Is it healthier to be 2 stone overweight or drink half a bottle of wine a day?

[SodYouIllGoOnMyOwn]

Just seeking some views here and it’s a bit controversial so I opted for AIBU. Obviously neither is ideal but from a health perspective, what do you think?

Not unreasonable: Half a bottle of wine is worse.
Unreasonable: 2 stone overweight is worse.

Really interested to hear some views.

Thanks.

This is silly. What's worse to chop off your left foot or your right foot.

If you drink half a bottle of wine every day you’ll soon be 2 stone overweight.

Not silly at all.

I reckon I can hop better on my right foot, so I’d prefer to keep that one

According to the World Health Organisation there are only two PROVEN food items that are a carcinogenic and those are processed meats (bacon, sausage, deli meat etc) and alcohol. Red meat is a probable but not enough evidence yet.

Being obese also is a proven cause of some cancers.

So neither is good.

I have no views on this because it’s a silly question

@TheCurious0rangethat’s interesting. So I wonder if a teetotal person who lives on sausages and bacon would fare better health wise than a person who eats a healthy diet but who drinks?

Not an obvious answer. I’m going to say the overweight is less harmful though. 2st for most women is in the middle of overweight and not at the level where diabetes and joint problems are inevitable.
The alcohol every day is probably more damaging. But then again there will be plenty of posters who point out that’s standard for many on the continent. Two glasses of wine a day for a slim person who is otherwise healthy is not outrageous.
So the wino is less healthy than the plump one IMO.

I suggest stopping the drinking and losing the weight would be the best option.

I was two stone overweight because I was drinking half a bottle of wine a day.

It’s all relative though isn’t it.

An obese person who smokes and drinks may live till 80 with no real medical issues and a teetotal marathon runner can get terminal cancer at 40.

Sometimes lifestyle factors aren’t enough.

I agree that it's a bit of a silly discussion point as objectively neither is good and there are too many variables to argue and discuss. But for the sake of having a discussion my initial thoughts would be that it is "better" to be 2 stone overweight. The reason for my answer is that drinking approx 5 units of alcohol a day every day is well above recommended alcohol limits and we have data to support ill effects of this. Being 2 stone overweight could potentially (in some people) include greater than average levels of muscle mass that may mean they're actually not as unhealthy as a chart/scale suggests. They'd unlikely be completely healthy unless they happen to be an incredibly muscular athlete, so it's still not a fantastic option either. I would also worry more about the mental health of someone drinking so much daily and later cognitive effects than I necessarily would of someone who is 2 stone overweight without other disclosed health conditions.

Edited to add that I am aware of the known risks of being overweight also. Just playing devils advocate and trying to think of a discussion point.

I think if you are drinking so much every single day that’s a problem - an addiction. I’m sure I remember reading somewhere that you need to give your body a break from alcohol once or twice a week and that helps enormously.

id say that an addiction

@Theshallows1167yes that’s true. But generally I am inclined to think that a bad diet is worse than 2-3 glasses of wine a night in an otherwise healthy diet, but thought I would ask what others think.

Why do people on Mumsnet think that wine = invisible calories?!

YABU @SodYouIllGoOnMyOwn .

Depends on the person and their tolerance to either carrying extra weight or drinking alcohol.

Eg a relative of mine has bad diabetes due to being overweight despite not drinking at all.

It is a silly question really.

I'm probably in a unique position to "answer" this. I was severely underweight and drank every day. My mental health was appalling, I became dependent on the drink, not an alcoholic, but it was an every day thing. My teeth suffered, I always had a headache, and it made my mental health worse because its a depressant.
However, now I'm T total and overweight, just had 2 babies in 2 years and youngest is 8 weeks. I've never felt better. Even though I'm overweight, I feel amazing, I don't need a drink, I don't want one, I can enjoy my evenings without a glass of wine. My headache has gone, and I'm now an early riser. I think people use drink as a clutch, first sign of stress - glass of wine, long day at work - bottle of beer, hard time with the kids - G&T. You get the picture. Now I have learnt better coping strategies and think my patience and stress levels overall are so much better than when I was drinking. Yes I'm a little overweight but I'm fit, healthy, strong, and proud of my body.

Personally if I had to choose I would opt for being 2 stone overweight as being a better option than drinking half a bottle of wine a day.

When I was giving up alcohol I definitely went for the option of food treats - chocolate and sweeties especially - as the incentive not to drink alcohol. And actually I still lost weight because whatever bad food choices I was making the calorie intake was less than the alcohol. And because I was physically capable of being more active when I was no longer feeling so rubbish dealing with the after effects of drinking.

For me the addictive quality of alcohol and the fact the habit would only just keep getting worse is an important factor.
I don't have the same problem with dealing with excess weight and I know that if I was 2 stone overweight I'm capable of doing something about that.

Well the WHO say no level of alcohol is safe for our health. 2-3 glasses of wine is an awful lot.

2 stone overweight won't necessarily be a problem at all health wise. I believe slightly overweight people actually live longer than those in the BMI "healthy" range. Depends how tall the person is.

I'd say they're about neck and neck tbh.

Maybe the wine, because half a bottle every single day for decades is bound to become a physical addiction because alcohol is addictive. Hence the withdrawal symptoms alcoholics suffer.

I wonder this too op. I'm overweight but don't drink alcohol or smoke. I think alcohol is poison. The thing is we live in a shallow society so being fat is demonised but no one judges people for drinking alcohol.

Both are not good and will be killing you slowly.

Who are you comparing yourself too?
Neither is very healthy or immediately a threat to life, both can become an issue, as with everything, we want more alcohol/food the crutch gets bigger as the routine continues.

I used to drink every day and the weight piled on, particularly during perimenopause. Now I have adopted a new healthier lifestyle, where I count calories for 2/3 days and don't drink, then on the 3rd or 4th day, I will drink prosecco but still only have one meal. I've lost 2.5 stone. I also combine my eating regime with a lot more exercise. I also now sleep better. I'd rather not be overweight and enjoy my prosecco to answer your question!