Suppressing the urge to have alcohol?

[kartoffel]

You get out of cycling what you put into it. Develop a training program and keep your heart rate up, and you'll do fine. Want to build more muscle or increase your anaerobic capacity? Do hills and intervals.

Saying that cycling is not an efficient weight loss tool is like saying that moving on 2 feet is not an efficient weight loss tool. Are you walking? Running 10 minute miles? 7 minute miles? Hills? Wind sprints? The stereotypical fat guy on the bike never does anything beyond the equivalent of slow walking.

I'm not saying you need a heart rate monitor, but you have to be disciplined enough to keep your pace up. If you go slow, then obviously you're not going to get anything from it.

[120mm]

You get out of cycling what you put into it. Develop a training program and keep your heart rate up, and you'll do fine. Want to build more muscle or increase your anaerobic capacity? Do hills and intervals.

Saying that cycling is not an efficient weight loss tool is like saying that moving on 2 feet is not an efficient weight loss tool. Are you walking? Running 10 minute miles? 7 minute miles? Hills? Wind sprints? The stereotypical fat guy on the bike never does anything beyond the equivalent of slow walking.

I'm not saying you need a heart rate monitor, but you have to be disciplined enough to keep your pace up. If you go slow, then obviously you're not going to get anything from it.

Again, unless you are pushing yourself constantly, bicycling is an inefficient weight loss tool. Some of the fittest people I know are bicyclists, and ironically, they are also some of the biggest beer drinkers I've ever met. Beer is their sports drink.

Fat guy on a bike is more like slow walking two steps and then having someone carry them for 10.

For the newbie, walking is probably the best weight loss tool out there.

But from the OP's posts, I'd say he has a motivation problem to start with, so he shouldn't go anywhere near a bicycle.

[Six oh Nine]

For me, the easiest way to cut down on urges like drinking beer, or even for things like sweets and candy has always been to only have a little bit around, when it comes to beer in the fridge i'll only purchase a small amount, than that way it wont always be there, or if i drink the last one, in order for me to have any more i'd have to acquire more else where (which after two beers than becomes illegal to run out and pick some up)

so my best advice is just dont have beer readily available, if you only wanna drink once a week, friday after work pick up a six pack, make it last the weekend, and be done with it till you get off again.

[Von Rheydt]

Forget supplements. Bottomline, there is no easy way. You either want to do something about it or you don't.

Mr. 120mm is right about cycling not being the best to lose weight through cardio based exercise. An hour of cycling will burn around half as many calories as fast walking or jogging. Kick up the pace to around 7.5 or 8 minutes miles and in an hour you could drop 1000 calories, which means 2 pounds off in a week. To put the cycling in context, I chatted with one of the UK olympic cyclists about her regime. Her daily training starts with an 80 mile cycle ride.

For jogging, two cookies = 1 mile, or 1 bottle of beer = 1.5miles.

For me when I gave up drinking with the boys the money saved translated into a Rolex Submariner. I still go out, but only drink water.

[GotAmmo]

if I could lend some help

I turned into a lush after I redeployed from my first tour, simply because the reintigration process wasnt the best and I was single and lonely yada yada....

so I went TDY to Honduras where I was in a stress free work enviroment for 7 months, I kiked the drinking, kicked the chewing tobacco and lived in the gym for that period... went from 220 lbs down to 185 in that time frame, simply running an average of 12-15 miles a week and lifting weights Mon-Wed-Fri, even with the occasional large pizza to myself

now days a 6 pack lasts a month with 1 beer on a Fri and Sat night, calorie defecits and intermittent fasting

I too love my beers, especially my whiskey... but it takes a strong man to avoid the things he loves for the things he wants

BUT again.... the man who lives to 110 yrs old is the same man who drank beer, smoked cigs and ate bacon every day all his life so ... take it for what it is

[WillBrink]

So, booze is my big weakness, and not in a get drunk and stagger down the street kind of way. In a have a few a night while relaxing type of way.

I've never had issues (DUI's, losing jobs, being an alchoholic, etc), but do love my beer. And it is usually the good stuff, so it is not light.

This is I think, the major problem with me losing more weight. I eat healthy, no sodas, candy, fast food, etc., work out, bike, etc.

Is there a supplement that suppresses your urge to want a drink?

Nope, no supplements for that. Booze is a surprisingly complex issue, and studies are often quite conflicting, for example, it adds empty calories and reduces "fat burning" yet regular drinkers weight less on average, it has thermic effects, improves insulin sensitivity, and other effects, not to mention moderate drinkers generally live longer.

As we are not talking about problem drinking as you outlined, it comes down to what's most important to you. I have known many athletes at very high levels who drank, and only stopped for specific amounts of time leading to competition and such.

Me, I like me a few vodka and cranberry drinks on a Fri night with a movie, and once in a while, I have been known to have a few more...

You could get much more specific with your nutrition, training etc. which may allow for the few beers.

If you feel the extra cals from beer is blocking your weight loss efforts, then you may have to decide which is more important to you at the time.

[ST911]

A few beers a night is indicative of some other underlying problems and an alcohol problem. Recommend the assistance of a counselor or mentor who has done what you're doing.

Recommend you also see a doctor for a physical as you start to break the habit.

[KentuckyWindage]

Life is short have a beer or two.....or three....

[milosz]

Nothing I read in the OP sounds like alcoholism.

I've been dancing with this myself, but I actually don't like to drink that much. I've learned to enjoy the taste of a really good hefeweizen and I'll sip on scotch, but by and large most of it does nothing for me.

But as a single guy, I do like to go out to bars and hang out with friends (which generally involves a couple of beers), and as a former bartender I don't want to be the guy drinking water. So my fitness goals have to balance with the desire to be social, which has been tough.

In my research on this, I've come to see it as a two-sided issue: if you're trying to lose fat, alcohol is a bad idea. It appears to stymie fat loss pretty effectively. But if you're at your desired bodyfat range, the excess calories of a handful of drinks a week aren't going to add fat to your frame.

[dookie1481]

Here's an interesting post regarding alcohol: http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/tru...nd-muscle.html