The FastDay Forum

I can't quiet believe I'm gonna do this, But I'm taking an extended leave of absence from my pal Wine (and all alcohol related substances)
It's like this. I think 5:2 is the best thing since sliced bread. It's a foodie's dream diet.
However I'm kinda going nowhere fast in terms of weight loss.

I started 5:2 in January and lost 6lbs in the first month.
Over the following 4 months I lost another 7lbs. This was frustratingly slow for me and I soon got fed up and drfifted away from fasting completely.
Result was 6lb weight gain.
I came back to 5:2 4 weeks ago and find myself again getting nowhere fast, Up and down the merry go round, same 1lb on and off And this is including doing at least 3 days of 16/8 as well.
So I kept a diary, something I can't abide, I hate recording and measuring etc which is exactly why I loved 5:2 so much in the first place.
And the answer it seems, is hard to deny when you look at it in black and white.
Much as I hate to say it, IT'S THE WINE!!!!!!!!!!
Now before you assume I'm on the wrong forum, it's not the alcohol content per se that's the problem, but rather what I eat when the bottle gets corked. Crisps, Bread, cheese and crackers, even cookies for god sake, which doesn't even taste nice with wine.
Basically mindless and completely unnecessary overeating.
So all the good work I do during the week is completely undone by the excess of the weekend.

So I have decided to take a 4 month break to see if I can give myself a chance to a). see better results in terms of weight loss and b). retrain my brain to break the ridiculous habits that I've come to associate with drinking wine.
I know from reading other threads that are some widely different opinions on the joys of partaking in the fruit of the vine, but this is just something that I want to experiment with myself to see if it does make a difference. I'm not expecting it to be easy, In September alone I've a festival, a wedding and 2 shows to do and they will be a challenge no doubt. That's partly why I've decided to post about it here, There's something about putting it out there that makes it real and I hate to fail a challenge.

So it's my birthday this Saturday and I will be celebrating in style, including wine obviously. My self imposed challenge will begin on Sunday 18th Aug.
If the subject is of interest to anybody I'll keep you posted with how this particular trial unfolds

Wish me luck

[Betsysgr8]

Good luck! Enjoy your birthday Saturday, then let the 'wineless' eating begin and the 'mindless' eating be a thing of the past.


PS: At first I thought you were saying goodbye to Wineo'clock and wondered what had happened ! lol

Good luck! I occasionally take a one month break from alcohol

I hope after your break you can learn to enjoy the occasional glass of wine with a meal.

You know yourself better than anybody so if that's what it takes then good luck.

I do have a piece of advice for those who like eating with wine though. Do it like the Greeks. In 9 out of 10 Greek houses, wine is served with fruit and/or veggies. Grapes, melon, apples, pears, cucumber, carrot, cherries, strawberries...

Good luck, Emerald17! What a bold decision - you are giving yourself quite a challenge but I know exactly what you mean about the extra, totally unecessary snacks which can be eaten with wine! I now try to only drink wine with a meal, that way I avoid the snack temptation!

I hope your experiment goes well. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

Hi yes the subject is of interest to me coz I would hate to give up my wine
But I've only ever drunk wine 3 times per week
But if my weight was affected like yours I would definitely take the same move you are about to + yes 4 months should give you the results to look back on. However as you hinted Wine isn't your problem its what you have with it, so if you retrain your mind successfully you'll be able to bring wine back into your life, as maybe drink with a meal then feeling full you shouldn't be looking for the crisps, chocolate, cookies etc
My wine is 3nts Fri/sat/sun taken with usually a 2 course meal.
Also I ''treat'' myself almost daily but you do have to be careful on this one because my treats have sneaked a bit bigger, so now taken stock and gone back to day one and think this is working as I actually had 1lb loss on Fridays weigh in Happy Birthday and. Good Luck to you with your trial : Sue

Good luck from me, too. Although I can have a drink without the munchies, I have cut out wine, except Friday and Saturday!
As a result, I no longer enjoy the robust reds I used to and have become a bit of a lightweight!

Oh you worried me, I wondered were I was going
Good on you. I know if I gave up wine I'd lose more weight (and my name)
I bet you will feel great. So an early happy birthday to you, enjoy your last drink, make sure it's something special.

Good luck, Emerald, and Happy Birthday in advance.

Would definitely like to know how you get on with the experiment. I'm an occasional drinker with a regrettable tendency towards excess on those occasions. I know that feeling of throwing caution to the winds after a few drinks and hoovering up anything edible that comes my way.

I think you'll get plenty of interest and support here anyway.

Thanks a mill to everyone for all your good wishes and support.
I will surely keep you posted with my, hopefully, positve updates and possibly the occasional whinge, along the way. But you're a great bunch, so I'm sure you won't mind.

Shacat your description of hoovering up anything edible after a few drinks is hilarious, but so truuuueee!!!!!!!

Winoclock. My sincerest apologies, didn't mean to give you and others a start with the title of my post. Got you attention though hee hee

TML13 If only I had the tendencies to opt for fruit while indulging in the fruits of wine. But alas, those particular nueral pathways have yet to be laid down in my brain. Who Knows, Maybe after 4 months

Again thanks to everyone who posted