To Drink Or To Lose... (What's Your Answer)

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  • IronPhyllida
    IronPhyllida Posts: 533 Member
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    To be honest, a treat is always a good thing and would be hard cutting out the last element, ie booze. Personally I always said I'd never be able to give it up, but the more i've picked up on exercise, the less I've needed it... Also saying that that, I've started the 'Go Sober October' and day 4 so far and I've survived, although the weekend is near and that's my week time.... So I'll get back to you on Monday :)
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
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    I'm exactly the same as you, and yes I'm losing without giving up my wine :drinker: For me - until my car blew up last week and I've had to re-evaluate outgoing expenditures - I drink wine pretty much every night, between a glass and half a bottle. Just log it! If it fits, go for it.
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
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    I also have one or 2 days a month where I'll drink a bottle or two :laugh: Just an excuse to jumo on the treadmill and pick up those dumbells!
  • j3nnal3igh13
    j3nnal3igh13 Posts: 134
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    "Go Sober October".... HA! Sounds intriguing... but NO! Its my Birthday and Halloween month... That would NEVER be do-able (or I have No balls. LOL) A week or 7.5 days is long enough... :noway: :drinker:
  • simplybe13
    simplybe13 Posts: 24 Member
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    I'm a wine lover as well and although I'm drinking much less, I still have wine at the weekend and put it in my food diary! I try not to go too crazy or then I start to eat lots as well (old habits die hard!!!). If I drink too much, I dont punish myself (another old habit), I just take the next day as a new day and get back on the treadmill as it were!! Good luck!!!
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Like others have said, so long as you stay under your net calories, no problem. One idea is to only drink out of your exercise calories - that way you get all the nutrition you need out of your food first rather than skipping something you shouldn't for a drink.

    Check out my MFP tagline: "Will run for wine" :drinker:
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
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    Check out my MFP tagline: "Will run for wine" :drinker:

    This is why I LOVE you Berry!
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,590 Member
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    I'm with Berry, don't drink 800 calories and only eat 400 calories! Then again, I can't remember the last time I only had 1200 cals :laugh:

    As long as you're eating a nutritionally sound, balanced diet then go for it - my diary is open but please ignore the last two weeks as I've been on holiday... one thing I would say is that after a couple of drinks my resistance to snacking is minimal and that is why I reduced the amount I drink during the week (when I'm in work).
  • Patovader
    Patovader Posts: 439 Member
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    I drank wine (a bottle) every Friday throughout , I also had beer on a Saturday. I was really good throughout the week and did enough exercise to ensure that my average for the week was only plus or minus 100 cals. I consistently lost around a pound per week doing this and never felt as though I was on a 'diet'. So to answer your question, why not both ;-)

    :drinker:
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    The only thing to watch with alcohol really is that it's a bit moreish, and being sure that you stop when you reach the level you'd planned for. I do this by not having much alcohol in the house! I did give up entirely for a year, and to be honest, I did feel better for it. I now drink much more lightly than I used to, but am thinking about going clear for a bit again, once I get past my birthday and christmas. It helps with my running - I find I'm a bit more sluggish if I've had alcohol the previous day.

    And I've *never* heard this business about not eating and drinking at the same time. I too would love to see the evidence!
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    And I've *never* heard this business about not eating and drinking at the same time. I too would love to see the evidence!
    I can think of evidence to the contrary - the French pretty much only drink wine with meals and they're notoriously slim!
  • wendyg311
    wendyg311 Posts: 239 Member
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    Thanks for asking this....I like to come home on a Friday night and have a beer or two. I switched from regular calorie beer to MGD 64. So I can have 2 (or three:bigsmile: ) for the evening and not feel guilty. I have been more mindful of what might be empty calories too so that has been tempering how often I might partake.

    CHEERS!
  • calmlywilde
    calmlywilde Posts: 47 Member
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    For me, it's not the calories in the wine - it's the calories in the hangover cures the next day!

    If a glass here and there fits into your calorie goals, do it! If a glass turns into a bottle once in a while, don't beat yourself up, as long as that is the exception, not the rule. Don't beat yourself up over it!

    Gosh, I only have one child and my "stress" glasses turn into bottles. Does that mean,i f I have two more kids, my bottles will turn into crates...?!
  • taeliesyn
    taeliesyn Posts: 1,116 Member
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    I've lost around 30lbs (didn't start MFP at my highest) and for a while I was going through 1L of bourbon a WEEK!
    Now that I'm more focused on fitness & health than weight loss, I haven't really lost much but I have cut down my alcohol as it really sucks trying to do a 10-20km hike while hungover!

    Really though if you can fit it in, go for it. I do like the idea of only drinking out of the exercise calories :)
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    Like others have said, so long as you stay under your net calories, no problem. One idea is to only drink out of your exercise calories - that way you get all the nutrition you need out of your food first rather than skipping something you shouldn't for a drink.

    Check out my MFP tagline: "Will run for wine" :drinker:

    What Berry said - except I will zumba for wine!!

    I've not given up wine, beer on G&T (and OK I did put on 5lb on holiday but I lost it again!!), but by being good with my exercise the occasional "over-spend" has balanced out and I'm now at my new goal weight.
  • Cruxthemystic
    Cruxthemystic Posts: 149 Member
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    It's my one vice and I won't give it up. I have a glass of red wine mostly every night. A dirty martini here and there. On nights before a 5k run I don't indulge, I wait till after the run. :)
  • elsdonward
    elsdonward Posts: 81 Member
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    When Jason made his way across the wine dark sea - he was sustained by wine Wine was the measure of the people. We just do not pay homage to it now. But we should - because it is one of the things we should live for. It helps us to enjoy life and also to party - which is important for any young man or woman. We need pleasures even if wine dark!!

    So no contest there - venerate it and look into the God of wine. Enjoy your next cup
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    As I think I have mentioned elsewhere I drink red on a disGUSTingly regular basis and plenty of it.

    And I look awesome. ;)
  • pseepferdchen
    pseepferdchen Posts: 11 Member
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    Hi, I love my wine and still managed to loose a good amount of weight so far. Like you I drink a few times a month, but then it will be a bottle or 2.. If I alternate my glasses of wine with glasses of water I feel less hungover the next day.

    Here is a terrific article about fat loss and alcolhol. Since I found this blog from Martin Berkhan I changed my eating patterns a bit and find sticking to my calorie allowance easier.

    http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

    Keep up your good work:-)
  • olehcat
    olehcat Posts: 92 Member
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    I'm just like you -- I can give up just about anything, but I do look forward to my red wine! I really don't drink other alcohol that much at all. But I have a glass or half glass of wine nearly every evening as I'm cooking dinner. On weekends I might have a lot more (up to 3 glasses). Now, I'm just at the beginning of my weight loss journey this time, but I can tell you from past experiences that wine does not seem to affect my weight loss one way or another (evidenced by a summer when I didn't drink any wine all summer and I completely was unsuccessful at weight loss vs. a time when I had wine every single night and quite a lot on weekends and lost 10 pounds within six weeks) and in fact, I think it helps me because I will sip on my glass of wine instead of wanting a sweet for dessert or something! It's all about calories. If you can fit it into your day, then go for it! For me, the wine is probably going to be the last thing I look at as a problem if/when I stall!

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