wine and weight lost

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  • V44V
    V44V Posts: 366 Member
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    This was me until the beginning of this year, haven't touched a drop during the week since then. I only drink on a Friday and Saturday now. It's a difficult one, especially as I had a case of Virgin Wines delivered last week!

    I have seen a difference in my face, the hamster cheeks on on the way out.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    My advice is to fit it into your calories and be happy. Sustainability is the most important factor of your diet. If you hate it, you're not going to stick with it.

    This. I'd also add a few things I noticed in this thread:

    Wine has a serving size. 4 oz for women, 8 oz for men. That's definitely enough for dinner, or a nightcap. Whatever.

    If you're learning to try and make better choices in terms of serving sizes with food, why would you forgo this for beverages? Granted, I am addressing the "having a drink with dinner" crowd more than the "purposely going out to DRANK" crowd.

    With that, certain people have certain problems with certain wine (should I say certain again?). Sweeter wines can make people bloat if they have issues with sugar; if you're dehydrated before drinking wine, this can also make you bloat. Red wines with high tannins can cause headaches and stomach discomfort for people that have difficulty with these (same with nitrates). Heavy alcohol indulgence (or just any alcohol, if you're sensitive to it) can cause sleep disruption; it's a well known side-effect of alcohol consumption.

    Does that make it awful? No way. Certain wines have a host load of preventative health benefits, and if you enjoy it, you enjoy it. If you feel that you can't moderate the consumption of it (read: measure and limit), which in turn sets you up for poorer food choices, then by all means, try weeding it out.

    Just wanting to make sure you're informed about it if you feel like it's "not worth it"; you have your cake and eat it too... just watch if the cake hurts you, or is too big a slice for sustainability ;)
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    Absolutely!

    I'm not keen on spritzers, so I limit myself to one small glass of wine with dinner, maybe an extra 1/2 if I have calories "spare". I try to use my "base" calories for food choices and the exercise ones for those little essentials - then I've really "earned" them. So if I don't exercise I can't have anything - so i exercise.

    its all about moderation- you wouldn't eat a doughnut AND a cream bun in one sitting, after all.......
  • jakidb
    jakidb Posts: 1,010 Member
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    You can enjoy a glass of wine but drink in moderation. Don't do up to a bottle a night--try 8 to 16 oz if you normally do a bottle a night, gradully reduce down to where you're only taking in a "serving".
  • danibu98
    danibu98 Posts: 281 Member
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    I'm a wine and craft beer sales rep for my career and all the booze definitely contributed to where I am right now- lots of belly fat to lose! But I love my job so I'm doing a few things: drinking less, having a huge glass of water between drinks, exercising harder on the days where I know I will be drinking, and measuring my wine. I can't and won't eliminate it altogether, so I'm finding balance. The days of 3 beers or 3 glasses of wine on a Tuesday are over. But I.can't eliminate the wine I sample during my average work day- not all of my.accounts have spit buckets lol. But I log it!
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    I'm a wine and craft beer sales rep for my career and all the booze definitely contributed to where I am right now- lots of belly fat to lose! But I love my job so I'm doing a few things: drinking less, having a huge glass of water between drinks, exercising harder on the days where I know I will be drinking, and measuring my wine. I can't and won't eliminate it altogether, so I'm finding balance. The days of 3 beers or 3 glasses of wine on a Tuesday are over. But I.can't eliminate the wine I sample during my average work day- not all of my.accounts have spit buckets lol. But I log it!

    Props to you for not only finding a balance... but having probably the best job in the world.
  • VTSarah07
    VTSarah07 Posts: 35
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    ok so i'm going to give up the booze to help weight loss, i'm find it ok to control my diet but i do like half a bottle or up to a bottle each night of wine . i know this going to be hard tonight, has anyone gone through this and any advice, thankyou caz x

    Last year, when I started this process in June, I cut my drinking back to once a week. I noticed steady weight loss for several months. Then, closer to my trip to Jamaica (2 months before) I completely stopped drinking. I had been stuck at 150 for quite awhile and when I stopped drinking I dropped down to 142 in 2 months. I also work out hard, doing cardio and weights, but staying away from alcohol helped tremendously.
    Right now I am at 151 and I drink 2 times a week, usually. I plan to drop this down to once a week starting in February and then in June I will stay away until my wedding in August.
    I enjoy drinking socially and it is not something that I could completely cut out forever. During the week I often want to have a glass of wine but I just tell myself to wait until the weekend. Sparkling water does help. If you have a particular event that you want to look great for, I would try to stay away from alcohol completely until that event, otherwise just cut it back to once or twice a week.
    CHEERS :)
  • danibu98
    danibu98 Posts: 281 Member
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    I'm a wine and craft beer sales rep for my career and all the booze definitely contributed to where I am right now- lots of belly fat to lose! But I love my job so I'm doing a few things: drinking less, having a huge glass of water between drinks, exercising harder on the days where I know I will be drinking, and measuring my wine. I can't and won't eliminate it altogether, so I'm finding balance. The days of 3 beers or 3 glasses of wine on a Tuesday are over. But I.can't eliminate the wine I sample during my average work day- not all of my.accounts have spit buckets lol. But I log it!

    Props to you for not only finding a balance... but having probably the best job in the world.

