anyone cut out alcohol completely to lose more weight?

mstrickland9

Hi there, I am not losing weight as fast as I would like and I am wondering if I cut out alcohol completely if it will speed things up for me. I usually drink about 3 regular size glasses of wine each evening, and I do make space for those calories in my allotted calories for the day. I just don't even feel really good about it anymore. Just wondering if anyone else has made that sacrifice to not drink, except on a rare occasion, and then found you lost weight at a faster rate? Thanks in advance for your opinions!

sjr1016a

I didn't cut it out completely, but I have scaled it back alot to just twice a week, which is usually on the weekends. Even then, I may have 1-2 glasses of wine max. :-)

ThatSoundsHard

I've thought about it.

Then I open a bottle of wine and laugh and laugh...

Katiemarie4488

Yes at one point I cut it out and lost more than when I drink

Kat5343

Im starting the new Bob Harpers Jump Start to Skinny. This program calls for absolutely no alcohol for the 3 weeks you do this. I enjoy a vodka and Coke Zero a few nights a week... but I am going to see how this will affect my weight loss.... Worth a shot.

weinbagel

I think cutting out alcohol, or least cutting it down A LOT is important to losing weight. At least for me it is

If I do drink it's vodka soda, though that bloats me as well haha

MrsTorresisBACK

i have only because i hear it slows your metabolism and frankly it's been making my hands a feet swell to a point of tears...just not worth it to me (right now). I do enjoy a L.I.T. every once in a blue.

Every body is different.

Go with what works for you...no answer is a right or wrong one.

toaster6

I'd suggest just cutting back-- you still want to enjoy what your eat and drink after all. But yes, if you cut out alcohol completely you will cut out a lot of calories.

kimberlypayne

*Read below, maybe this will help answer your question, I was given this in a weight loss seminar that I tool last year*

When it comes to alcohol, the biggest question I get is "what is the best drink to have calorie-wise if you are watching your weight.?".
The tricky thing is that caloric content isn't the only thing to consider. Light beer, a 5 oz. glass of wine (yeah right), or a shot of liquor has a mere 150 calories or less. Not too bad right? But here are some other things to consider.....

Successful weight loss is all about keeping your body in "fat burning mode". A car engine only has gas to use for fuel, but your body on the other hand can draw from a number of sources such as carbohydrates, fat, protein, and ACETATE. The source of fuel it chooses largely depends on its availability. So let's say you have a few drinks ...
Alcohol is converted in the liver to a substance called acetate - a premium choice of fuel for the body. Therefore even a small amount of alcohol causes a sharp rise in acetate and puts the breaks on fat burning/fat loss. This is very similar to how your body reacts to sugar and simple carbohydrates. The body uses these preferred sources for fuel, and fat gets pushed to the back of the line - exactly what you DON'T want when trying to lose weight/body fat.

Alcohol also decreases testosterone levels for up to 24 hours making it impossible for your body to repair or build lean muscle (yes, even for women!). People who drink on a regular basis (more than twice a week) tend to carry a lot less muscle and more fat regardless of how hard they weight train or exercise in general. Even people with small amounts of body fat will not see as much muscle definition. There are other causes for lack of muscle, of course, but this can be a big one.

Alcohol increases your appetite and decreases your resolve to be good and not overindulge. And although we think it will help us relax, sleep more, and feel better, it actually interrupts sleep patterns, and over time can cause anxiety and depression. You see the vicious cycle there?

So bottom line, if you are serious about feeling better, losing weight, and/or seeing some of that lean muscle show through, skip the alcohol or limit it to one or two drinks ONCE a week or on the weekend - not every day.
If that truly is a challenge for you, at least for a short time, you might need to ask yourself some tough questions.

Find another way to unwind and relax. Re-define your fun!

ywestover

I have cut out vodka/soda Monday - Thursday and just stick with 2 glasses of Red Wine. I try to keep to 1200 calories a day and am losing about .8 to 1.0 pounds a week.

