Alcohol & Weight Loss

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  • goldiejdb
    goldiejdb Posts: 63 Member
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    melissa4music wrote: »
    Im a big drinker. I drink around 4 to 7 vodka and OJs per night which is alot of calories. I started gaining weight ...7 kilos in 3 months. Im 2 weeks sober at the moment and it is not easy to stop because i get alot of enjoyment out of drinking and have now for 9 years. I dont want to stop completely but i need to slow down somehow... and like you im not sure i can cut down to once a week or once a month because once i start the cycle begins followed by the poor food choices i make afterwards. Soo difficult.

    You sound just like me lol. I'm still trying to work on quitting & it's been Rough.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    goldiejdb wrote: »
    I am having an extremely difficult time giving up alcohol on my weight loss journey. I have cut back significantly, but some days I binge & it definitely shows on the scale.
    Binge drinking is never a good thing whether trying to lose weight or not. If you can't drink without bingeing, I would suggest giving it up.
    I also tend to make terrible food choices after drinking.
    This is usually the real culprit to drinking alcohol preventing weight loss. Drinking in reasonable amounts can be done while dieting but not if you overeat when you do.
    Anyone else had or have this issue? Any tips to overcome this? Do you include alcohol in your diet?
    I do not have that issue. I drink most every day but I do not binge drink and I do not overeat just because I have a drink.
  • harleychic1961
    harleychic1961 Posts: 2 Member
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    I love to drink my Redd's Apple Ale in my reggae red wine, but when I found out Redd's Apple had 17 grams of carbs per bottle I decided to switch so now I drink Michelob Ultra Light which is 2.5 grams of carbs but I'm still struggling on the wine??????
  • Calichusetts
    Calichusetts Posts: 100 Member
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    I, unfortunately, have a lot of experience with this. First, alcohol most likely is not why we gain weight. Its the foods we eat when we drink. I lost 60 pounds drinking a 6-pack a night. I just never ate after dinner, only drank. I also kept my beers in the basement by the workout equipment. A beer cost me 50 push ups, 100 sit-ups. At the tail end of my weight loss, a beer cost me 150 push ups and 300 sit-ups. I was using beer as an excuse to go to the basement and work out at night.

    Second, if you are consumer more than 12 units of alcohol a week, you might want to consider if you are a problematic drinker. Consider visiting moderation management or taking 30 days off. If you can't, see a doctor. Alcohol is a very strange cultural norm in America. Its a huge issue that not many talk about socially or take seriously. It leads to some bad health outcomes in just a few years, and even major issues over the decades.

    With that said, I have a suger/carb deficient diet that allows me to have a beer or two to hit my goals. I eat very healthy and never drink more than 3 drinks in any occasion. I never drink out at restaurants or go to bars anymore either, even holidays or weekend parties are a non-alcohol zone for me. Keep it safe. Keep it clean. Make good choices if you can. Good luck.
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
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    I'll be honest and say I solve this problem in an unhealthy - but sustainable - way. I don't have the occasional drink "just because." I only drink if I am going to get drunk, which I enjoy doing. I also fast intermittently, so my usual eating window is 2pm-10pm. On days I plan to binge drink, I push it to 4pm-12am and have my first drink with my first meal of the day. I get drunk faster, but not sick, and it generally keeps me within my calories since I'm sober when I make the first choice and I have a bunch saved up for later :) Also! It's okay to eat to maintenance some days - you won't gain anything from that. I will also say, that alcohol makes you bloat, so you may see weight gain that is all water, it's normal and will go away soon.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I pretty much have to not drink...because there's no one or two for me most of the time... I haven't cut it out.. That would make me want it more.. But I do say no more often now. It's hard with football season in effect now though.. I basically can't watch it... Which sucks...
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Alcohol is annoying. It has sooo many calories, and I can't just have ONE drink, that doesn't do anything for me :( champagne has 90 cals per serving though. You can also do rum and diet coke or something like that. Makes it a little better. Problem is. The kind of stuff I like is sangrias and other yummy things like that. Ugh.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    goldiejdb wrote: »
    I am having an extremely difficult time giving up alcohol on my weight loss journey. I have cut back significantly, but some days I binge & it definitely shows on the scale. I also tend to make terrible food choices after drinking.
    Anyone else had or have this issue? Any tips to overcome this? Do you include alcohol in your diet?

    I calorie cycle for the week if I know I'm going to drink one day on the weekend. For example, and you have to find what works for you, I can shave off 200 kcal a day (for 5 days) and still be over 1500 kcals giving me an extra 1000 kcals to drink on Saturday.

    I find I also lose any will power I have if I drink too much. The only cure for that is not to have junk food around when I drink.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    I guess what I want to know is, if it is calorie in vs calorie out, and I log my calories from wine, why does the scale show a weight gain the next day if I don't go over my calorie intake for the day.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    karintalley wrote: »
    I guess what I want to know is, if it is calorie in vs calorie out, and I log my calories from wine, why does the scale show a weight gain the next day if I don't go over my calorie intake for the day.

    It could be any number of reasons, but one possibility is retaining water weight. If I eat a meal with a lot of soy sauce, I'll often be higher the next day even though soy sauce is very low calorie.

    Judging a food's impact just by what shows up on the scale the next day can be misleading.

    Anything that shows up the next day is just going to be temporary and it's unrelated to actual fat loss.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    johnbrainerd wrote: »
    Had the same problem. Realized I might be an alcoholic considering my drinking was interfering with my health and goals.

    Stopped drinking 18 months ago. Lost 20% of my body weight. Now I'm almost to my ideal weight.

