How many units per week. [POLL]

[Duxuk]

A day without one or two bottles of homebrewed ale means we're away! I only drink about 2 pub pints in an average week. I voted in the sub 35 unit section but I'm at the upper edge of that. I mountain bike 3 times a week and consider myself fit for 56 years old. I've never been a smoker and eat little processes food. My great, great grandma worked in a mill from very young (before the 1871 education act!) and lived to 96. Here's hoping.

 

[RockySpears]

Using the calculator I leave the Belarussians in the starting blocks and they are the heaviest in the EU, don't believe the numbers for a second.

I will have a bottle of red most every night, 2 on Sat. and Sun. 1/2 a Prosecco on Friday with the wife. If whisky is in the house that will go over the week too (or vodka, gin etc). If friends come round or a barbie starts at lunch time the sky is the limit. No I am not rollicking drunk, not even after a barbie.
So that is 9 bottles @ 9 units a pop makes 81. I guess my intake is around 100 for a standard week and 150 if the Sun is out or there is a Birthday, Fathers day, Mothers day, Birth, Death, visitors or the wife is away for the weekend with the girls from Uni.

Shameful,
So sue me,

RS

 

[MyQul]

I have no idea how many units I drink because I cant be arsed to count. But it's a lot less than it used to be. I used to drink about 1L of beer every day. But it got to the point where I thought, this cant go on as it will effect my health. So now I usually drink 1 bottle of beer ( occasionally two), for two two evenings in a row, then I dont drink anything for the third evening

 

[Gunge]

I have no idea how many units I drink because I cant be arsed to count. But it's a lot less than it used to be. I used to drink about 1L of beer every day. But it got to the point where I thought, this cant go on as it will effect my health. So now I usually drink 1 bottle of beer ( occasionally two), for two two evenings in a row, then I dont drink anything for the third evening

Denying one's self of one's pleasures can only lead to more misery and woe than the abstinence of such is intended to prevent. 'They' keep telling us to drink more water cos it's good for us. Well if the average beer is say, 5% alcohol, the remaining 95% pretty much is.. water. So ye - fill your boots.But nah it's still not good enough for the health police. Where did I put me bacca?

 

[MyQul]

'They' keep telling us to drink more water cos it's good for us. Well if the average beer is say, 5% alcohol, the remaining 95% pretty much is.. water.

I dont think it quite works like that (wish it did, though)

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Bump.

 

[foxy]

Phew, I am just glad I am not alone in the highest margin. I am also glad I probably won't end up in a nursing home.

 

[soupdragon]

I saw a chart some time ago listing the "recommended maximum weekly alcohol intake" of most countries. We're not the lowest by a long shot and I'm sure that Spain had a limit of 35 units a week.
Who's to say our boffins are right and they're wrong?

Cheers. Tom

Oh and a pint plus a glass of wine per day so that puts me around the 35/week mark

 

[thesteve]

Surely how you drink your quota is important too? Eg, the continentals drinking a glass of wine each night with a meal may rack up 15-20 units a week in this way but I suspect this is way better for you than having nothing six nights a week and drinking eight pints on a Saturday night.

 

[Old Geezer]

I think I may have underestimated I was thinking pints, not units and didn't count the wine or whisky

 

[phildo79]

I have gone for the 25-35 option but in truth, I have no idea. I have found lockdown etc has made me drink more out of boredom. I used to try and only drink on Friday and Saturday but that has gone for a Burton (literally). ATM I just pop a beer whenever the mood takes me. But remember lads, it's only binge drinking if you stop!

 

[Baz Chaz]

Slightly different angle on this, I used to drink quite a bit, not every night, but most. Regularly split a bottle of wine with other half during the week, Friday Saturday Sunday, bottle of wine, few spirits. Holidays were all inclusive cruises, where food is top quality and drinks were poured out and seldom 'measured'.

Found I was just getting bigger and bigger, started feeling it as well. Last year was 64 and decided it was time to do something about it or I wouldn't be collecting my state pension!

Hated the idea of a diet, needed a fundamental change before it was too late, always thought I was pretty indestructible, had always been strong and reasonably fit and active.

Had a think about what was easiest way to cut down etc. Loads of stuff on TV or online, but needed something 'science' based that made sense. First thing, grazing, I was a terrible grazer, coffee always came with biscuits or cake. Portion size, whatever fits on plate. Supper, cheeses and biscuits. Wine/spirits beer, yes please.

July last year, decided now or never. It had to be a bit scientific for me, facts and not a just 'faddy diet'. So found out my Basic Metabolic Weight, which is the amount of calories you consume per day without doing any exercise. Mine (for my age and weight) was 1999. So, scientifically intake less than that, plus exercise = weight loss.

The way I did it, Monday and Thursday, limit intake calories to between 800 - 1000.
The rest of the week, limit myself to 1600 max.
Friday, weight recorded in the morning, then Friday was my day off, but don't go mental.

