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

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  • smellyden
    smellyden Posts: 10
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    I have a minium of one or two cans of beer a day, and I have lost 30 kgs or 66 lbs so it can be done, just need to stay within your calorie guide lines and you will be fine!
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
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    i dont drink alcohol. so one less thing i have to worry about.
  • battybecks
    battybecks Posts: 147 Member
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    Will hula hoop for wine!

    I share a bottle of wine (white or rose - red gives me a bad head!) with my partner most nights. Also at weekends (and sometimes random weekdays!) I will go out with friends and drink lovely big pints of real ale. I am doing that tonight in fact! I budget for it with exercise calories, and I'm losing steadily - one pound a week.

    Wine and beer are my favourite things. I don't really do ice cream, or chocolate, or cookies, or any sweet stuff - but a lovely glass of boozy niceness at the end of the day is worth exercising for!
  • FitWarrior7
    FitWarrior7 Posts: 332 Member
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    I typically will have a glass of wine every night with dinner or after dinner. I think the trouble will drinking too much, whether it be wine beer or spirits is that the next day your body craves junk food. So as long as you can remain under calorie goals and resist the urge to eat junk the next day I see no issue with it.
  • allbarrett
    allbarrett Posts: 159 Member
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    I would never stick to a plan that required giving up red wine, vodka tonics or gin and tonics (or dark chocolate, strawberry rhubarb pie, etc. etc.). I fit them into my meal planning and try to do a workout either that day or the day after.

    I'm on the "this isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle" bandwagon.

    Hell, why on Earth would I work out this hard unless it was to be able to afford to eat the things I love to eat (and drink)?

    This guy captured exactly my feelings on the whole matter:

    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running

    (down 15 pounds in 6 months and in maintenance, and dropped my body fat by 7% over the same time period)
  • logicman69
    logicman69 Posts: 1,034 Member
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    I drink every weekend. I have tried to make better choices on my drinks though. I have laid off the beer, and now drink Jack and Diets. I also limit myself to 3 drinks for the night. Space the drinks, have a drink of water in between each mixed drink, and you should be fine.
    For me its not the drinking, but the craving to consume bad food after drinking that gets me.
  • Tiff050709
    Tiff050709 Posts: 497 Member
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    I've heard a small glass of wine a day is good for you.
    I don't drink though.
  • apedeb09
    apedeb09 Posts: 805 Member
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    I don't drink but like anything else if you can fit them sensibly into your calorie goals I don't see the problem. I like popcorn so occasionally I'll have some within my goals. You like wine so I don't see any problem with you doing that.

    In reality we're all adults and make are own decisions don't let people guilt trip you because you like a glass of wine on occasion. Just enjoy it. You'll not stick to any weight loss plan if you totally ban yourself from things you love.

    Agree with this.
  • Mom2QJandT
    Mom2QJandT Posts: 23 Member
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    If I am on track and I have eaten responsibly all week, I get "Unlimited Wine Saturday" where I count my food intake, but I don't count the wine. I don't think that it is any different than people that take a cheat day or even have a cheat meal.

    Prior to the invention of "Unlimited Wine Saturday" I did drink a glass of wine almost every night, counted the calories in it, and lost weight. If I drink a glass of wine on any day other than Saturday, I continue to do this. I still have a lot of weight to lose, so when I get down to those last 10 pounds, this may not work, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it and determine which I want more (it will probably be the wine).
  • PennyM140
    PennyM140 Posts: 423 Member
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    I have managed to have decent success and still throw back a few. I used to LOVE thick and heavy beer. I would have a few a couple times a week. I have made the compromise to light (ugh) and now that I can palate it, I work it into my numbers. My diary shows what I consume...Having said that, I am not sure how different my results would be if I never touched any, but consumed the same calories in non-alcohol items. I think not much. FYI about 2 months into MFP and down about 20.
    Look at my pic...Me judge??? lol

    Yuengling light isn't bad for a beer that actually still tastes good. It's about 100 calories per bottle. I have one every now and then :)
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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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:

    Mine too kinda! (November 1)... also I drink a lot and it never once hurt my progress... I heart margaritas!! :drinker: :drinker:
  • mag131
    mag131 Posts: 542 Member
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    I'm losing weight and I drink once or twice a week. I believe in making this a lifestyle change instead of just a quick fix, and if I can't have alcohol once in a while I'm not going to stick with it. I don't believe in depriving myself of the things I love. ;)

    I do some damage control and try to eat less and exercise more the day of and after drinking.
  • GlitterrMagpie
    GlitterrMagpie Posts: 302 Member
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    I have a drink most evenings, I've lost 28 lbs since the end of May. I just make sure I stay under my calories, I don't really eat crisps or cake or sweets much so the alcohol isn't difficult to fit in. :drinker:
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,908 Member
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    I drink and I haven't had a hard time with weight loss or exercise. Like you I work out even if I am not feeling the greatest the next day. It actually makes me feel better to do something besides just nursing a hangover.
  • Rebecca8484
    Rebecca8484 Posts: 2 Member
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    There's a fun brand of wine & cocktails called "Skinny Girl" and its low calorie! Its admittedly not *amazing* but it does the trick!

