cutting down/giving up alcohol - did you lose any weight

[CatUnderTheStairs]

I wouldn't say I'm an alkie but I can happily have bottle of wine or two over a week. Add in 2 or 3 beers on a Friday or Saturday and it's probably adding up.

Also I would think my food choices are poorer because of it...

I need to lose a couple of stone.

Any encouragement or useful stories...?

Nope, gave up for 6 weeks and put weight on - maybe it takes longer - interested to hear other people's experiences

I've found that my husband starts to lose weight almost as soon as he even thinks about cutting down on booze, the utterly lucky bastard, but for me it takes quite a bit longer. It does happen, though.

Good luck with it. Long before the weight starts to go your skin will look better and you'll sleep like a baby so it's definitely worth it.

My friend's mum cut out alcohol and lost 3 stone.
As long as you don't replace it with other calories, you will lose weight.

I drink during the week, but only Thursday, Friday and then Saturday and Sunday. The odd Wednesday if I’m going for a curry.

I do dry January and the weight falls off, but, I do watch what I eat too.

Having a bottle of wine is equivalent in calories to having another dinner. So the calories do add up. One spirit measure of 25ml is 50kcal.

Yes. Just drops off.

I think it’s a combination of stopping the wine itself plus all the other crap I put in my mouth when I’m drinking it.

I think it's the other crap that puts the weight on for me. So if I'll crave a carby breakfast the next day, or will eat a family bag of crisps with a bottle of wine...

I lost 2 stone when I stopped drinking, think it was also less snacking when tipsy as well.

I didn't drink alcohol at all for 6 months and didn't lose an ounce.

1/2 stone in a month. Agree it's the calories from alcohol itself and associated snacks plus hungover eating. Good luck

I gave up in March. I gained 8lbs from eating lots of chocolate and sweets but that soon levelled out and I've lost the 8lb plus an extra 4. I didn't have much to lose though

I probably drink about the same amount as you OP, and am trying to cut back a) to lose weight and b) to have more money in my pocket.

I think as long as you don't replace the booze with other calories then you're bound to lose weight, surely?!

I have lost 12lbs since July just by cutting back on snacks and not eating a mountain of biscuits every day.

I stopped drinking last year, and have lost around 5lb. I was a size 8-10 before, and still am, but have a smaller waist and boobs than before.

I didn't drink that much before; prob around 10 units a week. But the health benefits of giving up have been huge. My digestion is better, I sleep better, my running has improved and I feel happier in myself. I wish I'd stopped years ago.

Some encouraging stories here.

I don't think I want to give up completely. Quite honestly I love a glass of wine with a good dinner. Or a pint in a cosy pub.

But I'm going to try and cut down on the kind of drinking that's just filler. So having a couple of glasses of wine with dinner with friends fine, having 3 glasses of wine on a school night because I'm bored, not so much.

That's exactly what I'm trying to do with my husband, cat. We've done it before and you do soon see the benefits. As I said, DH will see them sooner than me, but they'll come.

I lost 2st when I stopped drinking beer and wine. Bear in mind, I'm a recovering alcoholic so at the time I was drinking terrifying amounts. I didn't lose weight when I quit spirits.

You might find yourself craving sugary things if you cut out the booze, as alcohol is pure sugar, so as long as you're mindful of that and work on making healthier food choices, you might lose a few pounds.

I used to drink about a bottle of wine a week, and stopped when I passed my driving test and got a car. It made no difference to my weight, if anything I put more on because I wasn't walking 5 miles each way to work and back any longer.

A family member gave up drinking at the start of the year in preparation for TTC and has lost 2 to 3st with no other lifestyle changes. She could easily get through 8 bottles of wine a week plus a few massive sugary cocktails and a takeaway on the way home and had done for about 15 years, so it's been a massive change for her, and she looks amazing for it, although she looked lovely before, too. If you're out 3/4/5 nights a week it's amazing how much you can put away without realising.

If I was drinking as much as your cousin I hope id lose weight by stopping, I’m sure there are other benefits too. Sleeping better would be nice.

I lost my fat stomach

Brilliant @nitgel that’s exactly what I need!

Yes I’ve lost a stone! Alcohol makes me so hungry the next day so I think it’s the lack of carb loading the next day that’s done it for me.