It was a bit of a pain at first, working out calories, but Mrs C helped, there's also an APP (My fitness pal) which links with fitbit watch, nowadays just takes a minute or two each day. But the biggest thing is not to con yourself or cheat or whichever way you want to call it. Yes you can have wine/beer bit of cake etc, but just add it to your daily intake and stick with it. I could trundle on for ages with the pros and cons ..... so rather than that I'll change direction a bit.

Since July last year, I have lost 39 pounds.

I still drink beer and wine, just not as much. I still eat what I want, just not as much. I don't graze and only rarely have cheese and biscuits for supper.

In July this year, I unexpectedly found a lump in my neck. 'Phoned GP who saw me the following day, then it hit the fan. I have cancer. The first sign was the lump, no other symptoms at all. Since then I've had a dozen consultations, 4 different types of scan, various biopsies and I had surgery last week. This is all being carried out, 'with curative intent' long way to go but can be cured.

The one thing that all those consultants/experts etc have continually said, good job you lost all that weight, the surgery etc will be so much easier for you and the outlook is so much better.

Seriously, it's only when the brown smelly stuff hits the fan you realise, you are not invincible. Luckily I took my head out of the sand just in time.

I think my timing was very lucky, starting this Way Of Life last year. Even with cancer, I feel tons better than I did, pretty sure I would've taken longer to recover from surgery and have given myself the best chance of surviving the next lot of surgery/chemo/radiation treatments.

 

[GerritT]

As I said before: drink 6 liters of water on a Friday night and you will end up in an Emergency Room, drink 6 liters of beer and you're the designated driver, in the part of the country where I was born.

 

[soupdragon]

@Baz Chaz a health scare does tend to bring some clarity to your outlook on life.
Speedy recovery Baz

Cheers. Tom

 

[SteveWTBD]

I have found that 40 pints brewed and put in the pressure barrel lasts much less time than the same brew bottled into 50 odd 500 ml bottles.

There is something about two empty 500ml bottles that makes you stop and think about opening a third. Whereas it is very easy to top up your pint glass from the barrel three or four times, and not keep an accurate count on what’s going down your neck.

 

[ChilledGecko]

As @Baz Chaz mentioned, I also had a cancer diagnosis that has focused my mind somewhat.

I was not fit, just an 'average beer belly bob' for my age when I got the call.
Bottom line was a 3 year prognosis, too late for a 'slice & dice' but managed to jump onto a drug trial which has kept things going for 7 years now.
Side effect from the drug regime was to turn into a chunky monkey big time.
Plus a touch of "what the hell, let's enjoy the time left" syndrome if I'm honest.

The 3 year alarm call never materialised I'm pleased to say.
So this time last year I decided that perhaps I needed to address the elephant in the room (literally) and I joined a gym and signed up for a "6 week challenge" course followed by general life in the gym.
Until lockdown hit I'd progressively lost 4 stone in old money from exercise and healthy eating in 6 months.
Felt good, looked good.

I slipped a bit during lockdown as I didn't have the gym and the mental support that gave.

I'm back to the gym and back onto the fitness routine.
I have a target weight that I'm not too far away from so I now allow myself 'weekend drinkies' I just knock it on the head during the week.
I tell myself each drink is 200 calories (true) and add it to my calorie count for the day.

I use My Fitness Pal to record all the food I eat but I also add each exercise I do as well, dog walk, gym time, everything.
It allows me to see how each beer costs against the time exercising and makes me consider if I really want that extra beer.

Works for me!

p.s. not preaching or anything like that, the above has been my life for the past 7 years and I now understand what I need to do to extend it while still enjoying life and family.
For me if I don't measure it (exercise/food) I don't understand it.

 

[Baz Chaz]

@ ChilledGecko

Nice one buddy, glad you've managed to 'beat the clock' long may it continue.

 

[the_quick]

At the start of the lock down with Mrs we drunk everyday, just a pint each. But after few weeks, we put stop to that and drunk only every other day, still just one pint. Before lock down I used to drink maybe pint on Friday and another on Sat, sometimes pint mid week.
And now I'm more less back to that, Mrs stopped drinking all together as she want to loose weight.

We are both in our early 40, I used to be overweight, but put stop to that after seeing my self in a wet suit. I think alcohol consumption is just a part of staying healthy, what you eat and how active you are is another part. I would like to live long enough to collect my pension and enjoy the retirement for as long as I can - still plenty of time to go.

 

[kelper]

Earlier, someone said a pint was 2 units in the old guidelines. It would have to be 3.5% ABV! Whitbread Tankard was about that!

Never trust newspaper articles that talk about risk - they always describe it wrongly. They should talk about incidence rate. Let's say a cancer doubles your risk of early death - sounds bad. But if they say it goes up from one in a million to two in a million that sounds less alarmist. So they go with the former.

It's explained better HERE

 

[obscure]

I just totted up the number on my untapped account and came in at 34 units last week (was on annual leave last Friday So combined with the bank holiday Monday drank every day from Thursday to Monday.

Previous week was 25, which is probably a more typical week, still more than I thought I had so will try to keep an eye in it as quite certain the number of units have being creeping up this year.