I've noticed a fair number of comments over the past couple of weeks about people missing having a few drinks with friends. Thought if folks understood more about the real effects of alcohol on the body, they might find abstaining easier.

I gave up having wine day 1 of IP, but continued to have either diet tonic water or a vodka and diet tonic at parties for the first month. Then I read about the effect on the body and stopped all soda (diet tonic is a soda) and all alcohol.

Here's a short summary from a few sources on the web:
- The main problem with alcohol is not the number of calories it contains but rather the effect is has on fat metabolism. A recent study, for example, has shown that even small amounts of alcohol have a large impact on fat metabolism.

During the dieting program, the main focus is how to reduce the body fat without disturbing your body’s metabolism. This process will run smoothly, if you can avoid consuming alcohol. Why? It’s because when the alcohol enters your body, it doesn’t need to be digested, it goes into your stomach and then reaches your liver and brain in minutes. At that point, your liver will be totally focused on the process of metabolizing the alcohol and the immediate impact is that carbs and fats from your food will be directly stored as normal fat. This is because your liver has no time to process them. The fat will be passed to the fat layer and stored in your body permanently.
The story is different if you consume only food. When carbs and fat enter your body, they go to your stomach and will be digested better, and as the result more of them can be converted into energy.

For several hours after drinking alcohol, fat burning drops 73%. Also alcohol has 7 calories per gram while carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram. Fat has 9 calories per gram.

I have read that too and that is what helped me get through this past weekend. Hockey weekends are always parent drinking weekends and I was so worried about not drinking but I got through it without a drink. I am so proud of myself.

Everything in moderation and zero while on IP p1 - p3.

That's great! Plus I've found it's interesting to not have wine and watch others who are drinking.

We're having folks over tonight for dinner and there will be lots of wine. I'll just have my Mio flavored water.

I am not completely comfortable without drinking. I seem not to be able to relax, but I know it's so worth it. That's what keeps me going. I really don't enjoy being around drunk people when I am sober though.

As with any "desired product", refraining from consuming during the fat burning/reset phases of this protocol is what it's all about if we want it to work for us. Not only that, it is temporary! We can have these things in our lives again (if we even want them again). That doesn't mean we won't crave them or be tempted or that going without during certain events won't put a crinkle in our day, but reminding ourselves of the reasons why we're putting them on hold can help guide us in making smart choices while in the moment. And we may find that during the transformation that take place during the phases, these things aren't so important after all.

Edited to say...I realize that all sounds a bit blow-hardish, but I know it has helped me get past a difficult moment to two. "I don't have to have that Halloween candy or Christmas fudge or New Years Eve champaign, etc. Not this year anyway".

thanks for sharing ~helps alot ~ I miss my Wine

I know, me too.

But I want to lose this weight so much, if I really did get to 135, I would be so thrilled. I haven't been that low in at least 15 years! And I know it can be done by sticking religiously to this diet.

As I have posted in several Daily Chat threads, I really miss my evening wine too, especially on Saturday nights when I am down at my beach house. I haven't yielded to temptation yet, but it does take a lot of will power.

Wuv, it is very interesting that you posted this. I was thinking about starting a thread on it. My DH watched this program Sunday night and afterwards told me he now thinks that I am on the right path on IP having given up sugar, as well as alcohol ( and caffeine too since the only caffeine I got was in my daily Diet Coke). I haven't got him on the IP program yet (lthough he does need to lose some lbs), but at least he isn't skeptical of IP any more. I thought it very interesting that sugar addiction is like alcohol and other addictions.

Oh man, it is as REAL as all the others. Unfortunately, it's often poo-poo'd buy our culture.

Imagine what would need to change in our food industry if sugar was eliminated. Imagine how much healthier we'd all be if we gave up sugar entirely, not to mention how much kinder we'd be and less whacked in our thinking. Sugar is a powerful drug for sure...at least in my life.

I really needed this reminder today. I had a friend over for dinner last night and had "just one beer" - thanks Ladies for reminding me why "just one" is STILL a bad idea.

This is a great thread - thank you for sharing.
Not only is my pancreas getting a rest on IP, but so is my liver!