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How much do you drink (alcohol)?
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I'm interested in getting more serious about diet, but when I do a self assessment I guess drinking is the first issue that needs some consideration.

Male
Age 42
I will end up with 2700/1000 bike/run miles for the year, plus a bunch of skiing and hiking.

Typically I have 10-15 alcoholic drinks per week.
Usually 1-2 per day (5-6 days per week) and then 2-3 times per month I have 3-5 drinks in one sitting.

Most drinks are (craft) beer, usually 6-8% abv, so 2 of these may be more like 3 servings. Occasional glass of wine, maybe 1-2 cocktails per week (I like my High West Rye Manhattens and Cadillac margaritas)

My doctor wasn't too concerned (his big thing is trying to keep sugar intake less than 19 grams per day), but I feel like I probably drink more than the average recreational athlete.

How much might cutting back to say, 3-5 servings per week help my performance? I also get concerned that maybe I lack discipline, because although I seriously could go cold turkey with no real problem, I just don't want to.

Tell me about your drinking?
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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tri_yoda wrote:
I' I also get concerned that maybe I lack discipline, because although I seriously could go cold turkey with no real problem, I just don't want to.

Sounds familiar.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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+1, but I'm fat and slow, so that may not help.

Oui, mais pas de femme toute de suite (yes, but I am not ready for a woman straight away) -Stephen Roche's reply when asked whether he was okay after collapsing at the finish in the La Plagne stage of the 1987 Tour
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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I drank too much in university.
As a grown up didn't drink very much at all....1-3 per week maybe.
2.5 yrsago I had a head injury secondary to a bike crash and it was recommended I refrain from alcohol during recovery. I haven't had a drink sinse and honestly do not miss it at all.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [windschatten] [ In reply to ]
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 That sounds like a lot to me. Cutting back on your alcohol consumption would immediately get rid of a lot of empty calories and improve your nutrition.
I'll have a glass of wine if I go out to dinner or a special occasion. Or I might have a beer with Mexican. There's some red wine in the house but it's pretty much collecting dust.
I just can't justify the calories and I value my liver function. You say that your doctor isn't too concerned with the amount you stated. That's surprising to me considering all the downside of heavy alcohol use.
Last edited by: Pat0: Dec 4, 17 21:23
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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I typically have two glasses of red wine with dinner and two large rum and diet Cokes every day.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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I don't drink at all. Don't see the point myself. Not one to cave in to peer pressure either.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [Dilbert] [ In reply to ]
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Dilbert wrote:
I don't drink at all. Don't see the point myself. Not one to cave in to peer pressure either.


Not really directed at you, Dilbert, but at the other 99% who claim the same thing to be true:

And we don't run any Stop signs of any kind either....

Hello alternative reality!
Last edited by: windschatten: Dec 4, 17 22:33
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [Dilbert] [ In reply to ]
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Dilbert wrote:
I don't drink at all. Don't see the point myself. Not one to cave in to peer pressure either.
No point in having an orgasm either... except it feels good...
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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I'm actually interested to see the results...

I drink about 1-2 glasses of red wine most nights. I never drink more than 3 drinks in a sitting; rarely drink socially... Usually just have a drink or two with dinner as it helps wind down before bed. Honestly, I don't know if the fact that I drink to get a good night's rest is a good thing or a bad thing...
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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Used to drink quite a bit when I was studying at university but since I've graduated (and started doing triathlons) I think on average the past year I had 1 or 2 alcoholic beverages a week (Belgian beers, glass of whine or whisky). 60% of the time I think I didn't drink anything alcoholic.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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I've been dry for a month or Lent off and on for years. Love a nice wine or martini, but my alcohol metabolism is poor and I pay for it.

Am now trying for a dry year. It's been a month so far and the 5:00 craving is dwindling.

This time I'm going for tea as an alternative -- you can geek out with it as you can wine so there's that, plus it's a bit more special than water just because it's hot.

When friends are getting a round of drinks I'll have tea -- which also seems to 'disappoint' them less than water.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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I rarely drink. Usually about once every two months. I only drink socially and end up binge drinking as I have very little tolerance and think I can drink like I was 20 again.
Some context. I didn't drink much through my early 20s either as I was bodybuilding but I still went clubbing at the type of night club that doesn't serve alcohol.
That was a long time ago. I miss my "clubbing" days. I don't miss drinking regularly.
Weirdly I do like to drink a beer the night before a race. That's because I won a race about 9 years ago after drinking a beer and slept well. Weird superstition.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [bluntandy] [ In reply to ]
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I don't drink at all. I was a massive drinker until age 35-ish and then fortunately stopped and been dry ever since (11-12 years). I don't miss it at all. But i'd be lying if i said i didn't sometimes miss the ability to enjoy people's company with a few drinks.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [RCCo] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds like a lot to me.
How much it does performance wise i would not know.

I feel like there is 2 kind of drinking habits: The go to town and drink maybe 15+ in one night.
Or the ones that drink 1-2 beers/2 glasses of wine each day for say dinner.

I'm in category 1 (not at all every week, but maybe every third). For me alchohol is something social, i would never be able to just drink at beer at home alone, that would feel so wrong to me. Then i might as well take a coke/chocolate milk/water.
But perception is alot, if you say you enjoy 2 glasses of wine at dinner with your wife, people would find that totally okay. But if you just go home after work and drink 2 beers people would maybe say you have a drinking problem.