    Good on you! I defantly have alcoholic tendencies. But don't drink like I was before. It's a struggle that's for sure. I'm not alcoholic, but I really could be.
  • mazmataz
    mazmataz Posts: 331 Member
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    ottersandsealsdonotfly wrote: »
    I'll be honest and say I solve this problem in an unhealthy - but sustainable - way. I don't have the occasional drink "just because." I only drink if I am going to get drunk, which I enjoy doing. I also fast intermittently, so my usual eating window is 2pm-10pm. On days I plan to binge drink, I push it to 4pm-12am and have my first drink with my first meal of the day. I get drunk faster, but not sick, and it generally keeps me within my calories since I'm sober when I make the first choice and I have a bunch saved up for later :) Also! It's okay to eat to maintenance some days - you won't gain anything from that. I will also say, that alcohol makes you bloat, so you may see weight gain that is all water, it's normal and will go away soon.

    Haha I do exactly the same (IF and all)! My social circle are all drinkers and the thought of being on a night out with them and not drinking sounds awful, and I definitely don't want to be Sally-Sad-Sack at home on my own whilst my friends are out having a good time. Plus I enjoy it!

    Same thing though, I'm not one for the occasional 'one beer/wine' at night with dinner - don't get me wrong, I do enjoy that but I can easily go without and I never drink on my own...it's 100% a social thing for me. At the end of the day, I know that if I quit drinking (and therefor omitted about 70% of my social life including family gatherings), I would get so annoyed that I would be more inclined to throw in the towel completely rather than manage it in said 'unhealthy but sustainable' way.
  • dustinjbrock
    dustinjbrock Posts: 49 Member
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    It's alot easier for the older people (this includes me) because we can't drink like we used to or were hungover for days. There was no way I would give up being a piss tank when I was younger lol

    My advice to you.... because we know damn well you aren't gonna just quit your night life, and really..... You don't need too.

    1. Margaritas are all sugar! Bad bad bad

    Change your drink of choice, it will make a huge difference. Vodka water splash of cran. Vodka water with a lime wedge. Molsen 67, corona is gluten free, if you drink pop then choose diet pop.... spiced rum diet Pepsi squeeze of lime.

    Stay away from the drunken deep fried foods!
  • jesspen91
    jesspen91 Posts: 1,383 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I can totally relate. I do so well all week and then alcohol and bad food choices at the weekend put me back to square one. My favourite drinks are strong (6-9%) craft beers and they are calorie bombs. I've tried recently to drink these drinks slowly and savour them because they are so flavourful so I don't want to knock them back anyway. I will often buy a half or even sometimes 1/3rd of a pint and try to drink it at the same speed as my boyfriend would drink a pint. I think this has helped me limit my calories and my hangovers!

    I am also getting much better at saying no to the fried food that goes with drinking. When I do eat something I have started choosing healthier things at the take away. Drunk me has suddenly started getting cravings for halloumi which is much better than my previous choice of cheesy chips and mayo! I had a friend who would always buy a supermarket pizza in preparation for a night out that she could put in the oven when she got home and save herself a lot of calories from the larger takeaway pizzas.
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I really like the suggestion to give alcohol up for 30 days just to see how it goes.

    Also, a lot of times alcohol cravings are a sign of systemic candida in the gut. This can be reduced significantly by using a good probiotic (I like FiveLac) per the directions. 1 box will give you 2 doses for 30 days.

    Ref: https://www.thecandidadiet.com/candida-symptoms/

    I would also suggest gliding into a lower sugar / carb eating plan for that 30 days as well. (If you are able to adapt this way of eating long term, while staying within your calories, so much the better!)

    Stay within your calories but eat the following types of meals -

    Week 1: Low sugar / carb (High protein / healthy fat) breakfast; for example, 2 HB eggs and a cold boiled potato (cook a bunch on the weekend and keep in the fridge in a large zip lock) 311 calories (2 sugar / 20 carbs; 19 protein / 18 fat)

    Week 2: Low sugar / carb (High protein / healthy fat) breakfast (per above) and lunch; for example, chopped salad (make in bulk for the week -- I use red and green cabbages, carrots, broccoli, jicama, bell peppers, radishes and celery that I salt and add Bragg's raw apple cider vinegar to -- cooked mushrooms (I like King Oyster ones -- 3 oz of turkey or chicken breast 182 calories (4 sugar / 14 carbs; 28 protein / 2 fat)

    Week 3: Low sugar / carb (High protein / healthy fat) breakfast (per above), lunch (per above), then add in your dinner meal -- keeping a similar dietary foot print; A typical dinner meal would be sauteed meat and veggies and a small amount of carbs (like beans, sweet potato, half a serving of rice or pasta).
    • The goal is to keep your carbs at or around 100 g per day. Check all of your canned goods to ensure that there is no added sugar.
    • Natural peanut butter with salt only is a great snack; high in good fat and protein. Along with a cup of hot tea and milk (no sugar) it's a pretty decent way of quelling the hunger in the afternoons.
    • Check out the Weston A Price foundation for some great ideas on how to incorporate more traditional foods in your diet and lots of resources on making your own lacto-fermented foods (great for gut health) and healthy fats (and why you need them). https://www.westonaprice.org/abcs-of-nutrition/
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    karintalley wrote: »
    I guess what I want to know is, if it is calorie in vs calorie out, and I log my calories from wine, why does the scale show a weight gain the next day if I don't go over my calorie intake for the day.

    I'm the opposite. Unless the drinking includes food, I lose weight from drinking. I'm dehydrated and lighter the next day.
  • thechiopodist
    thechiopodist Posts: 216 Member
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    I enjoy a glass of wine or lager with my dinner often. I have a small glass which only holds 100ml, so even if I have 2 glasses, which feels naughty, Im not going overboard. I also buy small 35cl bottles of lager. I include them in my diary of course, so if I have a drink I have to cut back on something else. I'm going on holiday in a week or so, so will find out if I can keep it up then!!

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