weight and booze
Missbodyrocker
Posts: 47
I enjoy a drink everyday but really it's not one it's more like a bottle of wine everyday. Once I've opened that bottle I never find one glass is enough. I just enjoy coming home having a drink with my dinner and spending the night sipping away, it's been my routine for a very very long time. The problem is I can't really fit this into my calorie intake per day. I'm supposed to be on 1200 as I'm quite small. I love exercising and that gives me more calories but not enough for that daily bottle of wine. I have 10/14 lbs to lose so really the wine has to go even a few days a week. Has anyone found they lost more weight when ditching the booze?
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I just started tracking and never really put a lot of thought into how many calories I was drinking. I have cut back quite a bit and have lost a little more than 10lbs in a month.
I would reccomend cutting back a little bit and prelogging when you want that glass or 2 (or bottle) of wine. This allows you to save calories for the wine and plan your day around it. Remember too, if you go over your calorie goal for the day its not the end of the world, just see what you can do to change it for the future. For me, I'm trying to eat healthier low calorie foods for breakfast and lunch leaving more calories at the end of the day to enjoy for dinner and a drink.
Also when i cut back on drinking I found myself to enjoy a glass or 2 of wine even more than before so for me that was a huge plus.0 -
Define quite small. We petite ladies often think 1200 is what we need to aim for but we could stand to have more room than that.
I can see a glass fitting into 1200 but idk about fitting more than that. I'd definitely reduce my drinking because that much a day is...a bit much. I love a good glass and I'm no stranger to fitting in a couple glass (and maybe a couple shots...I like to have a good time every now and then). Honestly, I'd ween yourself off needing that much.0 -
Sorry honey, but a whole bottle every night just isn't healthy any way you slice it. Let's be honest here....you need to cut back a little anyway. The diet isn't the problem if you can't get by on one or two glasses here or there....then you have another problem (or are heading in that direction).
Have your glass or two...maybe pour 3-4 small glasses (like half glasses) instead to spread it out....and then find a way to cut it off. Wash the glass and put it away, store the open bottle in an inconvenient place. Whatever it takes.0 -
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The problem with alcohol goes beyond the calories in the bottle. It affects your metabolism as well. Those last 10 pounds will likely never come off with the bottle in hand.0
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When I started getting in shape, I partied hard. I did the same things a lot of people preach: worked out a lot, and logged all of my drinks in the calorie counter (for me, Jim Beam & Diets - at 105 cals a pop).
Did I lose weight? Yes, the first 30-40 lbs or so came off rather easily. It became a slippery slope though, when I would tally up the drinks and say "Whoa, I better skip lunch if I want to party tonight & stay under goal." Also, although I got smaller & required less booze to get the same effect, I still drank as much as a 240-lb fat@ss.
So a couple years ago, while ping-ponging around 175-185 lbs, I decided to see how big a role alcohol played in my inability to lose those stubborn "last 10 pounds" - after all, my goal was to get under 180 and I was having a hell of a time getting there. Not to mention I was on the other side of 40 and partying was starting to get a little boring, honestly.
So, I took the plunge & gave it up. Dec 31, 2011 was my last drink.
And I'm now down to 169 lbs & I'm as lean as I was in my mid-20s. I feel better than I've felt since then, too.
Is there a correlation? Ab-so-****ing-lutely. Can you drink & lose weight? Sure. Can you drink as much as some people say they do and truly be healthy? Doubt it.
I'll admit, I'm a bit of an extreme case. I'm sure there is a happy medium somewhere. Good luck!0 -
When I'm cutting, I have to cut way back on my alcohol consumption....even at my calorie intake to cut (around 2300 calories) I can't fit alcohol in on a regular basis without forgoing some other nutritional needs that are more important.
When I'm in maintenance I drink some pretty much everyday...sometimes in "moderation" and sometimes not but when I'm cutting, it's just not an option. I usually fit it in 2-3 days per week when I'm cutting.0 -
Alcohol has a lot of calories in it, or most alcohol, anyway. I would suggest maybe cutting down to one or two glasses if you really can't go cold turkey, but a whole bottle is a lot of calories and a lot of alcohol for just one day. You could also switch to one or two glasses of vodka with a diet soda as that's a lot less calories than wine.
For me though I cut out all drinking except on special occasions because it felt like a waste of calories otherwise
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if you cant stop once you open try not having anything in at home, just buy the odd bottle as you want it. You will soon start to have more dry nights. also maybe try switching to mini bottles so you still get your kick not as much or switch drinks, I find pear cidre works for me as I can only manage one individual bottle at a time (it's worth 2 uk alcohol measures) Try only drinking at the weekend etc... Lots of ways to cut down a little at a time rather than trying to go the full hog. Alcohol ca fit in with a healthy lifestyle if limited enough0
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It's not weight necessarily; if you feel like you need a bottle of wine at night just to wind down, you've got bigger problems than just your weight. Probably should find another way to deal with stress.0
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Hey, I think maybe it might be worth you looking at it from a health point of view rather than a weight point of view. A bottle of wine a night is quite a lot and probably something that you would really benefit from cutting down on even without considering your weight.
