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MyFitnessPal Community

Drinking alcohol whilst trying to lose weight?

willbeskliz

I enjoy a glass of red wine with my evening meal. But I have a feeling drinking alcohol is slowing down my weight loss or reversing it lol!

Does anyone else have the same problem? Or anyone else that drinks and is still able to lose weight?

:ohwell:

Replies

purpleipod

Are you going over your calories? If not, you will lose and still be able to drink in moderation.

arcaneshadowcat

Don't forget to log it... if you are drinking a glass of the wine at 8 oz, it should have between 180-200 calories in it... It isn't that big of a deal calorie wise. Just keep plugging along on the road through weight loss.

TheVimFuego

I drink a shed load of red and still lose.

Doubtless I would lose quicker if I replaced it with water but I find water doesn't hit the same spot late at night.

As others have noted recently the problem with alcohol isn't the 'empty calories', it's the food consumed with it and the fact the body has to clear it as a priority which slows fat loss.

http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

jennaworksout

I still have my wine on occasion, my weight loss stalled big time when I was drinking wine almost everyday....once I cut back to 1 or 2 nights a week now , I lost the last 5 pounds I was trying to get rid for 2 years!!

icmuse

I lose weight much slower when I drink wine, but life is so much more fun with wine in it :drinker:

gfiorine

When I plan on drinking wine at night, I do about double the exercise I would normally do....at least that's my plan! However, I just count it as regular calories and as long as I stay under my allowed calories, I keep losing weight.

itsjessewho

I think binge drinking is the detrimental one, but even a beer every other night isn't bad it really depends on your metabolism and tolerance for alcohol!

larryc0923

I, too, drink a fair bit of wine and have managed to lose a lot of weight. The key is to stay under your daily target. Use MFP to know if on any given day if you can afford to have that second (or first) glass. BTW - in some ways I have learned to enjoy wine more because i find myself having smaller amounts and enjoying the taste.

Wetcoaster

I actually came across a great article about this subject at LeanGains yesterday (while I was having a beer)

http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

SherryTeach

Having a glass of wine or mixed drink occasionally has not affected my weight loss or now maintenance in any way. When I know I'm meeting friends, I just plan it into my calories and enjoy.

blleadon

I still enjoy my wine on a regular basis. However, it wasn't until recently when I started measuring each glass with a measuring cup did I realize why I didn't seem to lose as fast sometimes. Just log it very accurately

Shr3dded

I don't drink at all, but from seeing fellow MFP friends' diaries, general consensus is Wine is okay in moderation, as for beer.. I wouldn't suggest it.

TheFitHooker

I always make sure to log my alcohol in my diary, I keep it in my calories or don't have it. I do drink, have lost 129 lbs and still going strong. It only slows down things when you over indulge. I have found out that dark alcohol like Whiskey or dark rum, doesn't agree with me, it usually adds more water weight to me even within my calories.

clairabellle

I add my wine cals everyday and measure it accurately and still manage to lose weekly. It's all about moderation and being sensible. Good luck :-)

Suemalc64

Hi, I have the same problem but have found a low calorie Black Tower, which they have in white, rose and red, only 55 calories a glass and the most important thing is that it tastes really nice

Good luck with your weight loss x

nxd10

Count and measure.

It's also a liquid sugar (after it goes into your system), so it will spike your insulin levels, making you hungrier and temporarily halting fat burning in favor of storing fat until the sugar is out of your system. That's true for everyone. If you are sensitive to it, it's much worse. My husband drops weight rapidly if he doesn't drink and doesn't lose at all when he does - at identical logged calorie levels.

That said, I am having a glass of wine as I write this and will certainly have a drink or so a week if I want one. I log it. I've hit my weight goal. It hasn't been problematic for me.

michellechawner

I have 2-3 glasses of wine a week and have no problem still losing weight, but I do log it, and I only drink with a meal.

I typically drink merlot or white zin, and I haven't noticed any problems with my weight loss. Just log it and make sure you drink enough water throughout the day.

lcfairbairn74

I would love to have the occasional glass of wine, but if I drink any form of alcohol I stall completely for the week.
I think it just depends on the person. If you can lose while having a drink every so often, go for it!:drinker:

mlfrailing

I am on a low carb diet. Beer is out of the question, especially a good imported Weiss beer. Whiskey, on the other hand has no carbs and only 69 calories an ounce. I like to have a few ounces, no ice and a glass of water on the side. :drinker:

amandaleigh_

I lost most of my weight still drinking a glass of wine with dinner and social drinking occasionally on weekends.

I did cut back the wine within the last 3 months (say 2 nights instead of 5) and I've actually noticed a significant difference. Less bloat, dropping my last stubborn pounds faster.

wmbrett

I still drink beer very regularly - up to 3 beers a night. But MFP has helped me understand that I should be drinking fewer microbrews - some of those had 300+ calories per beer. I exercise just about every morning in order to account for my beer drinking, while still trying to lose about 2 lbs per week. I'll drink a Guinness if I don't exercise, since it has relatively few calories. Soon I'll be at the maintain stage - then I'll have to adjust my beer drinking accordingly - but happily.

mycupyourcake

For some people drinking a glass a night stalls weight loss. I think if you are insulin resistant or have allergies to molds in food or even a sulphite intolerance (hello here) you will have issues with a nightly drink.

dlg1467

Each person is different. If I drink I retain water like crazy, and its too much sugar for me. As soon as I cut out the booze I can lose weight, if I don't it sticks like glue. If you feel like you are stalling, try one week without it and see how it goes.

ECos81

I seem to lose more when I cut out booze (unfortunately!) I love my red wine and still have a glass now and then, but on occassion when I tend to overdo it, my body seems to hang onto water longer. I've also heard your metabolism significantly slows down when your drinking. I haven't done research on it, but when I cut booze out for the month of April I noticed a pretty big difference.

Anthonydaman

I have the same problem, having a nice rum cocktail daily seems to slow down my metabolism, thus slowing my weight loss. i had to just give up alcohol during the week, and drink sparingly on the weekends.

lhourin

I do drink (wine--no more beer!) and can still lose weight/lean out but it does seem a little easier when not drinking. Cost/benefit, though, and to me, the benefit exceeds the cost. Back before kids, when I needed to stay constantly 100% lean, I just didn't drink Sunday-Thursday, but drank whatever I wanted on weekends. That worked pretty well, too. But, man, a glass of wine every night is key for dealing with 2 kids while my husband is deployed! :P

cwolfman13

I lost 35-40 Lbs and drank alcohol the entire time. I refrained from drinking a lot of beer, but I did not hesitate to drink wine or booze.

You cannot store calories from alcohol...most of the damage comes from the **** you eat while you're drinking and afterwards (even if it's not crappy food) because your body has no choice but to store all of that as fat as your metabolism is fully dedicated to metabolizing the alcohol.

laurynwithawhy

I drink whatever, whenever, as long as it fits my calorie goal! Sometimes I end up a bit over in carbs but I don't stress it. I love my wine and won't give it up!! I think you should be fine as long as you are logging it accurately. I haven't had trouble losing weight this way and I've been told I'm much more pleasant to be around when I've had my wine as opposed to when I'm abstaining :drinker: :blushing:

e_is_for_erin

I lose weight much slower when I drink wine, but life is so much more fun with wine in it :drinker:

^This! I love drinking wine. Just be cautious with how much you are drinking and log it! Drinking it a few nights a week won't hurt too bad. As long as you are still under your calorie goal for the day, you'll see some weightloss! But we're all different, so if you are drinking wine and aren't finding the results you want, you may want to cut it out or reduce it more.