Is it possible to lose weight but still drink alcohol regularly?

[LittlePeepoToy]

I normally drink beer could switch to vodka and Diet Coke. I normally have a couple a night my diet is carb heavy which I can sort. Less carbs, more exercise can I lose a significant amount of weight despite drinking?

[Leflic]

Metabolism is far too complicated to make sweeping statements about insulin and fat storage

That’s not me saying that, that’s science.

I’m not sure the research around drinking and low carb/low sugar is that definitive though.

[Spodge]

Yes. I have lost 5 stone and kept it off and I have not stopped drinking, though I have cut down. The big thing for me was stopping lager altogether, though. That made a difference even without changing any other habits. I switched to gin&slimline or wine.

[Evileyecherry]

For me - no.

Give me one drink and I’d want ten. And food.

So I’ve cut it out completely despite absolutely loving wine.

After a month and a half the cravings have gone. I couldn’t have lost weight whilst still drinking.

[Vodkacranberryplease]

Indeed. One of my skinniest friends drinks like a fish. Pretty much everything too.. but food isnt her thing. It's not even that she's trying she just seems to not care. She never has bread in the house, will happily eat very fatty meat but not often. She does eat but just not that much.

Somehow she has managed to turn food into something she does but doesn't care about. But isn't caught up with 'trying'.

But another skinny friend rarely drinks because of the calories probably and has that more 'fashion' approach eg one glass of champagne, going on about feeling all dizzy after one etc. She's actually borderline anorexic in her approach. And a lot harder work.

[bluebluezoo]

Lots of alcoholics are skinny. Alcohol doesn’t metabolise in the same way

Alcoholics tend to be skinny because they prioritise alcohol over food.

Metabolism is far too complicated to make sweeping statements about insulin and fat storage.

[Gwenhwyfar]

"My very slim friends who have never been overweight don't drink much, but when they do drink they have very high quality, neat vodka on ice or, very infrequently, a single glass of wine."

I can assure you that very slim, slim and medium sized people often have more than one single glass of wine. Your friendship group doesn't reflect the average.

[nanbread]

My very slim friends who have never been overweight don't drink much, but when they do drink they have very high quality, neat vodka on ice or, very infrequently, a single glass of wine.

Another thing to consider is what sort of diet can you stick to?

I'm doing a low sugar, reduced carb diet and my decades-long sugar cravings are finally under control and my blood sugar feels even... If I drank loads of booze however I'm pretty sure it would throw it out of whack. For that reason it wouldn't work to drink a lot on this kind of diet. I'm currently having one drink a week if I feel like it.

[Vodkacranberryplease]

I used to do a fasting diet and then have cheat days (I know, I know) and on my cheat days the only one that didn't really mess up the weight loss was red wine. White wine makes me absolutely starving.

I lost a lot of weight on a 1000 calorie a day diet plus beer years ago because it's very filling. Vodka and diet tonic too.

But this is so tough as hangovers make me eat.

[Leflic]

what you are saying is some foods make you hungry, so you eat more.
Which is calories in, no?
No, what it means is that high carb food produces insulin which in turns stores excess glucose. That’s all the fat around your middle.
Low carb doesn’t trigger insulin so you burn up the stores of fat you have.

Lots of alcoholics are skinny. Alcohol doesn’t metabolise in the same way. However beer is quite carby. Very dry wine and clear spirts are best. Alcohol does cause you to lose willpower and I need breakfast in the morning when I drink the night before.
When I did low carb I had one night a week to drink as much or whatever I wanted. Lost weight really quickly.

[AgeLikeWine]

I love beer too, but when I’m trying to lose weight I switch to gin & lo-cal tonic, and I don’t drink at all on school nights.

I try to hit weight loss quite hard, though, because my aim is to drop a significant amount before I get sick of the regime. If I was still drinking beer, I would be losing less than 0.5kg a week, which is far too slow for someone of my height & build (I’m 1.80m with size 9 feet).

[dudsville]

I am, but I have cut out ALL other sugars and treats and have some nights of no alcohol. The weight is steadily dropping at a pace I'm happy with. I'm calorie counting, eating very healthily, slightly lo-carbing and walking more.

[GrumpiestOldWoman]

ITonya

You eat what you want in your 8 hour eating window, though for best results try not to go carb-heavy. Have your alcohol in that window too. So if you want a glass if wine at 9 pm try a 1-9 pm eating window.

[GrumpiestOldWoman]

Which is calories in, no?

Not quite bluezoo , not all calories are equal, calories from fat won't spike your insulin level and switch you to fat storage whilst calories from carbs will.

You work alot harder to lose weight doing low fat high carb than you do on low carb high fat.

[Gwenhwyfar]

" it sounds like you can’t go without it, even for a few months to get your weight under control..."

Sounds to me like she just doesn't want to. Neither do I actually and I have also been able to lose weight while having other things I like such as chocolate and cheese as long as I'm cutting the calories overall.

[ITonyah]

People that do 16.8 - do you have your alcohol before 8?

I usually drink a glass of wine at about 9pm watching a movie but I think I might try 16.8. Do you do it every day?

[Hagisonthehill]

Possible but not easy especially if you drink every night.
I have g&TS and wine at the weekend.Most days are now alcohol free because I find it hard to stop at one.

[LaceCurtains]

I'm struggling to lose those last few pounds and really the only thing I have left to cut back is my Friday night bottle of wine (shared with DH).

I often hear about the empty calories in alcohol but actually it must only make a difference if you drink a lot. I was surprised to find that my half bottle is only about 300 calories. If it takes 3500 calories to gain/lose 1lb, that's a lot of wine.

[bluebluezoo]

It's a myth that it's all about calories in/calories out. Some foods cause insulin levels to increase, this switches your body into fat storage mode and as insulin drops again you feel very hungry

So what you are saying is some foods make you hungry, so you eat more.

Which is calories in, no?

[TazSyd]

Calories in / calories out works for me. I do eat good quality food (most of the time 😁). I put on a stone after DD and the way I lost it was by counting calories on my fitness pal. In order to maintain it I still loosely count calories and if I am putting on weight I go back to being strict again.

I agree that there may be more to it than calories in / out though, as post child and 40, it is a lot more difficult to keep the weight off.

[Graffitiqueen]

Not for me.

[BobbinThreadbare123]

I generally eat in a 16:8 way and only drink on a Friday evening. Works for me when I'm not scoffing lockdown biscuits!

[GrumpiestOldWoman]

It's a myth that it's all about calories in/calories out. Some foods cause insulin levels to increase, this switches your body into fat storage mode and as insulin drops again you feel very hungry.

Sugar and processed carbs are bad for weight loss as they increase insulin levels very high very quickly. Fat is good as it doesn't make your insulin level soar and it makes you feel full more quickly and for longer. If you eat 300 calories of carbs you'll feel hungry again much quicker than if you ate 300 calories worth of fat.

[MsTSwift]

I drink usually only at weekends lost 2 stone on 16 / 8 and maintaining so for me yes!

[Sunnydays123456]

Yes if you have a couple of units once a week

No otherwise

Tbh if you can’t give up to achieve your goals then you should look at your drinking anyway..

[StealthPolarBear]

Yes agree, I lost weight successfully stillenjoying the odd red wine. However I did cut right down, both because of the calories in the drink but also because of the resultant lack of willpower and any feeling rough the next day which can only be cured by four slices of toast and butter.