Gave Up Alcohol - did not lose weight any different?

missmacknz

Hi

I'm interested to know if this is common or happened to anyone else? I've lost quite a lot of weight, and while my weight loss slowed down, it was still ticking over. I was drinking quite heavily three nights a week throughout this weight loss process. 3.5 months ago, I stopped drinking completely. I thought that my weight loss would kick in/up a little bit more, but it hasn't made one blind scrap of difference to the rate of weight loss at all. Not even an initial blip of loss.

I did maybe eat 100-200 calories a day more than usual on some days, but considering I was probably consuming hundreds of calories LESS a day on my drinking days, i thought I'd still be better off netwise on calories not drinking.

Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on this? I'd be interested to hear similar experiences/thoughts/research. I'm sorely tempted to start eating the equivalent in calories that I was consuming in alcohol, and seeing what happens, but common sense tells me not to!

Or should I? Am I now consuming too little calories (regardless of where they came from).

Complicating factors: I'm in a wheelchair so my body composition may be different to a normal person my height /weight. I've had VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy - weight loss surgery).

Cheers
Tracey

thankyou4thevenom

I cut out alcohol completely for a month last year. Before that I was drinking on average a bottle of wine a day (otherwise known as three large glasses). I did not lose any weight when I stopped and quite frankly I did not feel any better for it.
If you're still losing and it's not changing just keep going for now. Maybe take closer notice on what you're eating, how much, how much sodium is in it and if you're getting enough water. You might not be paying as close attention as you think.

Francl27

If you're eating more to make up for it, you won't lose weight.

ndj1979

so you ate 200 extra calories a day (give or take) = 1400 extra cals a week ..

stopped drinking three nights a week and saved 300 per night or 900 calories…

for a net increase of 500 calories a week…

and you are asking why no weight loss?

missmacknz

I cut out alcohol completely for a month last year. Before that I was drinking on average a bottle of wine a day (otherwise known as three large glasses). I did not lose any weight when I stopped and quite frankly I did not feel any better for it.
If you're still losing and it's not changing just keep going for now. Maybe take closer notice on what you're eating, how much, how much sodium is in it and if you're getting enough water. You might not be paying as close attention as you think.

Thanks for the advice - I will surely keep on, keeping on. I've gone back to weighing all my food, logging it all etc to ensure paying attention to this, as I agree its easy to eat more than you think you're eating! And I've upped my water about 900ml a day.

Cait_Sidhe

so you ate 200 extra calories a day (give or take) = 1400 extra cals a week ..

stopped drinking three nights a week and saved 300 per night or 900 calories…

for a net increase of 500 calories a week…

and you are asking why no weight loss?

Unfortunately I'm inclined to agree with this guy. Little indiscrepencies add up more than we think and it's so easy to eat more than we think. Stalls or gains don't just happen. There's a reason. Try being more vigilant. Weigh your food and log accurately and make sure you're keeping track.

missmacknz

Hi

Lets assume I was eating another 200 calories a day - 1400 a week. In reality, it's less, but for the sake of argument, a few hundred calories a week is neither here nor there.

In terms of my drinking, I'm not sure where you got saving 300 calories x 3 nights - thats not a lot of alcohol and certainly not what I was taking in. - at 900 calories a week from that I saved from not drinking. I was drinking about 20 oz of bourbon, 3 nights a week. Yes, I'm not proud of that, but thats another story entirely.
That equates to about 1800 extra calories a week if not more, as there were nights I'd drink closer to 30oz of it, not to mention the crap consumed while drunk.

So on a drinking week, I'd consume 700 calories x 7 days (4900), plus 600 x 3 days drinking = 1800. A total calorie intake per week of 6700+.

Now I am consuming around 800x5 nights, and 900x2 nights (just had a look back through My fitness pal) for a weekly total of 5800 a week.

So yes, perhaps I'm not actually consuming as much less as I thought I was per week, but I'm still consuming less than I was while drinking, so my question does still remain.

