Nightmare Mode
Nightmare Mode is Austerity Mode without booze. Nightmare Mode is the only time on Drink Your Carbs that you are not allowed to drink.
The Nightmare Mode Food List is the same the Austerity Mode Food List, but Nightmare Mode further eliminates all alcohol consumption.
As far as we are concerned, Nightmare Mode barely qualifies as Drink Your Carbs. It’s like observing Meatless Monday on the Atkins diet. It’s an across-the-board revision so extreme that it’s arguable you are no longer on the diet at all. That said, we have several reasons for keeping it around:
The Nightmare Mode Food List is the same the Austerity Mode Food List, but Nightmare Mode further eliminates all alcohol consumption.
As far as we are concerned, Nightmare Mode barely qualifies as Drink Your Carbs. It’s like observing Meatless Monday on the Atkins diet. It’s an across-the-board revision so extreme that it’s arguable you are no longer on the diet at all. That said, we have several reasons for keeping it around:
Even faster weight loss
There is no question that eliminating alcohol accelerates weight loss beyond what is possible in Basic Drink Your Carbs or even Austerity Mode. There are calories in alcohol. Eliminate these calories and weight falls off. If you have a tight deadline by which you must fit into tight pants, Nightmare Mode may be your only option.
This is not Drink Your Carbs; this is a panic button. Use only in emergencies.
There is no question that eliminating alcohol accelerates weight loss beyond what is possible in Basic Drink Your Carbs or even Austerity Mode. There are calories in alcohol. Eliminate these calories and weight falls off. If you have a tight deadline by which you must fit into tight pants, Nightmare Mode may be your only option.
This is not Drink Your Carbs; this is a panic button. Use only in emergencies.
Penance
While it’s rare, we occasionally drink too much and skip a morning workout. Exercise is required on Drink Your Carbs, and, as far as we are concerned, exercise keeps our drinking in check. We temper our drinking with the knowledge that in the morning we will be in the gym doing something painful. However, in spite of our best efforts, we occasionally overdo it.
Depending on the severity of our transgression, we do penance of a few days to a week in Nightmare Mode. This is not a requirement of Drink Your Carbs. We have chosen this punishment because the ever-present threat of Nightmare Mode keeps us, for the most part, under control.
The next time your inner Charlie Sheen gets the best of you and trashes your diet like a Vegas hotel room, give Nightmare Mode a try. It is a fast and effective way to get you back on track.
While it’s rare, we occasionally drink too much and skip a morning workout. Exercise is required on Drink Your Carbs, and, as far as we are concerned, exercise keeps our drinking in check. We temper our drinking with the knowledge that in the morning we will be in the gym doing something painful. However, in spite of our best efforts, we occasionally overdo it.
Depending on the severity of our transgression, we do penance of a few days to a week in Nightmare Mode. This is not a requirement of Drink Your Carbs. We have chosen this punishment because the ever-present threat of Nightmare Mode keeps us, for the most part, under control.
The next time your inner Charlie Sheen gets the best of you and trashes your diet like a Vegas hotel room, give Nightmare Mode a try. It is a fast and effective way to get you back on track.
A check to make sure our drinking is still healthy drinking
Alcohol can be addictive. We use Nightmare Mode to keep ourselves in check. We spend one week in Nightmare Mode roughly every three months. We have a friend who goes into Nightmare Mode for one month out of every year. We do this to make certain that we are still in control of our alcohol consumption.
For us, not drinking for a week is not particularly difficult. We simply remind ourselves that we could live for seven days without food; giving up booze for that long is no big deal.
Alcohol can be addictive. We use Nightmare Mode to keep ourselves in check. We spend one week in Nightmare Mode roughly every three months. We have a friend who goes into Nightmare Mode for one month out of every year. We do this to make certain that we are still in control of our alcohol consumption.
For us, not drinking for a week is not particularly difficult. We simply remind ourselves that we could live for seven days without food; giving up booze for that long is no big deal.
