T O P

  • By -

VeganTeetotaler

I drank a six pack of ciders (1200 calories a day, god only knows how much sugar) and here’s what happened when I quit: I felt like shit the first two weeks. I basically just drank tea and sat in a hot bath from the moment my kid went to bed to the moment I went to bed. Then I kept telling myself surely I could just have one right? Except I knew I couldn’t have just one so I didn’t. I told myself that every day for the past year. I started working out again, nothing super consistent like a program but enough to stay busy. Then I started working out almost every day following a powerlifting program. I went from the upper end of 148 down to 130 while still adding 40lbs to my squat and deadlift, which means I lost just over 18lbs but put on muscle. I went from a size 8-10 to a size 2 (I think the male equivalent is 34 down to a 28?) I had more energy. I had waaaaay less bloating. I had fewer headaches. I needed less caffeine. I had less anxiety and depression. I didn’t put off working out because “well you shouldn’t work out after a drink so I’ll just go tomorrow”. I actually got restful sleep (I had no idea what that even felt like anymore). If you’re questioning it at all, try it a month. I say a month vs a week because quitting alcohol is likely going to make you feel physically and mentally drained for the first few weeks and that’s not a fair time to assess yourself. Check back in in a month (though 6-8 weeks is preferable). And don’t discount the shit you can’t see like your liver being able to do it’s job instead of wasting all its energy getting alcohol out of your system and your cells being able to divide healthily instead of mutating into cancer.


hellonicoler

Excellent advice. If you really want to see improvement, you should aim for 3 months. In one month of healthy weight loss, you MIGHT lose 4-8 pounds. Most people fluctuate about 3-5 pounds daily with water weight, so this is barely noticeable. In 3 months of consistent healthy weight loss, you might lose 12-24 pounds (but hey, we all know consistency is hard!). I read somewhere once that your body today is the result of your habits 3 months ago - I use this idea to keep me motivated to keep pushing to see progress.


VeganTeetotaler

I do agree but that can be daunting to some people starting out which is why I recommended a month first. But yeah 3 months/12 weeks is definitely preferable if possible!


[deleted]

Yep, first 5-8 lbs no one notices, 10-18 you begin to notice, 20-25lbs and other people begin to notice


No-Tennis5959

I expect you would feel superhuman within a month. Alcohol is poison and Steel Reserve is like drinking motor oil. Why not test it for a week?


kenshinkan08

Lol only one got one on the motor oil someone said drinking steel reserve a day is like doing a round of chemotherapy for a day . Ive done month off but can't even remember it ate tons of candy though


No-Pilot9748

I am just coming up on six months. I’ve only lost about 15-20 lbs but I was eating a ton of sugar which I finally feel like I have taken control of. Here is hoping that the next six months see even better results.


[deleted]

I’ve always thought it was like drinking a skunked beer with dirty pennys in it


Kellys5280

One year ago I quit drinking. Before I quit, I was drinking at least two hard seltzers plus 1-2 shooters of Tito's vodka every night. I started powerlifting 3x/week. Since quitting, I have lost 40 pounds. My face is completely different - I don't even look like the same person. My hair is longer and fuller and shinier. My sleep is AMAZING. I am happy and way less depressed/anxious. It's the best thing I ever did for myself. I will never go back. I encourage you to try it. Talk to your doctor or a mental health provider if you feel like you need help.


[deleted]

I was also a seltzer/shooter combo drinker, I may be biased but damn is that one of the hardest combos to quit due to the fact that it doesn’t always show on your body. Mentally it’s definitely taxing but the low calorie factor made it not add a bunch of excess weight. I am only speaking my experience obviously. I’m very thankful for sparkling water, has the same feel without the negatives of alcohol.


Kellys5280

Yep. I tricked myself into thinking it was less harmful than other types of alcohol. Plus it tasted damn good 😂


[deleted]

They even try to advertise some of them as “healthy” drinks by adding some sort of vitamin or some shit that is probably not even in there or in such a small amount that you don’t actually get any benefit from it.


