Drinking on No S?

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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HealthPrincess9
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Drinking on No S?

Post by HealthPrincess9 » Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:06 pm

Hello all :D

I am new to this forum. I found this site last week when I googled 'No diet on weekends'. See, I don't have too much of a problem during the week, but I know my weekends are not good. I'm embarrased to say it's not to much because of food, but because of drinking :oops:

I am 23 years old. I broke up with my pretty serious bf (almost 3 years) pretty recently, and since then I have been going out on the weekends with my friends, meeting people, and definitely drinking. It is not that I think I need to drink to have fun, I just enjoy drinking... I do not believe it any way I have a drinking problem though!

So, my question to you is - will this not work if I over indulge on my S days? I do not have anything to drink but water on my N days. I start my S days on Friday night and I end them Sunday afternoon... I know that drinking in excess is not the healthiest thing to do, but I also know I am not going to stop. So any honest, true advice on how this will fit into the 'No S diet' would really be appreciated.

Even if it won't "work", I am going to stick with the diet! I love not constantly snacking in between meals on my N days... I NEVER thought I would have the willpower! :D

Thanks everyone!! :mrgreen:

kccc
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Post by kccc » Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:40 pm

Hard to know without more info on how much you're actually drinking.

NoS technically doesn't address alchohol consumption of "non-sweet" drinks. (That's a different "system," for different concerns.) And S-days are not restricted in terms of snacks, sweets, or seconds... though the expectation is that, over time, your weekend habits will gradually moderate in the direction of your weekday habits. (It can take a long time, but does seem to happen.)

However, as others have pointed out, the overall result of No-S tends to be a calorie deficit over the week, which is why one eventually loses weight.

So, what you have working against you...
1) It's easier to drink calories than eat them, so you may very well take in enough calories to not lose (or even gain).
2) It would be less easy for "N-day" habits to naturally moderate your weekend habits than if you were consuming those calories as food.

Which adds up to... your weekend drinks may or may not cancel out your weight loss, but they are likely to inhibit your progress at least to an extent.

The bottom line is that it really depends on how much you're drinking. If an evening out consists of a few drinks (perhaps alternating with glasses of water), you will probably do okay - many of us have an occasional glass of wine, even on N-days. However, if you're drinking a very large quantity, or the types of drinks that are very high in calories, maybe not.

(As an aside, more than 4 drinks for women in an evening - 5 for men- fits one of the technical descriptions of "binge drinking." Just FYI.)

Best wishes. Hope this is helpful.

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Anoulie
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Post by Anoulie » Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:53 pm

You could try Glass Ceiling:
Moderate drinking, it turns out, is ridiculously good for you. Excessive drinking, as we've always known, is at least as bad. How enjoy the benefits of the former without risking the latter?

Note: depending on body weight, moderate drinking means 1-2 "servings" of alcohol a day. 4 drinks or more is binging.

So here's the system. For the rest of your life, without exception, you have a 2 drink a day maximum -- the glass ceiling. Period. No saving up, use it or lose it. No refills. No pouring yourself "mixed" drinks. DMV definition of a drink.

No "well a Sam is probably worth two buds, so I can have 4 buds." Two GLASSES, or two DMV definitions of a drink, whichever is less. If it ain't that simple, you won't do it.

I keep mentioning the DMV definition because I want you to think small, not because I think it's critical to measure every portion to the milliliter. Keep to the following three points, and I don't care if you drink 4% Sams or 2% buds:

* no refills (however "partial")
* no doubles or jumbo sizes
* and above all, no more than two glasses

If you can stick to that, you'll be fine.

http://everydaysystems.com/glassceiling/

Dawn
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Post by Dawn » Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:01 pm

The only way you will know if it's working is if you are losing weight. If you aren't then you need to re-evaluate things. If you think the S day drinking is the only iffy thing you are doing then you would need to start there and maybe cut back a bit, wait a few weeks and see where your weight is. Be it eating, drinking or amount of exercise, we all need to make adjustments as we go along. Just make small changes and give it plenty of time to see if they are working. If you make some huge changes that you can't live with you are just setting yourself up for failure. But keep it real with yourself, denial is what got a lot of us in this mess to begin with.

