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Before I get too deep here, let me just say how awesome you people are. I have to admit, I was a little bit apprehensive to write this series. What if no one cared? What if I fuck up and the weight doesn’t ever come off? But both the comments on the original installment and the DMs with things like this
alleviated my trepidation, and here we are, in Week Two of my public journey to lose this damn weight. If only my friends and family were as supportive as you all are, which brings me to what I wanted to talk about this week.
When a lot of dieters talk about being “sabotaged,” it’s usually by their families – Nana insisting you have another serving of her chicken parm until you accept just to get her to shut up. Fortunately for me, my family is Canadian and the food of my people is fucking disgusting, so refusing seconds is rather easy. (Sidenote: if there are any Italians or Mexicans out there looking to add a foul-mouthed Bostonian to their clan, HMU.) So it’s not my family that is the problem, it’s my friends. And it’s not food that’s the issue, but booze.
If we’re honest, the majority of our social lives center around alcohol. The after-work happy hour, the bottomless mimosa brunch, the “grab-a-drink” first date – almost everything we do socially revolves around adult beverages. And if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s a problem, because alcohol is basically “empty calories.” Let me break it down for you…and at the same time, probably break a few hearts:
According to MyFitnessPal:
10 ounce Moscow Mule: 320 calories
16 ounce Frozen Margarita: 300 calories
12 ounce Bud Light: 120 calories
5 ounce Red Wine: 125 calories
When you are trying to hover between 1200 – 1400 calories a day, as I am, that means having a singular drink could take up between 10% and 25% of your daily allotment…and personally, I’d rather use those calories for actual food. That Moscow mule? That equates to a slice and half of pizza, and given the choice, I choose pizza every day and twice on Sunday.
Now, I have to admit – despite my tweets about wine and my deep love of vodka, I’m actually not much of a drinker. Very rarely will I have a glass of wine with dinner or get a singular drink at the bar; instead, I go hard three or four times a year (like pass-out-in-a-casino-bathroom hard) and the rest of the time I’m content to be the designated driver and sip on a Diet Coke. So totally giving up booze as part of the effort to lose the weight isn’t that big of a deal for me. And you would think my friends would be supportive of me being a teetotaler given the circumstances, right?
Not so much. Seemingly my decision not to imbibe is a serious problem for one or two of my friends, and they feel the need to comment on it regularly. Not in a “Hey good for you” way; instead it’s almost constant pressure to drink. I would potentially understand it (although still think it’s shitty) if my choice to give up alcohol meant that I had also become a hermit. But that’s not the case – I’m still going out just as often, I’m just not drinking when I do. So what’s my friends’ issue?
To be frank, I’m not sure. Am I not as much fun if I don’t drink? Does my not drinking somehow mean that they aren’t having as good of a time (despite the free sober ride home)? Or is it about something deeper? Does it force them to examine their drinking habits? Or do they not want me to lose the weight for some reason?
But here’s what it comes down to: whatever their reasons for having a problem with my not drinking, it doesn’t matter. I don’t mean to seem harsh, but I simply can’t be concerned about their issues with my choices – whether it’s in regards to drinking or anything else that has to do with my weight loss. When you are trying to drop pounds, you have to be a little bit selfish. I struggle with that from time to time because it’s my nature to care about what other people want more than what I do, but I know that if I want to be successful with this, I need to put myself first. So whatever the reasons are for my friends wanting me to drink, it’s their problem, not mine. And while I certainly miss the delicious combination of ginger beer and vodka, I keep telling myself that nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
Starting weight to Lose: 30 pounds
Week 1 Results: – 1.1 pounds
Remaining weight to lose: 28.9 points
Also, if you want to follow along with me, friend me on MyFitnessPal or FitBit !
Image via Shutterstock
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, documenting her love of all things cheese related, and hosting the new PGP podcast Don't Take It From Us. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
@JennaLCrowley
@donttakeitfromus
Being a Bostonian and Canadian, I’m picturing you telling someone to go fuck themselves, only to immediately apologize after.
It’s like you know me.
Smoking weed. Zero calories.
Getting the munchies after smoking weed. All of the calories
What’s the calorie count of 3oz. of 151?
0 after throwing up the 366 calories you just consumed.
User name checks out
While knowing the calories of a lot drinks, I had to look this one up. I might be an alcoholic, but I’m not insane.
I heard they discontinued 151
As promised, standing in solidarity for 10 weeks.
Starting: 20 pounds
Weekly weigh in: minus 3.5
But don’t worry, I’ve got a wedding this weekend, so I’m putting that right back on.
I hate that dudes can lose so much easier. I know it’s not your fault, but still…
I was sick last week and put on a few pounds, so I think that’s what I’m shedding. I’m sure the further into this journey, the harder it is going to get.
This is probably a better question for the sub reddit but whatever. I saw that you only go hard a few times a year and are otherwise fine just chillon. Is that normal? I, and every single one of my friends, drink every weekend. Now that isn’t always going balls to the walls but at least a beer, glass of wine, etc. Are the binge drinking limits way more realistic than what I thought?
I’m in the same boat there my friend.
I feel like it isn’t that far off. I go all out a bit more, 8-10 times a year but other than that I pretty much chill.
I drink almost every weekend as well, but I probably only go balls to the walls once or twice a month especially if it’s day drinking. That being said, if you add up the total number of drinks I consumer per month it’s definitely binge drinking.
Said it on your last post, I’ll say it again.
Alcohol is not your friend for weight loss. It’s not. I promise you. Sober as a judge five days a week, lost 40 pounds in 8-9 months…
I’m praying for you because I’m weak. Like I drink whiskey every night weak
Way to go so far! Your friends probably are resistant to you not drinking because they don’t want to think about how much they drink. They’re projecting that onto you, so just point out to them what you’ve said here, that you can get by on a drink or two but not go hard every time. That said, I totally get it, having a few drinks is fun but it’s so hard to say no to especially when you’re trying to be calorie-conscious.
It could also be a sort of violation of the cultural norms surrounding a bar. The general expectation is that a person goes there to have a drink or ten and it’s more uncommon for someone to go there with no intention of partaking in a ‘normal’ part of the experience.
But what about poutine, eh?
Hate it.
Well then I guess that’s a good thing seeing as that’s not a very weight-loss friendly food
I think with any group of drinking friends, the “we’re in this together” mentality pervades because no one likes drinking alone. But you gotta do you, stay strong!
I like drinking in groups but drinking an Old Fashioned with while watching Mad Men or Boardwalk Empire alone is one of the most relaxing activities for me.
That’s definitely part of it.