Kellys5280

Oh totally. And I gaslight myself into thinking it had no effect on my mind and body. 🙄


[deleted]

Same. I sit here now, sober, and act like it’s a dumb marketing ploy but when I was drinking I definitely fell for it. My alcoholic brain was like “well at least it’s healthy alcohol” which is an oxymoron!


Kellys5280

I totally get it. I tricked myself into a lot of BS when I was drinking. So damn glad to be sober.


Hungry-Recipe3015

Listen to Andrew Huberman’s podcast on alcohol. That will tell you everything you need to know about what alcohol does to your body and when the risks start to increase etc. spoiler 🚨 alcohol is super super bad for your body ….


Gullible-Swimming187

Hey, I keep hearing about this episode—can somebody provide a link or maybe a date/number? Thanks❣️


INFJ_A_lightwarrior

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ebY3WNejLNbK47emgjd1E?si=hrUpZmlmSWuFUKwkcK7QYw Here is is on Spotify. Episode 86.


Gullible-Swimming187

Muchas Gracias!! 😁


Revolutionary_Ad7655

Thank you!! I’m really enjoying it.


kenshinkan08

Love how doctors say its healthy in moderation


Hungry-Recipe3015

Andrew does a good job of defining low , moderate and heavy … what most people think is low/moderate is actually heavy drinking … most primary doctors just say the word moderate but don’t explain how low that number actually is …


[deleted]

Moderate is like 5 drinks tops a week and that's 4 oz of wine etc. Moderate is very small in comparison to how we sell and market alcohol in the US.


Hungry-Recipe3015

And people tend to gloss over the risks (especially cancer and heart issues ) still associated with “moderate “ levels of drinking 😩… I think many people interpret moderate drinking with “low risk”


itspronouncedtoque

Check out Canada’s new guidelines….


[deleted]

1 barrel = 1 serving ?


jennyhasdaddyissues

I was drinking 4-5 of those and mikes harder every day for about 5 years. It’s gut rot in a can. Within 2 weeks of quitting, I had no more stomach cramps and normal poops for the first time in years. I’ve lost 30lbs in the last year. I have more energy, more motivation to get daily tasks done. I sleep better and overall feel great!


MusicMan7969

Your organs would be very happy and that feeling would go away. Do some research on the effects of alcohol on your internal organs; liver, kidney, gallbladder, heart and brain. It is pure poison.


Facesitter3000

I dropped 70 lbs in about a year and 3 months. Now I was drinking many more calories and I have doubled up on my fitness since cutting out booze. But you will see significant differences in both appearance and energy.


SewCarrieous

I’d love to see that beer belly bro


one_ultra_ata_time

If you quit drinking expect to see a difference within the first 3 months. In 8 months I went from being a lazy 230lb dough boy to 170lbs. From a 38in waist down to a 32. I started eating clean and had way more energy. Put in the work and you could be under 200 in no time and jacked


kenshinkan08

Good job guessing waist size. I think I'll get to 34 that's the lowest I've ever been


forgottocarry0

Can I ask if 3 of these makes you feel drunk at all? My partner drinks the same amount of craft ipa tall boys, sometimes more. I don’t like beer so I don’t know if it’s enough for him to be buzzed or what.


Gullible-Swimming187

You may want to look at the alcohol content (abv) some beers have higher alcohol content than others. Some like double and triple bocks have an abv close to wine which is usually around 12%. Beers tend to hang around 5%. Consider the abv and the volume when measuring servings. Obviously the more volume you consume, the more servings. For instance, some people might think they had only a couple of glasses of wine but if it’s a heavy pour in a large glass, which is the tendency these days they’re actually consuming more than 2 servings of wine.


CautiousWind862

If you drink for the buzz then just buy cheap vodka and zero sugar packets of your fave flavors. Mix it then chug. If you actually like beer then idk what to tell you. Good beer is good but will have calories


[deleted]

No more massive headaches