Non Drinker

[Jazzafish]

Yeah, no dry month for me as it will no doubt lead to a binge and bad temper, hopefully not simultaneously! I wouldn't say I'm a big drinker, but I may have 2 to 4 beers in the average sample. This goes on around 3 or 4 times a week on average too. But I'm human, and may enjoy more at a party or tasting session, but this isn't often.

I have been around 85kg +/-3Kg for the last 10 years. Body Mass Index suggests that puts me in the slightly overweight category. But I have been there my whole life and couldn't give a toss!

However, I really enjoyed this years festive season and lived large. More parties, more food, no sport/training and more beer. Had a blast, but when I stepped on the scales a little over a week ago, I came in at 92Kg. Heaviest I've been, gaining 7Kg in a month but this is due to the festive fun. Happens most years to some degree.

This year I have decided to loose the same weight I put on at the same rate, 7Kg in a month. My strategy is to drop my drinking beer to 2 to 3 times a week (picking up an extra night shift helps the AFD and also budget recovery), avoid fast food and softdrink and exercise more than last month. In the last week I have done no exercise, but avoided softdrink to some degree, avoided fast food and ate less. Haven't done it tough at all but I have still lost 1.3Kg in the week.

See how I go in the month?

 

[manticle]

Continuing with off topic I got given this book for Christmas and not surprisingly, for those such as CM2 who know my brewing style, I love it.

And more off topic - this book is heading my way as we speak. Looking forward to it.

As for non-drinking - I feel healthier drinking my own homebrew most days than I ever did going near most commercial preservative laden beers and wines. I'm fairly lucky with my weight - sits at about 72 at the moment and the 3 -4 kg I've put on recently is actually welcome. I say lucky because I have a good metabolism but I also eat fairly fresh food and excercise frequently which I reckon is a larger key to weight control than simply not drinking. Carrying heavy fermenters around the backyard helps a bit.

Anyway whatever works for you - taking charge of your health in any way shape or form should be encouraged (taking colloidal silver or diet bills excepted). Just make sure whatever you do involves some kind of activity and sensible eating. No point going off the booze and compensating with deep fried dim sim and chocolate lard sandwiches on the couch every night.

 

[j1gsaw]

That is the exact problem with taking "a month off", it's akin to a binge-purge cycle and does not promote healthy drinking habits.

:huh: paranoid much?

Just because someone has time off the grog doesnt mean they will jump straight back on the wagon for a blinder.
Its the same as someone with a love of chocolate, or fast food, up to the individual on how they go about it.

 

[Adamt]

Being at a constant weight for 10 years will make it very easy for you to drop back to that weight after your Christmas gain (provided you go back to your previous intake/activity level).

 

[Snow]

2 weeks off for me, starting yesterday. Then, I will be doing at least 3 AFDs per week and keeping my drinks down to 2 pints max per night. I turn forty in November and I have promised myself I will be around 80kg by then. I am 96kg now, so it will not be an easy target to achieve. A couple of fun runs and a triathalon as objectives should help with the excercise motivation.

Cheers - Snow

 

[argon]

:huh: paranoid much?

Just because someone has time off the grog doesnt mean they will jump straight back on the wagon for a blinder.
Its the same as someone with a love of chocolate, or fast food, up to the individual on how they go about it.

Got to agree here. Taking some time off the beers doesn't necessarily mean I make up for it when the drought breaks.

I've done it for a few years now and evey time I've dropped a fair bit of weight and felt alot healthier for it. The first beer in weeks always tastes better too. Mostly cause I'm in the pool with a cold lager come Australia day.

As for the following days after Australia day. I don't make up for the time off at all. I find the more I drink the more I drink (if that makes sense) so i find the consumption scaled back a bit.

I've planned for it this year too. Got a lager bottle conditioning now ready for aus day. And 3 seperate summer ales cold conditioning as well. So the time off the beers will actually help my brews condition. That is without me getting into them before they're ready.

 

[bradsbrew]

I am aiming for 2 AFD's a week which will be tue and wed and no more than two pints on week nights. Also aiming for a beer O'clock time on weekends too havbt settled on a suitable time yet. My weight has gone up heaps and my fitness has gone down heaps.

Brad

 

[phinnsfotos]

Maybe a good time to brew up a non-alcoholic ginger beer or lemonade. Got to keep those hands busy.

 

[Adamt]

:huh: paranoid much?

Just because someone has time off the grog doesnt mean they will jump straight back on the wagon for a blinder.
Its the same as someone with a love of chocolate, or fast food, up to the individual on how they go about it.

No... not paranoid at all. I'm just saying you can get results as good or better by moving towards healthier drinking habits... and you don't have to take a month off!

 

[j1gsaw]

No... not paranoid at all. I'm just saying you can get results as good or better by moving towards healthier drinking habits... and you don't have to take a month off!

