Has the elimination of alcohol helped you lose weight?

I did a search on this in the community, and wanted to get some insight.

(And if you decide to take offense to something someone else has written on this thread, take a few deep breaths before you make the thread about you. thanks!)

Tue. Jun 24, 8:51am

YES! a) the extra empty points/calories were just un-necessary and since I am trying to elminate all un-necessary intake, they were the first to go. and b) when I have a few drinks, I eat like crazy the next day and find it really hard to control my eating!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 10:09 AM

Alcohol is pure sugar and has a lot of calories. It causes your blood sugar to spike and drop rapidly, so I would say drink with food. Also, your liver - which metabolizes fatty acids, does nothing else while it cranks away on getting alcohol out of your system. So if you drink a lot, you also don't matabolize fat to the extent that you could (for a drink or so this is negligable, but if you consume many daily - this comes into play). For many folks, it lowers inhibitions and they are more likely to overeat while drinking it.

But just like anything else you can still lose weight while consuming it - you just have to cut out other things. Personally I find it easier to lose if I cut the alcohol except on a really nice evening out or something like that, and then I go for something like red wine with some proven benefits and I don't get trashed, but if you can find a way to make the calorie totals work then go for it.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 10:13 AM

Not intentionally

I have found that not consuming alcohol helps me a lot. Not only is it at minimum 100-200 calories a drink (for a diet soda + mixer or light beer) but it's usually more and can be upwards of 800calories for one drink. And really, once you start, who has just one?
Also when I drink I lose my ability to make healthy food choices. If someone suggests getting bar food, all of a sudden I am all in on calamari french fries and onion rings. Which normally I have the sense to say no thanks.

I indulge in the occasional beer when it sounds good. Mostly when I am out to eat with friends/family and there is a good selection on tap so I can try something new. In general, I find it's not worth it to drink the calories.

~JustJess

Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 11:31 AM

no way

I stopped drinking 6 mos. ago and have gained weight... where I would have normally drank my calories - and not eaten - now I eat them all.... kinda like a smoker who quits and gets her taste buds back....I have gained nearly 20 lbs.....my husband also stopped drinking 5 months ago and has gained a lot....he is in AA and doing very well... now we just have to work on our weight.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 12:22 PM

My weight loss is definately a lot speedier when I am not drinking as much, but my lifestyle is such that I go out once a week, sometimes more. I am seeking balance but it is hard. I do not want to isolate myself from my friends for the sake of the last 5 lbs but I do try to limit more than I used to.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 12:31 PM

Without a doubt! My boyfriend dropped 10 lbs when he stopped drinking beer for three months (and he wasn't a heavy drinker to begin with.) I noticed my tummy flatten out when I stop drinking beer or wine, for sure.

Friday, July 4, 2008, 6:58 PM

Why do we gain weight? We gain weight because we are eating more calories than we burn. There really is a more simple way to lose weight than to "go on a diet". Dieting is no fun! Why deprive yourself of food or feel guilty for eating when you're hungry? That's not right! Reduced calorie diets don't work. Eat Only Whole Foods And You Will Lose Weight
It's very important to feed our body well. By "well" I mean to feed it real, whole foods. This is what the body craves. The body craves natural, wholesome food. And here is what's so neat about it. When your body realizes it is being given what it needs, it runs much more efficiently, giving us more energy-energy to burn off the food we eat so we lose weight! What else happens to our body when it is fed natural, whole foods? testking 642-587 Let's take a look.All of the organs function quite efficiently, working together to give YOU, the person inside your body a good physical, mental, and spiritual outlook.* Natural (organic) foods burn more efficiently than denatured foods do.
* Whole foods keep your body in balance because elimination occurs more readily and naturally.
* Irritable bowl syndrome symptoms go away when the body is fed good food
* Your body loses fat because of all of the above!
* Skin quality improves greatly because your body is less toxic, plus cells are receiving valuable nutrition.
What Happens When We Eat Denatured Food?
* The body becomes confused and doesn't know what to do with the substances added to denatured food. testking 117-101 * Toxins build up because the body is swamped with substances it can't metabolize through digestion
* Fibreless, denatured foods cause constipation, boils, rashes, allergies, acne, potbelly, obesity, sugar spikes, IBS, hemorrhoids, gluten intolerance, emotional issues, and more.
* Organs begin to stop functioning normally, causing bladder infections, liver disease, pancreas issues, IBS, clogged arteries, colon cancer, and more.
Pesticides, herbicides, additives, colorings, dyes, fake sugars, preservatives, and chemicals overtime all leave a trail of toxins in your body in the form of weight gain, sleep disturbances, sugar spikes, aches and pains, and digestive disorders that become disease and cancer if something is not done to cleanse the system and change the diet. testking 70-632 God did not build our body to tolerate food that was not invented yet. We had already been given all the food we would need for perfect health. He knew that man would build factories and destroy the food through denaturing. But God gave us a mind that can think and reason, for this purpose, so we can choose to lead a healthy eating lifestyle.

