I am giving up beer for 30 days

[Rhumbline]

Man, I find it hard to believe that your weight is dropping that much just from not drinking beer. You must've been drinking a lot huh?
I always felt like my weight was more affected by the food and the amounts I was eating more so than the beer and amounts I was drinking. There'd be weekends where'd I'd just get sh!tfaced Friday and Saturday night and my weight wouldn't change a bit on Monday. But a weekend or week of not drinking much and eating sh!tty and the weight starts creeping up...

Just sayin'... But congrats. Keep it up.

I'm actually doing the South Beach diet Phase 1. Absolutely no alcohol, no sugars of any kind, no grains or starches. This phase lasts for two weeks and then I can gradually add in some of the restricted foods.

You are correct in that it was the snacking that went along with the beer that did me in, not so much the beer itself. I've been weighing in every morning even before starting the diet and what I noticed is that the day after drinking my weight would typically decrease, but two days or so later was when it hit me, maybe I was just dehydrated that next morning.

I'm doing this more for the health benefits, any weight loss is just an added bonus but it's needed. My blood sugar and pressure are great, after being borderline.

 

[beersk]

I'm actually doing the South Beach diet Phase 1. Absolutely no alcohol, no sugars of any kind, no grains or starches. This phase lasts for two weeks and then I can gradually add in some of the restricted foods.

You are correct in that it was the snacking that went along with the beer that did me in, not so much the beer itself. I've been weighing in every morning even before starting the diet and what I noticed is that the day after drinking my weight would typically decrease, but two days or so later was when it hit me, maybe I was just dehydrated that next morning.

I'm doing this more for the health benefits, any weight loss is just an added bonus but it's needed. My blood sugar and pressure are great, after being borderline.

My triglycerides are high, like 252. Strangely enough, everything else was perfect on my last blood work test. And I'm not crazy over weight or anything and ride a bike for transportation. But it can't be what I'm eating, because I don't eat all that terribly. It is definitely the beer that I drink. So cutting back is a good idea for health. Plus, I just feel better. I had a few samples, which probably amounted to about a pint yesterday, and gawd damn were they tasting good. I wanted to keep going... but refused and resisted (Sepultura!!).

 

[brewcat]

Day 9. A beer would be good today. It's a hot one. But instead I'll try to finally get a bitter kegged. Instead of drinking I've been working on a kegerator. Go figure.

 

[SilverZero]

I did all of January alcohol-free. Partially it was because I was just exhausted from a long December of family and lots of food (and drink). I'm not into the detox movement but it did feel good to just ease off. I also think it's important for everybody to be able to "take it or leave it," whatever "it" may be in any one person's life. Good luck to any and all!

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

Day 9. A beer would be good today. It's a hot one. But instead I'll try to finally get a bitter kegged. Instead of drinking I've been working on a kegerator. Go figure.

Keep rollin' :fro:

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

The March continues. Great job everyone.

My weight is still heading in the right direction but I've got a ways to go.

Tomorrow is the halfway point, very cool. There's no doubting the benefits I've seen, not sure how many of them are physical vs mental, but it really doesn't matter. This experience has been a positive one.

Thanks for supporting me and congrats on your hard work.

 

[plumbrew]

Great job for going with this.

This past Lent, I gave up drinking. 47 days without a drink. It was amazing how good I felt. Made me wonder why I drank. Then on day 48, I had a glass of Founders CBS and that gave me the answer as to why I drank.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

DAY 15 - NO BEER:

Starting tomorrow I'll have more days behind me and fewer days remaining. That's a good feeling. Now over two weeks without a beer or any alcohol. Feeling quite good. Energized. Going to have to find some solid moderation when I return to the land of craft beer.

Easy day because I worked late and was too tired to even think about beer. Enjoyed some tacos for dinner and a delicious lemon bar for dessert. It's been nice to eat more calories instead of drinking them.

Thanks again to everyone for their support and chiming in on this thread.

15 down, 15 left.....

 

[blizzard]

Congrats on your successes! I could probably benefit from something like this, but I'm committed to reducing the size of my cellar this year (it's a rough job, but...). I'm in the same boat as others where I'm wanting to work out more and be more active this summer. I got about halfway through this thread, when I realized I should probably read it while riding the stationary bike. It's not a lot, but it's more than nothing.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Congrats on your successes! I could probably benefit from something like this, but I'm committed to reducing the size of my cellar this year (it's a rough job, but...). I'm in the same boat as others where I'm wanting to work out more and be more active this summer. I got about halfway through this thread, when I realized I should probably read it while riding the stationary bike. It's not a lot, but it's more than nothing.

