Wine drinkers out there

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mulderpf
mulderpf Posts: 209 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

^^^ I just read this.

I'm a fairly big wine drinker (by UK standards, I'd say more moderate) and I have put most of my weight gain down to the drinking and associated eating. Drinking a bottle of wine and then tucking into a delicious restaurant meal 4 to 5 times a week was my life for about 3 years and I obviously put on a ton of weight...

I moved to the UK and people are big beer drinkers here, so restaurants were then swapped for pubs, so it was usually a pint or two of beer or cider (or two), followed by half a bottle and probably another glass of wine and then whatever pub food or takeaways I could find.

Being a fairly big drinker, I decided that for this (calorie counting + MFP) to work for me, I could not do this again with cutting out alcohol altogether. I've done a healthy eating plan before and lost all the weight, but it was by severely limited alcohol and following a strict healthy eating plan. The moment I started adding alcohol back and thinking I could just eat as I wanted, it stopped working for me and I ballooned. So this time, I had to find a solution that would work in the long term too.

I've not cut out alcohol at all and it's worked perfectly fine for me. I have had to cut down quite a bit recently though, because of my lighter weight and healthier diet, the amount I can handle has become quite a bit less!! I've done this by simply fitting in the calorie content of the alcohol I'm having with my daily plan and trying to make sure that I plan around it.

Some rules I've had to stick to:

1. Accurately weigh/measure it and log it! For best results, I use a scale to weigh it otherwise if I'm in a pub, at least they don't just fill a glass - they measure it for you. But be 100% accurate.
2. If you can't find the same brand of wine/beer on MFP, just find another with the same % alcohol. (Unless you are having sweet wine, I think the sugar content might increase the calories - I don't have sweet wine, so don't have that problem). Usually it's 510 calories for a bottle of 14% ABV. (Obviously the higher the % alcohol, the higher the calorie content).
3. Have your food planned out!!! Do not go drinking without knowing what you are going to be eating. Or at least remember that you have to stay in control no matter how much fun you are having. Limit the damage as far as possible - I've had some good nights out without actually going over!! Obviously if you've had a bit to drink, rules are easier to bend, so just do whatever you can to stop yourself from doing that. I have put into my mind that my weight problem was due to food + drink (both together), so when I have had a bit to drink, I'm generally more determined than ever to make sure I don't go over my calories!!
4. I actually learnt this from a colleague of mine, because she's skinny and told me she joined MFP a while ago, because she wanted to put on weight. She showed me her calorie chart and the interesting thing was that if she had a heavy night before, her calories would be way down the next day - she would crave fruits and veggies and healthy things if she was feeling a bit under the weather (the opposite to me, but I've tried it and it's okay). Do not go for the greasy stuff if you've had a rough night - your body needs nutrients, so go for the healthiest stuff you can find - it actually makes you feel better and ensures that you don't have one disastrous day turn into two!

I have cut down my alcohol intake probably to two or three bottles of wine a week, sometimes just one. I've consistently lost weight, so it's had very little impact as long as you remember not to do all the other bad things associated with it (like having burgers, chips and other greasy pub food).

Something else to note:

After a night of drinking, I am ALWAYS 1kg to 1.5kg down and I always hit a new record low. It's a good feeling, but don't celebrate yet. It's only because of dehydration. The bigger the night before, the bigger the loss the next day. But, you WILL put it all back on the very next day as your body re-hydrates itself. This can be a super-low feeling, because over three days, it will feel like you've lost nothing and it's not worth it. Be aware of this and let your body sort out your hydration levels - know that your body will do this if you still feel like having a glass or three...

Replies

  • Colstriper
    Colstriper Posts: 71 Member
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    :drinker:
  • gidget_44
    gidget_44 Posts: 4
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    This is awesome. Glad to see some alcohol support on here. I live in beer city USA. There are so many micro breweries and it is really hard to get together with friends outside of having a drink or two, or sometimes more depending on the night. I feel that it has contributed immensely to my weight gain over the years.

