Drinking Alchohol When Attempting Weight Loss

[Jingthing]

I believe alcohol in moderation is a good thing, actually health promoting.

So for a normal weight person that would be two normal sized drinks for men, and one for women. Sorry if that sounds sexist but research seems to back up the difference.

I think two drinks a day is too much for a man hoping to lose weight though.

Well, I've been doing the one drink thing for years.

I am STILL doing it and managing to lose weight.

I am not sure everyone can lose weight though and keep drinking.

My drinking limits which I have done for years:

ONE drink a day

Examples:

One shot hard liquor

One small bottle light beer

One glass of wine

As this level, I don't really EVER get drunk and I know many people would feel that as a deprivation.

I do however get a small rush especially from the shots of hard liquor. Not really anything from light beer.

In Thailand, I have been drinking San Miguel Lite.

If I could afford it I would probably drink 100 percent agave TEQUILA most everyday as my daily drink.

But that's expensive.

So for hard liquor, I have been drinking mostly vodka, sometimes rum.

I am not entirely clear how many one drinks are contained in a standard bottle of wine.

I rarely drink wine in Thailand though.

So what is the equivalent percentage of wine bottle to a standard shot of hard liquor?

Caveat: Obviously if you're an alchoholic you generally won't be able to limit yourself to one drink. So for you guys, its no drink or too much drink, sorry. I've been blessed with non-alchoholic genes. A little surprising considering I have an addictive personality for other things.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Jingthing

[smokie36]

That is all in the calories I think JT.

Stick to Vodka....on ice hardly any calories at all I think....get pissed and stay thin.

Better to stick to just the one anyway though is my advice.

I am crap at following my own excellent advice however.

[David48]

I find that drinking while dieting is difficult.

You done the exercise, shown restraint with the food.

Feel a little hunger, but nothing crazy.

Have a few beers and the little hunger becomes a beast that cries out FOOD man ... bring some real food ... not that the salad and tuna sh*it you had for lunch.

So alcohol and diets for me don't mix.

[sustento]

[Jingthing]

A few beers isn't the same thing as one Lite Beer.

My theory is if you feel horribly deprived that greatly diminishes the odds of sticking with any eating plan LONG TERM.

I don't believe in diets anyway.

I think the only hope is finding a style of eating (and drinking) that you can live with FOR LIFE and if that style makes you feel deprived, you are sunk. It won't be the same for everyone.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Jingthing

[smokie36]

A few beers isn't the same thing as one Lite Beer.

My theory is if you feel horribly deprived that greatly diminishes the odds of sticking with any eating plan LONG TERM.

I don't believe in diets anyway.

I think the only hope is finding a style of eating (and drinking) that you can live with FOR LIFE and if that style makes you feel deprived, you are sunk. It won't be the same for everyone.

I love good salads but they just aint readily available at a reasonable price all over the place.

Don't ask me to make it myself....no risk of that after my alcohol intake.

But if it was standard fare and cheap I would have a Mediterranean salad every day regardless of location.

[robblok]

I totally stopped drinking, but i drink to get drunk i really don't enjoy the taste. That means i would consume a lot and then it certainly is not a good thing. Say a glass of wine has proven to be good for you and if you fit it in your diet you can still loose weight in the end its about how much you consume and burn.

As for salad.. the only problem for me is that the nearest big c is 6 km away so im often too lazy to get the salad there. Now i found some lettuce and other stuff closer by so I will make it myself (just a can of tuna and some salad) its actually quite filling for me. It could replace some other stuff that I better not eat.

[Tolley]

I drink but not very much and try to avoid beer as it is the worst thing you can take if you are worried about weight. There is also the effect the sugar and yeast has as well.

If you are fit and healthy a bit of alcohol in your life is not going to hurt you and can make your social life a bit more enjoyable.

[bangkokburning]

Beer has double empty calories as spirits. Good shot of tasty Bourbon only 65 calories.

Much of mens weight problems here derive greatly just from beer and lack of excercising the mid section. Beer csn be though of as junk food.

[robblok]

Please elaborate "lack of exercising the mid section".. are you one of these guys who still believes in sit ups to reduce your mid section ?

This has been disproved millions of times already.

You burn fat all over your body doing any exercise you can't spot burn fat. If your exercising your legs you could burn fat from your belly. The body decides where it will get its fat from.

[tropo]

Please elaborate "lack of exercising the mid section".. are you one of these guys who still believes in sit ups to reduce your mid section ?

This has been disproved millions of times already.

You burn fat all over your body doing any exercise you can't spot burn fat. If your exercising your legs you could burn fat from your belly. The body decides where it will get its fat from.

What a shame though. Wouldn't it be great if you could just exercise a specific part of the body to lose weight there.

