Alcohol & Weight Loss

Kst76

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

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.

johnbrainerd

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.

Confuzzled4ever

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Suzanne_the_foot_lady

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!!

Suzanne_the_foot_lady

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.

Never mind the calories, that amount of alcohol will ruin your health! You were drinking a weeks allocation of alcohol every 2 days, carry on like that and you will kill yourself!

rsclause

I love my booze but in my heart I know I am drinking too much. My goal this week is to stop drinking scotch when I get home (2, 3 oz drinks) and my one or two craft beers after dinner. I will stick with my half bottle of wine though. I just fell into a rut of drinking due to work stress and on the weekend adding about 8 beers daily to the mix. I used to be able to get away with this when I was running 30 miles a week so I am hoping the reduction coupled with more miles will tip the scales for me.

htimpaired

There is a program out there called "Moderation Management". They have a website, forum, and email listing. They are an alternative to AA for people who want to learn to moderate their drinking. They use this workbook called "Responsible Drinking" and offer tips and discussion on how to live moderately. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to work on the amount they drink but not give it up entirely. Sometimes people try to moderate only to come to the conclusion they will abstain, other times people successfully moderate.

It's not just about weight loss, but for overall health as well.

goldiejdb

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?

So, Update!
I completely cut off alcohol 7 months ago
& I have lost 103 lbs since! The benefits of not drinking is amazing!

kpsyche

goldiejdb wrote: »

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?

So, Update!
I completely cut off alcohol 7 months ago
& I have lost 103 lbs since! The benefits of not drinking is amazing!

Wow! Really well done

alicia163425

My husband and I elected to cut alcohol out entirely. For a short woman 5’4 my calorie intake is quite low. But we have different reasons too as we are trying I have a baby so alcohol just doesn’t fit with us at
This point. But we do miss having a drink every once in a while. Not as much as I thought though! I hope you can find a good solution for you!