How bad is wine?

flippy1234
flippy1234 Posts: 686 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey there.
My biggest issue with losing weight, I think, is wine. I love my wine and do not want to give it up. I may be excessive with it but mainly on the weekends. I want to lose my middle but I am also 51. I work out 3 to 4 days a week and just started with a personal trainer to shake things up a bit. I am not overweight but I do have that dreaded flabby mid section.
Please convince me that giving up or severely limiting my wine will help.
I need brutal honesty. Thanks.
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Replies

  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    edited April 2016
    That depends....how far over and how often does it put you over your calorie goal?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Not a wine drinker, but I used to drink 3-4 mixed drinks per week. Long Island Iced Teas or margaritas, mostly. I never logged them, which is an issue in itself. I have had significantly more success when I cut out the alcohol.

    But, ultimately, if you log it accurately and it fits in your daily calorie allotment, you should be fine. If you don't log it (like me) and/or it causes you to get munchies and eat things you hadn't planned (like me), it will tank your progress.
  • flippy1234
    flippy1234 Posts: 686 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Not a wine drinker, but I used to drink 3-4 mixed drinks per week. Long Island Iced Teas or margaritas, mostly. I never logged them, which is an issue in itself. I have had significantly more success when I cut out the alcohol.

    But, ultimately, if you log it accurately and it fits in your daily calorie allotment, you should be fine. If you don't log it (like me) and/or it causes you to get munchies and eat things you hadn't planned (like me), it will tank your progress.

    Thanks...however,I want people to convince me NOT to drink it at all! LOL.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    flippy1234 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Not a wine drinker, but I used to drink 3-4 mixed drinks per week. Long Island Iced Teas or margaritas, mostly. I never logged them, which is an issue in itself. I have had significantly more success when I cut out the alcohol.

    But, ultimately, if you log it accurately and it fits in your daily calorie allotment, you should be fine. If you don't log it (like me) and/or it causes you to get munchies and eat things you hadn't planned (like me), it will tank your progress.

    Thanks...however,I want people to convince me NOT to drink it at all! LOL.

    What would you need to hear in order to not want to drink wine ever again?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    flippy1234 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Not a wine drinker, but I used to drink 3-4 mixed drinks per week. Long Island Iced Teas or margaritas, mostly. I never logged them, which is an issue in itself. I have had significantly more success when I cut out the alcohol.

    But, ultimately, if you log it accurately and it fits in your daily calorie allotment, you should be fine. If you don't log it (like me) and/or it causes you to get munchies and eat things you hadn't planned (like me), it will tank your progress.

    Thanks...however,I want people to convince me NOT to drink it at all! LOL.

    OK. I have had much, much better progress since I cut alcohol. I haven't had a drink since Thanksgiving. Here are my progress pictures. (Does that help? LOL)

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  • cate320
    cate320 Posts: 130 Member
    Wine isn't that bad. There is about 120 calories and 4g of carbs per 5 oz glass. You could easily fit that into your daily goals.

    The only problem with any alcohol is that your body won't burn any fat until the alcohol has been metabolized. But I drink a few glasses a week and am still steadily dropping weight.
  • JazCopycat
    JazCopycat Posts: 28 Member
    Problem with alcohol is not only callories that do add up easily. Alchocol makes liver work on toxins 48h after drinking. So not only you add to your calorie sum, but you also won't be processing any body fat plus all you eat will just be stored. There is a 12h after drinking or food binging whenyou can burn that before it is stored. But as you know, days after drinking are the days when we can' t give 100% in our wourkout regime.
    If you like it so much it is imperative that you make 5 days pause while you are losing weight. Later when you achieved your goal all gets easier.
    Just keep on truck day by day.
  • Somebody_Loved
    Somebody_Loved Posts: 498 Member
    edited April 2016
    You can definitely fit wine into your week if you want to, but in my experience I lose faster without it. Before I started watching it, I would usually drink 1-2 glasses a couple nights during the week, and then a bottle or two on the weekends.