I'm not so stupid as to think I can stop drinking, eat my alcohol calories back with food and wonder why I've not lost any more weight.

Anyhow, thanks for your post - if nothing else it made me sit down and do the maths and see that maybe I need to go back to 700 cal a day instead of 900 again to keep things going.

missmacknz

Thanks - just ran the sums, and while my increased food intake doesnt equal my decreased alcohol intake, it probably accounts for some of it, so I'll keep on keeping on. It frustrates me that on top of that by recommended daily intake for height and weight is about 1300, and I'm eating 900 (forget the alcohol) and still not really losing any weight, so I guess my whinge was as much about thhat as anything.

I'll keep going, keep weighing and logging my food, and keep on - its better staying the same than going backwards anyhow!

missmacknz

so you ate 200 extra calories a day (give or take) = 1400 extra cals a week ..

stopped drinking three nights a week and saved 300 per night or 900 calories…

for a net increase of 500 calories a week…

and you are asking why no weight loss?

Unfortunately I'm inclined to agree with this guy. Little indiscrepencies add up more than we think and it's so easy to eat more than we think. Stalls or gains don't just happen. There's a reason. Try being more vigilant. Weigh your food and log accurately and make sure you're keeping track.

Thanks, I'm back weighing, counting, logging - so I'll just stick at it

MissInfiniti

When I first joined the Navy I drank like a fish, all sorts of high calorie drinks (calculated an Irish Trashcan to be 600-700 calories-- and I'd drink multiple, 3 to 5 times a week). I wasn't gaining weight, but decided I wanted to lose 10lbs for bikini season and figured if I cut out drinking it would fall off. Wrong! A month of no alcohol and didn't lose even one pound. Still kind of mind boggles me.

missmacknz

When I first joined the Navy I drank like a fish, all sorts of high calorie drinks (calculated an Irish Trashcan to be 600-700 calories-- and I'd drink multiple, 3 to 5 times a week). I wasn't gaining weight, but decided I wanted to lose 10lbs for bikini season and figured if I cut out drinking it would fall off. Wrong! A month of no alcohol and didn't lose even one pound. Still kind of mind boggles me.

Makes ya wonder eh! I'm still slowly losing weight, I just expected a bit of a bump from knocking it off, but oh well... still better off for it

Perhaps its proof that not all calories are equal re carbs, protein, fat & alcohol

xsmilexforxmex

Thanks - just ran the sums, and while my increased food intake doesnt equal my decreased alcohol intake, it probably accounts for some of it, so I'll keep on keeping on. It frustrates me that on top of that by recommended daily intake for height and weight is about 1300, and I'm eating 900 (forget the alcohol) and still not really losing any weight, so I guess my whinge was as much about thhat as anything.

I'll keep going, keep weighing and logging my food, and keep on - its better staying the same than going backwards anyhow!

Your metabolism may be screwed up from eating so little for so long and drinking changes the way your body handles the food you eat - digests alcohol first and stores the food. You probably need to eat more honestly, which means you'll gain at first but if you're working out it'll prob be muscle. Just my thoughts. Less isn't always more.

1234terri

Hi there, also you can't discount the wheelchair use. We don't get anywhere near the same daily cardio burn that others do walking/doing vigorous workouts. It seems other than some superhuman exercise effort, reduced cal intake is the only way to really loose weight. We gotta wiggle more!

_Zardoz_

drinking changes the way your body handles the food you eat - digests alcohol first and stores the food.

Not sure where you got that little gem from but no. Your body treats alcohol like any other food stuff. It all gets processed the same way. If your body needs the calories it will use them. Your body does not think' hmm thats alcohol' i'll use that but i'll sore the food' The reason the OP will not be losing weight is that there will be no calorie deficit. In reality 100-200 calories is not huge and it would be easy for errors in logging to swallow that up. The OP needs to go back to basics double check all their logging (including possible exercise calories which are easily over estimated) and check that the deficit figures they are working from are correct.

xsmilexforxmex

drinking changes the way your body handles the food you eat - digests alcohol first and stores the food.