Sorry about the break up. My last broken heart was 25 years ago and I still think about it. But if it weren't for that breakup I wouldn't have met the love of my life. So go have fun with the girls and don't even think about guys for a while - make it all about you!!!!!!
Dawn

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oliviamanda
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Post by oliviamanda » Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:39 pm

Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.--- Mark Twain

HealthPrincess9
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Post by HealthPrincess9 » Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:44 pm

Thank you all for your replies!

KCCC, I'm not sure how much I drink in a night (it depends on the night) - but it is normally rum & diet cokes. Just to clarify, I only drink this on my S days! I'm not too worried about gaining weight from this drinking... I drank like this on my weekends anyway and then I snacked all week! :shock: I was just curious if there were any rules about drinking on the No S diet...

Anoulie, As for the glass ceiling, I don't think this is something that I want to try. I have read it, but it seems like it is putting a restriction on the only time that I really let myself 'let go and enjoy myself'. When I was in my relationship I didn't go out and drink as often, so I am confident that once I "grow up" (for lack of a better term), I will not drink as often...

Dawn, Thank you so much for your encouraging words :) I am trying my best to enjoy and improve myself!

So I guess dor now I will continue to drink as I do on my S days. No worries though, I will make sure to be safe and not to go overboard! :D

Kevin
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Re: Drinking on No S?

Post by Kevin » Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:41 pm

The term "beer gut" doesn't come from nowhere.

Drinking a lot really isn't good for you. Are you talking about lost weekends, or three drinks out on Friday and Saturday night?

If you can't easily stop at three, think more seriously about whether you are developing a habit that you don't want to develop. You're 23 now. You won't be forever. I'm not saying you have a drinking problem. Yet.

I might be overly sensitive to this. If so, sorry.
HealthPrincess9 wrote:Hello all :D

I am new to this forum. I found this site last week when I googled 'No diet on weekends'. See, I don't have too much of a problem during the week, but I know my weekends are not good. I'm embarrased to say it's not to much because of food, but because of drinking :oops:

I am 23 years old. I broke up with my pretty serious bf (almost 3 years) pretty recently, and since then I have been going out on the weekends with my friends, meeting people, and definitely drinking. It is not that I think I need to drink to have fun, I just enjoy drinking... I do not believe it any way I have a drinking problem though!

So, my question to you is - will this not work if I over indulge on my S days? I do not have anything to drink but water on my N days. I start my S days on Friday night and I end them Sunday afternoon... I know that drinking in excess is not the healthiest thing to do, but I also know I am not going to stop. So any honest, true advice on how this will fit into the 'No S diet' would really be appreciated.

Even if it won't "work", I am going to stick with the diet! I love not constantly snacking in between meals on my N days... I NEVER thought I would have the willpower! :D

Thanks everyone!! :mrgreen:
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

HealthPrincess9
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Post by HealthPrincess9 » Mon Nov 02, 2009 9:15 pm

Hmm, I would have to admit that I do normally have more than 3 drinks on both Friday and Saturday night :oops:

I do not, however, believe it to be a problem. I knowwww that people will say that it is and encourage me to stop (which I could if I wanted to), but I have fun when I go out!

I only socially drink... I don't keep alcohal at home. I don't drink with my meals. I don't ever just have one drink, but I also keep in mind my limits and try to behave.

Meh, I guess I shouldn't have even asked this question. I know drinking is not healthy. I know that as of know with my current "lifestyle" I am not going to stop... And now I am embarassed because everyone probably thinks I drink too much, when in fact I truley believe I do not...

