[kona]

I'm referring to Alcohol.

I know alcohol is loaded with calories and that it increases appetite and in general it's a no-no if you want to shed some weight and keep it off (so they say).

However what I want to hear is stories. Tell me about your experience with drinking and weight loss. I know that if a person drinks a lot of alcohol and then quits they will lose weight. What about those of you who just have a drink or two in the evening? Does alcohol show down the metabolism so much that even a glass of wine or two can sabotage weight loss program?

Tell me about your experiences with changing or not changing drinking habits to lose weight. Any information or stories you might have on this subject would be wonderful.

Thanks,
Kona

[Partytime]

Yes I have at least two rum and cokes almost every night after work at home. turly, I use to drink a lot more than that, and have had issues with cutting back on it. I have even thought of giving it up totally being that there has been times where I don't know when to stop. still to this day, there will be one or two days a month that I over do. but I feel if I can just have the one or two drinks at home, and keep control of myself I will be ok.
and I have been dieting, but I have given up on so many kinds of food, totally changed the way I eat, and I look at it like, If I can stay the same weight for so many years, then If I change my eating habits, I must lose weight.
and I have. In October, I was wearing a pair of Levis 501's mens jeans, size 40" waist. I now have a pair of mens jeans, that is 35" waist. so I lost 5" in 5 months. If I were perfect I would not drink but I an not perfect.

[kona]

Thanks for your reply Partytime.


Hmmmm... no one else has anything to say on the subject?
Do I smell bad or something?

[vmelo]

Hi. I don't really have much experience with this since I was never a really big drinker, but I do have something to say

With all the research that suggests that moderate drinking, particularly wine, benefits the heart, I just can't see giving it up. Additionally, it is truly a nice experience to sit down to a good (healthy) meal and have a nice glass of wine. In short, I think that drinking in moderation can be healthy (& studies back this up). And, in the long run, isn't health what all this dieting & exercising is supposed to be for (yes, I know the reasons are cosmetic as well, but to me, health is most important)? Besides, I didn't get fat off the two glasses of wine I drink at night. It was overindulging in sweets & fats.

I remember watching Oprah & she read this "contract" that she had made w/ her trainer (Bill Phillips, I think????). In the contract, she swore off ALL alcohol. I thought this was a little extreme. In my opinion, anytime you swear off something entirely, it just doesn't seem healthy. So, my advice? Drink up, just do it in moderation.

Just my 2 cents . . .

[MeMyself&I]

I don't regularly consume alcohol, however I have found that on the occasion when I have more than a small amount, it can elicit a binge. But as vmelo pointed out, as long as it doesn't make you more prone to overeat or anything, a glass of wine or equivalent on a regular basis shouldn't hurt.

[RavenToy]

I used to drink a lot when I was younger, when I became a Mom I pretty much just stopped except for the occasional drink here or there. Now that my kids are older, I do enjoy a glass of wine or two when I get home from work. Here's the problem. I've noticed that the wine tends to completely obliterate my common sense about staying OP with my food. I start with a glass of wine, which then turns into breaking out the olive oil and baguette, which leads to another glass, and THEN I start cooking dinner... So, for now, the wine is out. When I get to goal, I plan to work it back in and learn how to control my eating when I do have a glass. Till then, it's no great horrible sacrifice to give up a glass of wine or two a night to achieve something that means nearly everything to me at this point in my life.