I hear ya. Kind of off topic but not really... I went out and bought a fancy bike rack for my car thinking I would go to the metro parks, and a nice bike of course... and the only thing I use my bike for now is to ride a mile down the road from my apartment to The Brew Kettle for a few pints haha.

 

[Rhumbline]

DAY 15 - NO BEER:

Starting tomorrow I'll have more days behind me and fewer days remaining. That's a good feeling. Now over two weeks without a beer or any alcohol. Feeling quite good. Energized. Going to have to find some solid moderation when I return to the land of craft beer.

Easy day because I worked late and was too tired to even think about beer. Enjoyed some tacos for dinner and a delicious lemon bar for dessert. It's been nice to eat more calories instead of drinking them.

Thanks again to everyone for their support and chiming in on this thread.

15 down, 15 left.....

Congrats to everyone, and thanks again ArizonaGoalie for being the catalyst for this change.

I'm also thinking about how I can balance my enjoyment of food & drink with a healthy lifestyle once this is over.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Day 2 was pretty easy for me. Sort of missed having a pint around 10 last night when things started to wind down, but ice water really hit the spot after a long day.
I'm fairly convinced I drink mostly when I'm bored. When I keep busy I often forget about the pint I poured 30 minutes ago and have to go looking for it.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

Waking up this morning, one of my first thoughts is I'm now on the downhill side - day 16 and only 14 days in front of me.

Cheers to a great day!

 

[steveoatley]

I'm fairly convinced I drink mostly when I'm bored. When I keep busy I often forget about the pint I poured 30 minutes ago and have to go looking for it.

That is my problem as well, right on the nose !

Just my 2 cents

S

 

[beersk]

Day 2 was pretty easy for me. Sort of missed having a pint around 10 last night when things started to wind down, but ice water really hit the spot after a long day.
I'm fairly convinced I drink mostly when I'm bored. When I keep busy I often forget about the pint I poured 30 minutes ago and have to go looking for it.

I'm the same way. I definitely drink when I'm bored, kind of eases the boredom for sure. I didn't have a beer until about 9pm last night, which is late for me for my first beer, and I only had just the one - a hefeweizen. Tasted good, and that's all I needed. I'm not on a break like these other guys, but I'm cutting back. I am feeling better, but not like miles-above-the-way-I-was-before better. It is definitely nice not thinking about beer so much, or thinking I need to drink my stock to keep it turning over, etc. A general change of attitude towards beer is the goal. Instead of thinking I need to drink so much to keep up with how much I want to brew, just drink moderately and don't worry about the rest. Treat beer as a treat, rather than a necessity. Plus, it tastes better when I don't drink it as much.

 

[Rhumbline]

I'm the same way.

...A general change of attitude towards beer is the goal. Instead of thinking I need to drink so much to keep up with how much I want to brew, just drink moderately and don't worry about the rest. Treat beer as a treat, rather than a necessity. Plus, it tastes better when I don't drink it as much.

This is just the plan I have once the experiment is over. To look at beer/wine not as a reward or requirement but an enjoyable accent to a meal.

 

[SatanPrinceOfDarkness]

DAY 15 - NO BEER:

Starting tomorrow I'll have more days behind me and fewer days remaining. That's a good feeling. Now over two weeks without a beer or any alcohol. Feeling quite good. Energized. Going to have to find some solid moderation when I return to the land of craft beer.

Easy day because I worked late and was too tired to even think about beer. Enjoyed some tacos for dinner and a delicious lemon bar for dessert. It's been nice to eat more calories instead of drinking them.

Thanks again to everyone for their support and chiming in on this thread.

15 down, 15 left.....

I'm jealous! I've lost about 1/4 of my goal weight, so at least 6 weeks left, probably more.

 

[devinebrewingvt]

This thread has been really inspirational. I think i am going to try something along these lines over the next couple of weeks. I find myself lately needing to have a few drinks after work in order to relax and destress from a very stressful job, its starting to worry me a bit. I think trying to eliminate the drink for a stint and replacing it with more exercise will achieve the same thing and help the waistline. i have a lake house vacation planned for a week starting july 4th i think i will give this a try starting in the next day or so and see how it goes. I'll post some progress etc on here if thats ok.

thanks

 

[brewcat]

10 days. Got my bitter kegged last night. The hydrometer sample tasted good/like it should. I'm pumped for it to carb and try out my new system. But that first celebratory pint is still a week or two away. Have to make sure the system works.

 

[Rhumbline]

This thread has been really inspirational. I think i am going to try something along these lines over the next couple of weeks. I find myself lately needing to have a few drinks after work in order to relax and destress from a very stressful job, its starting to worry me a bit. I think trying to eliminate the drink for a stint and replacing it with more exercise will achieve the same thing and help the waistline. i have a lake house vacation planned for a week starting july 4th i think i will give this a try starting in the next day or so and see how it goes. I'll post some progress etc on here if thats ok.

thanks

Welcome aboard and good luck! I've found that this thread has kept me honest, even though I could lie and get away with it.

