Alcohol...

PJilly

If you (as I assume) mean a diet in the more casual sense to mean "weight loss program" I would still argue that it's better to build into your diet/weight-loss program the calories you believe you will really eat. I have an irrational need for starlight mints. I eat six every day and it's about 100 calories of nothing (sugar free so god only knows what I'm eating). Eating these is an evil I've accepted. Likewise I understand that my love for a good wine is like my love of horses - financially foolish! The wine is also calorie foolish. I'll let you debate the "toxicity" with the scientists there are plenty of studies to throw at each other on that end of the debate.

But I strongly believe that putting a glass of quality red wine into my body is no worse than many other empty calorie foods people build into their own diets. Foods like mashed potatoes, or fruit juices or health foods like watermelon add very little value to our bodies but aren't something that would draw this kind of "poison" lable. A glass of good wine is the same. It adds value (how much is open for debate) it is a LOT of calories, but it has been part of healthy diets for centuries!

Just sayin!

I absolutely agree with all you just wrote, right down to the horses! (I have one that costs me an arm and a leg, but I love her to death!) I drink my one glass of wine with dinner every evening, and I also have my daily serving of dark chocolate chips (where you have your mints). I account for these in my food diary, and it's all working well for me this way.

mattysmom

I drink ALOT on the weekends and the only advice I can offer is to exercise. I chose to "drink my dinner" and have no snacks all day to save room for lots of alcohol. And to be honest I still go over on calories when I drink beer. During the weekdays I keep vodka in the freezer (good quality) and just have a shot when I want a drink.

kgrutch

Alcohol is a drug, it's poison to your body. Just like cigarettes, just like cocaine, just like many other bad things, you can either choose to accept that, and work out a reasonable plan or you can choose to live in a quasi-denial state.

i would say this is a little extreme. most of us do not have such an extremist attitude about alcohol. i think we are exposed to more environmental toxins on a daily basis that we are even aware of that are probably more detrimental than the occasional drink of alcohol.

astrosnider

All I can say is I used to be like you. My favorite place to go on vacation was a wine region -- whether it was Napa Valley, Sonoma, Walla Walla, or the Champagne area in France -- I loved them all. I created a mini-wine cellar in a cool part of my house and stocked it with winners of the Wine Spectator ratings. I loved single malt Scotches and regularly prowled the liquor store for the latest ones to arrive in the U.S.
A couple of years ago I gave it all up, mainly to lose weight but also to save money since I was getting ready to retire. I am not judgmental about alcohol and would definitely say that giving it up is giving up one of the joys of life. But two years later I can't say I really miss it. When you are short like I am (5' 3") and have a rather slow metabolism, you just don't have many calories to spare. Plus so many other high-calorie treats go so well with alcohol, like chips and guacamole with margaritas or sangria, red wine with bleu cheese, sauternes with foie gras, etc., etc.
I know people who are content with one glass of wine with dinner, but I found it hard to be moderate. It was easier for me to give it all up and introduce myself to a new, sparer way of eating. Now a glass of Perrier tastes just fine with a salad and grilled chicken breast, which is a typical dinner.
Another way to go at it would be to try giving up alcohol for a set period of time, say three months, and see if it does help you lose weight. Then at the end of that time you can decide whether you want to go back to having the occasional glass or wine or micro-brew or whether you'd rather spend those calories on other things.
Personally, I have found it a lot harder to go without bread and butter than without liquor.

LittleSpy

Alcohol is a drug, it's poison to your body. Just like cigarettes, just like cocaine, just like many other bad things, you can either choose to accept that, and work out a reasonable plan or you can choose to live in a quasi-denial state.

i would say this is a little extreme. most of us do not have such an extremist attitude about alcohol. i think we are exposed to more environmental toxins on a daily basis that we are even aware of that are probably more detrimental than the occasional drink of alcohol.

I don't understand how you think what he said is extreme. It's just facts. It's one thing to accept facts and find a way to work around them but it's another thing entirely to be in denial about the truth.
Sure you're exposed to toxins on a daily basis. With alcohol you're adding more on top of that. If it is what it is, why not call it what it is?

I don't mean to crawl up Banks' @$$ here, but it's a little alarming to read so many folks being defensive against simple truth. The truth is, alcohol can hinder improvement to health and weight loss. It really is, in moderate to large quantities, essentially as detrimental to health as many other drugs (and much worse than some). That's not extreme opinion, that's fact. If you, like me, enjoy alcohol, you should probably just accept it for what it is, then deal with it and work around it, incorporating it into your lifestyle as you see fit. Or, you can be in denial about it.

Sure, you can lead a relatively healthy lifestyle while incorporating small quantities of alcohol into your diet. But, no matter how much you may enjoy it, it's not healthy by any stretch of the imagination to spend your weekend getting sh**faced. And, it's probably always going to be a healthier decision to limit your alcohol intake to 0-1 drinks/day. It boils down to your choice. Whatever you choose is up to you. But it still is what it is.

HonestOmnivore

I don't understand how you think what he said is extreme. It's just facts. It's one thing to accept facts and find a way to work around them but it's another thing entirely to be in denial about the truth.
Sure you're exposed to toxins on a daily basis. With alcohol you're adding more on top of that. If it is what it is, why not call it what it is?

I don't mean to crawl up Banks' @$$ here, but it's a little alarming to read so many folks being defensive against simple truth. The truth is, alcohol can hinder improvement to health and weight loss. It really is, in moderate to large quantities, essentially as detrimental to health as many other drugs (and much worse than some). That's not extreme opinion, that's fact. If you, like me, enjoy alcohol, you should probably just accept it for what it is, then deal with it and work around it, incorporating it into your lifestyle as you see fit. Or, you can be in denial about it.