    I did for a while though get really good about making sure that I was not eating at the bars, and replenishing myself with fruit the next day. I will say eat fruit and a salad and you do feel so much better the next day. Anyways glad to see someone else who is concerned with this as well.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Oh I just love wine. I've cut back to drinking wine just one night per weekend, with a limit of two 5oz glasses. It's really been the most difficult part of this for me and will continue to be as I head into maintenance. It's just so stinking delicious.
  • gypsyeyesforyou
    gypsyeyesforyou Posts: 18
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    Thanks for posting this. I am new to this and was thrilled upon completing my food diary for yesterday until I put in the bottle of red wine I drank. While I know I should curb my intake considerably, I am a drinker and will continue to do so. This article was a good read.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Wow, you really put a lot of thought into your drinking. That's probably a wise decision. I lost all of my weight (exceeded original goal) and have maintained it since April 2011 while drinking wine nearly every day.

    I didn't really think about it much though. At first I had a rule of "No workout, no wine". Now I just try to keep it to 1/2 a bottle per day on weekdays and 1 bottle or less on the weekend days. I don't measure, I just go by how empty the bottle is. I do pretty well sticking to this rule except for special occasions.
  • graced111
    graced111 Posts: 69 Member
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    I too am glad to see support for those of us who like to have a nip or 2 or 3 with friends. I live in a town where there is a bar on every corner. Since beginning mfp I have friends who get upset now that I measure and keep track of my cocktails.
  • graced111
    graced111 Posts: 69 Member
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    I like your attitude. I like wine and miss it. I will have to try the exercise trick before going out.
  • RunningDirty
    RunningDirty Posts: 293
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    Marry me? :wink:
  • Themuseinme
    Themuseinme Posts: 224 Member
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    bump
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    I'm back on the red having had a couple of weeks break.

    This was due to finances, not some health drive.

    I just make better fat-loss progress when I can have a glass or two (or three...) in the evening.

    Nothing else changes in my diet, I don't eat more or less, I don't exercise more or less, I just add a fair glug of wine.

    It's quite bizarre considering all those "empty calories". Hey ho, not questioning it much :)
  • paxetamore
    paxetamore Posts: 399 Member
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    Dry red wine is part of life, and learning how to incorporate it with healthier lifestyle choices has been a challenge, to say the least :grumble:

    The article gave some good ideas, like upping protein and lowering carb intake on drinking days, in addition to just plain ol' moderation.

    Thanks for the great post and link to the article!
  • DeAnnaColette
    DeAnnaColette Posts: 2
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    I think I'd like to workout for wine.::happy:
  • Timehope
    Timehope Posts: 44 Member
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    One has to admire the MFP community, with so many varied interests, ideas -- and refreshing candor.

    You are absolutely correct that it is possible to lose weight while still drinking recreationally (what is "non-recreationally," anyway -- professional drinking?) and your advice is extremely helpful.

    I would like to add, though, that if the dieting approach is low-carb, with the intention of going into mild ketosis so as to burn fat efficiently, beer might not be the best choice. There are enough carbs in beer to keep most people out of ketosis. (There are individual differences in this, of course.) Still, one can lose a lot of weight without going into ketosis -- it's just a bit slower.

    That said, both the "Metabolism Miracle" and "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" (my handbooks!) point out that alcohol is not burned off as a type of sugar, as many people assume. The body uses a special process devoted only to alcohol. Thus alcohol does not disrupt the desired state of ketosis (as will a high-carb meal, which can stop ketosis for days.) Rather, the body stops burning fat for as long as the alcohol calories are available, and then happily resumes burning fat again.

    Scotch and club soda is a perfect example of a carb-free drink that will not disturb a keto-genic diet. By contrast gin and regular tonic water probably will disturb -- because of the sugar in the tonic.

    Red wine has surprisingly few carbs. Even more surprising a dry champagne (brut or extra brut) also has surprisingly few carbs.

    So if you don't mind I will now add my own testimony to your very interesting topic: I have lost 30 pounds while drinking multiple glasses of brut champagne (a very cheap brand -- Cook's) nearly each day. I have used Ketostix to confirm my continuing state of ketosis while doing so. The champagne did wonders to make my three months of dieting far less onerous. A pleasure, in fact.

    Thanks...

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