    I did dry January and lost 5.5 pounds. Added it back in moderation in February and lost 2 pounds. Still losing, just at a slower rate. Have barely drank at all the past 3 weeks due to being sick, and have lost a little more than a pound a week. So again, I see much faster progress without it (but for me, it's worth it to enjoy my wine and lose a little slower).
  • Somebody_Loved
    Somebody_Loved Posts: 498 Member
    @quiksylver296 - Such great progress, you look fantastic!
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    You could always try "banking" calories during the week to have some wine on the weekends. Maybe just pick one day to drink, and try not to over do it. Or even two Saturdays out of each month or something.
    JazCopycat wrote: »
    Problem with alcohol is not only callories that do add up easily. Alchocol makes liver work on toxins 48h after drinking. So not only you add to your calorie sum, but you also won't be processing any body fat plus all you eat will just be stored. There is a 12h after drinking or food binging whenyou can burn that before it is stored. But as you know, days after drinking are the days when we can' t give 100% in our wourkout regime.
    If you like it so much it is imperative that you make 5 days pause while you are losing weight. Later when you achieved your goal all gets easier.
    Just keep on truck day by day.

    WTF? This is not true.



  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Somebody_Loved wrote: »
    @quiksylver296 - Such great progress, you look fantastic!

    Thanks! Things are finally falling into place. B)
  • Pathmonkey
    Pathmonkey Posts: 108 Member
    Wine....goooooooood! :smiley:
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    JazCopycat wrote: »
    Problem with alcohol is not only callories that do add up easily. Alchocol makes liver work on toxins 48h after drinking. So not only you add to your calorie sum, but you also won't be processing any body fat plus all you eat will just be stored. There is a 12h after drinking or food binging whenyou can burn that before it is stored. But as you know, days after drinking are the days when we can' t give 100% in our wourkout regime.
    If you like it so much it is imperative that you make 5 days pause while you are losing weight. Later when you achieved your goal all gets easier.
    Just keep on truck day by day.

    This is so generalized as to be worthless. I can -- and have -- given 100% on my workouts after having a glass of wine or two the night before. Maybe you can't. That means it would be a good idea for you to skip the wine. But we all aren't immobilized by a drink.
  • graciesdad09
    graciesdad09 Posts: 1 Member
    Somebody_Loved wrote: »
    You can definitely fit wine into your week if you want to, but in my experience I lose faster without it. Before I started watching it, I would usually drink 1-2 glasses a couple nights during the week, and then a bottle or two on the weekends.

    I did dry January and lost 5.5 pounds. Added it back in moderation in February and lost 2 pounds. Still losing, just at a slower rate. Have barely drank at all the past 3 weeks due to being sick, and have lost a little more than a pound a week. So again, I see much faster progress without it (but for me, it's worth it to enjoy my wine and lose a little slower).

    Dont ever listen to a coug! alcoholics! GO DAWGS!
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    If all you are looking for is reasons to give up wine, I'm afraid I may not be much help to you.

    I drank wine (a glass 4-5 times/week) while losing the weight I set out to lose on MFP (30 lbs) and now that I'm maintaining I have a glass or two most days. So it is possible to lose weight, and depending what your goals are with regards to body composition, etc - I think it is possible to achieve most fitness/body comp goals as well.

    That said, if you feel wine is hindering your progress, or you feel out of control while drinking, then I certainly encourage anyone to cut back or abstain.
  • Bluepegasus
    Bluepegasus Posts: 333 Member
    I had to give up drinking alcohol, I still have it occasionally, but as I'm on 1200 calories a day, there isn't enough room to drink wine without going hungry! I was drinking it a lot, nearly a bottle a night and is the biggest reason that I put on weight in the first place.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    edited April 2016
    Wine is horrible. It's poison. I will PM you with my address so you can ship all of your wine to me and I will properly dispose of it for you.

