Anyone else struggling to give up wine?!

[BopperBop]

I started the Freedom Diet Coach plan last Monday, and it specifies no alcohol for the first 6 weeks, which I was pleased about as I've been trying to cut back for a while so thought a decent break off it completely would be great. However last night I veered off plan and had 2 large glasses of wine, totalling 6 units (and probably about 400 cals!) and then that opened the snacking floodgates and out came the crisps and chocolate .

All week I haven't felt hungry and have been easily following the diet, but this morning I'm now ravenous after the booze, but am determined to stick to my food plan today - I'm about to have a big bowl of porridge and for lunch I'm having a 'full English'.

I'm absolutely going to stick to the no alcohol rule now, but will need some strategies to stop me caving in again. My drinking has been slowly creeping up so I want to cut it out anyway - it used to just be a couple of glasses on a Friday and Saturday, but more recently it's become a couple of other nights on top of that too, and sometimes 3 glasses not just the 2 (which equates to a whole bloody bottle!!). My parents both have/had drinking problems, so I think taking a break from it altogether is a very sensible thing to do.

Anyone else cutting it out for weight loss (or any other) reasons?

[MarchelineWhatNot]

Ha, I wish I could cut out the wine. I can, but then I feel there is nothing to look forward to. I work really hard, commute long hours, find home life a bit of a struggle... the only thing I look forward to is sitting in front the TV for an hour at the end of the day with a glass of wine to unwind.

However, I am aware of how much it hampers my weight loss and fitness efforts. Not only is wine high in calories but it makes me crave carbs the following day.

Sorry, I don't have a solution, but just to let you know you are not alone. Hopefully someone will come on the thread who has some good tips.

[snapcrap]

I think anyone who drinks too much wine wants to cut down - myself included!

1. You really really don't have to follow the wine with the 'floodgate' of snacks. You CAN stop at the two glasses of wine and then the damage is not so bad.
   

1. Not helpful to you on your programme, but I don't believe in any kind of restrictive diet where anything is not allowed as you will always go back to those things and the weight will go on. Wine included. I stick to 1200-1500 a day (I'm 10 stone and have half a stone I'd like to shift slowly) and that allows me wine if I want it. But I just can't drink as much. I had two 175ml glasses and two single vodkas last night and I feel fine, drank loads and loads and loads of water. I didn't snack as I made sure I had a large but healthy meal beforehand.
   

1. The thing about wine for those of us who 'like a drink' is it's not really about 'enjoying a glass of wine with dinner', really and truly we want to feel pissed! I'm not sure what the answer is to that other than be honest about it and decide what to do with it!!

[snapcrap]

Like Marcheline I'm not sure how helpful my post was but just my thoughts!

[ChopsticksandChilliCrab]

I am doing BIWI's low carb bootcamp diet (look on the MN diet pages for details) and have managed to go cold turkey on the wine after years of having half a bottle most nights. I have bought lots of bottles of perrier to drink instead of wine in the evening.

[cbigs]

My friends are stopping mid week wine while I stop smoking and eating anything nice anyway .
I was saying without fags or foody treats I'm in the same boat as pp there is nothing to look forward too so feel like I'm flatlining here . Ok ish but totally joyless !! And friends cutting the wine out feel the same!
Maybe give yourself wine less weeks but some at the weekend??

[BopperBop]

My ultimate goal would be to only drink on nights out and stop 'at home' drinking altogether, although I'm not sure how realistic that is. When I've cut down in the past, I actually don't miss it all that much and I think it's largely habit, but the more often I drink, the more I want to. I'm wanting to improve my health as well as lose weight with my eating plan, and I don't think the amount I'm drinking each week is necessarily very healthy, and I know I feel much more sprightly on a morning when I haven't drank the night before.

Thanks Chopsticks I'm going to get something fizzy that I can substitute in my wine glass of an evening.

Thanks for all the comments.

[Moanranger]

While I really, really love wine, I have to recognise that If I want to lose weight, I have to cut it out. (My exH is an alcoholic, but fortunately my DP is a very light drinker.) One option is to substitute spritzers, making them v weak -no more than 30% wine.
For myself, I make fake G&Ts, also drink diet ginger ale & sugar free bitter lemon. I allow myself 1diet coke a day as a treat. Wine drinking to relax at the end of the day is basically a habit, which can be altered.
If your real need is to get bladdered, then you have a different sort (not diet) problem.....
Good luck!
PS -going alcohol-free really improves my sleep

[BopperBop]

Thanks Moanranger I've just made myself a fizzy lemon barley drink with lots of ice. I find I sleep a lot better when I don't drink too. I really want to give my eating plan a proper go, so alcohol-free for the next 6 weeks it is!!

