Quit alcohol = losing weight
Replies
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flippy1234 wrote: »I have posted that I quit drinking. Today is 10 days to be exact since I have had any kind of alcohol. I have already lost several lbs. I drank a lot. Wine mostly. I tried to count it in my daily calories but gave up because I was always going over even though it did not seem like a ate a lot. Alcohol has lots of empty calories. Now I can barely reach my calorie limit for the day. I am under every day. As a result, I am lighter and have much more energy. My stomach has slimmed down quite a bit. Pants are all loose. So, If anyone says alcohol does not add lbs even if you count it....it does. It's bad, it's poison and it is a drug.
I’m so happy for you that you are 10 days sober. You’re doing a great thing for yourself.
I’m 3 1/2 years sober. Wine was also my alcohol of choice. For many years I drank a bottle a day. Almost everyday. I appeared thin and in shape because I was still hitting my calorie goals and worked out religiously to burn off the alcohol calories. But deep down I knew I was killing my body drinking like that. So I quit cold turkey.
But saying “if anyone says alcohol does not add lbs even if you count it...it does. It’s bad, it’s poison and it’s a drug.” Is just wrong.
Alcohol for an adult person without a drinking problem or health problem that prohibits it, is just plain fine.
They will not gain weight from it if it fits within their calorie budget.
Do yourself a favor and try not to be “one of those people”. By that I mean a reformed drinker, smoker, meat eater, or reformed whatever, that thinks it’s ok to shame the rest of the population into living life their way. No offense, but it’s wayyyy obnoxious.
That said, you should be very, very proud of yourself, and I hope you continue on this path, that is obviously the absolute right thing for YOU. Best Wishes.11 -
For heavy drinkers trying to quit, a lot of people I've known got a craving for sugary treats when they stopped: for about a year after I quit, I'd eat maybe a pint of ice cream every day. That was 25 years ago, and the cravings do go away after a while. The cravings I suspect are the result of the body's metabolism being screwed up by years of drinking, but it's something to watch out for if you're trying to lose weight and quit drinking at the same time. Probably doesn't apply to the one glass of wine with dinner crowd, however.
Yep, I developed an M&M habit when I stopped being a heavy drinker. Always saw lots of sweets at AA and NA meetings too.0 -
OK, I'm truly happy that you've found good results, but: You didn't accurately count the alcohol, but consuming alcohol will prevent people losing weight, even if they count it accurately?
I don't think so. I drank alcohol while losing (not to the exclusion of good nutrition), counted it, and lost just as expected.
I think not counting accurately (alcohol or anything else) is a bigger issue for weight loss than alcohol per se. Clearly, drinking alcohol immoderately is bad for us in other respects, so we should avoid that. And people who can't moderate alcohol would be smart to give it up entirely.
Congratulations on finding a route that's working so well for you: It should be a step forward in many ways. Best wishes!
When I drink I have less control over stuff I eat.janejellyroll wrote: »People who find this to be true have good reason to keep it in mind (and limit their drinking if they can't find a way to address it). But this doesn't mean that alcohol will prevent *everyone* from losing weight. It's a particular issue for people who can't control what they eat when they drink. It's a particular type of over-eating.
Some people find it harder to control what they eat when they're in a social situation like a party. Does this mean that nobody can socialize while they're losing weight? Absolutely not. It means it's a particular issue for this group of people to address. Nobody else has to curb their socializing because it's an issue for others.
True, consuming alcohol won't prevent *everyone* from losing weight. But since alcohol is famously dis-inhibiting, it's easier to just not drink and not struggle with the lowered will power.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »OK, I'm truly happy that you've found good results, but: You didn't accurately count the alcohol, but consuming alcohol will prevent people losing weight, even if they count it accurately?
I don't think so. I drank alcohol while losing (not to the exclusion of good nutrition), counted it, and lost just as expected.
I think not counting accurately (alcohol or anything else) is a bigger issue for weight loss than alcohol per se. Clearly, drinking alcohol immoderately is bad for us in other respects, so we should avoid that. And people who can't moderate alcohol would be smart to give it up entirely.
Congratulations on finding a route that's working so well for you: It should be a step forward in many ways. Best wishes!
When I drink I have less control over stuff I eat.janejellyroll wrote: »People who find this to be true have good reason to keep it in mind (and limit their drinking if they can't find a way to address it). But this doesn't mean that alcohol will prevent *everyone* from losing weight. It's a particular issue for people who can't control what they eat when they drink. It's a particular type of over-eating.
Some people find it harder to control what they eat when they're in a social situation like a party. Does this mean that nobody can socialize while they're losing weight? Absolutely not. It means it's a particular issue for this group of people to address. Nobody else has to curb their socializing because it's an issue for others.
True, consuming alcohol won't prevent *everyone* from losing weight. But since alcohol is famously dis-inhibiting, it's easier to just not drink and not struggle with the lowered will power.
Personally, when I drank, I didn’t eat because I didn’t want to dilute the buzz.
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I spent years thinking, damn, I’m alcohol’s b-tch. Then I gave it up entirely. Now I’m working on not being candy’s b-tch.4
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I’ve recently stopped drinking wine 2.5 weeks ago for weight loss. I contribute a lot of my weight gain to my wine habit. When my daughter was born I weight 170 and was very happy with my body. I started drinking wine regularly and went from regular bottles to liter bottles to 5 L boxes of wine. I always have some in my refrigerator. I don’t consider myself an overeager but since I started this boxed wine habit I had put on close to 40 lbs.
