I am drinking 600 calories a day. How to just quit?

[hellenbackagen]

Ok....
If I buy a cake I eat a small piece and save the rest
If I buy a bar of chocolate I eat a few squares and I save the rest
If I eat a big meal I eat sensibly for the rest of the day

I am surprised I am not fecking huge because the one rule this does not apply to is wine.
If I have a bottle of wine - its gone. The whole damn bottle. And this is now nearly a daily occurrence.
This is 700 cals a day.
I want to stop but it feels like my only treat and it's the one thing I can't ration.

I just need to ban the booze altogether don't I?

It feels harder than stopping smoking or giving up chocolate or carbs!

How do I get to grips with this? I know that without the extra 700cals a day I'd be healthy, slim, fit and probably ultimately a lot happier and I know my partner would be ecstatic if I stopped drinking. (He hates it and worries about my bottle a day habit)

I CAN do without when working nights so I'm not alcoholic or alcohol dependant. It's in my head that I need a drink. But I am struggling to go tee total.

Anyone any advice?

I am sympathetic BUT I really hope you aren't driving at 5am.

Just be aware that giving up booze takes approx 6 weeks to feel better. Don't expect a quick fix. I felt worse in week 3 and 4 and that was a killer. Really good luck.

Also I didn't lose weight!! I wasn't drinking as much as you but I substituted with snacks and chocolate!!

You are a functioning alcoholic you need to accept that and get help AA or similiar. This is far more than calories.

I gave up drinking for a month and lost a stone. It was probably drinking about 3 to 4 bottles a week. Which also led me to poor breakfast and snack choices.

I felt and looked better.

Jus5 do it.

I am trying to reduce my alcohol intake due to calories. Yes calories matter more to me than units.

I like wine, lager and beer so have been buying no alcohol lager (becks blue) and beer (brewdog nanny state). Drinking these drinks instead of another glass of wine is working for me as they taste alcoholic but aren't and have far less calories (brewdog in very good calorie wise). Unfortunately I have not found a nice alternative to wine so that is my alcoholic drink when I do want alcohol.

You have an alcohol problem. It's not about the calories but your alcohol intake. If you want to stop please go and see your GP and ask for help.

I don't think it matters that you're doing it for calories, just that you're doing it as that will happen to help your liver etc too. You can do this 💪🏽. You sound ready. Apart from calories it will probably help your skin and hair too! How about a hypnosis type app? Everyone's different so you need to do it the way you want to. There's not always a right way and wrong way as long as the result is the same.

I have no words of wisdom as I'm tipsy after one glass! I can't say no to chocolate though!

Hi OP

I used to drink daily like you. Not a full bottle every day but at least half a bottle a day and significantly more at weekends. I first cut back for weight reasons too. I stopped drinking Sunday to Thursday. That was about 12 years ago. It really wasn't that hard but I was counting down the minutes to my first drink of the weekend.

Around 5 years ago my hangovers got so bad that I'd be sick up to 12 times on a Sunday from drinking a bottle of wine on a Saturday night. It wiped out my weekend and I'd still be feeling it on Monday.

I've been teetotal for 5 years now. It took a lot of getting used to. I don't think I had a physical addiction as such but I did use it as a crutch for social anxiety. My social life has dwindled because I'm not great in large groups. There's no denying life is more fun with alcohol in it.

On the plus side I've lost 1.5 stone, I'm fitter and healthier. And I can save enough money each year to go on a long haul holiday with my daughter

Good luck and don't be afraid to focus on whatever gets you there.

thanks everyone,
to clarify
i rise at 5am twice weekly - i dont drive at 5am. i know i do not have any alcohol in my system when i drive.

i am subject to random drug and alcohol testing at work and have never failed or even blown anything other than zero so please stop worrying that im driving opl - i arent.

i do not want to go to see my doctor or join AA. i know i can quit on my own and i dont need the stigma of telling all and sundry im some kind of addict (i dont actually feel i am - i dont feel twitchy or suffer any ill affect if i go days without a drink - i am not physically dependent on alcohol. )

i am starting today with a swap. i am going to have a G&T (single measure) with slimline tonic. i know i do not like the taste of this as much as wine so i wont go over board but it will not feel as if i am depriving myself of all i enjoy.
im doing this one day at a time. if i cant maintain this i will just stop. i know i can do it because i have done with cigarettes (which i was the same with - didnt smoke anything during day but tended to have 4 or 5 on a night time.
first few days were hard and now i dont even think about wanting a cigarette. i know i can do this i just need to be ready to do it if im giving up altogether.

before i quit smoking i had set myself a goal and a time to do it. i decided to stop on my 30th birthday and i did. threw away everything and that was that. i just stopped. i can do it his way - if i have to, and if i cant manage it better i will.

Think its great you've got a plan, sounds like it's going to work, all sounds positive, good luck with it, you'll do great I'm sure! X

Only quit if you want to quit. If you enjoy it then there's not point going cold turkey. Why not buy the small bottles that are 1 serving size? (might be 1 and a half). Maybe try look for an alternative to keep you busy during those times you normally drink like a nice walk or a bath/face mask?

I got in the habit of having half a bottle a night and like you piled the weight on. I sorted it by buying alcohol free wine which I have in the week occasionally if I feel the need for a glass of wine. I also make a large pot of herbal tea (I bought a wide selection of teas) and pour repeatedly into a small cup over weeknight evenings. The fact that I am sat repeatedly sipping and filling seems to work in the same relaxing way for me - and it's actively good for you!
I am only "allowed" a drink on Friday and Saturday nights, and special occasions.
Worked for me!

I think the adult drink and ritual aspect is very important to me. I like Aldi zero point zero sparkling ‘wine’, tonic with bitters, sparking water or a Virgin Mary. All served in a nice glass with as much, or more attention then the wine ever got. I also like a nice strong ginger tea.

Sorry I haven’t any advice or wise words to say just.......Omg helenbackagen I could have wrote your post myself I’m exactly the same 😂😂 x

You're not an addict - and yet you want to stop but can't.......

You don't need to be pouring special brew on your cornflakes to be addicted I'm afraid.

This is quite an old thread now , I don't buy wine anymore.

I still drink but now it's a single measure of gin and slimline tonic so saving loads of calories.

Also about to do a cleanse which means no tea coffee or alcohol for a week.

Swapping might be helpful rather than ‘just’ stopping as that’ll feel depriving. Could you swap in a nightly bath/face mask, rooibos tea/fresh fruit pudding? When I’ve done changes I’ve tried to add things in like more water, fruit/veg rather than just stopping the biscuits.

Good luck!

Oh whoops! Zombie thread!