Goodbye to bad habits
 

Good luck! Whenever I begin a healthy regiment I try not to stop everything at the same time. I remember 1 year I quit virtually everything and I went crazy in a month. Usually I'll start with Alcohol, then later clean the diet up a little at a time. 1 year my resolution towards junk food was that I just wouldn't buy anything that was served through a drive through window.

Waving off BEER??? THAT's Just Not Right!!! ;) When I ride, I tend to burn off the toxins in my body anyway, so a few beers won't kill me... That's my story, and I'm sticking to it !!! ;)

I've found that it is the preservatives in most Domestic beers that I have a problem with the next morning. If I have three or more Domestics, I feel it the next day. My German-import beers (generally don't have preservatives) don't have that effect. Or as the Warsteiner slogan says - 'Life is to short to drink cheap beer' Actually, it isn't all that more expensive compared to 'premium' Domestics, and it is less expensive than most domestic Craft beers...

Goodbye to bad habits:I once had a chat with a Marathon Runner, and he touted the bracing cardiovascular effects of a run. I told him I appreciated the detoxifying effects of good bike ride, especially after a fine (indulgent) meal the night before.

Apropos getting on a stricter lifestyle regimen, I have posted:
PS: I just encountered this post written by the OP a few hours ago to a different Fifty-Plus thread, referring to vegetarian cyclists.Not that he negates his OP.:innocent:

Actually, I'm trying a low-carb diet, and fish and sparingly lean pork, and lesser beef. are my main sources of protein. I don't like chicken, and in fact just today, a colleague with whom I exchange restaurant recommendations asked me "Do you like fried chicken?" :lol:

I do like turkey white meat.

Way less calories in bourbon....just sayin'... :beer:

You guys left out Wine...

I am one of those guys who can toss down beer after beer after beer, like everybody else. But then I soon realized "Hey, where did this beer belly come from?" So, I started reading things about antioxidants or whatever it is, and the calories and body metabolism stuff regarding beer, wine, and heck, even Maker's Mark Bourbon...

The healthiest is actually wine. No, no, not that ridiculous fruity strawberry/peach flavored "chick wine" garbage that my wife likes... I'm talking red wines like Merlot or that other one called Cabernet Sauvignon (spelling?). There is something inside wine, that is actually very healthy and wards off heart disease and other issues such as Type-2 diabetes and keeping your A1C level low.

Jameson's , just sayin:love:

... and there you go! Rye guy myself (Canjun, eh), but the principle holds.:)

Absolutely, totally been doing Rye in my Old Fashioned to spice 'em up a bit...using West something or other High Rye.,

Edit: Jumbled it a bit, it's High West, Double Rye!

It's been almost ten years since divirticulitis took away anything carbonated, pasta sauce, and a laundry list of other foods. So I absolutely refuse to voluntarily restrict myself from anything. If I can eat it, I'm gonna eat it. I'll just ride more. Averaging 10k miles a year means I can eat pretty much all the donuts I want. Then again, I've never been a beer drinker, so I never had to give that up.

Is cheese considered junk food? Not sure I can give it up, but I gave up alcohol in my 20's, so I know I can do it if needed. How I really enjoy cheese!

I wondered about this myself some time ago. Cheese is much like wine, in that a reasonable amount-- and not the kind that comes from a spray can-- is good for you. Like say, Kraft American Slices or any kind of "cheese food?" Yeah. Junk. But real cheese, from like the Trader Joes or the deli, or even a block of Tillamook, that's good stuff.

Wine guy here. One of the things I don't like about bike touring in PA is that it can be difficult to find wine for camp at the end of the day, or even at all. It's gotten somewhat easier since the state started allowing grocery stores to obtain special licenses to sell wine a few years ago, but you generally only find that in grocery stores. Absent one of those, you are stuck with state-controlled liquor stores. In rural areas, they can be few and far between. If you do happen to come across one, it may only be open limited hours on limited days. And it's no fun to carry a heavy bottle of wine a long distance to camp. I often end up getting a small, plastic bottle of bourbon if I still have a long way to go. It just boggles my mind that it can be easier to get a bottle of wine in a small town in Montana than in rural PA.

And I will leave you with this fun factoid which I believe is still true: PA is largest single purchaser of wine and spirits in the U.S.

Wow, if you can give up alcohol in your 20's, then honestly, I'm confident that you could do anything. Those were my highest consumption years, aside from after getting married! LOL

I was forced to give up alcohol 30 years ago. I'm keeping the rest of my vices. Getting rid of one in a lifetime is enough.

Xyrium, believe it or not, I was in the Navy at the time. We all know about drunken sailors. Went to an Airforce party and someone spiked my beer with some kind of chemical. It was a horrible experience with hallucinations and paranoia. Had to drive my motorcycle 20 miles back to the ship and recall begging God for a safe arrival and to keep me upright. Since then I just don't like to not have control of myself. As I taught my kids "If you are not in control of yourself, someone else is."

That's definitely not something anyone wants to go through, and though I've have a few coming to God moments in my life, they were mostly brought on by myself. Regardless, it's still great that you're able to take control in that manner, it definitely makes you a stronger person for it.

Hi, new guy here. I too was one of those guys that never met a beer he didn't like but 15 years ago I gave it and all other alcohol up. No mas I said one day and never looked back. For me it was the best decision I've made in my life. Bicycling has shown me how to eat better, sleep better and feel better. I still fall for chocolate and cookies in the holiday season but in general stick to a healthy diet.