Gave up alcohol, lost weight

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  • Mrs_ALM
    Mrs_ALM Posts: 39 Member
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    If this turns into a support group I'm joining!
    Red wine is my vice and over the past few months I have really cut down, I was drinking up to a bottle a night. I would then microwave meat with cheese and eat that. I was disgusting! It was due to stress and thinking it might help me sleep. It didn't. I put on loads of weight. Anyway to cut a long story short, due to giving up for longer periods of time my tolerance of course went down. NY eve - missed it, too drunk and I knew how drunk I was and couldn't get back to being merry. I have not drunk since then and although I'm not saying I won't drink again, I'm only going to drink if an occasion calls for it, not because I crave it in the evenings!

    I am Helen and I love red wine!

    I just finished my year of support group meetings ;) I used to eat too after I finished my drinking for the night...whatever I had in the fridge, I heated it up and ate - mostly bad stuff like mac n cheese.
  • Stacyanne324
    Stacyanne324 Posts: 780 Member
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    I really wish there was a like button for some of these posts! :) So glad to know I'm not alone!
  • victoria233
    victoria233 Posts: 80
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    How true is this!? wow..

    I barely used to drink! Maybe one a month...if that

    but then, it turned to every weekend...and I gained fast. After a night out we always turned to pizza, mcdonalds or kraft dinner :S

    I was even comparing pictures and I can definately see a difference...the weight I noticed was evident in my face and midsection...so I have also kicked the booze!! My wallet and waistline will thank me :)
  • LeanMeanFitnessMachine
    LeanMeanFitnessMachine Posts: 659
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    You have to remember "everything in moderation". A beer or two every night is not moderation. Focus on self control - let yourself have a glass of wine or a beer on a Friday night, but don't go overboard. You know what I mean? Same thing with the cookies - have it once in a while, not every day.

    The drinking may be hindering your weight loss, but its the lack of self control that is the main source of concern. You've still done a great job so far! Just gotta tweak the lifestyle and the mindset a bit :-)
  • skinnyhobbit
    skinnyhobbit Posts: 8
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    Now that I am counting calories, I had to say good-bye to those martinis when we go out and order MGD 64's instead, which is great because I know exactly what my calories count is for the night.
  • luvtabasco
    luvtabasco Posts: 11 Member
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    Your post is my story to a "T". I too had 3 pregnancies during which i did not drink. Since then, which has been many years, my record has been 4 days without. Jan 1 i decided i have to change that pattern. So i went 5 days without! Will limit any consumption to weekends only. I have tried this before and the next thing you know it is a bottle a night :( So this time i have to put a bit more effort into it. Support group sounds good! Good luck!
  • stcar
    stcar Posts: 207 Member
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    I have been doing the exact same thing since new years. I've dropped 4 pounds instantly! I know my body and it's for sure the alcohol. I actually wake up with that empty feeling in my stomach, which I haven't done in years. Normally, I drink one glass of wine or a vodka soda or two in the evening, and just one week of cutting it out has made a huge difference. Years ago when I started dating a guy who didn't drink and therefore stopped myself, I lost 30 pounds in 3 months, without trying. I've heard that alcohol turns to sugar in your body and your body works to burn this off before it ever even gets to your fat. So, if you're constantly drinking, it will make it hard to lose weight. Especially if you only have 10-20 pounds to lose.
  • stephaniep12345mfp
    stephaniep12345mfp Posts: 116 Member
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    I can't decide yet if giving up alcohol will help or not. I usually have a couple glasses of wine in the evening, and since I've started trying to make healthier choices I haven't had any alcohol. It's only been about a week, but so far I haven't noticed any obvious benefit. I know I won't be giving alcohol up permanently, but I'm going to go a while longer before I have any to see if maybe over time the extra empty calories I've given up will have a cumulative positive effect.... :drinker:
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    The great thing about alcohol is that you don't need it. You don't have to completely stop drinking your favorite drinks, but why not save them for special occasions? Nightly alcohol consumption sounds like a dangerous habit to get into.
  • Jferg69
    Jferg69 Posts: 241 Member
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    bump
  • karinefitness
    karinefitness Posts: 336 Member
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    I was drinking 1 to 1.5 bottles of wine A NIGHT by the end of 2010. (That's approx 600 cals per bottle) That's not counting the extra damage I did on the weekends - I think on the weekends I was hitting close to 1500 calories on Friday and Saturday night each. On Jan 1, 2011, I stopped drinking completely. The first 10 lbs dropped like magic within a month's time without dieting. Where do you think the term "beer belly" came from? :wink:

    That's awesome! Congrats!!!!
  • colorfulcupcakes
    colorfulcupcakes Posts: 122 Member
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    I stopped drinking last June and dropped enough weight to make my clothes loose, make me interested in losing more weight, and then I stepped on a scale for the first time in years and then joined mfp. It was the beginning to my weight loss journey. I lasted 3 months and it was great. I started in Sept just having a few here and there but decided that it just wasn't worth it and stopped again.