Monday, September 7, 2009, 2:37 AM

YES. I haven't completely eliminated it (I have to occasional glass of wine), but yes. Water is a much better replacement.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 8:47 AM

Amen to poster 2:37 AM. I only wish more people would realize this.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 8:51 AM

reducing the amount i drink has helped me get fitter faster. i used to drink socially about 5x per week, and now i drink socially about 2-3x per month. i do not miss it. in fact, i also have friends who do not drink as much because they are trying to control their weight.

now that i have cut down significantly, i am not exhausted from a night of drinking during the week or weekend, so i can stay on schedule with eating right and working out. i also do not have to worry about the munchies that i get when i am drinking.... those easily upped my calories by about 800 calories (not including the alcohol itself).

recently i have been enjoying social drinking more, and as a result, i am sluggish and have not been able to eat well. drinking really knocks me off balance for some reason nowadays. but i enjoy a nice glass of wine once in a while.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009, 3:39 AM

Definitely. I rarely indulge in alcohol. When I do, I go all out and budget my calories to be able to indulge.

Monday, September 21, 2009, 6:03 PM

I have known for some time now that I need to quit drinking if I'm ever going to have success in losing weight. Too many empty calories and then poor food choices afterward. I've gone a week now without any wine (my drink of choice) and have lost 10 lbs. I really feel better without it, too.

Damn it!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009, 9:47 AM

Sure has.

Thursday, September 24, 2009, 6:57 PM

hi there,
this is an old thread, but not old to me, so I'll leave my comments anyway. ;-)
I came across this thread today, cause I had a major binge yesterday and suspected alcohol as a trigger (amongst others) to that.
I'm with PT since 6 months now and already lost 20lbs (another 20 to go until I reach my goal, planned for September this year). Most of the time I'm doing fine, following the ETL plan since some weeks now. But now I had that binge and was just analyzing how it happend and it dawned on me, that I had a glass of red wine and some cheese on Sunday. That in combination with bad sleep the night after and didn't take care enough of my feelings the last few days, led to a binge from which I'm just recovering.
I want to stop this! I finally would like to lose the remaining 20lbs and have energy for doing everything I want in my life! I already had a glimpse how it could be - I was full of energy the last few weeks while I was following Dr. Fuhrman's ETL plan. But once I slack off a bit, I fall down.
So I decided to eliminate the alcohol from my diet. I'm a huge fan of Dave Gahan (singer of the band Depeche Mode). He had some severe drug problems back in the 90ies, is clean now for over 10 years and also completely eliminated alcohol. And he doesn't do any parties anymore. I always thought: poor guy, has to keep away from all the fun. But suddenly I see that different. Look at that guy, he's the most healthy, fit and content man I've seen - and isn't that what we all would like to reach?! Isn't our own health the most important thing to keep (both physical and mental). I guess social inflicted habits couldn't give you the same satisfaction as a strong and healthy body does.
So, this was my cheerleading for my new habit. Hope you didn't mind?!
I would be happy for any insights from your side on that. Did you quit drinking completely? Is it hard?
kind regards,
Sonja (oh-lilian)

Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 8:02 AM

Yes, eliminating alcohol helps me tremendously with my weight loss. The biggest reason for this with me is that I have an extremely addictive personality. I have to cut out both bad food and alcohol at the same time to avoid moving my food addiction to an alcohol addition.