I'm sure you'll be welcome to post your progress on here.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" or is that Absinthe?

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

We took our daughter out for lunch today to celebrate her elementary school promotion. Cheesecake Factory had the following beers on tap:

Lightning - Thunderwiezen
Alesmith - Nut Brown
Stone - IPA
Green Flash - West Coast IPA
Karl Strauss - Red Trolley
Stella Artois

All local San Diego except for Stella. All delicious. And after 15+ days without a brew, all looked mighty inviting. Hey - we're celebrating, right? It's okay to have just one on a special day.

NOPE.

It was torture, but I resisted. I opted for a piece of fresh strawberry cheesecake instead.

Day 16 rolls on.....

 

[Dixon9717]

Way to go ArizonaGoalie. You've made a lot of us think about what we should do and inspired some to do it. I am trying the weekend only drinking. Day 3

 

[naturebrew]

Way to go everyone, great to read about the self control at work and hear the results being achieved. I think many of us are finding that homebrew can sneak up on us and change our lives, in not great ways, if we aren't careful. While some indicators are visible, weight gain, others are only known to ourselves, lack of energy, poor sleep, a feeling that perhaps drinking this much is not normal. Whatever has triggered the realization, its good, you see a problem and are dealing with it head on or at least feel there could be a problem and nip it in the bud before it becomes a serious health or life issue. I think most of us know at least one person in our lives that has denied some form of addiction only to suffer the consequences. My own personal trigger was the realization that I will have much more time on my hands as I move towards retirement from fulltime work later on this year. I am preparing myself now to fill that void with constructive things rather than moving without thought into more drinking than I was already doing which for me at least was, beginning to become a concern. Those who are at day 1 to day 16, who have lost a bit or a lot of weight, keep going all of you, you are moving in the right direction!

 

[Scriv]

Day 3, I feel like moving the beers from the fridge to the closet. They call to me whenever I open the fridge.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

Day 3, I feel like moving the beers from the fridge to the closet. They call to me whenever I open the fridge.

I know the feeling. My fridge is stocked. Didn't really plan that part well before I started my 30 day beer-free lifestyle.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

DAY 16 - BEERLESS:

Big food day made up for lack of beer. Going out to lunch today I realized that for some time I have been planning our meals out around beer. Today was the first time in a LONG time we planned it around FOOD. Hmmm...

Anyway, the restaurant had a few crafts on draft, but I resisted. I'm now on the other side of the hump and the countdown 'til my first beer is on.

My prediction is that it will be a Fat Tire on a Southwest flight. While not the ideal reintroduction, it's a craft beer classic, so it fits the bill. My real reintroduction will happen two days later when the wife and I hit one or two local SD breweries

14 days left....

 

[Rhumbline]

Still plugging along. I have decided on a Duvel as my re-entry beer. That and a spicy grilled chicken with some mango salsa.

The weight continues to drop off slowly, but each day sees the number getting smaller and I keep reminding myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint. I'm interested in seeing if I can maintain the steady loss once I re-introduce beer. I think I'll be fine as long as I avoid the snacks.

Good job all, keep up the fight.

 

[menotu]

i just keep on plugging away but the idea of an ice cold beer is getting more and more appealing. In hindsight i wish i would of started a weekend earlier have a big party/BBQ on the 20th and fathers day on the 21st. lol great planning. Can honestly say that is going to be a hard weekend plus the fact that ill be 25 days in wont be helping either.

Oh well i knew it was going to be a challenge at times, will just make that first beer even better when my month is up.

 

[naturebrew]

Day 3, I feel like moving the beers from the fridge to the closet. They call to me whenever I open the fridge.

I moved my kegerator to the basement to avoid even walking past it, feel your pain.

 

[naturebrew]

DAY 16 - BEERLESS:

Big food day made up for lack of beer. Going out to lunch today I realized that for some time I have been planning our meals out around beer. Today was the first time in a LONG time we planned it around FOOD. Hmmm...

Anyway, the restaurant had a few crafts on draft, but I resisted. I'm now on the other side of the hump and the countdown 'til my first beer is on.

My prediction is that it will be a Fat Tire on a Southwest flight. While not the ideal reintroduction, it's a craft beer classic, so it fits the bill. My real reintroduction will happen two days later when the wife and I hit one or two local SD breweries

14 days left....

Reminds me of being away from pizza and other fast foods when I would go on long coanoe trips as a teenager, all anyone talked about was what food they were going to eat when they got home.