    ETA: I still drink wine. Quit a bit over the weekend actually. My trick has been to bank my calories so I have room for it.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    flippy1234 wrote: »
    Hey there.
    My biggest issue with losing weight, I think, is wine. I love my wine and do not want to give it up. I may be excessive with it but mainly on the weekends. I want to lose my middle but I am also 51. I work out 3 to 4 days a week and just started with a personal trainer to shake things up a bit. I am not overweight but I do have that dreaded flabby mid section.
    Please convince me that giving up or severely limiting my wine will help.
    I need brutal honesty. Thanks.

    I LOVE WINE!!! I drink it on the weekends only but when I drink it I go ALL the way in, so much so it kills the progress I've made. I workout 6 days a week. So I have to completely cut it out of my life until I can get to my goal weight and until I can at least learn to drink it in moderation.

  • serenity1097
    serenity1097 Posts: 135 Member
    I average 1 1/2 lbs weight loss a week and still manage to have 1-2 glasses of red wine nightly with my dinner. Usually a bit more on the weekends, I just budget it into my calories. I realize that as I get closer to my goal I will choose to cut back to once or twice a week as a treat but right now I am losing just fine and not giving up something that I enjoy :)
  • chunky_pinup
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
    How bad is wine, you ask? It's not bad at all...it's delicious!
  • flippy1234
    flippy1234 Posts: 686 Member
    OK, OK, glad to see we all like our wine. I will try some of the suggestions here, banking calories, etc...
    Thank you all!
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    I definitely lose weight faster when I don't have wine, but I need wine, so you can pry it from my cold dead fingers.

    More serious note, I bank calories during the week so I can have a full bottle in the weekends.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    Ya know, I always thought wine was okay, but at my doctor visit I made a comment like, "if we open a bottle, we have to finish it" and he was like.... "No, absolutely not. It's just not a healthy choice" and I think he is right. One glass is as much as a body should have to handle in a day, the work your liver has to do to get it back out is tough!

    So if you can't open a bottle and stick to one glass, perhaps best to cut it out. I'm going to measure my glasses better and stick to one glass until he opens the very expensive bottles, where he truly does not wish to let it sit a day and risk it no tasting right.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    brb_2013 wrote: »
    Ya know, I always thought wine was okay, but at my doctor visit I made a comment like, "if we open a bottle, we have to finish it" and he was like.... "No, absolutely not. It's just not a healthy choice" and I think he is right. One glass is as much as a body should have to handle in a day, the work your liver has to do to get it back out is tough!

    So if you can't open a bottle and stick to one glass, perhaps best to cut it out. I'm going to measure my glasses better and stick to one glass until he opens the very expensive bottles, where he truly does not wish to let it sit a day and risk it no tasting right.

    I agree, only one glass at a time.

    7580be47e363bad9bfe4f738ded0f3a5.jpg
  • keepupwithjack
    keepupwithjack Posts: 44 Member
    Here's a buzz kill for you... the CDC defines "moderate drinking" as no more than 1 drink per day (5 oz wine or a 12 oz beer). Measure or weigh 5 oz of wine, log it, and enjoy. 5 oz isn't much.
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
    keepupwithjack wrote: »
    Here's a buzz kill for you... the CDC defines "moderate drinking" as no more than 1 drink per day (5 oz wine or a 12 oz beer). Measure or weigh 5 oz of wine, log it, and enjoy. 5 oz isn't much.

    Truth!
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  • erinc5
    erinc5 Posts: 329 Member
    I drink wine all the time and lose weight!

    I probably drink too much for health reasons, but for weight loss, it's been fine.
  • cinblog1965
    cinblog1965 Posts: 133 Member
    I drink wine and darker beers but try to keep it to weekends only. I'm 51 and I struggle with menopause weight, so I can't swear that I won't have to cut that out. I'm just now starting to watch my calories. I try to keep below my calorie goal during the week so I can splurge on the weekends.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    As long as I am running I have room for wine. I am in a rut lately of 3 oz Scotch, 1/2 bottle of wine and a craft beer after dinner. I lost two pounds in three days. I remember when I first joined MFP a friend posted "dude, do you realize a third of your calories are in booze?" I lost fifty pounds but when I slacked off the running and increased food & beer on the weekends I put twenty back on. So now I am back to running and losing.

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