Not sure where you got that little gem from but no. Your body treats alcohol like any other food stuff. It all gets processed the same way. If your body needs the calories it will use them. Your body does not think' hmm thats alcohol' i'll use that but i'll sore the food' The reason the OP will not be losing weight is that there will be no calorie deficit. In reality 100-200 calories is not huge and it would be easy for errors in logging to swallow that up. The OP needs to go back to basics double check all their logging (including possible exercise calories which are easily over estimated) and check that the deficit figures they are working from are correct.

My doctor.. but if you know more than her...

**Also, here:

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/how-alcohol-affects-metabolism.html
http://news.discovery.com/human/health/alcohol-digestion-food-101216.htm

Some light reading on how your body metabolizes alcohol.

xsmilexforxmex

Good luck OP - BTW

missmacknz

Good luck OP - BTW

Thank you!

Yes, my Dr told me that we use our alcohol calories first too. Not my GP but a Specialist.

I don't actually do any exercise, so I don't have any exercise calories to over estimate, and the only thing is food which is why I have gone back to weighing and logging every scrap of food.

I did think about eating a bit more - but I'm so paranoid about putting on any weight it was a rather 'big deal' to even eat 100-200 extra a day.

I'm going to just keep on at it, it has to come along some time doesn't it! Or I'll just adjust again. I'm going to talk with my dr anyhow who has tracked mmy weight battles for 15+ years. I guess I just wanted a bit of a whinge here haha - I'm not giving up!

So thanks again everyone.

missmacknz

Hi there, also you can't discount the wheelchair use. We don't get anywhere near the same daily cardio burn that others do walking/doing vigorous workouts. It seems other than some superhuman exercise effort, reduced cal intake is the only way to really loose weight. We gotta wiggle more!

I know, and I use an electric wheelchair so it's even worse. They (who are these they people anyhow) say that you need 800 calories to exist in a coma, so I figure that I must be a bit more active than someone in a coma hahah!! Tho some days, it wouldn't surprise me of not!

You are right about the incidental exercise and moving more. The last few months I've been incredibly tired/lethargic (no vitamin problems etcetc) so have done even less. I don't think it's helped.

I guess things will right themselves in due course, and at the end of the day, if I don't lose any more weight, considering I've now lost close on 60 kilos AND kept it off, I shouldn't stress too much about another 5 kilos or so. Andd face the fact that I'll never be the correct weight for my height in this lifetime

dixiewhiskey

so you ate 200 extra calories a day (give or take) = 1400 extra cals a week ..

stopped drinking three nights a week and saved 300 per night or 900 calories…

for a net increase of 500 calories a week…

and you are asking why no weight loss?

Bingo

QueenE_

so you ate 200 extra calories a day (give or take) = 1400 extra cals a week ..

stopped drinking three nights a week and saved 300 per night or 900 calories…

for a net increase of 500 calories a week…

and you are asking why no weight loss?


Bingo

I take it that you didn't read the rest of the comments?.

QueenE_

OP I did lose some weight after giving up 1,000 carbs from the beer drinking I did every other night. It took a couple of months for me to even notice. I just wanted to say good luck!

KutieMK

Okay, I'm just getting started here. Is it true, even if I do reduce my calories if I don't get enough protein I won't lose any weight? I don't eat a lot of meat and when I do it's usually ground turkey. Mostly for the flavor than for the bulk of it. Example: I use 1/2 pound of ground turkey in 6 helpings of chili.

Maleficent0241

What is your height/weight etc? 800 calories sounds really low for a BMR.

missmacknz

OP I did lose some weight after giving up 1,000 carbs from the beer drinking I did every other night. It took a couple of months for me to even notice. I just wanted to say good luck!

