How To: Lose Weight By Drinking Less Alcohol

Great Blog!
I agree that lowering the alcohol level to minimal or even NONE would make a huge diference in weight and not to mention health...

I don't drink myself but Great Blog for those that do

Thanks

All good common sense advice fizzy drinks can be a thing that is overlooked, that are in abundance that we just tend to have when it's not necessary.

You shouldn't have to be making excuses to your friends or giving them reasons for those sorts of decisions. The best thing you can say is simply, "I just don't want one." Friends should be perfectly fine with that.

I'm in my early 20's so my social life tends to involve A LOT of alcohol and happy hours. My trick is to limit drinking to a set number of days per week. If I set the number at two or three nights, I'll be more motivated to stay sober at a happy hour and save my "alcohol days" for the weekend.

Another trick is to become a beer snob. If you start drinking good beer, the stuff in the keg is much less tempting.

The best reason to avoid alcohol when your goal is fat loss is that your body preferentially burns calories from alcohol so any fat loss that might be in progress is immediately halted until the alcohol is burned off.

I can't believe that wasn't mentioned in this article.

There do seem to be some benefits to *moderate* alcohol consumption:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol/SC00024

I'm a recovering alcoholic, and when I first stopped drinking, I was amazed at how much more I had to eat in order to not lose weight. (I'm on the low end of "normal" weight and am also recovering from an eating disorder. I know, I'm a mess.) I didn't realize how many calories I was getting from just alcohol (never used mixers like coke or juice).
However, it should be noted that I was drinking WAY more than a "social drinker" would.
When people offer me an alcoholic drink, I just say "No thanks." If they ask why I don't drink, I say "I just don't care to." (I think it's extremely rude when people ask why I don't drink, but that's a different rant.)I agree with Katie; no one should have to justify not drinking, to friends or to anyone else.

Really, alcohol is the only drink I have that ever has calories in it, and I try to do it only in moderation. However, I will splurge on a margarita now and then...but then I know I'll also be consuming an entire Mexican meal. Gotta watch that.

I saw these products by a company called It Cosmetics www.itcosmetics.com on the Today Show so I thought I would try them. I TOTALLY look like I’ve lost 15 lbs instantly and I feel like I’m finally able to get that “in-shape” look I’ve been working so hard for in the gym. Just thought I’d share this GREAT find!!!

I think that cutting down on alcohol intake is a great way to help along the weight loss process. My most successful attempts at fitness have definitely been where I limit drinking to modestly on the weekends or none at all. I think your advice is good, however, swapping wine for soda in my opinion is not a good idea. Soft drinks are filled with so much crap (high fructose corn syrup for one) that make your sensitivity to sugar go crazy (diet drinks are just as bad) that I think it would be better to spice up your water or drink a green tea.

I have also found it hard (being in my early 20's) to explain to friends that I'm not drinking, but I found it best to say, "I'm trying to save money."

Thanks for the post, love the blog!

At a party, one way to not overdrink is carry the same one drink with you throughout the party. Instead of gulping it down you "nurse" it for many hours. Therefore, no one bothers you about not drinking and you also don't consume a lot of alcohol that way.

Cutting back on alcohol seems sensible when it comes to weight loss. I don't think that you have to completely cut out alcohol, but I think as is the case with everything we eat or drink, moderation is key. You don't have to drink every time you go out, or you don't have to drink excessive amounts either. Just being mindful that alcohol can have adverse effects on weight will help with self-control.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/AlcoholCaloriesAndWeight.html

It's so true... kicking booze, even a few glasses of wine a week makes such a big difference.

In case you did not click on e2v's link, you might want to. The article states that alcohol does not contribute to overweight or obesity. Scientific journal articles are referenced.

On the other hand, if you drink alcohol and want to lose weight, cutting the alcohol might help. Do you have time to search for evidence at Pubmed.gov? That's more helpful than anecdotes.

-Steve

Change Alcohol to healthy Pu-er tea. It can dissolve fat and helps excretion. It's very popular in among chinese country. My husband and me always have Pu-er tea every night after dinner. It help us to keep slim.

For wine drinkers: What if you only consumed one bottle (750 ml) of wine per week, which contains approximately five, five-ounce glasses and then spread that out over a week? This would dramatically decrease your wine consumption and still allow you to enjoy your favorite wines while you’re slimming down. Another idea that is a bit more restrictive is to drink only on special occasions. You may want to clearly define what a special occasion means to you. In my book, watching television doesn’t qualify. Cutting back is the key. If you enjoy one glass of wine while preparing dinner and then another while eating dinner, decide which one has to go; then let it go. Make it a habit and you are one step closer to having the body you want.

