Stopped drinking, lost 10 lbs

This thread has been inspiring to me.

I weigh about 210 and usually drink about 8 beers every night. For me it feels just like a compulsive thing more than anything else. It is just my evening routine and what I do to wind down and fall asleep. It takes me days to recover from runs these days, to the point that it is hard to even run anymore because there is no consistency.

I know it's going to be tough, but can't wait to see how I feel if I could get a month or two out. I miss running. I also miss being skinny.

I drink probably like 4 or 5 whiteclaws a night, maybe a few shots of jack. Tbh, my runnings the best its been in a few yrs, being consistent, ramping up mileage. Mid 30s, for a data point. 160s in my college prime, 178lbs now.

Planning on cutting back, trying to get some blood drawn tomorrow to see if I've caused any damage over the long term.

jabouko wrote:

burnout boi wrote:

Thread hitting

I drink a six pack every night. Light beer but doesn’t really matter. Have been for a few years. Use to manage medium mileage okay and was in low four minute mile shape leaving college few years back. Struggling to get to 20mpw without something flaring up. I know I can get into PR shape again and my overall weight hasn’t changed. Need to quit, it’s sad.

Hey, you can do it man.

side note this is one of the better non-running threads ive seen on LRC for a while, fairly supportive

I’m quite surprised and happy to see it inspire at least one person.

I tried many time to take breaks, but eventually just had to decide it’s over.

Good luck burnout boi, the first couple weeks are the hardest, and it gets a lot easier.

1 beer, 2 beers ?

Or

1 beer, 2 beer?

I'm in Canada, the western part. I'd go for beers, but don't know what the kids are saying these days.

Full blown alcoholics get so many calories from alcohol that they stop eating properly to the point of malnutrition and lose weight.

What does 'full blown' mean anyway? Addiction is a spectrum disorder andI'd be surprised to find anyone these days who is only addicted to alcohol. Benzos are so easy to get. As well as pot. Just food for thought,

Social alcohol is healthy to an extent. Studies have shown that loneliness can be as damaging to one's health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. A few drinks with friends once or twice a week (or as a way to meet new people) can offset this.

Drinking more than a beer or two alone is almost never healthy.

Spoken as someone who is descending into the habit of drinking a few DIPAs (easy to fool yourself about how much alcohol is in an 8% pint; hint: it's nearly 2.5 beers worth) or constantly topping off a glass of red wine or drinking four white claws almost every night, sometimes alone. And occasionally having about ten drinks on a weekend and going to clubs.

I still believe alcohol has the potential to be a positive thing in my life. It strengthens bonds between my friends and me and makes it 10x easier for me to talk to women. Finding a relationship is currently my biggest priority. That being said, I need to take control and not allow alcohol to govern all of my evenings.

My goal is to not drink alone this week. And if I need to go out, limit it to three if at a bar and five if I am at a club. It's still more than I should, but it's about progress, not perfection yet. I had a date Monday, so I had some drinks (net positive) and then I didn't drink last night, so we're off to a start.

I've thought for a while that I have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, but I've struggled with making any sort of lasting change. I think this is in large part due to the role it plays in my social life and the fact that I really like drinking—the taste, the ritual. I probably have 20+ drinks per week. Once I have the first beer, it's very difficult to cut myself off, though I never really get plastered. I do get bad hangovers and I sleep poorly. Never really wake up feeling rested.Here's my question: How do you guys stop? Do you just quit cold turkey? Are you able to ignore the evening urge to crack a cold one while you're working in the garage or sitting on the couch? I suppose I could just stop buying beer so I wouldn't have the option... I also don't want to be the only dude at the BBQ not drinking beer. That seems impossible to me. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. I'm in my late 30s, fwiw. This approach seems appealing:

Getting Slower wrote:

My goal is to not drink alone this week. And if I need to go out, limit it to three if at a bar and five if I am at a club. It's still more than I should, but it's about progress, not perfection yet. I had a date Monday, so I had some drinks (net positive) and then I didn't drink last night, so we're off to a start.

