Does alcohol hinder weight loss? Feeling really down

[Annie802]

I’ve cut out crap and eating carbs for a week, but haven’t cut out the alcohol in the evenings. I thought by removing the constant snacking of cake/chocolate/crisps and cheese with biscuits, along with no carbs at mealtimes it would make a difference. I’m still drinking a few nights a week - wine and sometimes a spirit, especially over the weekend and I’m 2lb up.
would it be the alcohol? Feeling quite disheartened as feel like I shouldn’t have even bothered cutting out the chocolate which I’ve been craving all week :(

The best way to find out is by keeping a calorie diary and including the alcohol calories. Caloriecounter app is pretty good and it will work out what your daily calorie intake should be to achieve the weight loss you want. You can log all food and drinks, as well as exercise.

Small tip on the wine front- wine isn't good for weight loss but switching to a lower % wine will make a small difference

Best aid to weight loss for someone who drinks is to stop drinking. Hidden calories + loss of inhibition = lbs !!

Your weight can fluctuate from week to week depending on TOM, water retention, whether you weighed yourself at the same time and in the same state. Plus, just cutting out carbs doesn’t mean you aren’t having more calories in other things.
You’d need to stick to things for a few weeks to see any trends.

Also having alcohol means you usually aren’t having enough water which is needed for weight loss…. It’s where I always fall down plain old water every night even with lime is BORING

Good luck op

Alcohol is full of sugar so yes it will do.

It absolutely does.

I stopped drinking in my early 40s. I lost a stone in 8 weeks without changing anything else in my lifestyle - was in a sedentary job and eating biscuits and pizza when I felt like it, so not a paragon of health by any means. I was a regular wine drinker and I think as you get older wine really sits on your belly and gives you a bloated look.

I think it may depend on the person. I lost over 5 stone last year without ditching the wine. I did however count it in my daily calorie allowance.

Yes, alcohol impedes weight loss. Wine is fattening, unfortunately! You’re doing well
cutting out snacking, but it’s only been a week so far - give it a chance.

A glass of wine is the equivalent of having a dessert. If you're going to have a spirit it should be clear eg gin or vodka with a low cal tonic, nothing else really.

Yes it's the alcohol. Wine has calories and I saw a video where they explained how regular alcohol use effects how your body burns calories (can't remember the actual science).

Oh yes definitively the wine, I lost 2 stone by giving up alcohol altogether and I've always had a reasonably healthy diet otherwise so I've kept it off naturally.
And looking back at photos I see I had a puffy face and looked older when I drank regularly.

www.healthline.com/health/alcohol-and-weight-loss#alcohol-and-weight-loss

I think you've found your culprit if wine is taking you over your recommended calories.

I calorie count. As a treat, I have 1 or 2 spirits on a couple of nights, or chocolate, and factor it in to my daily allowance. I also eat lots of carbs, always have on diets, but my weight loss is steady so far.

Even when I did Weight Watchers and saved up my points for the weekends, you could only 'spend' a certain amount of it on booze or chocolate, due to the sugar intake.

Well if you consider a large glass of wine has a similar number of calories to a Mars bar.....

Pressed post too soon (oh for an edit button!)

Yes alcohol does have an impact, you wouldn't sit and eat two Mars bars in a row in an evening but would think nothing of having a couple of glasses of wine so it's really easy to take in more calories than you are expecting.

Of course cutting out snacks will help but not as much as cutting down drinking too (or at least factoring it in to your macros)

You can drink alcohol and lose weight, but you’re on low carb and alcohol isn’t low carb as it’s got sugars. If you want to drink and lose weight, stick to 1200 calories a day and include everything you eat and drink. I’ve lost 5kg in 3w and have drunk every other night!

Alcohol is much higher in calories than one would think. It adds up quickly.

It will definitely help with weightloss if you were to limit it.

Alcohol is almost pure sugar when boiled down so it won’t help, no. Xx

I loose if I cut wine.. some people don't..

But we are all different, how many calories are you eating and drinking per day and have you increased moving?

If you want to drink and lose weight I suggest low carbibg. I would have

sausage, bacon, egg, tomato and mushrooms for breakfast.

Chicken and cheese salad with mayo.

Salami, cheese and gherkins. Plain yoghurt with blueberries, blackberries and nuts.

You can swap any meal for a low carb protein shake. I found doing this, and only eating between 8-4 I could drink 5-7 ounces of vodka with Diet Coke 2-3 a week and still lose weight. I managed to lose 15kg in 7 weeks.

Wine is full of calories. If you want to drink, have vodka or gin with low cal tonic or diet soda.

I've lost five lbs since I started dry January, I haven't even got much to lose, wine makes you fat

I find cutting out booze really helps.

It's empty calories (and very easy to consume more than you mean to) and it really does bad things to my will power in terms of not nibbling

If you are going to drink, spirits and a slimline mixer is likely to be least calories - but do use a measure for the spirits, it's terribly easy to underestimate. Or turn wine into a weakish spritzer

I’d cut out the wine at least - have a single gin with slim line tonic and lots of ice, that’s not too high calories

Your body will metabolise the calories from alcohol before anything else - I was very alcohol-dependant, it's only been a couple weeks of cutting it out and already the weight is dropping off and I'm not doing anything else different. Best decision I ever made.