But onto the weight, yeah it absolutely has an effect. I'm basically coming to the realisation now that it's weightloss, or drinking the amount I do. I mean yeah you can do both, absolutely. But when I go out, I tend to drink rather a lot. And it's got to the point where I feel it's affecting my progess as I go to the gym to allow myself those calories when really those calories could be allowing me something far yummier and more substantial.
As with everything, it's moderation. I'm not a daily drinker but I overdo it when I go out. Maybe you don't binge drink like I do but you drink the wine daily. I think we both just need to cut down to moderate levels and it will help so much from both a health and weight perpective
:flowerforyou: 0 -
I don't think temporarily cutting back will help because the weight will come right back on. Don't get me wrong, I think you need to cut back permanently, but that was not your question so oops, I'm now offering unsolicited advice
Make sure you're EATING 1200 calories because you need that much to get the nutrition you need. If you are working out, you can probably still lose weight, albeit more slowly, with the wine. If we make a lifestyle change we cannot stick to then a diet will never work and you'll be constantly yo-yoing.0 -
I feel your pain... I love a glass of wine with dinner, and about half the time I can stop at one or two...the other half of the time Im sipping away while I make dinner, through dinner, then the rest of the night til I go to refill my glass and am like..wtf? Where did all my wine go?! LoL
I get maybe 2 or 3 bottles a week tops, but still, thats too much. And I HATE logging that I drank that much wine for anyone to see what a lush I am. So for now, I have stopped buying wine altogether, and only have it if I go out to eat...in which case I can easily stop at one glass.
Considering how many calories are in a bottle of wine, it's well worth it to cut back. Now, if I could drink just one glass and stop right there, Id keep enjoying a glass with dinner...but I know I'm bad, so I won't even tempt myself.0 -
I enjoy drinking also... I could (and have) drunk a whole bottle of wine daily also. With your being small I think a calorie is a calorie and whatever the entire bottle has for calories is your calories for the day. I have drunk alcohol and have still been losing weight ... to answer your question... it hasn't appeared to make a difference whether I drink or not ... but, that's just me and my experience (12 ounces of merlot so far today and I might have more.)0
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I'm not stressed and I don't have an issue I just enjoy it. I don't use it to wind down either. I don't need a drink I just enjoy having a drink there is a difference. It's only recently I've put on this weight as I also have a sweet tooth.It's not weight necessarily; if you feel like you need a bottle of wine at night just to wind down, you've got bigger problems than just your weight. Probably should find another way to deal with stress.
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I would cut back like everyone said. Just be conscious of when you are good and try to drink slower. I can easily down a bottle pretty quick of good wine(not sweet wine) but I think its like 900-1000 per bottle. Not only that your liver is fight the toxins instead of burning fat. I always thought of it like this. I want my fat burning to be the greatest after I workout so I can see results. If I were to workout especially a HIIT workout then my metabolism would be super high after for a long time but then if I consume alcohol that will decrease significantly. This is how I kept the weight off in the past. I need to get back to that mindset bc we have been drinking way more often and more than we should.0
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Missbodyrocker wrote: »I'm not stressed and I don't have an issue I just enjoy it. I don't use it to wind down either. I don't need a drink I just enjoy having a drink there is a difference. It's only recently I've put on this weight as I also have a sweet tooth.
I think the point is that you meet the definition of a heavy drinker, as defined by the NIAAA:
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/moderate-binge-drinking
There are health consequences to this that are not mitigated by why you drink or how you feel about said drinking.