I've noticed my beer/alcohol consumption has steadily decreased over the past 3-4 years (I'm 34). I'd say I probably average 1-2 beers/week if any. One of the big things I did was replace a "beer with dinner" with seltzer. Definitely feel much better on weeks I don't drink, stomach fat is melting away, and am running times I haven't seen since my early 20's. When I have had a drink I've noticed my waking/resting heart rate is 5-10 beats per minute higher than it would otherwise be- so clearly it affects my recovery and performance.

I do love nice IPA's but lately I've noticed a hangover from even just one (although a 7-8% pint is really more than one). This summer I discovered low alcohol beers (usually 3.5%) that don't taste like water and have really liked them for social settings. I think a lot of brewers call these "micro IPA"s, nice if I'm looking for something hop-heavy. I've also been really liking Coors Pure, which is low alcohol, only has three ingredients listed, and is supposed to be organic- I think it tastes a lot better than Coors Light too. Haven't tried any of the new N/A beers like Athletic Brewing, but I'm definitely curious.

I think to cut out drinking alone is the only option for people like you and I. That first beer isn't satisfying enough and we need to drink 3-6 to feel really good. That just isn't good for you in the long term. We need to just go cold turkey on solo drinking.

Socially, I am just trying to take cues from others. If nobody else is having that fourth or fifth beer, then I don't need to either. In fact, I would look like a fool if I did. Also, in a social situation, I try to drink those two or three beers I've allotted myself slowly. I love the taste, so I'll take consistent, small sips and try to savor it. If I've gone for a run, I'll still get a nice buzz from this (I'm a light guy), it just doesn't last as long as I want it to.

But I think the goal here is also to reduce tolerance again, so people like us can enjoy a few beers, feel good, and not need to go overboard. We're fortunate to not have a serious addiction (yet) so it is possible to bring alcohol back to a healthy part of our lifestyle.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps. We're all on this journey together.

I quit just over a month ago. Like someone else said, it's a habit just like running every day.

It was messing with my sleep which made me want a change.

I downloaded an audiobook, Alchohol Explained. It was pretty useful to explain how the chemistry of it works - alcohol is a depressant, so your body counteracts with fight or flight hormones. The alcohol is super unstable and can't be stored as fat so gets burnt off pretty quick, but those stimulants hang around for much longer - which is why sleep suffers. So the next day you're tired and overstimulated and the best thing to make you feel better is more alcohol... It's pretty sneaky. And once you work out that alcohol takes the edge off alcohol-related tiredness, it's practically impossible to just cut down - or at least, you need incredible willpower.

I've not had a drink since, or even really thought about it. I doubt I've lost weight as I'm eating more, but that's no bad thing. And yep, alcohol free beers are great.

I'm 40. Last week I ran a 5k pr - 5secs faster than I've ever been before, only my second ever time sub-17. That felt great and really reinforced this change. Sticking with it.

This pretty good advice. I usually drink 3-4 beers on a Sunday afternoon while chilling out watching TV with my wife and the kids are finishing up homework, playing, and whatnot. Sometimes I'll have 1-2 beers if the occasion calls for it (steak dinner, friends are over, etc.) The secret IMO is to stick to 4.5-5.5% ABV beers.

In my late 20s/early 30s I drank way too much alone. I finished up grad school, tons of my friends moved away or started families and I was still single. Never had much luck with meetups or random dates. I had a ton of free time despite going to the gym a lot, running, working 40-45 hours/week so I got into craft beer and would often drink alone while donking around wasting on YouTube or reddit. Not healthy.

Great points. I'd also recommend listening to "this naked mind" podcast (its on spotify). It does a great job explaining exactly what happens when you drink and why you always want more and more. Its not preachy and is more fact-based "this is what is happening" type of stuff. It also gives lots of examples of how to cut the urges and practical advice. Its really eye opening and worth your time if you are thinking of quitting or cutting back.

For anyone who wants a quick list of benefits here's what I have found personally (did not quit completely, but cut down quite a bit):

1. sleep - you will sleep like you are dead once you are dried out for a few days. its incredible. I have the wildest dreams, I look forward to it every night.

