Alcohol?

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slimbyjune18
slimbyjune18 Posts: 101 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi does anyone have any good tips for cutting down on alcohol? I love a glass or three of wine but this is my downfall. I don’t want to stop completely but realise it’s empty calories. Any nice alcohol free light calorie drinks you’ve found? I drink 2l of water a day, wine is my treat but I need to replace it! Thanks.
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  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,900 Member
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    Make your wine a once a week treat. I measure out 5 ounces . Some things just aren't worth in comparison to the goal.
  • maggibailey
    maggibailey Posts: 289 Member
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    Diet ginger ale, meo flavor in water, and hot tea with Splenda are my favorites.
  • slimbyjune18
    slimbyjune18 Posts: 101 Member
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    dsboohead wrote: »
    Make your wine a once a week treat. I measure out 5 ounces . Some things just aren't worth in comparison to the goal.

    Thanks.. do you just have one five ounce glass per week?
  • megs_1985
    megs_1985 Posts: 199 Member
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    Don't buy bottles. Go to a restaurant or bar and get one glass. Make it a treat. That way you'll be less likely to drink the whole bottle.
  • KendraS74
    KendraS74 Posts: 84 Member
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    Club soda, ginger ale, and hot tea are what I have been subbing for alcohol in general.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,085 Member
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    Depends on what type of wine you enjoy, but I found that a wine spritzer was satisfying with fewer calories: Lighter pour, say 3oz wine, ice, fill glass with sparking water. Only good with limited types of wine, though. Not a solution if dry reds are your only enthusiasm, probably. ;)
  • slimbyjune18
    slimbyjune18 Posts: 101 Member
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    Thanks! I like these tips. I think I might need to do a few weeks off completely (maybe in January life is far too social in December!) and then reintroduce as more of a treat. Has anyone done that? I imagine it’s quite tough?
  • zugmeister
    zugmeister Posts: 23 Member
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    I'm slavishly sticking to a diet of 2,000 calories per day. I eat whatever I want, but it has to add up to 2k calories. It's amazing how many "bad" things for me to eat don't fit anymore. Anyway, I've found myself looking at everything and saying "is this worth it?". That one glass of wine is worth two eggs, 1.5 pieces of Sees candy, or a cup of broccoli florets with 2 Tbsp reduced fat ranch to dip them in. Skipping it entirely is worth 1/4 lb. per week, if you subscribe to the "cut 500 calories per day to lose 1 lb. per week" rule of thumb.

    TL;DR: Is there any way you could drop 120 calories from your diet (but still get proper nutrition) and cut back to one glass of wine each day? If dropping the wine completely is not an option you either gotta cut something else out or accept the extra calories.
  • slimbyjune18
    slimbyjune18 Posts: 101 Member
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    Thank you zugmeister. I like the vizualization of what the wine means in food. I think I need to do a mixture of cutting down wine, occasionally cutting something else out & more exercise for the days I do want some. Thanks
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I think it can be smart of you to figure out if wine is a genuine must-have, or a compulsion. I think that if you feel that you can't cut down in December, then you're not going to be able to cut it out completely in January. Remember that "tomorrow" is the perfect day for all the things we don't want to do.

    I'm not a wine drinker, so I have to I imagine and compare it to how I handle my own "must-haves" and compulsions. Some of the big hurdles for me, was the feeling if not being in charge/control, that I "should" eat or avoid this and that, and that made me try desperately to restrict everything I enjoyed, only to overconsume anything later. Logging without judgement, but with a deeper awareness, helped me discover what was important to me, and what I could happily live without, and what actually just stressed me out. Now I eat more varied and balanced than ever, and enjoy food more than ever; I am more relaxed than ever, and I effortlessly maintain a healthy weight.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    I also like a drink and went for a long spell where I would have a couple every day. Middle of this year, traveling got me off schedule and I hadn't felt like drinking so I extended it for a full month of no booze once I got home. I do a week here and there now just to remind myself I am in control, and overall drink much less. I intersperse sometimes with La Croix more now, as often it's a situational habit - when I'm on the Playstation or something.
  • LZMiner
    LZMiner Posts: 300 Member
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    Dry January. Spouse and I did this last year...after having a bottle every night in December...and wow, did it make a difference. We slept better, felt better, looked better. It was HARD, and we did have to avoid some social situations because we lack willpower, but it's a great way to reduce alcohol consumption, and then return to drinking more mindful of the amount you're consuming.
    P.S. We also saved money...
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    KendraS74 wrote: »
    Club soda, ginger ale, and hot tea are what I have been subbing for alcohol in general.
    Ginger ale has basically the same number of calories.

    Club soda and tea for sure.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    brittneyalley wrote: »
    Every time I read people that have wine daily, I always assume they have an addiction or are close to it. If you feel like you can't cut out wine for a month, maybe you should look closer at your drinking habits. I rarely drink (1-3 times a year), but multiple times a week seems excessive to me.

    Many doctors suggest wine daily. Are they suggesting folks develop an addiction?
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    edited December 2017
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    Moderation and count the calories. Stay within your calorie goal for the day. Other than that, no problem. General health recommendation are no more than 6 to 8 ounces per day for a women and 12 to 16 ounces for men per day.
  • brittneyalley
    brittneyalley Posts: 274 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    brittneyalley wrote: »
    Every time I read people that have wine daily, I always assume they have an addiction or are close to it. If you feel like you can't cut out wine for a month, maybe you should look closer at your drinking habits. I rarely drink (1-3 times a year), but multiple times a week seems excessive to me.

    Many doctors suggest wine daily. Are they suggesting folks develop an addiction?


    Many doctors suggest 1 glass of wine. Most people do not drink only 1 glass. Anything over 14 drinks/week gives you an elevated risk of developing dependency. If someone can't go a month without something, I'd say they are well on their way.

    I don't really care how many drinks someone has a week.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
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    brittneyalley wrote: »
    Every time I read people that have wine daily, I always assume they have an addiction or are close to it. If you feel like you can't cut out wine for a month, maybe you should look closer at your drinking habits. I rarely drink (1-3 times a year), but multiple times a week seems excessive to me.

    I drink 5 oz. wine most evenings. Trust me it's not an addiction. I dislike feeling buzzed, and even when sharing an occasional bottle over a nice dinner I don't drink more than two glasses. I would never feel the need to cut it out for a month just to prove I can. Different people are different.

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