attention.
babyprrr,
I know it's much easier for an old, married father of 2 whose sole form of entertainment is netflix to refrain from excessive partying than it is for a socially active college student, but I think you might be able to profitably adapt the idea of glass ceiling without making intolerable concessions from your social life -- in fact, you may even find that it improves your social life.
Two ideas:
1. Keep glass ceiling as described. But remember, if you party past midnight, it's the next calendar day. That means two more drinks. Yes, four drinks in an evening, even a date spanning evening-morning is technically a binge and bad and dangerous, but if you drink anywhere close to the level I used to, it's vastly less than you would have otherwise. Also, your tolerance will go down as you drink less, so you really do get a nice buzz off a drink or two (and certainly from the 3 or 4 on the date-spanners). I am amazed at how much more I enjoy alcohol, both as social lubricant an in itself, now that I no longer binge. Plus I no longer wake up with the awful suspicion that I made a complete jackass of myself the night before.
2. Maybe keep glass ceiling as is (1 or 2 drinks for ordinary days) during the week and up the ceiling to some SLIGHTLY higher number on S-days. This can get dangerous fast (especially considering date-spanners) so be careful. Try #1 first. The truth is, if you can't almost always pull of #1 (even I screw up slightly on very rare occasion, weddings mostly) you probably have a more serious problem than excess calories.
In either case, if you find yourself going over the limit, never lose track as to how many drinks you had. On the odd occasions when I've gone over the limit, I post the excess count to the check-in thread here (and mark those dates in red on the habitcal). If you do that, or something similar, it gives you incentive to keep a mere failure from becoming a disaster -- because you don't want to have to report an embarrassingly high number. I've never gone over by more than a single drink, I think, in the several years I've been doing this, and I've only done that a handful of times. If you find yourself going over the limit a lot or by a great amount, it's time to approach this issue from a very different angle.
Good luck (and be careful),
Reinhard
I know it's much easier for an old, married father of 2 whose sole form of entertainment is netflix to refrain from excessive partying than it is for a socially active college student, but I think you might be able to profitably adapt the idea of glass ceiling without making intolerable concessions from your social life -- in fact, you may even find that it improves your social life.
Two ideas:
1. Keep glass ceiling as described. But remember, if you party past midnight, it's the next calendar day. That means two more drinks. Yes, four drinks in an evening, even a date spanning evening-morning is technically a binge and bad and dangerous, but if you drink anywhere close to the level I used to, it's vastly less than you would have otherwise. Also, your tolerance will go down as you drink less, so you really do get a nice buzz off a drink or two (and certainly from the 3 or 4 on the date-spanners). I am amazed at how much more I enjoy alcohol, both as social lubricant an in itself, now that I no longer binge. Plus I no longer wake up with the awful suspicion that I made a complete jackass of myself the night before.
2. Maybe keep glass ceiling as is (1 or 2 drinks for ordinary days) during the week and up the ceiling to some SLIGHTLY higher number on S-days. This can get dangerous fast (especially considering date-spanners) so be careful. Try #1 first. The truth is, if you can't almost always pull of #1 (even I screw up slightly on very rare occasion, weddings mostly) you probably have a more serious problem than excess calories.
In either case, if you find yourself going over the limit, never lose track as to how many drinks you had. On the odd occasions when I've gone over the limit, I post the excess count to the check-in thread here (and mark those dates in red on the habitcal). If you do that, or something similar, it gives you incentive to keep a mere failure from becoming a disaster -- because you don't want to have to report an embarrassingly high number. I've never gone over by more than a single drink, I think, in the several years I've been doing this, and I've only done that a handful of times. If you find yourself going over the limit a lot or by a great amount, it's time to approach this issue from a very different angle.
Good luck (and be careful),
Reinhard
When I was in high school and college I drank on the weekends. And let me tell you, alcohol is an appetite stimulant. I never did pot, but I can tell you that alcohol makes you HUNGRY. Well, at least it did me. Also, the younger you start, the more chance you have of becoming an alcoholic.
The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they feed themselves. Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. It's my post-exam end of term celebrations tomorrow night and everyone will be off their faces for sure but I'm going to try as best as I can to stick to the glass ceiling!
I think even cutting down to four drinks would be a big step as my average intake on a night out is probably around 10 units or more. (I'm only out once or twice a week though..)
In terms of alcohol fueling appetite, this used to be a big problem for me before I started NoS. Now it's so ingrained in my mind that even when I'm drunk, I still forgo the drunken pizza at the end of the night.
I think even cutting down to four drinks would be a big step as my average intake on a night out is probably around 10 units or more. (I'm only out once or twice a week though..)
In terms of alcohol fueling appetite, this used to be a big problem for me before I started NoS. Now it's so ingrained in my mind that even when I'm drunk, I still forgo the drunken pizza at the end of the night.