Thank you, the encouragement means a lot! It doesn't help that I can't weigh myself at home so I'm partially assuming I haven't lost any weight because I can't 'see' it. I'll stop whinging and take a trip to the hospital in a week or two and use their wheelchair scales

missmacknz

What is your height/weight etc? 800 calories sounds really low for a BMR.

For a 'normal' person of my height and weight and being sedentary, the correct BMR should be estimated BMR is: 1,347 calories/day* based on the my fitnesspal calculator.

My situation is that I can't walk, I've had weight loss surgery, and I have reduced muscle mass compared to another person the same height /weight. All which mean I have a lower calorie need than a normal person. So while it might be low for most people its probably about right for me.

Generally speaking, weight loss surgery patients are recommended to follow an 800-1100 calorie diet in maintenance mode anyhow.

I don't really want to put my height/weight here in a public forum and it ends up on google, but if you're genuinely interested, please message me and I'll tell you

ninerbuff

According to the numbers, you're in less of a deficit since you stopped drinking.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

MyChocolateDiet

If you wanted to see if Alcohol makes a difference you should have eaten the same amount of calories as you were when you were consuming alcohol. That would have been the way to isolate for the alcohol.

For instance....if you were consuming 300 cals worth of alcohol per day you should have switched to another food to make up those cals.

As it stands you have gone lower than your cal target by the amount of alcohol cals you were drinking and so you can't know if the effect you are experiencing is due to the alcohol cessation or the drop in cals. (Even though the effect seems to be slowed weight loss at the same rate as before. They may have canceled each other out.)

So if I were you I'd go back and see how many average cals you were consuming before your alcohol break and eat up to that amount daily in actual food. Then if you lose weight at a faster rate than before you can say it was the alcohol.

I'm unsure why you were trying an experiment like this? Results you gain from an n=1 study even if showing anything could not reasonably be extrapolated to apply to any population in general that you may be a part of?

Also I have heard of NO books or research that blame alcohol calories for weight gain? There are ideas and theories that we eat more or lose control of cal counting when buzzed or drunk but not that alcohol calories specifically change your metabolism in any way. Do you know of some? Did you hear of some credible study like this?

My final reason for advising against isolating for alcohol through an experiment like this is because alcohol is yummy, it can be fun when enjoyed responsibly and I have personally lost weight twice in my life over 30 lbs each and both times enjoying alcohol in moderation.

MyChocolateDiet

If you're eating more to make up for it, you won't lose weight.

Wrong if she is eating more to make up for it TO THE SAME caloric level, she should in theory lose at the same pace.

MyChocolateDiet

so you ate 200 extra calories a day (give or take) = 1400 extra cals a week ..

stopped drinking three nights a week and saved 300 per night or 900 calories…

for a net increase of 500 calories a week…

and you are asking why no weight loss?

yay math

Maleficent0241

What is your height/weight etc? 800 calories sounds really low for a BMR.

For a 'normal' person of my height and weight and being sedentary, the correct BMR should be estimated BMR is: 1,347 calories/day* based on the my fitnesspal calculator.

My situation is that I can't walk, I've had weight loss surgery, and I have reduced muscle mass compared to another person the same height /weight. All which mean I have a lower calorie need than a normal person. So while it might be low for most people its probably about right for me.

Generally speaking, weight loss surgery patients are recommended to follow an 800-1100 calorie diet in maintenance mode anyhow.

I don't really want to put my height/weight here in a public forum and it ends up on google, but if you're genuinely interested, please message me and I'll tell you

Gotcha. No need to say if you aren't comfortable, it was more of a "something to think about" type question Interesting about the differences with the wheelchair, thanks for that info. I was thinking since BMR is essentially coma level caloric need, I wasn't thinking it would be much different but I didn't think about the difference in muscle mass.

Anyway, as others have mentioned, it's probably a miscalculation somewhere in your deficit before and after giving up the alcohol.