Some thoughts on cutting back on alcohol page 2

[keithpowers]

I drink whiskey, on ice with a splash of water. I haven't really altered my consumption rates MUCH, but I can't hold as much as I did before. That said, part of it might have been the 100 extra pounds of blubber I had to diffuse the booze.

I don't find it significantly affects my rest patterns...

[magicmerl]

I am definitely more sensitive to alcohol now. Except for when I drink my beer that is the reward for mowing the lawns

[saturnfan]

I have cut back a lot on alcohol too and not because I have been trying to live a primal lifestyle. When I started I basically made the choice that alcohol would be my main vice instead of other "cheats."

But before I digress, the main reason I cut back is that very modest amounts of alcohol sometimes leads to a hangover. I'm talking like 2 beers can sometimes result in me feeling like crap in the morning. Also, if I drink to intoxication, my next day hangover is sometimes accompanied by a dramatic bout of anxiety where I feel nervous and skidish all day and can't accomplish anything.

So against my better interest, I still have a few beers a month since I enjoy a good craft beer. But I have cut back for the most part.

[bdlee73]

When will I ever learn? Went out last night and had two pints of craft beer and simply felt like crap last night! I hard a hard time falling asleep and overall felt really off. I think this may be the end of the line for beer.

[JennGlob]

I have been as much as a 3 bottles of red wine a week girl. Last April I decided that I probably did not need the extra 3000 calories a week, but still had about a bottle and a half. Then in the fall I participated in an 8 weeks transformation at the gym and only drank on weekends. I slept so much better, my workouts were better etc. However, I promised myself if I did another transformation I would abstain for the 8 weeks. We are now 10 days no alcohol. I have to say the difference is pretty amazing, sleeping better, able to go all out in the workouts, far less snacking etc. I still think about my wine, but am enjoying the benefits enough to not crack. Yet.

[Scott F]

If I want to serious about dropping body fat I have to cut back on drinking. Even one or two classes of wine gets me to snacking before bed. My enthusiasm for exercise also declines. Over the Hollidays I got into the habit of one of two glasses a night and managed to regain some weight.

It stands to reason that if fructose affects weight gain alcohol would too since liver metabolism treats them in much the same way

[adamm]

If I want to serious about dropping body fat I have to cut back on drinking. Even one or two classes of wine gets me to snacking before bed. My enthusiasm for exercise also declines. Over the Hollidays I got into the habit of one of two glasses a night and managed to regain some weight.

It stands to reason that if fructose affects weight gain alcohol would too since liver metabolism treats them in much the same way

I agree. I recently stopped drinking Monday through Thursday as an experiment (about 3 months ago). I've noticed that going to bed after a couple of glasses of wine seems to have absolutely no impact on my sleep or my feeling of wellness. Regardless of how much or little I drink, I sleep like a rock, get my 8 - 9 hours, and feel fine in the morning.

At the same time, if I drink wine, it is a trigger food for me, and *encourages* me to snack. That is why I stopped during the week as I'm trying to really lock down my diet. If I don't have a glass of wine with/after dinner, my IF is easy. I don't think about it, and all is good. But if I do have a glass or two, regardless of what I'm doing, I get the urge to snack. Ugh.

--Me

[AMonkey]

If I have more than one glass of beer or glass of wine, I don't sleep well and my body feels "blah". Has anyone else had similar experiences?

This is a normal response. Alcohol messes with your sleep cycles, I can't remember the details.

[bdlee73]

This is a normal response. Alcohol messes with your sleep cycles, I can't remember the details.

I don't know about the physiology of it, but alcohol is a stimulant so I'm sure that contributes to the restlessness.

If I have a glass or two of wine, I'm not impacted as much as beer. It makes me think that the type of carbs in beer (wheat!!!) has become very disagreeable to me - especially since I have beer about twice a month now. I'll just go back to herbal tea in the evenings.

[OneDeltaTenTango]

I know I need to dial back the wine a bit, like only weekends. My 1-2 glasses over dinner easily become 3-4 over the evening, which leads to snacking, etc. I realize that the last 5 lbs could likely be addressed by ditching the wine for a while. The real challenge for me is to see if ditching wine will improve sleep quality, which has never been really good for me. I just wish it wasn't soo tasty, wish I didn't relish the mild buzz and relaxation, wish I had something to replace the tactile habit of holding and sipping wine, wish it wasn't so much a part of my social engagement....