alcohol?

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nazymbrown
nazymbrown Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
anyone else having a hard time eliminating the alcohol from their diet? the red wine is my weakness, at night. after work, dealing with 4 little kids, I need those glasses, however its empty calories and it made me pack on extra 20 lbs that I am now trying to get rid of....
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  • skinnyrev2b
    skinnyrev2b Posts: 400 Member
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    I hear you. I switched to spirits and diet soda rather than wine as they tend to have less calories. Or perhaps you could just limit rather than eliminate the wine? And make sure that it's included in your dailies. ..
  • Amerek412
    Amerek412 Posts: 74 Member
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    I make a point to save 200 calories for after dinner indulgences. It differs with the type of wine but an avg for a 5oz glass of red wine is around 120 calories. While you can't totally indulge you can definitely find a way to fit that in!
  • SaraB_82
    SaraB_82 Posts: 45 Member
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    Gin & diet tonic with a spritz of lime does me just fine. Sometimes I have wine or beer, but I just eat less those days to fit them in.
  • SusanMcMc
    SusanMcMc Posts: 252 Member
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    Try measuring your pre-determined calorie amount into a measuring cup and then ALSO use a smaller thinner glass—like a sherry glass. Pour into the glass from the measuring cup while it is on the table, not in your hand and opt for high color contrast between the wine and the glass. These are research-supported techniques to avoid over pouring and thus over drinking. You can find the original research at Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab.
  • SilverRose89
    SilverRose89 Posts: 447 Member
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    Alcohol is part of my social life, so I do make allowances for it but more commonly I end up at maintenance for that day because I wouldn't want to end up not eating enough just to accommodate alcohol. So it has to be a treat. Which has had the second benefit of improving my relationship with alcohol which is also a good thing.

    Perhaps try and find another way to chill in the evening some nights a week, and save the red wine for a weekend treat?



  • shannonprovenzano2812
    shannonprovenzano2812 Posts: 60 Member
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    If it's something that you enjoy, don't give it up, just make it work for you. Save the calories for wine instead of a treat!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,147 Member
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    Try exercise, yoga, bubblebath or other alternate soothers? Wine spritzers?
  • Ryansworld84
    Ryansworld84 Posts: 83 Member
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    Maybe just try a shot of whiskey :p

    I like to enjoy a few beers a week so I save up some calories Mon-Friday and enjoy a few weekend beers. It works for me.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,956 Member
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    @sijomial Yup.

  • xXGearheadXx
    xXGearheadXx Posts: 56 Member
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    You've got a few options here.

    First, you could move a little more during the day and make some calories.

    Eat less (provided you aren't starving yourself or putting yourself in a nutrient deficiency) to free up room,

    Save a few calories during the week by abstaining and use them on the weekend (my choice) if you like to get just a little tipsy. Whether cutting, maintaining or gaining i find room to add my beer.
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
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    When I first started out, alcohol was something I simply had to eliminate for a while. I'm an attorney and I completely understand the stress factor and using alcohol to relax, but I needed to force myself to find another way to destress. I was just taking in too many extra calories from it and I felt my relationship/dependency on alcohol was starting to become unhealthy. After a few months, I worked it back into my diet and have been very successful at drinking less and not using it as a go-to for relaxation and stress relief. I also have a lower tolerance now after not having it and losing body weight, so it takes less to achieve that relaxing effect. It's also more of a treat than it used to be and I actually enjoy it more.

    As I worked alcohol back into my diet, I tried working back in lower calorie options. As others have said above, vodka with soda water or some other liquor with diet soda tends to be lower calorie. As for wine, I now often drink wine spritzers - mixed either with soda water or even something like Diet Sprite if that's what we have. Making spritzers still gives me the enjoyment of wine but allows for me to spread the servings out quite a bit more.
  • Acem24
    Acem24 Posts: 157 Member
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    I like alcohol. But I've seen what it does to people who can't control it. It's horrible. I hope everyone knows that it's a hardcore drug thats ready to take all of what you worked for. List of things
    1. Always think about dieting. Sleeping, eating, pooping, having sex. Have your diet in the back of your mind
    2. Skip days try to save it on weekend. Or make it socials hobby
    3. Try finding a hobby that excites you. Like master-bati. You get it
    4. Talk to yourself aloud. Tell your self your goals
    5. Smile and know that the world is both beautiful and cruel.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    I really enjoy drinking, one of my favourite ways to unwind is a beer and playstation. However I hate to go hungry to fit alcohol calories in, and the cals are hard to come by. I also sleep worse, stay up later to finish the bourbon I am drinking or whatever, and don't wake up feeling as ready to go even if I wasn't buzzed or drunk. I did a couple of dry spells last year and January so far has been no booze. It's just one of those things I started paying attention to and the choice is making itself now.
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
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    nazymbrown wrote: »
    anyone else having a hard time eliminating the alcohol from their diet? the red wine is my weakness, at night. after work, dealing with 4 little kids, I need those glasses, however its empty calories and it made me pack on extra 20 lbs that I am now trying to get rid of....

    Hello fellow wine lover!! I've got three kids and wine is my favorite way to destress. I enjoy wine with a good meal, any time there is a celebration, something bad....wine is part of my family's way of acknowledging an occasion. I could not give it up. I don't drink to the point of being drunk, but a glass or two is lovely!
    I've basically eliminated the for no reason end of the day wine. My calorie goal is 1200 per day, so that fills up quickly, even with eating back exercise calories. But, if I see I have a couple hundred to work with in the evening I still have a glass. When I know there is a get together with friends and family or a nice dinner I just budget my calories and plan ahead....cheers!
  • temazur
    temazur Posts: 76 Member
    edited January 2018
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Spend twice as much per bottle and drink half the amount?
    (Almost the same enjoyment but half the calories.)
    Also drink out of a smaller glass and stop at one.

    /quote]

    Definitely this. Go for quality, and stop at one glass. It also doesn't hurt to have a "dry out" period, to reset your tastebuds and get a jump ahead of it, then reintroduce it as maybe a twice a week kind of treat. That way you're not totally taking it away forever and there's a delicious, merlot-tinted light at the end of the tunnel. ;) Taking a break also eases back your tolerance, so if you saw it creeping up that it took multiple glasses to relax, you'll be reset a bit and won't need 2-3 times the calories to relax.

    A long time ago I did something similar with beer, switched out any old beer for delicious, sinful, amazing craft beers, that tend to be more expensive. Now I usually only have one or a flight that equals one, but it tastes so much better. And because I'm buying one or two at a time, I'm less likely to binge drink out of convenience because it's there in a 6 or 12 pack. So if you're buying boxes or bigger bottles, downsize to a smaller bottle that costs more and tastes amazing.
  • slimbyjune18
    slimbyjune18 Posts: 101 Member
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    Try going dry for a period of time. I’m 9 days into dry Jan & it’s well worth the break. Check the less alcohol one day at a time January thread on the challenges page. Very friendly. The break is changing how I view alcohol and how I’ll consume it in future.

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