alcohol revisited

okay, i know this has been discussed ad nauseum, but i'm looking for people who are on the same page as i am.

i just charted my monthly weight highs and lows for the past two years.  i've lost about 24 pounds over that time; obviously my weight loss has been very gradual.  but last january i quit drinking for 7 weeks and lost 9 pounds.  in the ten months since i started drinking again, i've lost...well, none, really.  i lost about three more, but have gained two of them back.  so i'm going off the booze again tomorrow (first i have to polish off the wine that's in my cupboard;-))

the good new is, i've been able to maintain my weight loss just by moderating my drinking: gain a pound or two, quit for a week - simple.  my eating and activity level fluctuate, but haven't changed in any significant way.

so...anyone want to kick the booze in the interest of a ten-pound loss? 

I do!  So, far it's been a "Booze-Free 2008" for me.  That should be my campaign slogan :)

I'm interested in having a group for people who usually drink often, but have decided to abstain, either permanently or temporarily, to lose weight.  I know that, for me, it's been difficult, because having a glass of wine is a part of my day, so I have to replace that habit with something else.  So far, a cup of High Calcium, No Sugar Added Swiss Miss has been helping me out.

yay! 

for me, i basically only drink water, coffee, and alcohol, so i just substitute water at night (hot, if i need the comfort).

i definitely don't want to do this permanently, but i think i can tie it to a weight goal: no booze at all until i get below 140, none in the house until i get to 135.  what's your goal?

bump.  because sundays suck.

I feel your struggle.  I need to commit to an alcohol free few months to kick start the weight loss.  I read somewhere a long time ago that alcohol decreases your metabolism by 10% no matter the kind and that beer causes the most weight gain because of the sugar it breaks down to...so that is my problem.  I golf with a bunc of skinny women who drink alot..so this going to be tough but I have to get it under control before golf season.  Thinkin of going to wine spritzers this summer when I feel like I have to drink..or using my hubby's excuse of blood sugar struggles(he does not have it) so people don't bother me about not drinking.  I do think you are right staying off alcohol for a while is helpful

yeah, the impact on the social life is the hard part.  at least in the summer we're more active, right? 

for me, it's going to mean very little social life after dark.  luckily, i have a couple of friends who don't drink at all.  it's really helpful to be able to call someone up and say, "let's do something tonight," and have booze not be an assumption.

i just realized that tying the no-alcohol thing to a weight goal adds incentive to eat right and exercise; i can drink again sooner!

also, bump.  because i refuse to believe that only three of us are thinking about making this change.

BUMP! coming out of longtime lurkerhood lol.

Most skinny people I know don't cut out anything. They just automatically censor tehmselves. I think 1 glass of red wine with dinner when you want it shouldn't be a metabolism stopper. How about not drinking anything when you're at home, and enjoying one or two glasses when you're going out?

I love wine. However since quitting last month my face is already slimmer. I have decided to drink only a few times a month.

Since I started drinking more I packed on the pounds however, now I am going to limit myself to a few days a month.

I was thinking about quitting drinking for a while cause I think it has mostly contributed to my weight gain over the last year or so. Also when I've had a drink I find that I'm more likely to give in to cravings and overeat. I just think it would be tricky socially, my friends wouldn't give me a hard time or anything but drinking tends to be a big part of a night out. I might give it a shot and see how it goes.

yes, i need to to eliminate it for a while also. for a couple months i hardly drank anything, maybe one or two light beers a couple of times, but then the holidays hit and bam, wine all the time, parties, end of school, lots of stress busting. i stopped losing, which was fine, but i'm having a hard time easing out of that routine. i finished off the last wine in the house this weekend and am going to go back to trying to plan different activities with my friends that don't involve alcohol. that really seemed to work well.

I want to join the Alcohol Abstainers!  I know that drinking is my major weight problem, I just LOVE beer.

Funny when u think ur the only one with an issue. I had my last boozey night on sat. I quit drinking for a little while and lost a decent amount. But I started back up and all my hard work dowm=n the drain. And when I do start drinking again iy will be just a glass of wine not a whole bottle then snax and other crap

Yeah I'm game...just joined CC yesterday and figured there isn't a whole lot of room for the much coveted adult beverage with the goal I set anyhow......

I would love (and need) to join this group.  I tend to enjoy my wine a little too much . . . I can easily polish off a bottle in one sitting (yup thats 4-5 glasses) and dont even need an occasion for it.  I do not drink everyday, but I do about 3-4 days a week.  Over the past 2 years I gained about 30 pounds, and I believe much of it is due to alcohol.  Luckily I was able to drop 15 pounds so far, and I think that quitting drinking can help me get rid of the rest.  My goal is absolutely no drinking during the week, and no more than two glasses on Saturday. 