As for big lumps such as myself, who have always been overweight, (or obese according to the BMI index) :huh:
It has always been easy to sit down of an afternoon and absorb 5-6 tallies plus a few sprits. Thats a regular thing for me. Weekends are bigger again.
I have no doubt that is what contributes the weight.
Im the kind of bloke that just cant have 1-2 stubbies and be satisfied...Im sure a lot of you characters are the same.
When i go off the piss, i have to go right off, or it wont work.
Same as when i give the durries away occasionally, cold turkey for the win!

 

[Pollux]

It has always been easy to sit down of an afternoon and absorb 5-6 tallies plus a few sprits. Thats a regular thing for me. Weekends are bigger again.
I have no doubt that is what contributes the weight.
Im the kind of bloke that just cant have 1-2 stubbies and be satisfied...Im sure a lot of you characters are the same.
When i go off the piss, i have to go right off, or it wont work.
Same as when i give the durries away occasionally, cold turkey for the win!

I'm much the same, I work 4am-midday and as such normally have a beer in my hand by the time I am prepping dinner (4pm), then I tend to continue to drink through dinner and really until I go to bed (8pm). I currently have no AFDs in my week.......

I have now filled one of my kegs filled with water, this allows me to be able to have a soda water between schooners, this seems to help during the summer months.

 

[komodo]

I took up personal training earlier this year and its been the best thing for me. My personal fitness has increased massively and I'm back to about 75% of the size I was when I was 16 & splitting firewood for a crust (I was a fairly well built unit back then for my height).
My problem was I went from growing up on property and working in a stockfeed and garden supplies centre splitting firewood and lugging sacks of feed around (when they were 40 and 50kgs not this 25kg crap) to turning 17 and sitting on my date working on a computer as a draftsman and fabrication manager for the past 8 years. My weight has slowly increased, the belt has been undone a few notches, my fitness decreased and my strength all but gone.
I'm 5'8" and I weigh in at between 84 and 86kgs and I never move more than 1/2kg a week. When I first hit the gym I was 92kg and I could barely opperate most of the machines. Since going to personal training and starting to have one protein shake a day I've lost the kgs, gained the strength back, reduced my portion sizes massively and I've cut back on the beers. I'm feeling fitter than ever and because the personal trainer gets us to diary what we eat we are more concious of what we are eatting. It makes you stop and think "yeah maybe I wont have that extra sugar in my coffee". Even though the trainer never checks up on what we are eatting - we do. We look at the diary and go "holy crap I ate how much back then!".
I think having a detox is a good thing. I do think that, whilst not every one has a binge after a detox, there is a high number of people who do and thats a big trap when having a detox. I like that I am now having 4-5 days off the beers and 2-3 days on. I'm enjoying my beers more and I think my body is liking me more too. I just need to convince my old man to give up the wine. He doesnt drink a lot but he does drink every day even when he is crook and its not doing his health any good...

 

[nathanR]

I am 6' 4" weigh 98kg eat heathy drink 1 or 2 740ml bottles a night eat heathy drink pleanty of water atleast 2lt a day

I think if you eat well get a little bit of excercise and dont stress out you will be healthy and will not have to "detox"

and dont drink heaps of coffee or coke that stuff will kill you

 

[Adamt]

Nothing wrong with coffee at all. Caffeine is an appetite suppressant and actually encourages the body to burn fat (although this effect is VERY minor). Generally, it's the sugar, milk and cream people put in coffee that makes it bad.

In fact, there's nothing wrong with almost everything, provided moderation is employed.

 

[geoffi]

Maybe a good time to brew up a non-alcoholic ginger beer or lemonade. Got to keep those hands busy.

Only problem with that is the sugar, unless you use one of the artificially sweetened kits. I believe soft drinks tend to contain more energy than beer.

 

[geoffi]

Nothing wrong with coffee at all. Caffeine is an appetite suppressant and actually encourages the body to burn fat (although this effect is VERY minor). Generally, it's the sugar, milk and cream people put in coffee that makes it bad.

In fact, there's nothing wrong with almost everything, provided moderation is employed.

I have heard that caffeine is a remarkably benign drug, certainly when compared to alcohol.

But the key point is the moderation thing. Even excessive drinking of water can kill you.

 

[manticle]

In fact, there's nothing wrong with almost everything, provided moderation is employed.

I agree with you (with the possible exception of crystal meth).

However, there's more than one way to skin a goose (and stuff it with butter, duck fat breadcrumbs and bacon)

 

[Pete2501]

There's the chef/cook in you coming out again

 

[manticle]

I can't get rid of the *******.

 

[phinnsfotos]

Only problem with that is the sugar, unless you use one of the artificially sweetened kits. I believe soft drinks tend to contain more energy than beer.

I know what you mean, but the last lemonade I did only had 750g of lactose and 300g of dex (bulk prime). It's certainly tart, but it goes down okay on a summers day.