[Jingthing]

OK, I did a little research and I found that one shot of hard liquor equals about a FIVE OUNCE glass of wine. I had thought a standard bottle of wine yields only three glasses of wine but actually it's FIVE glasses of five ounces in order to keep to the limited ONE drink a day thingie.

Edited May 4, 2013 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

That's more like 1/3 the bottle. That would make me drunk.

[wellred]

Sunday to Thursday I am well behaved, and will have hit the gym 4 times over the course of the week. However come Friday I can't help but head to the pub with the lads after work. I don't really go out on weekends so limit myself to once a week. But it's always a heavy night and I'm feeling it the next day. I need to try cut down on this ideally to once every fortnight at most.

[sustento]

That's more like 1/3 the bottle. That would make me drunk.

That's ALL of the bottle. It's a very big glass

[Jingthing]

I see now. Funny.

[Naam]

OK, I did a little research and I found that one shot of hard liquor equals about a FIVE OUNCE glass of wine. I had thought a standard bottle of wine yields only three glasses of wine but actually it's FIVE glasses of five ounces in order to keep to the limited ONE drink a day thingie.

a milkmaid equation JT. it does not take into consideration that the calorie content of hard liquor varies and the calorie content of "wine" can vary by several hundred percent due to different alcohol as well as sugar content calories. e.g. compare an old Port with an elCheapo Vin de Table.

[Jingthing]

OK, I did a little research and I found that one shot of hard liquor equals about a FIVE OUNCE glass of wine. I had thought a standard bottle of wine yields only three glasses of wine but actually it's FIVE glasses of five ounces in order to keep to the limited ONE drink a day thingie.

a milkmaid equation JT. it does not take into consideration that the calorie content of hard liquor varies and the calorie content of "wine" can vary by several hundred percent due to different alcohol as well as sugar content calories. e.g. compare an old Port with an elCheapo Vin de Table.

Granted but I obviously wasn't talking about Port and hard liquor actually doesn't vary very much per shot.

[bangkockney]

Just stick to two simple principles and you'll be fine:

Calories in less than calories out.

Be true to yourself and give everything when you exercise. Or as it was beasted into me: 110% effort, 110% of the time.

[tropo]

Just stick to two simple principles and you'll be fine:

Calories in less than calories out.

Be true to yourself and give everything when you exercise. Or as it was beasted into me: 110% effort, 110% of the time.

It's better to pace yourself when you exercise than go all out. Go steady and go for the long haul. Going overboard, especially in the beginning is the number one reason why so many people drop out of an exercise program. It's also very likely to cause injuries. The body needs to be treated gently. It really isn't a machine.

[robblok]

Says you... i bet most posters here would not survive a workout with you. But you are right going full out all the time is not possible.

But most dont workout enough.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[bangkockney]

Just stick to two simple principles and you'll be fine:

Calories in less than calories out.

Be true to yourself and give everything when you exercise. Or as it was beasted into me: 110% effort, 110% of the time.

It's better to pace yourself when you exercise than go all out. Go steady and go for the long haul. Going overboard, especially in the beginning is the number one reason why so many people drop out of an exercise program. It's also very likely to cause injuries. The body needs to be treated gently. It really isn't a machine.

You misunderstand me.

But first, most people drop exercise because they have no discernible goals. What are you aiming to achieve just by ambling along.

Also, the body doesn't have to be treated gently. We are capable of amazing things, but we must learn not to listen to that little voice inside that screams stop.

Best efforts are important in any exercise programme. They allow you to monitor progress. When you do eg max 1 min press ups, you really shouldn't be able to push even one more out upon completion (but bonus points if you try!)

If you want to improve your mile time, you will have to push to achieve it. Best efforts over 1.5 miles etc. Be true to what your best effort is and over the whole distance. Don't let up because it's hard work. This is the point I'm driving at.

It's not about flogging yourself all the time, but doing what you plan to. Don't wimp out on the fartlec programme you've set yourself: sprint on the sprint sections, make sure you really are running fast pace on the relevant sections, don't only do it for 50 seconds if you've set 60. Don't jog longer than you should.

I'm not saying don't have a balanced programme and do everything at the double. I'm saying stick to your goals, push yourself, and complete the set exercises as prescribed.

[tropo]

Just stick to two simple principles and you'll be fine:

Calories in less than calories out.

Be true to yourself and give everything when you exercise. Or as it was beasted into me: 110% effort, 110% of the time.

It's better to pace yourself when you exercise than go all out. Go steady and go for the long haul. Going overboard, especially in the beginning is the number one reason why so many people drop out of an exercise program. It's also very likely to cause injuries. The body needs to be treated gently. It really isn't a machine.

You misunderstand me.

But first, most people drop exercise because they have no discernible goals. What are you aiming to achieve just by ambling along.

