Alcohol

I’ve cut back my drinking to one day a week (Saturday, 3 drinks). Stopped beer altogether... and I love beer. My sleep has improved (which makes my 5:30am gym sessions easier) and makes it easier to stay on my eating discipline. So overall, I feel like it’s made a positive improvement. I don’t feel like I could lose weight while drinking alcohol on a regular basis.

I never drank much. Now I drink even less. It’s just not worth the calories for me - I love food more than I love alcohol! I still have a glass of wine on occasion though and just make sure to fit it in my daily calories.

I never drank enough for me to feel like drinking less made a big difference in my weight loss but if you are a bigger drinker it can definitely make a big difference.

Except for very special occasions, I've cut alcohol down to 2 glasses of wine per week, on Sunday nights, when my best friend and I split a bottle of prosecco with dinner Alcohol just has too many calories to fit comfortably into my days otherwise - I'd rather eat those calories than drink them!

I've lost 190+ pounds so I'm doing something right, it seems.

I cut back and it has helped. I don't have the added calories from alcohol or the added calories of poor food choices that I made while drinking alcohol.

I have never been a big drinker, and so it’s easily avoided for me.
Besides, I prefer to chew my calories, so water and black coffee are my beverages of choice. No calories in water, and very few in black coffee.
It’s not too difficult to work an occasional glass of wine into my calorie budget for the day.

I sure have! But today is only Day 2!

I have gone from out socializing and drinking at least 5 nights a week to now trying (and mostly successfully) to drinking once a week and even then only a few glasses. It has really helped with weight loss and mental wellbeing.

I failed to answer your question...Yes, it helped me lose weight. I first started Dry January and MFP in 2017. I stayed dry for almost 3 months and then drank very little for the next few months. After 6 months I was down 50 pounds. You appear to be in good shape already... I was quite overweight so I had more to lose.

springsweet wrote: »

I'm doing Dry January in hopes that it helps me lose weight. I usually have a drink or two almost every day. So it hasn't been easy.

I've been looking for the No Alcohol group on here - do they still exist?

there are 2 active ones. here is a link to one

I used to drink like a fish but I cut back considerably. I recommend, whenever you have an occasion to drink, stop at one. If you have "one drink here or there" and can't lose weight the drink's not the problem.

springsweet wrote: »

I'm doing Dry January in hopes that it helps me lose weight. I usually have a drink or two almost every day. So it hasn't been easy.

I've been looking for the No Alcohol group on here - do they still exist?

There is also The Sober Squad if you're looking for a NO alcohol group.

Same as another poster- trying Dry January for the first time and its making me gain. Still planning on sticking with it for the month...

The major reason for my weight gain is alcohol. Whilst I can go days without a drink most days I could down 2 bottles of wine without blinking. I am trying to do dry January together with dieting. So far so good. First time in 5 years that I have done a full week without a drink.

I lost about 60 lbs over 18 months with no changes other than no drinking. Do the math. A couple of beers a few week days. A couple of days with none. A couple extra Friday and Saturday. Throw in a pizza or nachos and 3000 extra calories per week is easy to do.

Now that I think about it, I replaced my drinking time with some walking and other moderate exercise. Felt odd for a while but it was pretty easy. No one was more surprised than I was.