Thank you all for your advice and guidence. Maybe I will try to limit it to either Friday or Saturday and volenteer to be the DD with my friends the other day.. a win-win :D

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bluebunny27
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Post by bluebunny27 » Mon Nov 02, 2009 9:35 pm

Yeah, it's not a problem as long as you are behavin' the other days of the week ... Try to do this only one day though ... not the whole weekend ... and not have 12 beers in a row of course. 3 or 4 top or else you're verrrrry naughty. ;-)

I like to have a few beers and/or glasses of wine too ... 4-5 drinks in one night (never more than that though) but I only do that once a week and I'm not passed out drunk either of course since I weigh approx. 191 pounds ... 5'10", just a few cold ones, kickin' it on a friday night watching a movie at home for example. It's a reward for having been good all week long !

I still managed to lose 90 pounds within a year doing that once a week ... maybe I'd have lost 100 if I hadn't though ... food for thoughts ! :-)

You can't be perfect all the time. If you are good at least 80-85% of the time you will definitely achieve your goal though.

Cheers !

Marc ;-)

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Kevin
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Post by Kevin » Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:01 pm

I'm probably being overbearing. I have personal reasons for that, but my experience is not yours. If you are taking care of transportation to and from and don't take undo risks, then you are the very best judge of whether its too much or not.

I'm sorry if I'm being over the top. I'll stop now.

And yes, I do have a beer or two on occasion. :)
HealthPrincess9 wrote:Hmm, I would have to admit that I do normally have more than 3 drinks on both Friday and Saturday night :oops:

I do not, however, believe it to be a problem. I knowwww that people will say that it is and encourage me to stop (which I could if I wanted to), but I have fun when I go out!

I only socially drink... I don't keep alcohal at home. I don't drink with my meals. I don't ever just have one drink, but I also keep in mind my limits and try to behave.

Meh, I guess I shouldn't have even asked this question. I know drinking is not healthy. I know that as of know with my current "lifestyle" I am not going to stop... And now I am embarassed because everyone probably thinks I drink too much, when in fact I truley believe I do not...

Thank you all for your advice and guidence. Maybe I will try to limit it to either Friday or Saturday and volenteer to be the DD with my friends the other day.. a win-win :D
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

Dawn
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Post by Dawn » Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:33 pm

Kevin wrote:I'm probably being overbearing. I have personal reasons for that, but my experience is not yours. If you are taking care of transportation to and from and don't take undo risks, then you are the very best judge of whether its too much or not.

I'm sorry if I'm being over the top. I'll stop now.

And yes, I do have a beer or two on occasion. :)

Ah, Kevin you old softie, you are just being the "Dad" around here making sure the young'ens are thinking things through. I think it's sweet. But is good to see you acknowledge that we are all different and a problem for some may not be a problem for others.

I think bluebunny27 is a shining example of how this can work, booze and all. But since I really struggle with a crappy metabolism I've opted to drink on special occasions only so that I can get the weight off. But then again I am not a 23 year old single lady out and about with friends in a party atmosphere. I am 45 married with children - hey come to think of it if anyone should feel compeled to drink it should be me :lol:

So healthprincess9 you will have to take our advice and apply so that it makes sense to you. Just remember we are all here to help each other be successful. But I gotta say if you insist on having the rum, burgers and fries we might be forced to change your name to partyprincess9 :wink:
Dawn

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:55 pm

My personal rule is no more than 2 drinks -- ever. My mixed drink of choice is vodka and tonic. If it's going to be a "long" night, I alternate between vodka and tonic and tonic only. After the second mixed drink, I stick to tonic only. I still have as much fun as I would have if I drank more. Actually, I might have more fun.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

HealthPrincess9
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Post by HealthPrincess9 » Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:48 pm

Thank you all for your advice/opinions/support! It is so nice to have found such a non-judgmental, supporting group of people to ask questions that I may be embarrassed to ask others (aka drinking, burgers & fries, etc :oops: ).

I am going to try my best to chose one day per week (either Friday or Saturday) to socially drink with my friends. Also, I liked the tip about alternating between an alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink. I will definitely try to implement that, and I believe this will help me to drink less! Half the challenge with social drinking is just having a cup in your hand!