Sure, you can lead a relatively healthy lifestyle while incorporating small quantities of alcohol into your diet. But, no matter how much you may enjoy it, it's not healthy by any stretch of the imagination to spend your weekend getting sh**faced. And, it's probably always going to be a healthier decision to limit your alcohol intake to 0-1 drinks/day. It boils down to your choice. Whatever you choose is up to you. But it still is what it is.

I agree - - - - - somewhat.

Getting shi# faced is not good period:indifferent: . Drinking a beautiful, hand crafted micro brew is, on balance, unhealthy (:sad: ). While there are studies that will suggest limited amounts of hard alcohol may be good for one's health, it's far less than "Fact" and open to debate:huh: .

But I would suggest that the science behind a daily glass of red wine is solid. Now some of you might surmise that my picture implies I have a wine problem. I do.:blushing: But I also have lots of other problems I wouldn't ever try to defend in the world of alcohol.

:drinker: I love micro brews - a great English Ale makes me go a little weak in the knees ! GreyGoose? YES PLEASE!:flowerforyou: I've even enjoyed a glass of crisp white wine on a warm summer evening:ohwell: - but much to my deep regret - none of these are defensible.:frown: The evidence just overwhelms on the negative side. At best they may do no harm in small amounts:grumble: , at worst they lead you to think the portly blow-hard in the corner looks like that cute professor from Gilligan's Isle.:brokenheart: (Ok there may be worse worsts).

Including space in my daily glass or three of red wine really really can be part of a healthy, quality diet.:bigsmile: The benefits are well recorded and the science is well reviewed. Sure I could get some of the benefits from eating pills filled with powdered grape skins - but the best results seem to come for the wine its' self.

Plus - how else should God tell us he loves us and wants us to be happy? Did you SEE the beer gut on ol' Franklyn:noway: ? Surely he got his messages mixed up!:ohwell:

cvtga

I would never preach to anyone about their habits whether its drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes, its simply is none of my business. I believe the question you asked is how to balance a healthy diet and indulging. I work hard all week watching my calories and exercising. My weekends are meant as a time to relax with family and friends and let the stress of the week prior go away. My alcohol of choice is vodka and I mix it with flavored seltzer. I skimp a little on Friday's food or increase my workout to compensate for some of these calories. Saturday I watch what I eat and don't exercise (I don't exercise on weekends) and I drink anyway. This is my indulgence of choice. Some people eat a bowl of ice cream or go and get a Big Mac, that is what they like, I like getting liquored up with my husband:drinker: For me if the number on the scale goes done I'm doing something right.

Laceylala

I LOVES me some high quality gin in the spring and summer, oh yes I do. And in the winter? Jameson in hot toddy's. I'll drink wine every once in a while but I'd much rather drink harder stuff.

These days, due to the sugar content in booze, I only allow myself drinks on the weekend, and usually only on Friday or Saturday night. I notice that when I drink a lot, or eat a ton of sugary foods, I am much more bloated and do not lose weight at all.

It sucks. It's lame. It's no fair. But it is what it is.

SnakePlissken

Professional drinker here. Showbiz.
Also a giant history of being a gym rat.
After reading this entire thread I can say that a bunch of you are fooling yourselves.
Read thru the posts. Most people can't, won't, don't want to give up the booze for 5 days, if that. 5 days! You pass the alcoholism test whether you want to know it or not. You CAN'T do it..... and say so.

Look. If you diet below your caloric needs by 500 cals a day, you will lose a pound a week. Add some cocktails and that changes the equation completely. Not just calorically, but in the way your body is able to process and work. Booze makes you less efficient. You're working so hard trying to eat well, but then your treat turns off the cal furnace and sloppy up what the liver is trying to accomplish.

I guarantee anybody here that if you were to quit alcohol for 30 days, exercise and watch your diet that you'd lose 2 to 3 times the weight you'd lose if you didn't drink. Liquor is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to close the door on,.... it is the cake they want, and drink it too.

SHBoss1673

I have to agree with Snake on this one.

Like I said, I enjoy beer every once in a while. For instance, I had a work event last night, and had two delicious IPA's that were NOT low calorie. That's fine, because I drank them knowing I was putting off my health for a day or so. I can live with that, it's not an issue for me, and it makes me happy.

Look, alcohol is NOT good for the human body, that's a simple fact, there's not opinion involved. And again, I'm not an advocate of any all or nothing lifestyles, we all need to find a balance that's acceptable to us. If you enjoy drinking with your friends or whatever you do, that's fine, just figure out a way to do it less. If friends have a problem with you being sober more, then ask yourself if they are truly friends or just drinking buddies. If you find that you CAN'T drink less, then you have a problem that probably needs to be addressed, whether it's alcoholism, or just an addictive personality.

Do what you like, it's no skin off my nose if someone continues to drink multiple times a week to excess, just don't continue and expect to see results in spite of it. It's probably not going to happen.

nickyh13

I love cocktails....ciaparainas are my favorite (not sure I've spelt it right!!). I now try and make a lower calorie version. If you love limes you'll love this......

Here's how I make them.....I muddle a lime with two spoons of granulated sweetner. Add a dash of cachasa (never check the oz's but a nice glug lol). Then I fill the glass with crushed ice. Mix it all together. Get a straw and sip away. I take my time with it and by the end of the night I've maybe had two!!

All things in moderation I say. I always lose weight having alcohol, but my quantities have vastly reduced!! I save my drink for Friday and Saturdays when I'm socialising.

leelu

My comment here is not going to be for or against the drinking - only measure measure measure - a glass of wine - a slug of vodka .... as these things are so high in calories dont delude your self that your only having one when your really having 3