Hi ladies and gents. So, when I was in college, I used to do all the things I do now to lose weight, and it would come off, pretty regularly. The only difference now, after all the tweaking, is that I have a glass or 2 of wine at night. Even alterning the amount I drink, it is SOOOOO tough to lose. So, I've decided to give it up. Maybe once a week, but right now, I'm giving it up, period. The weight loss is too important right now. So that is that, but I need some ideas for de-stressing at the end of the day that are non-alcoholic. I have a few ideas, like meditation and tea, but what do you guys do at the end of the day to unwind? I just want to be able to relax, no-cal style. Let me know!!!

i use a nice walk and yoga to help me unwind...there are several different yogas and even one's design for relaxation to get you ready for bed. I personally haven't given up alcohol (that would be impossible for me)...but i limit it to 1-2 times a week. So that has helped. I highly recommend yoga for relaxation...i do all sorts including power yoga (a high intensity) but find that all yoga stretches and relaxes me. hope you find what works for you.

Thank you so much for getting back so quickly! I'm giving it up all together this week, and until I have conquered self-dicipline, I can't have any. I'm sure that I will ease back into 1-2 times a week, but right now it's every night, so I just want to nip this in the butt before it becomes a real problem. I'm going to check out some beginners yoga today...I think that is a really sensible alternative. Have a great day!

i think its a great idea...trust me i know what you mean about the alcohol..i use to have no control either. I've seen many different ones...i have a few by yoga zone i like. I've also seen ones that are meant for destressing/relaxing (can't remember who makes them) but i personally find yoga a key to relaxation. Good luck. And remeber, only go into a stretch as far as you can..not what they are showing. It takes time to master yoga (i'm no where near that yet LOL). Just relax and see what it does to your body. Let me know what you find. Oh yeah...also yogatoday.com has some freebee downloads you can try. I've never tried them (don't have the room in my computer room for yoga) but i've know people who've done them. Have fun and hope it helps.

Avoiding alcohol is difficult, especially when you are used to drinking a lot and quite often. I can easily consume a bottle of Cabernet every evening without discomfort (read: no hangover). But I, too, realized that those empty calories were hindering me from losing the weight. So I gave it up. Here are some things that I do to not drink:

• drink a "mocktail"--I love to spice up tomato or clamato juice just like a Bloody Mary and I don't miss the vodka at all
• drink a low calorie "ade" like Crystal light or cranberry juice
• drink a sparkling water like San Peligrino or Perrier (plain or flavored)
• drink tea (I see you already do that)
• stay out of he kitchen (I do best on nights when I get home and have only half an hour to get dinner on the table--I'm so busy rushing around I don't think about making a drink)
• don't buy any alcohol (I have worked myself up to allowing wine on the weekends, so I don't buy any to keep around the house on weekdays)

Best of luck to you!

This is my first post to this site, but I had to reply. Giving up alcohol was the toughest part of my diet. Because we socialize often, I was drinking quite a bit and realized, like you that the drinks were empty calories.

I found Valerian Root, an herb, has a similar sedative unwinding effect, along with a "mocktail" as another woman suggested.

Good luck with it!... and be gentle on yourself. It isn't an easy crutch to give up.

I need to give it up to but, I can't/won't! The entire time I
was losing my weight I drank a few times a week and still do.
I have a boss that takes us out to Applebees almost everyday
after work for a beer-that is mostly what I drink Mic Ultra.
He ALWAYS buys so it makes it really hard to say "NO" but
I need to- I bet I would have lost the weight faster if I just
layed off completely.

Hi there! I've tried losing weight with & without my merlot & the bottom line is it comes off MUCH EASIER if I leave wine out of the mix. Unfortunately I'm one of those people that can pour myself a very generous glass of the stuff & convince myself that it's health food because of the antioxidants! The problem is I love the flavor & before you know it one glass morphs into two or more and I'm morphing into the next larger size.

The 'mocktails' work great. Crystal Lite is wonderful as is diet ginger ale. It's a journey for all of us. Try skipping the wine and check out the results.

Good luck to you & have a great day!
Marylynn

Hey audreymonroe,

Alcohol is empty calories, and years ago it was not allowed on WW. So, it's true--it's easier to lose weight without it. Not only are the calories involved, but also alcohol tends to lower resistance to overeating and indulging in general.

There is a good relaxing tea that you might want to try before bed, in addition to what others are suggesting. It's called Chamomile Lemon Surrender to Sleep Herb Tea and it's made by Republic of Tea. It's more expensive than some, but a container has 36 bags, which is a lot of tea compared to some brands! It really does what it says.

I also like exercise as a stress reducer. Walking, using an aerobic machine like a treadmill or stationary bike, doing a video... things like that. MUCH better than alcohol in every way!

Jay

I too love my merlot at the end of the day, and it's hard to stop at just one with wine, especially when you entertain clients and friends a lot. I have found that a nice hot bath or dip in the hot tub works pretty good to wind down at the end of the day, and when entertaining I drink sparkling water, and put it in a champage or wine glass. Call it stupid, but it works for me!

MsKitty12345,

Jay

Oh I can relate so much. I *love* to have a nice glass of wine or a martini or something at the end of the day to relax. I used to have a couple of glasses every night, more on the weekends, but I cut it down to on friday and saturday nights to speed up my weight loss (as you can see by my signature, I've had my ups and downs! ). What I like to do to relax now is take a glass of italian sparkling soda in a wine glass, or a mug of tea, and go sit out on my balcony. Sometimes I bring a book. I also relax by doing digital scrapbooking. There are many things to do, you just have to find the right thing for you. I've also heard that alcohol consumption can slow down your metabolism...I don't know how true that is, but I got it off the Discovery Health website, so it's worth thinking about.

I am just so overwhelmed by the responses to this post. Every single idea sounds perfect to me. I'm going to try mock cocktails - I used to have sparkling water in a wine glass with a few grapes in it for fun, and I think I'll go back to that. The baths, the yoga, the exercise, the tea, the valerian root...I have so many ideas now, I know I won't fail! I'll put the wine in the back of the pantry this week instead of on the wine rack, and I think I'll post on Sunday, my weigh in, and let you all know how it went, and what i did. Keep the ideas rolling! Thank you all sooooo much!

Have you thought about trying any of the Dealcoholized wines? They advertise that they have less than half the calories of regular wine.

I don't drink alcohol, but I enjoy an occasional glass of the non-alcoholic stuff. In my opinion they aren't too bad. I think alcohol messes with your diet because it relaxes you a little too much, and you go off plan. According to the Ariel website, the dealcoholized wines have the same health benefits as regular wine without the alcohol and calories.

There is Fre by Sutter Home and Ariel by J. Lohr vinyards. The Ariel is mostly better, but not the one that Trader Joe's sells.

I've tried the de-alcholized wines. Frankly, they taste just like regular grape juice to me (but in a prettier bottle for more money). Non-alcoholic beer isn't too bad, though.