Again, thank you all so much! I look forward to the many other questions I am sure to post, and hope that soon I will be able to share my advice/opinions with you all! :D

HealthPrincess9
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Post by HealthPrincess9 » Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:49 pm

Oh, and PS - You tell me if I talk to much about rum, burgers and fries... I will think about changing my name to partyprincess9 :lol:

kccc
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Post by kccc » Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:29 pm

HealthPrincess9 wrote: I am going to try my best to chose one day per week (either Friday or Saturday) to socially drink with my friends. Also, I liked the tip about alternating between an alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink. I will definitely try to implement that, and I believe this will help me to drink less! Half the challenge with social drinking is just having a cup in your hand!
That's a good strategy on a lot of levels - reduces alcohol intake, helps stave off dehydration (which often accompanies too much alcohol), and even saves a little $$! And if your normal drink is rum and coke, no one else will even notice that you have plain coke this round.

And really, in a lot of instances, you can socialize without partaking of the food/drink - and that's a good lesson for life.

I attend a departmental coffee break each week, where the different groups vie to bring the most decadent food... and no one even notices I'm just sipping the hot tea I brought with me. I'm only there for the conversation and connection. But prior to No-S, it would have been a deadly trap, lol!

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oliviamanda
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Post by oliviamanda » Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:47 pm

I, too, don't want to come off as overbearing!

http://caloriecount.about.com/alcohol-w ... in-ft46709


I think that it's important to note that people that drink, even if only on weekends, when they cut it out, they lose weight.

From personal experience I started drinking in college in my early twenties. I wasn't a heavy drinker, but I had enough to consider it partying. I had always been boney rail thin my whole life. I never thought I'd ever be able to gain weight or consider myself fat. When alcohol was introduced into my diet, that's when my body started changing. And here I am 10 years later and on a diet to try to get my body back! I'm not blaming it on alcohol now, but what I'm trying to say is that I wasn't aware that all that drinking was detrimental to my waistline.

You're young, have fun, be responsible, but take care of yourself. I guess I'm a bit vain, but I'd rather look good than keep up with social circle. You can do it, but cut it down where it's not a problem for your waistline. You could drink enough calories to equal eating a few desserts. Then you are at S day gone wild because your "sometimes" is already planned to be out of control. You have to face it that if you drink a lot on the weekends with little limit, and even if you No S during the week, you may still not lose weight. It's the nature of the drug that is alcohol. Like some medications that make you gain weight or restrict your weight loss, alcohol has been known to stop weight loss in its tracks. Alcohol is addicting, and so is sugar.

I also want to say that I have a co-worker who is in her late 40's. She lives in a community where she parties all weekend. Lots of booze and food. She has gained a lot of weight in the year that she's moved to that community. She had to buy all new clothes and even comments that it's the drinking that did it. I believe it is that and she doesn't exercise to conteract it. But she has fun and won't give it up. She's divorced and believes this is her time to live it up once again from her teen years. She's got a nice gut.

I wish you luck. Drinking one night and not so much the next is a good start. Again, I am sorry if I am going on too much. This is a very sensitve topic for me. : )
Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.--- Mark Twain

HealthPrincess9
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Post by HealthPrincess9 » Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:38 pm

Don't worry oliviamanda, you're not coming off as overbearing! I asked the question about drinking, I should be able to handle the opinions other have on it!

I did begin to read the article that you posted and will definitely finish it later. It seems to have many good opinions and experiences of others.

Luckily, when I drink I am not "tempted" by unhealthy foods (Every once in a while, yes - but not often!). I think a lot of weight gain by drinking is from eating gross foods while drinking.

I am sure I will be posting more of my adventures on here & I will definitely keep in mind all the advice/opinions that everyone has posted!

