I like beer...and bars

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edisraw

New member
So I might be 393 pounds, but im a social butterfly for the most part, I like going out getting tipsy, meeting girls, dancing, etc etc.

Now is there anyway I can do this (The drinking) while reaching my goal of getting down to about 240 pounds (im like 6'5" 6'6") in the next 18-24 months?
 
Possible..sure but if you are serious about losing weight then lose the beer. It's pretty much empty calories that is going to just make the calorie restrictions you need to do for weight loss that much harder.

We are pretty much in the same boat. I was about 400 and aiming for 240ish overall. I'm about 6'3 with a large frame. In 6 months, I've lost 40 pounds. It hasn't been easy. I hate to think how much harder it would be with those extra calories just from a drink.
 
Beer = Calories

Excess Calories = Weight Gain

Ergo, Excess Beer = _______ ?


Come on, you go this...
 
Well it seems endlessly frustrating, for all intensive purposes im in the prime of my youth and I cant go out to the bar every other friday for the next two years now?

Its not even a beer thing even, im good with wine, whiskey, cognac, gin, vodka, or pretty much anything that isn't full of tiny umbrellas and pineapple slices.
 
It is not impossible, no, you just have to know where to draw the line. You would be alot more successful at losing the weight without the beer though. Beer is loaded with empty calories and alot of sugar.

My aunt liked to drink beer alot too. She wanted to lose weight, and really didn't eat alot. She first started out by not drinking beer at all, but continued to drink vodka, and just cut back on the amount that she drank. (I don't want to make her sound like an alcoholic, she's not, but has a prominent social life, and we have alot of family get togethers). She began to lose weight, and this was with no exercise, and before she started eating healthier foods. Before she knew it she was down 10 pounds, and then that is when she decided to pick salads for lunch, and then she progressed to exercising a few months later. She still continued to have her drink.

Some people can cut out their favorite things and go cold turkey and it won't bother them after some time, usually about 2 weeks. Other people tend to binge after a while, and then some people have to just watch what they consume, when and how, cutting back and do just fine while still enjoying the things that they love. You just have to figure out which one you can deal with.
 
I hate to say this but..If you have to drink to have a social life then you might have a problem.
 
Jericho said:
I hate to say this but..If you have to drink to have a social life then you might have a problem.
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Im pretty sure thats based on your social scene, I have a group of friends, well adjusted life long friends, I go to bars with them on the weekends, I dont need alcohol to function, or talk to people for that matter but when you are at the bar ordering evians all night you let off that horse of a different color vibe nobody wants to have.

You make seem like every function I go to is alcohol related, but im a 23 year old with an active lifestyle that sometime leads to bar hopping, what did you do on Saturday nights when you were 23 trying to meet new people, stamp collect?
 
I'm 22. I gave up the beer & I still go to bars 2-3 times a week. I drink water.Most of the bartenders give me crap about it..even at my regular places. If they saw me at 240lbs they would be singing a different tune..

Every once in a while I have a vodka & orange juice,cranberry & vodka,or rum & diet coke. Just see it as a treat. I like to drink. I love it really, but its not worth it to me. I've had maybe 4 drinks in the past 4 months. My 23rd b-day is in August and I'm getting sloppy...Irish car bombs have around 250 calories. I plan on enjoying a few of them. Sometimes you just have to live a little. Just do the drinking sparingly( and stay away from Long Island Ice Teas,Piña Coladas,Mud slides,Margarita..anything that looks like it could be dangerous.. and most beers..however miller makes a 64 calorie beer..I don't think having one of those once in a while is a big deal. It would be worse to go grab a container of ben & jerrys...
 
Occassionally is fine but based on how you worded your posts, it sounded like you HAD to drink.


The blunt answer is you have to decide just how important weight loss is to you. If you can restrict yourself and only drink occassionally then good, but if you feel like you need to drink more than occassionally then it will be a harder road than you already face. All those drinks contains calories that will add up.

So, ask yourself how important this is to you.
 
edisraw said:
Is it like impossible to lose weight whilst having a social life?
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Is it impossible to have a social life without drinking?


And of course you can drink and still lose weight.

The key words are excess and moderation.