I understand the 1-2 beers, but every day, does beer really taste that good to you?
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [windschatten] [ In reply to ]
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windschatten wrote:
Dilbert wrote:
I don't drink at all. Don't see the point myself. Not one to cave in to peer pressure either.


Not really directed at you, Dilbert, but at the other 99% who claim the same thing to be true:

And we don't run any Stop signs of any kind either....

Hello alternative reality!

I've never had more than an ounce of an alcoholic beverage at once, and that less than 10 times in my life I've probably never drunk more than 10 ounces of beer and wine TOTAL in my entire life, and less than one ounce of anything harder.


http://www.jt10000.com/
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [jt10000] [ In reply to ]
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Part of what makes me good things and potentially bad things is that I don't moderate Anything well. Due to this I over Drank in college and now for the past 15 years I do not drink at all. I was a Collegiate athlete but I noticed that when I quit drinking my resting heart rate lowered, my blood pressure lowered and my recovery was so much better. Another thing that I noticed was that my attitude and mood was much more stable which helped me improve the consistency and effort in my training. I know not everyone is wired this way but removing alcohol from my life what was absolutely a wonderful thing for me.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [jt10000] [ In reply to ]
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I've had 5 beers in my life (4 of them was because i couldn't drink the water), 1 margarita and one other drink (can't remember what one).

I don't think it's bad I just don't like the taste of alcohol.

jaretj
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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10-20 per week is quite a lot.
10 craft beers (330ml bottles) of 6-8%ABV seems a bit too high if it's every week. 10 large bottles (500ml) is worse and 20 of anything is very high consumption IMO.

I'd sometimes have a couple of drinks Monday to Thursday but that would be the exception - maybe a glass of wine with dinner, or perhaps 1-2 beers watching a movie. Occasionally I'd have quite a bit more at the weekend if I was out with friends or whatever. But a couple every night is a dangerous habit. I used to drink a bit more. Often 2 or 3 glasses of wine or a couple of craft beers a few nights a week, but I realised the number of nights was increasing gradually so I decided to avoid drinking on Monday to Thursday nights in general. I didn't find it difficult, it was just a habit that needed breaking. To be honest I probably enjoy it more now that I indulge less frequently.

I'm amazed that your doctor is fixated on 19g of sugar a day but not bothered by the alcohol. They have many similar effects, and at that quantity I'm pretty sure the alcohol will be much more relevant.

I'd be more concerned about general long term health, but if athletic performance is a concern, cutting back will almost certainly make a significant difference. Alcohol isn't great for your heart. It also contributes a lot of calories to your diet that tend to manifest themselves as fat. If you are at all overweight, cutting back should make it considerably easier to hit race weight. You'll also get better rest and generally feel better. Alcohol interferes with proper sleep. You may get to sleep, you may even find it easier to get to sleep, but the quality suffers. Also alcohol is a depressant....

If I may make a suggestion?
Cut back substantially for a few weeks and see how you feel. At the very least you'll prove to yourself that you can cut back. If you can't there's a more serious problem than sports performance! If you feel better and start performing better, you can decide whether you want to go back to what you're doing now. It will of course take longer if you're planning to reap the rewards in terms of body weight. Either way, cutting back should be beneficial for long term health.

I love wine and good beer and I'm not planning to give them up. However, I do think it's wise to keep them in moderation.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [turdburgler] [ In reply to ]
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turdburgler wrote:
Part of what makes me good things and potentially bad things is that I don't moderate Anything well. Due to this I over Drank in college and now for the past 15 years I do not drink at all. I was a Collegiate athlete but I noticed that when I quit drinking my resting heart rate lowered, my blood pressure lowered and my recovery was so much better. Another thing that I noticed was that my attitude and mood was much more stable which helped me improve the consistency and effort in my training. I know not everyone is wired this way but removing alcohol from my life what was absolutely a wonderful thing for me.
I'm pretty sure everyone IS wired that way. The severity may differ substantially but the effect of alcohol and other substances is similar for virtually everyone.
Having said that, it doesn't seem necessary to me to completely obstain in order to avoid 99% of the downsides.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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In a normal week I have I 3 to 8 craft beers. 5 spread over Friday, Saturday and Sunday this past weekend but did have company in town.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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I don't mind having a drink, but when I'm serious about training, I pretty much cut it out completely. Not like a conscious no drinking policy. More of a not grabbing the beer because I have to wake up early to run. And when the whole week is laid out and I have family obligations, there are very few nights it's worth drinking.

Now when a rest day falls perfectly on the day after my wife and child might be out of town, or I'm visiting friends....I end up drinking as much as I can that night, haha. Udually with bad results.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [foniks] [ In reply to ]
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foniks wrote:
I'm actually interested to see the results...

I drink about 1-2 glasses of red wine most nights. I never drink more than 3 drinks in a sitting; rarely drink socially... Usually just have a drink or two with dinner as it helps wind down before bed. Honestly, I don't know if the fact that I drink to get a good night's rest is a good thing or a bad thing...
I know what you mean about winding down but in reality although it might help you relax, it might not help you end up feeling rested. The quality of sleep you get after drinking is not as good. I'm not sure how much impact 1-2 glasses of wine would have - it may not be terribly significant.
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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I only drink on Saturday and Sunday night. Maybe 2-3 beers each of those days. No alcohol during the week.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: How much do you drink (alcohol)? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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Once a month usually - for the monthly work social. Even then, its just 3 pints, maybe 4. I dont like the morning after groggy feeling, knowing I have a big run/bike session. Plus, I think the wife appreciates it when i'm sober on the other 353 days of the year.
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