KidP

Yes - i have done it before & it's helped. If i stop drinking completely for a while, i usually lose about 5 to 10 lbs automatically. Like you, i try to allot calories for alcohol if i know i'm going to have drinks. That's all well and good, but truly, my body would be happier with say 500 cals from fruit/veg/healthy stuff than 500 cals from beer. My taste buds, well, different story.

Capt_Apollo

there are health benefits to alcohol, and cutting back some might be helpful. also the types of alcohol or cocktails you're drinking can affect your weight loss

but if you like it, it's going to be the same as restricting yourself from eating a favorite food. one day you'll binge drink and get really sloppy.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/05/10/alcohol/

you want to allow for a drink a night? fine, enjoy. but if it's something you pour, make sure you are measuring accurately.

Damiego

Funny you should ask....:) I have recently cut back to just weekends, not so much as too lose any extra weight, but I have found in the last month that alcohol and my menopausal symptoms have not been co-existing too well! I have been waking up in the middle of the night with a racing heart and have a difficult time getting back to sleep. I would typically drink anywhere from 1 to 3 glasses per night. Since stopping, I have easily lost extra pounds and sleep has returned to "almost perfect". I'm 50 and very active in triathlon, so lack of sleep is BAD! Easily dropping extra pounds is definitely a nice side effect!

reztib

I don't drink a whole lot to begin with. Maybe once a month. I would love to have a glass of red with dinner sometimes but I can't go through a bottle that fast. My wife won't drink it because it knocks her out even if she has one glass. I eb and flow with my weight loss but I seem to be losing more often than not. I would suggest cutting it out for a few weeks and see if the scale moves.

KendleX

Here's a good article regarding alcohol and working out.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/does-alcohol-consumption-affect-weight-loss-and-muscle-growth/

CillitBang

Not a snowball's hope in hell's chance of that happening to me! I usually just drink one night of the weekend, sometimes two, and don't bother at all during the week. I exercise each night during the week and I find after that the last thing I want is an alcoholic drink!

I'd say try to cut out the midweek drinking and save it for when you're going out. Maybe just have a glass of iced water and a slice of lemon with dinner :-)

AnnieO1967

WOW....that was explained so very well. I enjoy my wine or a mixed drink after a hard days work too but I am finding that since I started with myfitnesspal and tracking everything, I am realizing that the weight isn't coming off like I think it should and likely as not, the booze is to blame as I watch my food intake very closely. It is difficult especially when your husband has no health issues and wants to sit outside after work and "relax" with a drink. It is hard to sit with a glass of water instead!

BEERRUNNER

Helllll naaaaaahhhhh Playa!!!!! I need my nighttime buzzzz on! Its my way of winding down after a good days work.
This is how I make up for it!

1.) Run an extra Mile at the gym!
2:) Lift HEAVY!
3.) Drink lots of water during the day. Hydrate!
4.) MULTIVITAMIN up!!!!
5.) Alot of Sex! Usually after I get my buzzz on :devil:

Thats how I roll!!!!

mcdonoughjl

bump... for good reminder

mstrickland9

I really appreciate all the input. Sounds like most of you at least have cut way down on drinking if not stopping altogether.

tiggerhammon

What kimberlypayne said is exactly spot on and should be seriously concidered.
If you are serious about losing weight and getting in shape I think the alcohol should go.

eli_802

freshman year of college i stopped drinking 2nd semester (much to the horror of all my friends haha), and lost a bit of weight rather quickly. i definitely think that cutting out alcohol will speed up the process a bit!

missability

I am 50 yrs old....in 2007 at the age of 44, for the first time in my life, I began drinking a particular wine that is very sweet.....(A friend introduced it to me), and it was love at first sip.......

Due to stressful circumstances, virtually non-existent marriage....yadda yadda yadda....a sip turned into 4 ounces, 8 ounces, half the bottle...and on and one....from once or twice a week to almost every night!