But every calorie you get from alcohol is a calorie your not getting from nutrients. And when your on a calorie deficit, your walking a thin line to stay healthy.

I still go to the bars with my friends with out drinking and have fun.

The few occasions we have a party I'll drink, but these are few and far between, less then once a month.

You can do what you want, as long as you burn more caloires than you consume, it's whatever is more important for you, food or alcohol.
 
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edisraw said:
Im pretty sure thats based on your social scene, I have a group of friends, well adjusted life long friends, I go to bars with them on the weekends, I dont need alcohol to function, or talk to people for that matter but when you are at the bar ordering evians all night you let off that horse of a different color vibe nobody wants to have.

You make seem like every function I go to is alcohol related, but im a 23 year old with an active lifestyle that sometime leads to bar hopping, what did you do on Saturday nights when you were 23 trying to meet new people, stamp collect?
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You sound pretty similar to old me. Have an awesome group of close friends that like to go out on the weekends. You really need to make a choice about your priorities. You can choose to remain the funny, big guy who likes to party hard, sure, if thats truly what you want to be. You mention that you are in the PRIME of your youth. Given that you have the foresight to make a decision now that could affect the rest of your "youth", would you rather continue being larger and stay on your current track? Or would you commit to sacrifice calories and lose some of the weight?

I chose the former. Granted I am only 24, but I hate looking back on pictures of myself when I was near 360. I didn't like where I was back then, and I made the choice to change lifestyle. Did that mean I didn't party as much? Hell no, but I certainly consumed alchohol in moderation. If I knew I was going out that night, I would only eat a light, CLEAN dinner. That way I could account for calories, as well as catch a buzz a little quicker.


You make it sound almost like an ultimatum. Lose weight by dropping alchohol and sacrifice your social life, or "PARTY ALL NIGHT BRO WOO". Its not that way. Drinking soda or water while all your friends get slum drunk isn't a terrible thing. They really won't notice it.
 
edisraw said:
You make seem like every function I go to is alcohol related
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Well I can't speak for anyone else but my suspicions were first aroused when yousaid....
edisraw said:
I like going out getting tipsy
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and further confirmed when you pointed out.......
edisraw said:
when you are at the bar ordering evians all night you let off that horse of a different color vibe nobody wants to have
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I don't mean to be harsh, but you cannot blame peer pressure forever. If you want to weigh less, then eat less calories. It's that simple. There are a lot of calories in full-fat beer and especially when you multiply by 12 pints.

I drank cokes for a while going out. Still full of calories but after a 3rd one I would struggle to have anymore because of the sweetness/fizz made me feel bad.

It's all about calories though. Try not going out for a month and track your weight. If you cut out 3500 calories you'll drop a pound. That's about 10-12 pints.
 
Andy said:
Hell no, but I certainly consumed alchohol in moderation. If I knew I was going out that night, I would only eat a light, CLEAN dinner. That way I could account for calories, as well as catch a buzz a little quicker.
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Elaborate on moderation, eating light, and im assuming CLEAN dinner means non processed and vegetable heavy.

Also how long did it take for you to lose 101 pounds, and how did you do it, seeing we seem to be in similar life situations.
 
Alcohol freaking sucks !

Not only is it a drug..... but it is the drug responsible for more deaths, ruined lives, ruined families.... etc, etc, than any other.

I don't do drugs. If I did, I'd sooner smoke pot (less harmful). But I don't need that anymore either.

Bars are just like opium dens. They are the last place on the planet I'd want to hang out.

Who me opinionated ?
Anyway, I feel better now :)

Peace,
Fish
 
Yeah, I'm only 23. In all honesty, you can stay social and still go out and enjoy yourself. It will take careful planning and a lot of sacrifice, but I feel the benefits I received from losing weight far outweigh the benefits drinking gave me.

If you know you're going to go out on a Friday, go on a PSMF diet where you basically only consume protein to maintain your muscle mass, and eat relatively low calories for the rest of the week. I can usually get all my protein in roughly 800-1000 calories.

