The FastDay Forum

I think wine is getting in the way of business here. But I can't seem to stick to the 2-glasses-will-do rule. If I drink I tend to drink the whole bottle. On the other hand if I don't drink, I just don't drink at all.
This is really pissing me off. Does anyone else have the same problem? (by the posts I have read it sounds likely). I just saw a recent picture of myself and I look so bloated! I know that is the wine, the wine and nothing but the wine.
Every single time I tell myself, ok, tonight 2 glasses and that's that, but by the time the second glass is surging through my bloodstream, all resolve is gone!

Yep, this was me, then I did the Dryathlon challenge in January. @carieoates put her finger on it and said, rather than being an 'alcoholic', I was a 'habitual drinker' and she was right. The dryathlon has given me the courage to choose the 'no alcohol tonight' option, which I now appreciate.
I know from your previous posts you live in Rome, so wine is probably cheaper than it is here in the Uk. Unfortunately, once you've had one glass, all resolve goes, so either give it up, or pour 2 glasses out for yourself and make sure you can't access the rest.
Now, if it were chocolates, I can happily only have one and not crave any more...

I'm 100% with you there @humptydumpty!!

I went out for dinner with my partner the other day... I tried to persuade him to go to the movies (no wine temptation) but he wanted a nice dinner out. I said please can we not go to dinner because I'll have wine and I have to stop drinking! He said well can't you just have 1 or 2? and I said.... No! I just can't, once I pop I can't stop!! I know it's my problem too.

Before Christmas I wasn't drinking at all during the week (but lots Fri, Sat and sometimes Sun). Since being back at work I haven't gone the 4 days Mon-Thurs without a drink. It makes me feel rubbish the next day, I know it's the reason I can't shift the weight, and I eat more when I've had a drink.

I have no constructive advice for you but know that you are not alone! It just tastes so good...

I occasionally have a month without wine, particularly if I feel I'm overdoing it too much. I started this long before doing IF. I'm supposed to be having one now, but I brought some nice wine back from California, and I've been weak. But, because i feel guilty for drinking at all, I've just been having a splash each time I cheat. It's not exactly the control I was after, but it will do for now...

Oh I'm with you too. If I have one, I just keep going. I mostly drink beer and cider, so don't even have the excuse of "oh well, might as well finish the bottle since it's open".

Though I have stopped my habitual drinking, and can now go weeks between drinks without really noticing. That's a good, positive step. Took a few years of just gradually breaking the habit of a daily drink.

But wish that third and fourth drink weren't so appealing once I start.

shame they dont readily sell 1 or 2 glass size bottles.
i'm lucky.. when we open a bottle my OH drinks faster than me so lucky if i get 1.5 glasses before its empty and we have a rule of only 1 bottle. (broke it a few weeks back but we wont go there)

We tried the no alcohol ever but something seemed lacking in our lives. so i think 1 bottle once a week is not bad, when it used to be about 4 bottles a week plus beer/cider.

I have similar problems, having just two glasses once I start is very unsatisfying. It seems to help to have a glass of sparkling water and postpone that third glass/rest of the bottle thing. To my experience the craving to have more wine goes away in 10-20 minutes.

It's funny how we're all different with our weaknesses isnt it
Tho i drank like a fish in my teens and twenties,usually spirits,these days one glass of wine is plenty for me and its easy to stop..ok sometimes it might be quite a large glass!
Anything else tho,crisps,nuts,sweets,chocs,biscuits..once i start i can't stop!
We all have our particular ' poison' and it's very difficult to control as they are crutches that we feel help make life easier,in the short term at least.

As I said back in early January - me too! And took a white month, challenged by my 15yr old - we made a deal
After that break I believed that I would be a good girl and stick to 1/2 a bottle/day on weekends...hahaha, is all I have to say about that. At least I only drink wine and no hard liquor at all. But I do long for a Dry Martini or Caiperinhas (sp??) at times

Have to add - that month of didn't show any specific effect on the scales as I thought it would have.

A vacuum stopper can help. If you have gone to the effort of pumping the air out of the wine bottle, opening it again makes you think twice. It's as if you have put the wine to bed for the night. Always, always have at least one glass of water per glass of wine.

I don't seem to have the capacity for wine that I used to, and two glasses are enough. However, I could drink spirits in large quantities, and have a weakness for cocktails. It's bad news calorie and alcohol unit wise if I start on those! I therefore simply don't even consider having them during the week, and and rarely at weekends.

Our household rule is that the day either one of us says 'I need a glass of wine' that is the trigger for a dry week/fortnight. We had a dry month a couple of years ago and since then have found the odd week suffices to keep us in check.

@pennyforthem what is the dryathlon and does it mean you are now 100% teetoal?
Yes, I suppose wine must be cheaper here, let's say you can definitely get a more than decent bottle of white or red for 6-8 euro, much cheaper if you're not fussed. Tonight I'm having dinner out and if I can't stop at 2 max 3 glasses then I'm going teetotal for a while

#michael H that sounds like good advice, postponing the third glass..... and having sparklking water (which I love) in between. Oh, I don't drink every day, it's just that when I do, that's what happens. Rarely, VERY rarely I have managed to stick to the one glass before dinner. They do sell half litre bottles here. Or maybe it's less than that. you get two large glasses out of one, or maybe 3 medium ones

I have the same problem and I have messed up both of my planned fast days this week but having wine Still I am determined to get back on the wagon. After my initial speedy weight loss, I think I am going to have to accept that it is going to be long and slow road to get where I want. Hopefully not too long though or I won't being able to wear anything in my summer wardrobe and I am definitely not buying a bigger one!

Yep I'm afraid I'm the same. Also sorry to admit in my 30's It wouldn't be just one bottle either. So although not an alcoholic I was a heavy and habitual drinker. I can squarely pin my weight gains on alcohol. Apart from red wine I don't really drink anything else in the house apart from the odd vodka and tonic if it's been on offer somewhere. I do try and keep it to 2 nights at the weekend but the odd Wednesday bottle will slip in.

I've started to drink the lower alcohol stuff if I have one during the week and the amazing thing is I don't tend to finish the bottle. I should really try it at weekends too but it just doesn't taste as good

@Alf, so you lost the almost 15 kilos I read in your profile after cutting it down to just the week end and maybe once a week?