Last September I was up over 300 pounds!...Didn't eat much, but from about 7PM on...I more than made up for the food calories with my wine calories.....I stopped....started MFP on January 1, (4 months ago)...I now weigh 231.8......In all fairness, I obviously wasn't exercising when I was drinking and depressed. Now I walk most days, about 2 miles, I do my stationary bike and Resistance bands routine 4 to 6 days a week. and I am eating very healthy, 3 to 4 times a day, nothing after 8 PM but water and green tea.....I cut out sugar substitutes and have had 3 teaspoons of organic raw sugar in 4 months.

Is cutting out the alcohol responsible for my success thus far? Well I would say that giving it up is not the ONLY reason I am doing well, but I am also sure it contributed greatly, and that if I started drinking it again, the weight would find it's way back onto my body.....

I'd just like to throw out there that I do not think I was teetering on becoming an alcoholic....I think it was a sugar addiction, plain and simple.....if there were nights I didn't have any wine in the house, I just grabbed a bag of fun size anything...:) and substituted....having gone though that experience I often wonder if there are really as many alcoholics in this world as we think...OR if they are really just addicted to the sugars/grains in the alcohol? ....hmmmmm

sunshyncatra

I think cutting anything out completely is setting yourself up to fail.

elleloch

Im starting the new Bob Harpers Jump Start to Skinny. This program calls for absolutely no alcohol for the 3 weeks you do this. I enjoy a vodka and Coke Zero a few nights a week... but I am going to see how this will affect my weight loss.... Worth a shot.

Is that the one where he recommends like 800 calories a day for a few weeks? Lol.

supermodelchic

It free's up your liver to do what it needs to do, alcohol will always get processed first., Try no alcohol for 2 weeks and see what results you get!!

shar140

Hi there, I am not losing weight as fast as I would like and I am wondering if I cut out alcohol completely if it will speed things up for me. I usually drink about 3 regular size glasses of wine each evening, and I do make space for those calories in my allotted calories for the day. I just don't even feel really good about it anymore. Just wondering if anyone else has made that sacrifice to not drink, except on a rare occasion, and then found you lost weight at a faster rate? Thanks in advance for your opinions!

Yep! Back on December 4th (I remember, since 2 friends had birthdays that day and I had a couple drinks) that I was going to cut out alcohol completely, for the rest of the month. I was scared, frankly, due to social situations and the holidays, but honestly, after about 1-2 weeks, I didn't want it. I was fine without it, and managed to drop 10lb that month, even with it being the holidays! After being stalled for about 6 months. (I know it wasn't due completely to lack of alcohol, but I know it definitnely helped)

So my question to you then, is what does it hurt to try? What's the worst that will happen...maybe you save a few bucks? Experiment and find what works for you!

I still have a drink sometimes, but I'm limiting it, and going for quality over quantity. (Of course, I know I didn't follow that over the weekend, but it's been since November since I had more than a couple drinks at once.)

Pierced

I have not had any form of alcohol since 2/25/13, my last round of cocktails was Sunday 2/24/13. I remember it well. My friends have enjoyed having a DD though. I had messed around with MFP for about 2 year. Would loose 20 gain back 15. Made some major changes end of February and am down 42 pounds.

BEERRUNNER

Helllll naaaaaahhhhh Playa!!!!! I need my nighttime buzzzz on! Its my way of winding down after a good days work.
This is how I make up for it!

1.) Run an extra Mile at the gym!
2:) Lift HEAVY!
3.) Drink lots of water during the day. Hydrate!
4.) MULTIVITAMIN up!!!!
5.) Alot of Sex! Usually after I get my buzzz on :devil:

Thats how I roll!!!!

Like the awesomely tanned man Im quoting is trying to say....just make a calorie deficit and its gonna be all good!!!!!!!:bigsmile:

nattymommy33

I avoid it as much as possible when trying to lose. Not only does my body retain more water when I drink, I'm using calories for alcohol that could go to foods that will give me real nutrition and I need good foods to be the focus when I'm cutting calories or I feel crappy. And there's the fact that after a drink or two, I'm much more likely to blow off my diet. I try and skip it during the week and only indulge a little on the weekends.

Amyp7777

I've thought about it.

Then I open a bottle of wine and laugh and laugh...

Haha! Yea, it's just not happening for me, either.