I'll say this, I went to Montreal for 5 days of hard clubbing/bar hopping and I came back 7 lbs heavier. Given a majority of the weight was water weight, I was still dealing with 3 weeks set back for a little "fun." I find I love myself more now then trying to be the life of the party. I only did that because I was fat and felt like it was the only thing I could offer. Now I'm the life of the party in many other ways and I don't have to get totally wasted to do so. Also, my friends get a safe trip home.
 
Hey,

I can really appreciate your question on drinking beer. I love beer. I also really love being in shape.

A typical American lager beer has no more calories than the same amount of milk. So the first problem is that very few people will have several glasses of milk, but as we know, MANY of us will have multiple beers. So the first problem is the number of calories because of ALL the beers your drinks. The second problem is processing the alcohol in your body. To lose weight, your body fat needs to be metabolized by your liver. When you drink alcohol, your liver becomes completely dedicated to ridding itself the poison that is alcohol. So the body fat that you would be burning while your body is cleaning itself of the alcohol is put on temporary hold for MANY hours.

You should put into play some drinking rules......3 beers two nights per week. Also put into play some calorie limits on the days that you do drink (along with all of the other days also).

Make sense. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Frank
 
In my opinion theres no way i could have lost the weight i did... which the alcohol i used to consume(alot). It was only twice a week but i reckon i drank 3 days worth of calories in those two nights.... Not taking into account what i used to eat the next day to settle my somtach. I have missed out on so many social things in the past few months due to my lack of willing to be sober in a club full of drunks! I love alcohol. But i love being thin more!
 
Staying social is indeed possible, but... you need the right mindset.

When i started my weight loss journey i looked in the mirror and asked myself what i could honestly do... Not for a week: Not for a Mont: Not for 6 month or even a year: I asked what type of changing i could make in my life and live with as part of my new life.

The word "diet" by its own definition means for a certain amount of time... IMHO, the key to losing weight is to replace the word diet with change.

My answers in the mirror where this:

1. I can eat much healthier
2. I can excersise more (2-5 times a week, either by gym or by sport)
3. I can completely cut out soda
4. I CANNOT goto the gym 7 days a week
5. I CANNOT cut out social activities (drinking/dining out/etc.)
6. I can do a much better job of not going to excess in regards to #5
and this is only a few of many.

My point is... whatever your answers are to "what can i change" is going to determine your timeframe.

You almost have to pick one... Either a time frame or chosing your own answers.

If you want to stick to your 18-24 months, than that timeframe may answer some of these Q's for you... and yeah... Social drinking may not make the cut...

If you dont want to set a time frame (which i didnt), but want to live a healthier, thinner, more exciting life (which i am), then be honest with yourself with your answers and get started TODAY!

You will need the commitment and determination... For the long haul.

Good luck, hope this helps.
 
Alcohol has been a struggle and setback for me.

I keep track of my calories each day. Whenever I go over my set goal, alcohol or other hunger causing substances usually have played a part.

I realized that I am incapable of going to a bar for an extended period of time and having one beer. That's why sometimes I go for a singe quick drink, have my one drink and then I have to leave immediately. I had a Jack and Coke last week which was a nice treat, but afterwards I felt guilty for having soda. It has been over seven months since I had a coke. I don't think I could stay and drink water at a bar either. It sounds like a good plan, but it wouldn't last long for me. The judgement and decision making get impaired.

I usually avoid going to the local small town bar all together, because I know that it is a weak spot for me. There is no other local night spot within 35 miles. Also fishing and poker are hard because they are weekly events for me that involve a party crowd. I drink water when I fish and play poker. I may have one light beer, and that is a treat.

The bar is too hard to limit myself to one beer. That's like hanging out at the Jellie Belly factory all day and telling yourself you'll just have one jelly bean. Why torture myself? I'm 40, so I've already overindulged my share when I was in my 20's. It would be much harder if I was 23.

I think it comes down to your dedication to losing weight. How important is it to you? How bad do you want it?

They do have some low calorie beers like MGD 64 or Heineken light. I like to have a single cold one now and then, but it won't help you lose weight.

I have the same issue visiting my dad because he is always drinking and offering a drink, not to mention he cooks unhealthy meals and insists on having a bite with him. (lots of butter, bacon, white bread, dressing, etc. - yuck!)

I guess the key is moderation.
 
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