    http://skinnygirlcocktails.com/lpa
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    I drink far more than a glass or two of wine a few times a month, and it hasn't been an issue.
  • baywil11
    baywil11 Posts: 1 Member
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    I am a wine lover as well. Being good to your body should be equal with being good to your head and soul. Unlike many people, I hate running. I still do it for exercise- for my body. To de-stress, I treat my self to a glass or two of wine 3-5 days a week. I am not dieting. I have made a change to my nutritional health because it feels good to find what nourishes you. The weight loss is just a perk. Turns out my body craves fresh crunching fruits and veggies, delicious cheeses, and dark chocolate. My soul craves wine. I listen to both and the weight melts off, I don't feel like I am depriving myself, and I feel great.
  • glowgirl14
    glowgirl14 Posts: 200 Member
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    I didn't read all the responses...but I usually have a drink every day. Lots of days I have two. There have been days when I've just had that high from exercise and never made my cocktail. But a part of my day I enjoy very much is sitting down in the evenings before dinner and having a drink with my guy. I have a drink then, make my dinner, and if I want another, I have another. Nothing is off limits. You just have to pay for everything you do. 1.5oz of vodka is 104 calories. It is absolutely worth it to me to walk for 15 extra minutes so I can have that option if I want it.

    As with everything else, we are going for a lifestyle change, not a "diet". This is a part of my life. If I take that away, but still want it, I'm not going to stick with this. The "bad carbs" and the cookies and cake? I can recognize that those things are bad for me, and that even moderation will not allow me to eat those things on a daily basis if I want to stay at a healthy weight. I have found other, healthier options to satisfy my sweet tooth...But the alcohol is healthy in moderation. I sleep better and have a relaxed evening. I work from home, and it's hard sometimes to "get away" from the work I didn't finish at the end of the day. Sitting down with him is the way I decompress and mentally transfer from the stresses of the day to the calm of evening. For me, "happy hour" is here to stay - for now at least. : )

    OP - If you want your wine, make room in your diet for your wine. The problems arise when you don't plan for indulgences. Exercise a little more if you're not able to get your deficit and have your booze. You can have ANYTHING you want and still lose weight - the calorie deficit makes the weight go away, not what you're consuming.
  • FitNurseLex
    FitNurseLex Posts: 66 Member
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    Ok... from reading the subject please try to refrain from judging me. I want HONEST answers from people who still have a love of wine (in my case) or alcohol. On my weight loss journey I found that I can quit cookies. I can quit cake. I can quit "Bad" Carbs. I can quit pop. I can quit all the "BAD" things out there.. besides my Love of Wine!! :drinker: I just want to know if anyone has been able to keep up with exercise and good eating habits and still enjoy the glass or 2 (or in my case bottle or 2) of wine a few times a month? PLEASE don't start judging me and calling me an "alcoholic" like I've seen on threads in the past. I don't "drink" every night. I might drink once, twice or 3 times a month, but when I do... It's a good time. :happy: I'm still faithful to my workouts (hungover or not) and my daily "diet". Like I said, I don't want the feed back that I'm a BAD bad person. I want feed back from people like me that had results. And if you didn't, I would like to hear that too. Is this something I should quit? Or can i make it work? And again... Honest yet non judgmental feedback would be nice. I'm the most judgmental person in my life... I don't need 100 more. I can't be the only one who wants answers for this. Input??

    I will be the first to tell you that alcohol is my "thing" & I couldn't care less who judges me for it. Before starting to lose weight, I drank (cocktail or wine) at least 4-5 nights/wk. I've always felt as if one should keep something "bad" as a regular part of their diet when they are trying to lose weight...just to break up the monotony and feeling of restriction. For me, it works! Now that I've gotten serious about losing weight, I only drink about once or twice a week. (if I go out to eat at a restaurant or out w/friends on the wknd), as I am a margarita FANATIC! I count the calories of those drinks too. So, on those days my calorie intake is WAYYY over, but I just don't worry about it and I STILL lose the weight. Otherwise, I've scaled my alcohol intake back to the point where I very rarely buy any alcohol except for wine to drink at home, and I rarely drink it even if I do buy the wine. However, I've put myself on a personal weight loss challenge this month to drink ONLY wine, to see if I notice any changes.

    Bottom line, a drink or two a week is not going to kill your weight loss. It's the 4-5 cocktails/bottles of wine at a time (lol) that does that. Enjoy your wine and don't let anyone make you feel bad about it!
  • kkzmom11
    kkzmom11 Posts: 220 Member
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    i agree with many others, everything allowed in moderation. right now, i am not counting calories. i am intuitive/mindful eating. so, i pay attention to what my body tells me it wants and needs. i love wine, and some beers. so, i enjoy it a couple nights a week (unless i am eating out). i will and would never tell anyone they can't have something (since i am not them and i don't live their life) or tell them they are bad. eat and drink what you want. as far as weight loss, i am short and fat, so it's going to take a lot of effort and time for me to lose anything. i am okay with that. as long as i am living a healthy life, that's what's most important to me......................and not gaining any more weight. LOL

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