Also, the body doesn't have to be treated gently. We are capable of amazing things, but we must learn not to listen to that little voice inside that screams stop.

Best efforts are important in any exercise programme. They allow you to monitor progress. When you do eg max 1 min press ups, you really shouldn't be able to push even one more out upon completion (but bonus points if you try!)

If you want to improve your mile time, you will have to push to achieve it. Best efforts over 1.5 miles etc. Be true to what your best effort is and over the whole distance. Don't let up because it's hard work. This is the point I'm driving at.

It's not about flogging yourself all the time, but doing what you plan to. Don't wimp out on the fartlec programme you've set yourself: sprint on the sprint sections, make sure you really are running fast pace on the relevant sections, don't only do it for 50 seconds if you've set 60. Don't jog longer than you should.

I'm not saying don't have a balanced programme and do everything at the double. I'm saying stick to your goals, push yourself, and complete the set exercises as prescribed.

I can only understand you based on what you're posting.

You've offered about the worst possible advice imaginable in two bold statements:

1. 110% effort, 110% of the time.

2. Also, the body doesn't have to be treated gently. We are capable of amazing things, but we must learn not to listen to that little voice inside that screams stop.

Who do you think you're posting to here? A team of college students getting ready for a weightlifting competition? 18 year olds at an army camp?

Mainly people on here are older (40 plus), out of condition and in poor health. Drink too much. Eat the wrong foods and lead a sedentary life. Overweight.

Your advice is not even good for younger people. I know a thing or two about stressing the body too much. I had back and shoulder injuries in my teen years due to pushing too hard... but learning the hard way I discovered how to train the body with less risk of injury and at 53 I'm still going strong.

Training to failure is training you for failure... and that's not taking into account the injury risk. Training to failure leads very quickly to CNS burnout and should be used intelligently and sparingly. It has the opposite of the desired effect - it's slows progress and can make you go backwards.

In the gym your advice will lead to muscle tears, rotator cuff injuries, elbow tendinitis, knee and back injuries - just to name a few.

Most competitive athletes who head your advice drop out of their sports before they reach 30 and often due to injuries accumulating from pushing the body too hard and thus becoming uncompetitive.

Fortunately most coaches these days don't heed your advice and have a better idea how to treat the body.

The guys who consider injury risk before they get injured are usually the champions.

You say: "What are you aiming to achieve just by ambling along?"

A long, healthy, active life style is what we should be aiming to achieve. You won't get there by punishing the body to the extent you suggest.

You say: "I'm not saying don't have a balanced programme and do everything at the double. I'm saying stick to your goals, push yourself, and complete the set exercises as prescribed."

You should never mindlessly complete a set of exercises without considering other factors. How many people continue to push through injuries to finish their program, thereby doing more harm? Maybe the exercise is not suitable for you and it is causing more harm than good? If you're exhausted you should stop. You should let your body decide when you should stop, not some written program. This is the way forward if you want to keep at it for your whole life.

If for example my goal was to complete 10 reps of an exercise but I could only complete 9. Should I feel disappointed? Absolutely not. It was smart to stop at 9 rather than risk injury and recovery for 10.

Never train at 100%. Always leave some reserve. If you're competing, go to 100% only occasionally.

Life is not a competition, it's a journey.

[robblok]

@tropo,

I certainly don't do every set and exercise to faillure.. but it does happen during my training on some exercises.

Not sure at how many percent I train but I do know that after a few weeks or months or hard training a bit of deloading or off time does wonders for the body.

But i think in general people don't train that hard. How many do you see that go as far as you do ? How many do you see that are curling with light weights admiring themselves in the mirror ?

[tropo]

@tropo,

I certainly don't do every set and exercise to faillure.. but it does happen during my training on some exercises.

Not sure at how many percent I train but I do know that after a few weeks or months or hard training a bit of deloading or off time does wonders for the body.

But i think in general people don't train that hard. How many do you see that go as far as you do ? How many do you see that are curling with light weights admiring themselves in the mirror ?

Training to absolute failure is always going to hinder your progress. It's only useful as a test of strength, nothing more. There's many reasons why a failure rep is non-productive.

You should always stop before you reach that point. Stopping on a successful rep improves your chances of increasing next workout. There's also a psychological consideration for a successful rep. It feels good. A failed rep is a failure and doesn't feel good.

On bench press, for example, I couldn't go to absolute failure even if I wanted to as I don't use a spotter, so problem solved. If I failed I'd be stuck with a heavy weight on my chest. On other exercises failure is nearly impossible anyway due to the ease of cheating up a rep or two extra by using momentum... eg curls, pulldowns or pull ups, rows. Near maximum squats won't be as deep, so you're essentially cheating the last reps up. Deadlifts will be a notable exception as you can fail. Do you ever take them to failure?

