Why am I not dropping weight by cutting out wine

[SweetLatte]

So about 3 months ago I stopped drinking.

It had become a very long standing nightly thing, talking half a bottle most nights 😞 and more at the weekend.

3 months ago I decided I was fed up using alcohol as my crutch, my reward, my 'me' time. I am a single mum and like many of us here, don't have my sorrows to seek.

Anyhow, I've always been quite fit and done a good bit of dog walking plus gym session 2/3 times a week, cardio, cross training type stuff.

I'm gutted that I haven't lost any weight through not drinking anymore.

I feel better, sleep better, have no headaches but I still have a wine belly. Diet is ok and I do intermittent fasting with one 24 hour fast a week.

Why 😳😳 am I not losing weight?

Well done for taking the step!

Have you replaced the wine with snacking? This is really common. Depending on the amount of snacks, you'd still be in a healthier position than with the wine but calorie wise, you may be averaging out to the same amount.

Half a bottle of wine is only around 250 / 300 calories. Maybe start tracking your food

I never lost weight through giving up alcohol either for months. For me it was better to cut down not cut it out. I have 5-10 units a week.

If you have recently upped the exercise it can cause your muscles to retain water which means often we put on weight or stay the same. But it's good in the long term as is less/no alcohol. It sounds like there are other benefits to stopping for you, so I would focus on that. Particularly sleep, it's hard to lose weight without sleeping properly.

Weight loss is tough, particularly shifting the last stone.

When I cut down on wine, I definitely up the (sweet) snacks. I would always have told people I don't have a sweet tooth but it turns out I do, it's just that my sugar fix is met by wine instead of biscuits! Maybe consider what you're eating and drinking instead?

This is me- it seems that a small amount of alcohol satisfies this and if I don't drink at all I just replace the alcohol with cake and consume more calories and sugar. So everything in moderation works best for me. If I cut things out completely it creates a forbidden fruit factor or causes an imbalance.

Do you eat processed food? I’ve been on an 18 month weight loss journey, and was just stuck at a size 12. I read ultra processed people and cut out everything processed and woosh the weights fallen off me. Insulin resistance apparently.

You need to count calories. Also if you are exercising you might be exchanging fat for heavier muscle. If you've got a gym near you that has a body fat machine they can be good for seeing what you're made of!

How old are you? I'm early 50s and have also cut out alcohol. Nothing is shifting the weight beyond a small amount occasionally. I exercise daily, weights, walking, yoga. It's so hard at this age.