2. recovery - goes with the sleep. I see a few posts indicating they can't recover. Recovery becomes so much easier. It takes half the time to recover from hard efforts. Its like cheating.

3. hydration - goes without saying

4. focus - work becomes so easy

5. decreased anxiety - this is big for me. You fall into a cycle of drinking to ease anxiety, which in turns causes more anxiety, its a viscous cycle and doesn't happen when you don't drink.

6. better temperament - little things that would ordinarily irritate me don't even register

7. I enjoy more things. Last week, after dinner, I went out for a drive in my car. Windows down, radio playing, it felt great. Sounds stupid, but it was really enjoyable.

A couple other thoughts -

If you decide to quit/cut back, track how you feel, like you do in a running log each day. Note what feels better. Come back and reflect on it from time to time. It will reinforce the benefits. Eventually, your habit becomes not drinking instead of drinking. You'll see the side effects and the drinks will lose the motivation to drink.

NA beers - these are great, much better than what they used to be. You can mix in a few of them throughout the night and drastically cut down on the amount of alcohol you drink. Athletic makes great beers, highly recommend checking them out. They are also great to cut off the cravings. If you think about it - the best part of drinking a beer is that first sip, but there's no alcohol in your system at this point, the relief you feel is purely due to the ritual. If you still crave a beer after drinking the first one, have another one (they're low cal, so it doesn't matter), eventually the craving will pass.

I'm sure you will have the "but people will judge me for not drinking" thoughts. Trust me, no one will care for more than 30 seconds.

Cutting back on alcohol isn't admitting to anything. It doesn't make you flawed. Its acknowledging the effects it has on you and taking action accordingly. It does not make you an alcoholic. It makes you smart.

Good luck to you, I can promise you that you will feel a lot better. If you've been at it awhile, you likely feel like trash every day and don't even know it. Give it a week or two and see how you feel. You have nothing to lose.

Thanks for the input, fellas. Lots of good advice and insight in this thread. Listening to everyone's stories (and successes) is definitely inspiring. Gonna try to make some changes.

I bought a couple six packs from Athletic Brewing. Run Wild and Free Wave taste great. Definitely check the box as I genuinely like the taste of an IPA.

llort_vbo wrote:

What does 'full blown' mean anyway? Addiction is a spectrum disorder andI'd be surprised to find anyone these days who is only addicted to alcohol. Benzos are so easy to get. As well as pot. Just food for thought,

I mean someone who drinks all day and dies of cirrhosis, like my mother.

Create a system - in my 20s I probably had 20 drinks a week like you mention below but now in my 30s just wanted to cut it out of my life - I blame NYC culture for the 20 drinks per week, but its not an excuse.

Anyways - my system is to basically average 3 drinks a week or 150 a year, and to have at least 200 days "dry" where the days are counted only if they're done in consecutively in 14 day (or more) increments. Finally, I cannot have more than 5 on a day that I do drink.

Concept here is to have longer stints where alcohol does not play a role in life (self restraint, tolerance mgmt) and then when there is an occasion (bachelor party, wedding, whatever), limit to 5 on that day. Having 5 beers isn't great, but I am truly fine the next day, can run, am pleasant, etc.

I quit a few yrs ago to lose weight for running. Just switched to ice tea or flavored soda water, no big deal. I am in charge of me, so I don't let me drink. I also make myself get up at 6am and run and workout a lot. Sometimes I don't like me, I can be a real taskmaster.

Al Koholik wrote:

Just over 100 days off the booze and I’m down a solid 10lbs. I’ve never been fat, but was approaching skinny fat with some excess midsection. I won’t get into the details of my drinking, but it was enough to want to stop.

I’ve been running much more consistently, which has helped shed the weight. No more hungover slogs to sweat out the night before. I feel better than I have in a decade.

I’m not anti-alcohol, but it is no longer for me. If you happen to be in a similar position, I highly recommend going dry for 3 months to reassess. I was a bit disappointed after 2-3 weeks of marginal results, but now there is a significant difference in my appearance and my fitness.

You weren't drinking enough...most people tend to lose 15-20lbs at the very least after they stop drinking.