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I too used to love to have some wine each day after work to relax, but wine is extremely high in calories. Even dry red wine (which I drank) has 125 calories per 5oz glass. A whole bottle of wine has roughly 25oz in it. Do the math...you are drinking 125 x 5 =625 calories. For me that is almost two meals worth of calories. I was like you and couldn't just have one glass, so for me the best way was just to give it up. I don't keep any wine in my house, so there is no temptation. You will see you will feel much better and the weight will come off faster. Good luck! 0
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Or decide that the last 10 lbs is your "happy fat", that you keep so you can enjoy things like alcohol. Your choice. 0
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Real Quick:
I don't mean to come off as snarky or accusatory. I used to drink way too much and didn't see a problem. Eventually, it became a problem.0 -
Have you tried to limit yourself to one glass? I have quite an addictive personality, and I used to drink like you do, and while it did take a while to get used to it, I now treat myself to one glass of 170ml of wine each evening. I won't say that I don't want more, but I am seeing the positive effects, and so that helps.0
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I find that to be the same problem than sitting down with a litter of ice cream or a big bag of chips in front of the tv : you munch mindlessly, without even realizing that you do or appreciating the food. You drink mindlessly because the bottle is there, without even appreciating the drink. Take a small glass (like for port), fill it and put the bottle away. If you have to get up every time to consciously pour more wine/alcohol in your small glass, then you will realize how much you drink before the bottle is empty. If it is the gesture that you crave because you have something to do with your hands (like somebody who smokes), make tea or coffee.0
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YES. My ex-husband liked to drink. And by liked to drink I mean, he had a problem. We'll, that started to rub off on me and I would have a few beers or glasses of wine a LOT of nights with him. And if we went out on the weekends....geeze. I would starve myself at work (fruits and/or veggies) because I knew he was going to make dinner (he liked to cook and not very healthy things) and I still couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing weight or felt flabbier. Now I can't believe I wasted SOOO many calories on alcohol!! I Ditched him, ditched the booze and I lost a dress size in a few months. (well, a lot of that had to do with being stressed and depressed) However, it is so easy to keep off the weight and I can EAT more because I'm not wasting so many calories on booze! I don't feel bloated and gross anymore. Fyi, I'm small too. 5'2.0
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Needs and wants are pretty closely tied. If you don't "need" it then you will find the power to stop at a reasonable amount aka cutting down. It may not be a "physical" need but it certainly sounds like it might be a psychological need. Not to split hairs, but it sounds like if "enough" doesn't start until the bottle is empty - you may be looking at a need. That being said. Yes. You will more than likely lose weight if you cut down on the wine. You are taking in a lot of sugar and calories.Missbodyrocker wrote: »
I'm not stressed and I don't have an issue I just enjoy it. I don't use it to wind down either. I don't need a drink I just enjoy having a drink there is a difference. It's only recently I've put on this weight as I also have a sweet tooth.It's not weight necessarily; if you feel like you need a bottle of wine at night just to wind down, you've got bigger problems than just your weight. Probably should find another way to deal with stress.0 -
Oh for goodness sake I don't drink a bottle of wine every night I'm just saying if I opened a bottle I probably would! Currently I have a fridge full of alcohol but I'm not downing everything by the bottle. The question was about weight loss and alcohol not to jump on the band wagon about what I am drinking and what I'm not! It's rather frustrating!Real Quick:
I don't mean to come off as snarky or accusatory. I used to drink way too much and didn't see a problem. Eventually, it became a problem.
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Missbodyrocker wrote: »Oh for goodness sake I don't drink a bottle of wine every night
This was your first sentence:Missbodyrocker wrote: »I enjoy a drink everyday but really it's not one it's more like a bottle of wine everyday.
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"I enjoy a drink everyday but really it's not one it's more like a bottle of wine everyday." This is from your initial post which is why we are under the impression that you drink a bottle of wine everyday. Did you not mean to say everyday. I would suggest you edit your post in that case. Not judging, just responding to what you actually wrote.0
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To answer your question, YES! Less alcohol, reduced calorie intake = weight loss. However, I definitely enjoy a glass of wine, a beer and or a cocktail. When deciding to lose weight I purposefully included alcohol as I did not want to set myself up for failure because I know I have a glass of something most (4/7) evenings. Here is one other factor when drinking while dieting (DWD); alcohol affects the part of your brain that controls memory and judgement. That being said, I definitely have a different "attitude" when I've had TOO many drinks - my judgement is totally impaired of what I eat or how much I eat which would sabotage my weight loss goals. So a reduction in alcohol intake is necessary. Honestly, I'm trying not to be judgmental and stick to the question - but a bottle a night is not healthy.
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Actually from your original post you did say "I enjoy a drink everyday but really it's not one it's more like a bottle of wine everyday."Missbodyrocker wrote: »
Oh for goodness sake I don't drink a bottle of wine every night I'm just saying if I opened a bottle I probably would! Currently I have a fridge full of alcohol but I'm not downing everything by the bottle. The question was about weight loss and alcohol not to jump on the band wagon about what I am drinking and what I'm not! It's rather frustrating!Real Quick:
I don't mean to come off as snarky or accusatory. I used to drink way too much and didn't see a problem. Eventually, it became a problem.
This could be why people are pointing out that there could be a different problem then just your weight.0 -
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Actually from your original post you did say "I enjoy a drink everyday but really it's not one it's more like a bottle of wine everyday."
This could be why people are pointing out that there could be a different problem then just your weight.[/quote]
Yeah I agree maybe I exaggerated a bit I can see the point but this is not the AA it's MFP! As I said rather frustrating!0
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