Original Post by pgeorgian:

okay, i know this has been discussed ad nauseum, but i'm looking for people who are on the same page as i am.

i just charted my monthly weight highs and lows for the past two years. i've lost about 24 pounds over that time; obviously my weight loss has been very gradual. but last january i quit drinking for 7 weeks and lost 9 pounds. in the ten months since i started drinking again, i've lost...well, none, really. i lost about three more, but have gained two of them back. so i'm going off the booze again tomorrow (first i have to polish off the wine that's in my cupboard;-))

the good new is, i've been able to maintain my weight loss just by moderating my drinking: gain a pound or two, quit for a week - simple. my eating and activity level fluctuate, but haven't changed in any significant way.

so...anyone want to kick the booze in the interest of a ten-pound loss?

Hiya Pg!

How much is it that you've been consuming when you say, "I started drinking again."  This is a topic close to my heart (and a$$)... lol!    I am a light beer drinker. What I do is determine how many of those "only 96 calories" I want to contribute each day to my total intake.   It does NOT impede weight loss ... IF I count them instead of sloshing down (*hic*) beer like there's no tomorrow.   Does it SLOW weight loss?  Um, maybe .................... BUT -- here's what I think is important:

What we're doing to lose weight will not stand the test of time if it's not something we can live with forever.  By that I mean, it's unrealistic to consider that you will not drink if you enjoy drinking.  You're GONNA do it!  So, incorporate it into the program for weight loss which won't find you doing something totally different when you've reached your goal.  This way, you've achieved a balance and a lifestyle change instead of having gone ON a diet, which you went OFF of after you lost a number of pounds.

Point in less words:   If you can't live with it AFTER you've lost the weight, it will come back and THEN some.   We need to be real about our circumstances/what works for us individually.

*burp*

Wow, I just posted a beer question. I want to know if I cut out alcohol to lose weight and then go back to drinking after the weight loss will I gain everything back????

hey fitty!

how much varies depending on what's going on in my life: if my social life is on, it might be daily for a week.  but like i said, i've maintained most of the weight loss that i made.  i just haven't reached my goal yet and need another jump-start.  aside from that, i'm almost finished my masters and have a ton of work to do in the next eight months.  and--yes--there's the $$$s, too!

jennielee, you'll only gain it back if you eat/drink too much!  there's no secret formula - you just have to see how it plays out.

There is an interesting article about this in the newest issue of Health Magazine.  The article is all about different ways that moderate (one drink per day or less) drinking can be beneficial to your health.  Here is the most relevant part on weight:

 

The wine is probably doing more good than ill. In a study of almost 50,000 women, those who drank moderately (one drink per day) gained less weight than women who abstained—and less than those who had two or more drinks per day. It’s not clear why, but study author Eric Rimm, associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, thinks that alcohol may help burn calories. Plus, alcoholic beverages have no fat and typically have fewer calories than popular non-alcoholic beverages. A 5-ounce glass of red wine has 125 calories, for instance, but a Venti Cappuccino from Starbucks weighs in at 180.

 

I have been doing a lot of reading and investigating on this issue.  The "experts" seem to come down on both sides, some saying that alchohol calories are just like other calories and others saying they have a more profound effect on blood sugar and the way your body burns all calories.

For myself I have come to the conclusion that drinking moderately is OK.  I count those calories just like any other calories.  

I LOVE beer. I (used to) drink it every day.

Two years ago I belonged to one of those weight loss programs. I tried substituting the beer calories for others and was VERY strick about my calorie intake.  I was exercising constantly with the idea, "if I walk 20 more minutes, I can have 2 beers instead of just one!"  But, guess what, the weight just wasn't coming off.  I blamed the program.

I read somewhere (in this forum maybe?) that alcohol slows down the metabolism and that beer especially puts on the pounds.  D@*#!

I think that people who are at a normal weight may get benefits from that single beer or glass of wine at dinner, but people like me who need to lose more than 50 pounds should not drink alcohol and once you are at normal weight, drink only occassionally. 

By the way, I'm on only day two of my alcohol abstention and healthier lifestyle with the objective of losing weight.   So it remains to be seen if cutting the alcohol helps me! It's HARD because I am used to having a drink or two every day.

If I had 50 pounds to lose I would definitely not be drinking any calories.  I would drink water or herbal tea and reserve my calorie allowance for food that was satiating!

One thing I would like to point out is the studies that support alchohol consumption as part of a healthy diet all support MODERATE consumption, which is one serving a day OR LESS.  If you're drinking every day and having a serving or two thats more than what is being supported by the research.  

It does seem though that someone can drink occasionally without sabotaging their weight loss.