I'm not really talking about burnouts though. Sometimes I'll do drop sets and keep on going until the muscle is fried, but there'll always be a rep or two in reserve... but that's high rep training. How far I go into the set would depend on how much pain (lactic acid burn) I can or want to deal with.

Forced reps from a training partner soon lead to overtraining. I gave that up in my younger, more injured years.

The example given above by Bangkockney about doing maximum pushups for 1 minute is not a very good example because it's easy to do a few extra reps if you use bad technique and push short of the floor, which is nearly always the case in push competitions.

When I do pushups I go down to the floor and pause on each rep. You can't do a lot like that but it certainly works the chest well. Even better, I use an armchair and raised legs and do deficit push ups, getting a few extra inches of ROM. I don't care how many I do, but how the chest is working..., and the PUMP!

There's a lot more to physical exercise than numbers and other measurements of performance. It's an organic understanding of how the body is functioning.

Edited May 18, 2013 by tropo

[OldChinaHam]

Why not just stick with diet Coke?

Is that not the "Realthing"?

[OldChinaHam]

"I do however get a small rush especially from the shots of hard liquor."

Try a shot of wormwood next time why don't you?

I mean, only if you want a real buzz.

Edited May 18, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[bangkockney]

Tropo,

We clearly have very different backgrounds that have shaped our mindset, and that's something I'll come to later.

I reject your claims that I've offered the worst advice imaginable.

You are conpletley against any kind of benchmarking. You therefore even reject the bleep test, developed by a university as a maximal test of CV fitness. There are also sit-up and press up bleep tests.

Benchmarking through best effort is used by civilian trainers and armed forces the world over. It is an important element of PT. Period. You can't measure progress in any other way. You can't assess fitness standards in any other way.

As to your disparaging description of the average TV user - it's irrelevant because best effort is entirely individual. The best effort of your average user over 1.5 miles might be only a jog for 200m, walking the rest and completing in 28 minutes. That's fine. It allows for a proper and realistic training programme to be developed for that individual.

4 weeks later that same individual tries again and improves his time. Progress is measured and confidence is built.

Regarding the 110% line you seem hung up on. Let me give you some further examples to illustrate what I mean (again read my previous post, it's not about flogging yourself all of the time):

- It's tackling the guy who's taller than you and has legs like tree trunks on the rugby pitch. And doing it again and again.

- It's getting that run in even if it's raining.

- It's not stopping just because of a blister or a toe nail coming loose.

- It's the effort given by people who do the World Marathon Challenge. The people who run long endurance races. The people who climb large peeks.

- It's showing some grit to achieve your aims of weight loss and increased levels of fitness regardless of where you start.

- It's an ethos, a spirit, a mind set.

I've never said to train through an injury. That's pointless, dangerous and I'd of thought obvious. I said resist the urge to quit because developing fitness is hard or you're huffing and puffing and feeling the pinch.

So, on to my background in order to address your stop if exhausted, treat the body gently, never give 100%, and the different mind sets we have.

In my teens I was, to be frank, a fat waste of oxygen. I went on to serve for 10 years as an airbourne infanteer. I gave everything to pass the course and achieve a dream.

I've faced the worst case: patrolling for 8 hours in 50 C, mentally and physically exhausted. A mate gets shot. His life was savable, but he couldn't be medevaced where we were. Exhaustion and treating our bodies gently didn't come into it. We busted our guts, gave our all, everything, and carried him and his gear out.

Why is this possible? Are we Supermen? No, we believed in 110%, 110% of the time. It was expected of everyone.

You'll probably retort this doesn't matter to a civilian. The details don't, the mind set does.

The moral? Anyone can shed pounds and get fit with the right attitude and hard work. But don't be work-shy. It takes commitment and effort.

[bangkockney]

And to make a more on-topic post: I drank like a fish as a soldier. Binge drinking even, coming off tour and getting smashed. Didn't stop me from being trim and fit.

Still drink, still fit.

Edited May 18, 2013 by bangkockney

[OldChinaHam]

Honestly, I do not think drinking alcohol in excess or otherwise will that much influence body weight, under certain conditions.

The Chinese business guys I have eaten dinner with, and gone drinking with, and shared afternoons with

Drink like fish. A bottle or three of Cognac during a long evening is not atypical. But they remain skinny.

They do not eat Krap though. And they work very hard. They hate big macs.

The next generation is growing up with a very different diet, filled with lots of fast food from western franchises.

This generation is at significantly higher risk from diabetes and many other ailments.

They are really about twice the weight of their parents.

Traditionally, in Chinese culture, being fat is a positive attribute, as it signifies that one has a bit of wealth.

Eat more is what you will hear at any dinner gathering, spoken by the host.

Drink more, too.

Edited May 18, 2013 by OldChinaHam