Limiting / Giving Up Wine -- What to Drink!

rachelrb85

Wine. But maybe only one glass instead of a whole bottle that I used to drink. I can make room for a 150 calorie indulgence.

Flab2Fab27

What do you drink if you don't drink wine in the evening? Water just won't cut it.

:laugh:

dbmata

Scotch.

Oban!

kristenonly

Giving up wine has been a major struggle for me. I do think Organic Tart Cherry Juice tastes very similar. It also helps me sleep. I hope that helps! I was drinking a bottle a night. Now I have 2 - 3 glasses twice a week.

AngelsFan91106

If you're substituting wine with sprite and cranberry to cut calories, you might as well as have wine.

A 5oz glass of wine has about 120 calories. Are you having the sprite and cranberry in a martini glass? The Sprite is about 95 calories for 8oz, plus however big a splash of cranberry you use. If you're using a bigger glass, you're drinking even more.

Just budget your calories so you'll have 120 left for a glass of wine. I like my alcohol, and I don't deny myself. I just use moderation.

dawnmcneil10

I'm not a big drinker but sometimes I really enjoy a glass of wine with certain meals, I wouldn't necessarily give that up but it's not nightly for me. What I would do and I do this for social gatherings is add plain selzter to your wine. I will caution you if you like a hearty red wine with a steak or pasta dish consider that worth the splurge and don't cut the wine with seltzer.

You could also use smaller wine glasses, buy smaller bottles of wine and tell yourself that one bottle must last all week.

Something else to consider is how much water you drink in the day, be sure to have a glass of water before you sit down to your wine.

oregonzoo

Sorry but if it's not wine, it's water.

Doesn't make sense to me to replace calories with calories.

RushBabe_214

Bourbon. Neat.

SHYGIRL8185

Have you tried skinny girl wines? I've tried some of the pre-mixed drinks they made, but I haven't tried their wine. I believe the wine comes to about 100 calories a glass. If you local liquor store doesn't carry it and you catch the owner, they're usually more than happy to order some if you're a regular and let them know that you intend to buy it. Also, something I've been doing is using vodka with some water and a liquid flavor enhancer (like Mio). Crystal Light and some others are starting to make some that are geared more towards cocktails. For me, I will limit other calories or excercise more to help offset it so that I don't have to go without. If you save 50-100 calories a day through the week you can afford a night or two with wine.

JupeJones

The "spritzer" idea is a great way to A) get the taste of wine, satisfy the behavioral urge to hold and drink from a wine glass.

I don't use high-end wine for this, of course. A good boxed wine (not an oxymoron anymore!) works fine. I also add a couple of drops of bitters for some added complexity. Got that idea from Bon Appetit, although I use more of a 50/50 ratio compared to their recommended 3:1 ratio: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/wine-spritzer

Of course, all you need to give up to "move the needle" is calories. Those calories might come from wine, or they might not. If you can find somewhere else to shave off the calories on a given day, then go ahead and enjoy that glass!

Everything in moderation, including moderation. :-)

mymodernbabylon

As I don't plan on giving up either wine or beer for life, I'm not going to give it up now. If I did, then I'd probably just gain the weight back once I began to drink again. I just fit it in, though I don't drink every night (I'd rather have Nutella some nights!).

nicoleromine

For myself, I found that it was less about the wine itself and more about the HABIT of relaxing and having the glass of wine every night. I still allow myself to have a glass (at max 2 glasses!) of wine twice a week (usually Friday and Saturday). For the remaining nights, I simply developed a new relaxing habit that involved drinking something that wasn't going to rack up my calorie or sugar count right before bed. After some experimenting, I've found that I like to indulge in really flavorful and fancy (but no or low calorie) teas. This new healthier habit is now well-established. I also spend a lot less money on wine and truly enjoy it when I get to drink it.! Hope that helps.

cwolfman13

I didn't give up my wine, beer, and booze entirely when I was losing, but I did substantially cut back. I bought a soda stream and started drinking a lot of bubbly water...I don't use the syrups, I just make bubbly water and throw in a lime wedge or something.

MamaFunky

Have you ever tried hot tea? Of course it doesn't taste like wine, but I love to have a cup of Chamomile at night after dinner. I love wine and beer, but have also found that hot tea can be very soothing and relaxing as well. HTH!

giggitygoo

I still drink wine. It's a love affair. I only get it on the weekends now though.

If I need a drink to help me sleep at night I'll have some whiskey or scotch. If that's not your thing gin and tonic is nice.

luvmydawgs

I still have a glass almost every night but I log it every night too. I would rather drink my wine calories than eat

lilRicki

yeah I'm a wine drinker...but if I'm counting calories instead of going all out, I have smirnoff ice light

ETA: or "alive" rum coolers

JupeJones

I still have a glass almost every night but I log it every night too. I would rather drink my wine calories than eat

Amen! :-)

Heck, I even made a "booze" category in my food diary here. :drinker:

kristyloz75

Try mojito with trivia insted of sugar!

calmandpeaceful

Yes, I have the habit too and want to break it. How long did it take you? What is your replacement drink? thanks!!