Hi all. Im wondering what the effects of having a drink or two has on the plan. I know the book mentions possibly a glass of wine after week 4 but does anyone else allow for a couple of drinks within the plan? Clear spirits only. Friends keeping asking me for a drink but I dont want to ruin my hard work but also dont want to miss out on being social. I could of course still go to the pub and drink water, but i know that thats not realistic.

Hi Kate

If you are sticking to 800 calories a day, then any calories you spend on alcohol either have to come out of your 800 or be added on top. The damage done is really going to depend on how many you have. You mentioned realistic and I think that’s at the heart of things really but so is choice. Do you want to focus on your weight loss until you have reached your goal – in which case, you may have to stick to a very small amount of alcohol or maybe better to have none at all. Or are you prepared to have a little hiatus of ‘real life’, own the consequences and just get back into ‘diet’ mode the following day. There is no right or wrong answer, it just has to work for you. You could drink diet coke or soda water or you could alternate your alcohol with soft drinks. But you know you – does one lead to another, does a few lead to a kebab?

Hi Janet1973

I have been sticking to 800cal give or take for the past two weeks, and your right adding in alcohol into the mix is going to mean less food which I’m not sure i can cope with any less. So anything i drank would be in excess of the plan. Maybe 1 or 2 on a weekend would keep me satisfied. I like your idea, alternating drinks. Getting carried away with the merry mood is always going to be an issue but i need to think of the big picture. Thanks for your advice.

Also, to bear in mind, your tolerance for booze may already have decreased. We know 800 calories isn’t a lot to soak it up with so you could feel tipsy a lot quicker. Don’t know if that’s good or bad!

I’m four weeks in. And I have been alcohol free the whole time – with one (pre agreed) exemption being Easter Sunday f family meal. I went crazy and had four glasses of wine.

I’m a heavy drinker so worried it might be tough. Not just “craving” but the social aspect.

I’ve been pleased that I haven’t missed it (hopefully means I’m not dependent on the stuff) and have found the social aspect is solved by going out and drinking soda water.

A few ribbing from mates but more than Offset by positive comments about my weight loss!

I am returning this diet after 10 days off and I put on at least 1kg over 10 days and I am blaming alcohol. It wasn’t particularly that I drank that many calories (though all wine calories were obviously in addition to everything eaten), but I continued to eat cheese from the cheese board even though I wasn’t particularly hungry. I have at least 4 maybe 5 more weeks of Fast800 and all of it will be alcohol free.

I have just avoided it completely as I know the only times I ever had a craving for a fried egg and cheese sandwich at 10.30 at night was when I had had a few glasses of wine at home. For me it was not just the calories from the alcohol, but the other things I suddenly wanted or the bags of crisps and peanuts put within hands reach in the pub that I emptied. A large glass of wine and my resolve was gone.
Not missed it at all!

Hi Toofastblack. I was used to going to the pub a couple times a week, but have refrained apart from one occasion when i went completely overboard! I had two vodkas at home last night, and to be honest before the plan i had a high tolerance to booze, whereas last night it was my limit. So that has got to be a good thing. The social aspect is whats bothering me, hopefully in a couple of weeks time i will have seen more results and will be able to go see my friends and have the odd one and thats it to just soda like you yourself. Bound to get ribbing from them but to be expected i suppose. At present its too much of a craving. Good luck 😀

Hi FoFi. Good luck with the rest of the plan, after my slip up with copious amounts of guiness i put on 1kg! Shocking after just one evening of excess

Hi orchid. I know what you mean by the need for something naughty after a drink. thats definitely a massive part of the decision to allow or not allow booze. Good luck to you

😀

Kate_ls, that would be some impressive night out to add 1kg! Probably just some natural variation along with water gain. I actually put on nearly 2.5kg in my 10 days, but about 1.5kg fell off in the first two days of the restart – just like it did at the original start. I put that down to glycogen, plus extra food passing through.

Hi Kate,

Don’t worry about going out with friends and staying off the booze, it’s easier than you think!

I’m a big drinker. I can easily put away a bottle of wine and then some – and I have plenty of equally boozy mates.

What I’ve discovered is that whether I’m drinking or not, my friends are still my friends and I still have a great night out… if anything, they seem to find it a bit difficult to watch me drink pints of sparkling water with fresh lime (and mint if the bar have it). Weirdly as their booze kicks in I find my own spirits rising too – that’s something I wasn’t expecting.

It’s also a really good way to up your water intake.

It’s even better if you can incorporate a meal into your evening, but if you can’t do that eat something really tasty just before you go out.

Try it, it’s really good fun!

Hi
I enjoy a couple(!) of glasses of wine at night and I was really concerned that this was going to be the most difficult bit for me. Like others after a couple of glasses of wine chocolate suddenly becomes something you cant live without and cheese is absolutely essential.
So I made myself a gin ( got a proper measure and exactly 2 cl – 48 calories and lots of diet tonic and a slice of lemon ( buy Schwepps its worth it!!)
Two of those and I am happy – last a long time and not too many calories
and I have lost 5 lbs this week!
Interestingly I was so busy talking that I forgot to add a shot of gin to one and didnt know until I found the gin sitting in the measure on the worktop
So its all in the mind!!!

Is there a link to a site that displays the levels of sugar and carbs in the different types of alcoholic drinks. I think that would add some context.

I have found this thread really helpful. Boy am I a Chardonnay girl and can easily open another bottle a night. I am on the 800 and this is day 7. More importantly 7 days AFD and have got past that dreaded Saturday and keeping busy today to avoid the Sunday danger zone. I understand cals and carbs I have used keostic so am on the right track. I have not weighed as worried any disappointment or elation will cause me to celebrate or console lol. Thank you for sharing and not making me feel quite so much of a lush.