<p>I have to give up my wine habit. I will never lose weight while boozing it up even while cutting food calories. I’m too damned lazy to exercise routinely. Anyone else here that has given up the alcohol habit and moved beyond it and felt normal again? I mean,some people just don’t drink for whatever reasons. It’s not odd, right? LOL.</p>
<p>I’ve never had much interest in alcohol. Once in a while I’ll have a 1/2 glass or a glass of wine, and it wouldn’t make much difference to me if it didn’t exist altogether. I’m fortunate this way.</p>
<p>I wish you the best making this change to your lifestyle and hope it helps you feel better.</p>
<p>I TRY to only drink on the weekends, primarily because of the calories involved. I also don’t drink as many “girl drinks” -margaritas, etc., because of the calories. I am not overweight, and don’t even weigh myself regularly, but I have creeped up over the years. I used to be very thin and not exercise at all (except running after 2 kids), but I gained about 20 pounds in 20 years. I say “everything in moderation.” If I try to deprive myself entirely of something, it doesn’t go well. </p>
<p>I exercise a lot (though not as vigorously as I could be). I eat generally pretty healthily, most of the time, take bioidentical hormones. I have cut back alcohol consumption, and would love to give it up entirely, but I really enjoy a good glass of red wine or two. I used to not drink at all because I didn’t care for the taste, and thought it was just empty calories. Then I discovered that red wine doesn’t have to taste nasty (just what we were buying was yucky), but that it can be delicious. Now it’s very hard to give up that treat. I am at a pretty good weight, but I really need to shed body fat, and it seems to be virtually impossible to do without complete deprivation of food and alcohol.</p>
<p>I’m all up for some body fat shedding suggestions that don’t suck the joy out of life!</p>
<p>Busdriver11…You pretty much summed it up!</p>
<p>If I drank three glasses of wine I’d feel like crud. If I ran three miles I’d feel great (at least at the end – some days the run itself is more enjoyable than others).</p>
<p>How about if you drank two glasses of wine, AND did the run, Deborah? I feel bad after three glasses too, very bad. But why, oh why, can’t we do both?</p>
<p>I need to figure out a non miserable way to get rid of some of this stuff around the middle! My husband is in the middle of marathon training, and he’s gotten down as low as 134 pounds of pure muscle, no fat. I just can’t suck it up and do those 20 mile runs at a fast pace, it’s too hard. Isn’t there just a pill or a vegetable that will do it all?</p>
<p>I have no intention of doing a 20 mile run, ever, lol. I’m good with regular workouts that tend to last 25 - 50 minutes. Mostly I’ve always seemed to have an extra mouse running on my internal wheel, who knows why.</p>
<p>If you could replicate rhat mouse and sell it, you’d be a very wealthy woman!</p>
<p>Here is my routine. I’m 5’8". I’m not overweight, but those extra lbs creep up, then I have to take them off. Moderate calories, moderate exercise…that’s it. I try to stick to 1500 calories a day, most before dinner. Alcohol only on weekends unless its a girls night out. Like Busdriver, I stay away from the high calorie drinks…wine or bourbon only, then only 2drinks. On vacation, I am known to drink piña coladas like they are going out of style, though. I hate exercising and can normally only do about 30 minutes of walking or stationary bike as I get so bored.</p>
<p>Just joined jazzercise last week for motivation and its working. Like the group activity, plus the music…the 60 minutes goes by fast. I’ll try to do that 2 to 3 times a week, interspersed with my treadmil walking.</p>
<p>I think you can whittle your middle down doing these things. However…the biggest thing is calories reduction. The other just tones it up.</p>
<p>Agree that cutting calories is the solution but so much easier said than done! When younger, it was so easy to drop five pounds after deciding to drop five pounds.</p>
<p>I am a huge fan of my FitBit as the color-coded activity chart on the FitBit app illustrates just how much time I spend sitting in front of my computer. Achieving a daily milestone can motivate me to get up and go for the extra walk. I don’t know how much it helps, but I am addicted to the information.</p>
<p>Back when I was a single parent, I gave up any drinking when the kids would see me getting in a car afterwards. And I didn’t drink alone, which meant I rarely drank. In the years since, I have come to see it as not my first caloric choice, and I really need to be aware of caloric choices, unfortunately. Often I’m the only one not drinking, and that is fine with me, I have plenty of fun sans alcohol. </p>
<p>Chocolate tends to be more exciting, if I’m going to indulge. On occasion I’ll split a beer with someone, or have a rare glass of wine at a nice dinner. The great thing about drinking less is that it takes less to feel the effects. </p>
<p>Busdriver, would agree, higher quality alcohol does make it more worthwhile, which is one reason I’m not a fan of the sort of wine served at parties. Luckily I’m rarely around really great wine or other expensive drinks. </p>
<p>Changing habits at this age is such a PITA. Best wishes!</p>
<p>Alcohol stimulates the appetite so stopping a habit of drinking wine or any other alcohol will help you stop not only the extra calories from the wine but the extra calories you also eat.</p>
<p>Great Lakes mom, you would like the wine at my parties. Only good (and well tested) wine served! I have plenty of tasty ones that are not expensive.</p>
<p>Has anyone put their body into ketosis, the fat burning mode?</p>
<p>Part of me wants to give up wine, but the other part doesn’t want the fun sucked out of life, either. I exercise strenuously 3-4 days a week (Pilates, TRX, weights) and I’m cardio active almost every day. I’m at the lower end of my BMI and weight for my age, and I have decent core strength…but…wine…even one glass, makes me feel bloated and I do feel better if I don’t drink anything for a few days. I try to limit it to weekends only…but there may be a point where I give it up entirely, but I’m not there yet.</p>
<p>Well I have not been successful at it, LOL! I have friends that try to only partake of alcohol on weekends, and have lost weight. But I need it more during the week than on weekends anyway. Weekend I do exercise, and don’t drink so much. During the week I have no time to exercise , and find myself drinking instead </p>
<p>Well how much wine do you drink?
On the Olivia Pope or Eddie Vedder level?</p>
<p>I don’t get addicted to substances, so I can only sympathise with you.
But the most fit Ive ever been is when I didnt change a thing about my diet, but I hit the gym four times a week for 2 or 3 hrs at a time.
However, I don’t have the time or energy for that anymore unfortunately.
I also don’t thnk depriving yourself of something you enjoy usually goes well, unless you are allergic to moderation.</p>
<p>I heard red wine is lower in calories than white. I bought half a case of this kind, it was on sale, plus it has screw caps, so it seems to keep long enough for me to finish the bottle.
<a href=“CellarTracker”>CellarTracker;
<p>I love a good glass of wine, but it puts me right to sleep.</p>
<p>It is always interesting reading these threads to see all of the different approaches & perspectives—no one right or strong. I can’t imagine drinking during the week, but also couldn’t live a day w/o chocolate, which I am certain many people could easily do. If I were out on a ‘school night’, I would drink but I just don’t tend to be out on weeknights. </p>
<p>I don’t like wine anymore because it makes me tire. I want to be energized and get things done. I thought white wine is less caloric. But I think the cure is to drink only expensive wine then you think twice about drinking it.</p>