    If you are interested in quitting, you might want to check out a book by Allen Carr, "The Easy Way to Stop Drinking." It'll change how you think about alcohol.
  • Stacyanne324
    Stacyanne324 Posts: 780 Member
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    Your post is my story to a "T". I too had 3 pregnancies during which i did not drink. Since then, which has been many years, my record has been 4 days without. Jan 1 i decided i have to change that pattern. So i went 5 days without! Will limit any consumption to weekends only. I have tried this before and the next thing you know it is a bottle a night :( So this time i have to put a bit more effort into it. Support group sounds good! Good luck!

    My husband and I do this too... go a few days, then try to limit, and then before you know it were back to that beer and daily wine and wondering why we are both up 10 pounds. I am hoping that now that I'm on MFP and really making an effort at weight loss and being healthier and have some friends to support me I'll stick better to if not totally giving it up (because I really don't want that) then drinking in true moderation. My latest dry spell lasted from last week (started because I got the stomach flu Wednesday and couldn't keep anything down anyway) and lasted a week until Wednesday night we had a half bottle of wine left from what I needed to use in dinner (and we didn't want to be wasteful..lol). But, still I'm happy with 2 glasses of wine in over a week.

    I am now trying to plan ahead and know when I'll be allowing myself a drink and mostly it will be when we are dining out or if it's a special occaision or family get together. Like tomorrow we are having lunch out and I already logged my one Blue Moon that I am SO looking forward to.
  • Stacyanne324
    Stacyanne324 Posts: 780 Member
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    I can't decide yet if giving up alcohol will help or not. I usually have a couple glasses of wine in the evening, and since I've started trying to make healthier choices I haven't had any alcohol. It's only been about a week, but so far I haven't noticed any obvious benefit. I know I won't be giving alcohol up permanently, but I'm going to go a while longer before I have any to see if maybe over time the extra empty calories I've given up will have a cumulative positive effect.... :drinker:

    Well, you are down three pounds already and only just started so I'd say that is a good start! Congrats!
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
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    I just wanted to drop by and add my tidbit. I had to give up my huge alcohol consumption issue to get healthier as well. I wasn't drinking every night but I usually downed 3-4 beers like water before I felt like I was getting a buzz. What I have come to realize is I don't enjoy the buzz anymore but the taste. I actually will pour out a perfectly good beer if I feel like I've downed it too quickly. For some reason losing weight has made me much more sensitive to the effects of alcohol. Not just mentally either... I also get stomach aches after so much of it. I know it's not anything underlying but just that my body is happy with a tiny bit here and there and not a huge amount. I don't have a large tolerance built up anymore. The other thing I've found as I've gone into moderation is that I'm saving money from not purchasing alcohol. It was really cool last night when I went to the sports bar and ordered myself a huge beer... I ended up only finishing half of it in an hour because I was really enjoying the flavor instead of trying to get myself drunk. My husband has never been a heavy drinker at all and last night I actually drank less then him which was amazing lol. We also walked out of there with a $10 tab which is a really nice feeling! So you can enjoy yourself a good drink every now and then and really have fun as a "light weight" because you'll save money, eat less/drink less, and also truly enjoy that one drink instead of having to have more.

    As far as losing weight from cutting out alcohol... I know for sure it isn't the only thing I cut out. I also cut out a lot of processed foods and move around more so I'm getting healthier calories in. All of it culminates into a healthier person!
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
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    I used to drink a lot more alcohol than I do now and noticed that not only is my weight where I want it to be but I also do not like alcohol like I used to. I don't get the buzz I used to or the enjoyment out of it. Don't get me wrong I still will have a few rum shots or some wine but it's not like it was before at all :)
  • Change_Agent
    Change_Agent Posts: 98 Member
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    Hey all! I did set up a support group: it is called No Winers. Join me over there if you want to help each other keep the liquid calorie count down.
  • Change_Agent
    Change_Agent Posts: 98 Member
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    Scorpangel - is that really you in the little 3-photo set on your status bar? If so, you look amazing! (And you are very good with technology.)
  • Change_Agent
    Change_Agent Posts: 98 Member
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    Hey A support group....great idea!!

    Hey there - I started the group. It is called No Winers. Come check it out!
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    So glad I found this board!! I too love my wine, add usually have 2 glasses a night, it became habit, to unwind from day with dinner etc...but I am beginning to think this is where my extra 10 pounds came from this summer, I ate like my normal healthy self, and worked out like usual...this must be the culprit for sure, giving up as of today untilI get back down to my goal again, then wine will be a treat on occasion, not everyday :)

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