[BopperBop]

I've also booked myself in for an early morning exercise class tomorrow, which is a first for a Sunday morning for me!

[Moanranger]

Well done, bopper how did the excercise class go?

[MrsGuyOfGisbo]

I have been drinking at least a bottle a night since last summer imbibing wine due to stressful time with DH, and had a shock when I tried on my summer dresses and all too tight - I am fat.
I stopped drinking alcohol just over two weeks ago - just stopped, can't cut down as once I have a glass I have to drink the whole bottle.
have been gardening like crazy, cleaning, etc instead of sitting down with the laptop in the evening. Drinking tonic water as substitute.
Waist measurement is down from 35.5 - 34 inches ( should be 33 for my height, and tried on a dress today, which is less tight, notably around the waist. Weirdly, not much actual weight loss tho - maybe 2lb? But am sleeping better and feeling massively more energetic. Hoping to keep off the wine thru the summer - strangely don't crave it all, so regretting all those months I just guzzled it unthinkingly.

[goteam]

I also drink wine without even really thinking about it. Decent stuff too. Just guzzle it most evenings without even thinking and realised on Friday evening as I downed half an expensive bottle that I wasn't particularly enjoying it.

Trying to lose 2 stone and have managed 3 evenings now without drinking (and the accompanying crisps) and have lost 2 lbs in two days. Also cutting out other crap. I still plan on drinking a little bit (Max 2 small glasses) a couple of evenings or as pp have said, I'll have nothing to look forward to. Will just make sure the following day is extra healthy.

[BopperBop]

Well done MrsGuy, very inspirational!

The class was really good moanranger but HARD! I'll definitely be going back.

Managing without the vino, having a nice evening meal is really helping as if I'm feeling full I'm not fussed about having a drink anyway. Have got vegetable lasagne all ready for tonight, which I'm looking forward to

2lb loss is really good goteam!

[BopperBop]

Meant to say - I'm 3lb down after my first week on the diet plan (and that's with my little wine-fuelled set back last Friday) so am feeling very motivated to carry on.

[QuimReaper]

Just wanted to give this thread a bit of a bump as I'm in the same boat!

A couple of summers ago I very successfully switched to G&Ts, which apart from being lower in calories I find I drink less compulsively, and they don't really make me drunk.

I'm really struggling to get back into that mindframe though! I think it's because I've been drinking tonic on weeknights as my treat-drink, so adding gin on the weekends just isn't cutting it. I'm on Day 9 on an eleven-day boozeless cruise and I realised the other day I probably haven't gone this long without a drink in at least a decade

[MrsGuyOfGisbo]

QuimReaper me too! Now 3 1/2 weeks in, and I have no desire at all for wine - and waist now down to 32 - really is remarkable - and can now get into dresses that were too bulgy at the outset. Happy.

[QuimReaper]

MrsGuy I've had amazingly few cravings too, although my Dad has a birthday party this weekend and I know there will be Prosecco - I think my lack of cravings are more to do with lack of exposure than anything else...!

[BopperBop]

I'm still off the wine and following my diet plan - I've had to email the diet coach a couple of times this week when my resolve was faltering but she's been really helpful and motivating and I'm pleased to say I haven't caved in once. Very pleased with another 2lbs off, which makes it 8lbs in 3 weeks.

How did the party go Quim, I think I'd find it much harder to resist if I was at an event where everyone was celebrating and there was a genuine reason to be drinking (unlike just sitting watching tele at home!).

[MrsGuyOfGisbo]

I was a party on Sunday, outdoors, wine etc flowing. I had one small glass then back to fizzy water - really strange 'cos never could have done that previously. I think the having now got back into my summer dresses has been really motivational, and seeing the inches melting away on my waist. Am not even hungry having cut out carbs.
Real test is going to be going on holiday in a few weeks with DS. He will be off sailing etc with the teenagers and I will be on my own with my book. In previous years I have drunk steadily from lunchtime and gorged on lovely pasta dishes...