Since I stopped 2.5 weeks ago it’s been easy to stay within my calories, I feel better, and I have dropped 9 lbs. I’ll take it.3 -
AmandaEdwards1 wrote: »I’ve recently stopped drinking wine 2.5 weeks ago for weight loss. I contribute a lot of my weight gain to my wine habit. When my daughter was born I weight 170 and was very happy with my body. I started drinking wine regularly and went from regular bottles to liter bottles to 5 L boxes of wine. I always have some in my refrigerator. I don’t consider myself an overeager but since I started this boxed wine habit I had put on close to 40 lbs.
Since I stopped 2.5 weeks ago it’s been easy to stay within my calories, I feel better, and I have dropped 9 lbs. I’ll take it.
This is exactly what I am talking about. It does make a difference. Good for you.3 -
frankiesgirlie wrote: »flippy1234 wrote: »I have posted that I quit drinking. Today is 10 days to be exact since I have had any kind of alcohol. I have already lost several lbs. I drank a lot. Wine mostly. I tried to count it in my daily calories but gave up because I was always going over even though it did not seem like a ate a lot. Alcohol has lots of empty calories. Now I can barely reach my calorie limit for the day. I am under every day. As a result, I am lighter and have much more energy. My stomach has slimmed down quite a bit. Pants are all loose. So, If anyone says alcohol does not add lbs even if you count it....it does. It's bad, it's poison and it is a drug.
I’m so happy for you that you are 10 days sober. You’re doing a great thing for yourself.
I’m 3 1/2 years sober. Wine was also my alcohol of choice. For many years I drank a bottle a day. Almost everyday. I appeared thin and in shape because I was still hitting my calorie goals and worked out religiously to burn off the alcohol calories. But deep down I knew I was killing my body drinking like that. So I quit cold turkey.
But saying “if anyone says alcohol does not add lbs even if you count it...it does. It’s bad, it’s poison and it’s a drug.” Is just wrong.
Alcohol for an adult person without a drinking problem or health problem that prohibits it, is just plain fine.
They will not gain weight from it if it fits within their calorie budget.
Do yourself a favor and try not to be “one of those people”. By that I mean a reformed drinker, smoker, meat eater, or reformed whatever, that thinks it’s ok to shame the rest of the population into living life their way. No offense, but it’s wayyyy obnoxious.
That said, you should be very, very proud of yourself, and I hope you continue on this path, that is obviously the absolute right thing for YOU. Best Wishes.
Thank you for your kind words but what you said about me being obnoxious? I am not obnoxious or wrong about what I said. It's fact. I don't go around preaching to anyone but I stated it here to make my point of why I stopped.3 -
kshama2001 wrote: »OK, I'm truly happy that you've found good results, but: You didn't accurately count the alcohol, but consuming alcohol will prevent people losing weight, even if they count it accurately?
I don't think so. I drank alcohol while losing (not to the exclusion of good nutrition), counted it, and lost just as expected.
I think not counting accurately (alcohol or anything else) is a bigger issue for weight loss than alcohol per se. Clearly, drinking alcohol immoderately is bad for us in other respects, so we should avoid that. And people who can't moderate alcohol would be smart to give it up entirely.
Congratulations on finding a route that's working so well for you: It should be a step forward in many ways. Best wishes!
When I drink I have less control over stuff I eat.janejellyroll wrote: »People who find this to be true have good reason to keep it in mind (and limit their drinking if they can't find a way to address it). But this doesn't mean that alcohol will prevent *everyone* from losing weight. It's a particular issue for people who can't control what they eat when they drink. It's a particular type of over-eating.
Some people find it harder to control what they eat when they're in a social situation like a party. Does this mean that nobody can socialize while they're losing weight? Absolutely not. It means it's a particular issue for this group of people to address. Nobody else has to curb their socializing because it's an issue for others.
True, consuming alcohol won't prevent *everyone* from losing weight. But since alcohol is famously dis-inhibiting, it's easier to just not drink and not struggle with the lowered will power.
I would say it's easier for some people not to drink than to struggle with lowered will power re: food and I encourage those people to do that (if that's what they want). I personally don't struggle with eating more when I have a glass of wine or a cocktail. For me, having a glass of wine before dinner actually seems to curb my appetite.
Like with anything (meal timing, exercise scheduling, macro targets), I think it's useful for people to understand general trends but also pay attention to how different choices personally impact them.4 -
Many people do this when they first start out or during cutting periods. Elimination of the foods that tend to be calorie dense.
For a long term strategy I don't know if this is very effective. You don't learn how to moderate your behavior appropriately by eliminating.
I've effectively been at maintenance for 2 years and have drink daily on the average. I just ensure I have the calories in the budget for it.
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flippy1234 wrote: »So, If anyone says alcohol does not add lbs even if you count it....it does. It's bad, it's poison and it is a drug.
It never really contributed to weight gain for me -- I was at my thinnest during a significant period when I was drinking far too much (I tended to eat less than I otherwise would). It was terribly unhealthy; obviously drinking to excess is terribly unhealthy in general, but I don't see a value in making claims that aren't true. For many people drinking in moderation within a healthful diet doesn't add weight (especially if they count the calories, but also for many who do not). There are also plenty of thin alcoholics (I know more than my share of alcoholics).3 -
I’ve been largely alcohol free since the start of January. It’s not made much difference on the scale, however I feel better and sleep better. I always built it into my calories before. It’s a very personal choice, for some people giving up is the right option, for others moderating it is also right. I’m doing a marathon in Spring so this for me right now is more for that prep than weight loss, but there are wider health benefits.2
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