    I'm very fortunate to have a job I love! It's been hard trying to balance all the delicious food and alcohol that is around me! Plus i drive 700 miles a week. Some days I lift a lot of cases and small kegs. I'm set to 1 lb/ week but its working with my lifestyle
  • MummyTina29
    MummyTina29 Posts: 60 Member
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    I love alcohol.....i love to get drunk....who doesn't :drinker: and yes i am a bit of a piss head BUT i have stopped drinking in the week :grumble: cos i AM trying to lose weight BUT i do still drink on a Friday and Saturday night :drinker: cos i think i deserve it :happy: i do try to exercise tho at the weekend :yawn: i have only been doing this for 3 weeks so il just have to wait and see if i still lose weight if not il just have to cut down some more :grumble: a weekend isn't the same without a good drink :drinker:
  • cazzahi
    cazzahi Posts: 59 Member
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    Done my 1st night and on my second night, didn,t think I would sleep properly last night, but did had a great night sleep, I think the not drinking when I.m on my own at night watching tv and only when I have friend around is going to work. Sounds like a lot of people had got into the same rut as me and have change for the better. Had friend around tonight that lost there baby a couple of weeks ago and it been a emotion time and I did think I need a drink, so I think it's a emotional thing drinking and going to learn to deal with life in a different way. Go tea total except on happy celebrations with friends.
  • cazzahi
    cazzahi Posts: 59 Member
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    10 days off the booze today and I can feel the positive effects, sleeping more, feeling better, head feels clear, I don.t get the evening craving I did before, easier to stick to a diet, less bloated, less good thing been slightly grumpy some evening lol, but I can feel the weight coming off , specially off he belly, whoop whoop. Anyone going through the same and want support both ways let me know x
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    i think if people know the difference between drinking and having a glass of wine it's no big deal :)

    Having a glass of wine is not detrimental.

    Getting drunk often is.

    DRINKING usually leads to getting drunk.

    Having a glass of wine leads to...well...enjoying a glass of wine.
  • Amitysk
    Amitysk Posts: 705 Member
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    I so am struggling with this myself! My boyfriend and I love to drink and unfortunately its created a habit in that we now will skip the gym and have beer (or wine for me) instead. I am starting a weight loss challenge February 15th up to St Paddy's day and it's my goal to cut the drinking out for the month... I need to get on track!
  • JMO1969
    JMO1969 Posts: 2 Member
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    I love a glass of rose wine or two in the evenings, and I know a lot of it is habit. I feel like I haven't properly relaxed until I've had one. I make sure it doesn't take me over my 1200 calorie limit, but I do wonder if there are other implications (weight loss wise) to drinking that glass or two, and whether I'd be better off using those calories for food instead.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    I drink an unfeasible amount of red on a disgustingly regular basis, doing it right now in fact.

    Dropping weight like a hip kid drops a ginger best mate.

    I prefer to sacrifice decent nutrition in favour of getting out of my tree daily in order to blot out the sheer ghastliness of life.

    Seems to be working OK. :)
  • poptastic
    poptastic Posts: 151 Member
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    I gave up drinking for all of January, it really helped me to just have a specific goal time. In the beginning I couldn't wait to have a glass of wine again, then you get used to it, and now I'm totally OK with not having a glass of wine with dinner, or meeting friends for a cup of tea instead of a beer after work!

    I lost about 2lb per week when i wasn't drinking, which was a great motivator (I'd been struggling to lose anything before then), and I would say that before then I was drinking as a habit and not really appreciating it, whereas now I can really appreciate a fine glass of red wine, or an ice cold beer - because it's an occasional treat instead of a nightly occurrence!
  • NeptuneTang
    NeptuneTang Posts: 16
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    I drink an unfeasible amount of red on a disgustingly regular basis, doing it right now in fact.

    Dropping weight like a hip kid drops a ginger best mate.

    I prefer to sacrifice decent nutrition in favour of getting out of my tree daily in order to blot out the sheer ghastliness of life.

    Seems to be working OK. :)

    Yes.
    Because after all, stress is a big weight gain contributer and we need to make sure that doesn't happen.
    I love a red or two and I know it slows down my metabolism (for 2 days after apparently!!).
    So. All I can manage is a few alcohol free days and I pat myself on the back for that.
    I don't know if I'll ever give up completely.
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    I have an occasional free day (not as many as the health police say, but more than I used to :wink: ), and in addition I wait until I sit down to eat before having that glass of wine - then I can restrict it to one (or max 2) within my calories. If I start while cooking it can easily be 3- or even worse have a beer while cooking!

    Husband is no help as he likes his before and during dinner, so if he gets home early the bottle is open when I get in:ohwell: And then no way will I have a free day.
  • icmuse
    icmuse Posts: 263 Member
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    I LOVE wine! I LOVE it RED! I love drinking if from gorgeous huge globe glasses! I LOVE it every day! I just LOVE it! :love:

    But I am fully aware that wine is a major contributor to me gaining weight, or stalling my weight loss.

    Even if I factor in the calories into my food diary, weight loss slows down or stops!

    So for now, I am "trying" to minimize the wine consumption to weekends and special occasions during the week.

    Good luck and cheers :drinker:
  • RomanaW
    RomanaW Posts: 108 Member
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    I am exactly the same. I know that wine is the main contributor to my weight gain in last three years. I am trying to cut it down to 2 - 3 times a week.

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