I definitely know how many calories are in alcohol and I'm always aware of how much I'm drinking. I do like a drink after work to help me unwind a bit, but I always measure it out so I don't get too much. Instead of mixing vodka with sugary mixers, I use diet soda (I know, it's not exactly the healthiest thing, but it does save calories). Or I'll drink a light beer...I actually drink beer because I like the flavor of it, so I usually look for anything that's under 100 calories per bottle.

Another thing that increased alcohol consumption does is lower your inhibitions towards eating healthy, so you're way more tempted to eat fried mozzarella sticks instead of say, a salad. I will say that for me, I don't ever get inebriated enough for it to affect me that way, but it totally happens with my husband. He's been known to eat whole pizzas when he's drinking!

The only thing my friends ever want to go out and do are have dinner or have a drink, so this one's always been really hard for me! :-) You're right, though!

Its always a problem to drink no alkohol with friends or with the family.

There's a relevent article on my blog if you wont to check it out...

http://weightloss-queen.blogspot.com/2008/08/maybe-just-one-more.html

Very good suggestions that I think people will find quite useful. Another thing I have found effective is to cut your carbs out during the day if you know you'll be having a drink or two that evening. Most alcoholic beverages are rich in carbs so creating a small deficit in your glycogen stores (by cutting your carbs out that day) will give the ingested carbs a place to be stored once their consumed.

Of course, a better option is to cut the alcohol out altogether as you've suggested.

Great post.

anyone tried this product shown at http://www.techxiety.com/techxiety/2008/08/meme---product---kenko-diet-plum--.html ? Some have said to lose 2 kgs within 2 days... no exercise is needed... any advise anyone?

I have completely cut alcohol from my diet after seeing just how many calories I was drinking, if you want the heads up take a look at this alcohol calorie counter

I agree with reducing alcohol consumption to lose weight but I disagree with replacing it with non-alcoholic beverages or juices. These drinks still contain calories and juices can contain ungodly amounts of sugar. Not a good choice in my opinion because unless you are drinking fresh squeezed juice you really are getting a lot of trash. I personally love to juice spinach, apples, lemons, and parsley it's sweet but not overly sweet and is great for cleansing the body and boosting metabolism. As for the occasional cocktail my suggestion based on my own personal consumption is drink clear alcohols such as vodka or rum because they have a lower sugar content and either add a splash of cranberry juice and I'm talking a splash and garnish with a lime. Sometimes just drinking vodka on the rocks with a slice of orange, lemon, or lime is the best way because the icecubes help to dilute the drink and the fruit helps to infuse it with flavor. Another thing that I find helpful is I choose 1 or 2 nights max out of a week to enjoy a cocktail or 2 and I find I really don't drink much at all because my tolerance is very low. I exercise and eat healthy as a way of life so the occasional cocktail is a treat for me and never a problem for my waistline.

Interesting - another source that says consuming alcohol doesn't affect body weight.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1957830?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=2&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed

Chronic consumption of substantial amounts of alcohol is not associated with the expected effect on body weight. Isocaloric substitution of carbohydrates by ethanol results in weight loss, and addition of ethanol to an otherwise normal diet does not produce the expected weight gain

As a personal trainer, I've been trying to get people to drink less alchol for years.

I like the excuses for not drinking alcohol. Peer pressure can get us to do unhealthy things even when we don't want to.

When I was competing in natural bodybuilding shows my friends understood and would always bring me water when we went out dancing.

So, I'll add in another excuse... "I'm in training for a competition."

Well, maybe you'll actually have to be in a competition to use that excuse, so sign up for a 5K, sprint triatholon, road race, fitness competition, or bodybuilding show.

It's a lot easier to avoid alcohol if you're serious about achieving success in an athletic event.

If you still pressured to drink after giving those excuse you wrote, you can just carry a glass of wine with you. You don't have to drink it. But you have to resist temptation to drink the glass of wine.

The "not drinking with friends issues" are simple. If at a bar, go to the bathroom and find your waitress on the way. Tell her to mix soda water with a lime in a regular vodka & soda glass. Then give her your credit card and tell her to seperate your tab at the end and you will "take care of her". She will get this. You will get a four dollar bar tab and throw her a five. Problem solved.

If at a party do the same thing, soda with no vodka or diet coke with no whiskey. If only beer is available tell them beer given you some stomach issues and only vodka will do the trick. You will get a hall pass or they will break you out some vodka with a side. Same solution as above. This has worked for me for years.