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oliviamanda
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Post by oliviamanda » Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:40 pm

Bar food is not the healthiest stuff: baskets of fries, cheese fries, onion rings, loaded potato skins, chicken wings, tacos, everything fried!
Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.--- Mark Twain

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:32 pm

oliviamanda wrote:Bar food is not the healthiest stuff: baskets of fries, cheese fries, onion rings, loaded potato skins, chicken wings, tacos, everything fried!
But if it's on an S day...???

Moderation in all things, including moderation.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

Betho
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Post by Betho » Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:54 am

I have to say that I think you are on the right path. I also had my time of partying it up and like you, Iknew it would be temporary. Now, the only time I get drunk is when I get to go away for the weekend with my hubs once a year on our anniversary :P

Anyway, I think you are doing ok as long as you continue in your life understanding that it does work NOW, but as you get older, drinking tends to put more pounds on. When I was 21, I could drink like a fish and no big deal poundage wise. Now that I'm 30 with 2 kids, not so much. As long as you keep that in mind and be careful, I think you will be just fine.

The fact that you drink socially, even if you "binge" when you do, is probably OK IMO since it's just social and it isn't like you have beers for breakfast. There are some people who yes, have a problem with drinking, but this just sounds like completely normal early 20-s fun. Live it up, have fun, and BE SMART :)

paulawylma
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drinking advice think water!

Post by paulawylma » Wed Jan 13, 2010 3:17 am

I used to drink heavy when I was in the Air Force and learned one very valuable trick--has to do with avoiding a hangover, not reducing how much you drink. Here it is: for every drink of alcohol you drink, also drink one glass of water (not coke, water). Hangovers are caused by dehydration, by matching your alcohol with water you prevent dehydration and no hangover. This always works if you match the drinks. The only problem is getting your waitress or waiter to bring the water--be firm and insist that every time they bring you a glass o alcohol they also bring you a glass of water. :-)

Not limiting unsweetened drinks is one of the great things about no s. If it's not a problem, don't make it one! BTW, I stopped drinking heavily when I was transferred to Germany--land of beer and wine! In Germany, I started drinking better quality drinks and automatically drank less. If you want to reduce the number of drinks--go for the quality and take time to appreciate the difference. :-)

MB
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Post by MB » Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:57 pm

I think you just have to balance things out. Maybe pick one night Friday or Saturday to go out drinking but not both. Also make sure you eat when you drink so you don't drink as much. Also you could try low calorie beer such as Michelob Ultra or mixed drinks using diet drinks. Atleast drink water to help flush everything out. Also try weighing on Friday morning so you don't weigh coming off the weekend. Good luck--I feel your pain!!

lelovelady
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Post by lelovelady » Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:43 pm

Well, you've received a lot of good advice here. :) I started to go all "mother hennish" and give you some advice that you don't need, but you're an adult, and it appears a very responsible one.

I'll echo what others have said ... the No S "rule" regarding alcohol seems to be "moderation".

And I'll give you the little trick that I use (even before I started No S) when in social situations. Most bars serve non-alcoholic drinks in big glasses and alcoholic mixed drinks in small glasses. Then, your friends see you're drinking non-alcoholic drinks and go on a crusade to make sure you're "enjoying" yourself by trying to annoy you into drinking alcohol. So, since the goal of the evening is to enjoy yourself while not over doing it, and not having your friends annoy the living tar out of you, I developed this trick.

My first drink of the night is a rum and coke. Your friends will hear you order it, and just assume that's what you're going to be drinking all night. Then, alternate your drinks. I go alcohol, non-alcohol, water. Ask the waiter to bring the non-alcoholic drink in the same size drink glass ... so it always appears as if you're drinking rum and coke. This is important ... make sure the waiter knows what you're doing ... this way if your friends order you drinks ... the waiter will still know what to bring you.

And the water is self explanatory ... your friends probably won't give you any ribbing over the water, and you might even set a good example for them. I find that when I drink water other people tend to remember to order it for themselves as well.

Hope this helps! Have fun, and be safe!

Laura

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