Plus, the sugar in alcohol does not help with weight loss and it lowers your ability to control what you eat. When you're tipsy the last thing you reach for to nosh on is celery stick!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 2:17 PM

I drink too much once or twice a week, and I was steadily losing a pound a week. I actually cut back how much I'm drinking and my loss is slowing down, but it's because I'm closer to my goal weight. I drank rum and diet soda and there aren't any places to get food late at night here, no fast food or anything like that, so I don't pig out when I'm drinking.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 2:49 PM

Drinking alcohol definetly makes you gain weight... but I'm wondering if it could be water weight due to bloating???

Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 3:04 PM

I always weigh less if I'm hungover, and usually the loss sticks around even after I drink tons of water the next few days.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 4:20 PM

You bet ya

Alcohol is empty calories and sugar . . . . . Especially beer

Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 1:22 AM

hi there,
thanks for all your comments! That's very helpful to know that you are dealing with the same things.
One question though: how do your friends and family react on you not drinking any alcohol? Do they accept it? Do they do some jokes or bad comments? Because what I experienced is that alcohol is so common in our society, that everyone is like "why are you not drinking? are you pregnant? is something wrong? come on just one little glas."
Why are people doing that? It would be a lot easier if family and friends wouldn't ask such stupid questions and support us no matter what.
But I experience the same with food. When I became vegan some weeks ago my mother was like "what do you eat at all?". And now after I've lost 10lbs, people are like "but now you've lost enough, right?".
I really feel like a recovering drug addict from time to time, who has to be a bit selfish to get and keep happy and healthy.
How do you handle that?
thanks & love,
Sonja (oh-lilian)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 5:25 AM

Maybe don't look at them as stupid questions and see them as attempts by your friends and family to understand this change in behavior - a behavior that often brings groups together. One person changes, it changes the entire group, and people are often left evaluating their own behavior. And, that's often what it comes down to. It forces them to look at themselves and sometimes they don't like what they see so they push back. Other questions are entirely innocent and not all that preposterous - if you're a regular drinker and suddenly you stop...you have to expect some curiosity!!

In the case of doing something like going vegan - well, then you're messing with an entire lifetime of how a mom showed her love a(whether it was through certain kinds of foods, the art of cooking from scratch, whatever...) it's possible she feels she no longer knows what she's going to cook for you, or, if you're like my mom, she thinks it's some commentary against how she chose to feed you. (no mom, it actually ISN'T about you!!)

If you had to avoid foods because of a life threatening condition, would you feel selfish? Would you feel the need to defend yourself and apologize? Consider the measures you take to protect your health the same way. Feel confident in your decision and people will back off. It's when you waver they cajole, needle, and try to convince you to go back to your old habits.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 6:10 AM

I'm right there with you, I love my wine, and I know I have to give it up to lose this weight! I feel your frustration!!!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 4:24 PM

hi y'all,
I now found out that alcohol is really a trigger for me. I left it out completely for some weeks and felt great. And last weekend I losend my plans a bit and had some sparkling wine and I got off track immediately. It's not only the weight loss, but the sickness in the head that starts with alcohol. It's the starting point for all bad habits for me. And you're completely right with that group thing, it threatens people if one stops drinking. But you know what? I don't care anymore! I've experienced now that it's not good for me to drink, so I won't do it anymore. Other people can't judge that, because they don't live in my body!
What are your experiences with that?
Wish me luck that I'll stay strong!
kind regards,
Sonja (oh-lilian)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 6:10 AM

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