Question:
Can Alcohol delay the weight loss process?

Seems that I got brave and drank one Friday, Saturday and some on Sunday with friends, And I did the same thing the following weekend, and for those two weeks, I did not lose a pound... I quit drinking... If you have had an experience like this, please share it with me. Love and Thanks, Alex in Dallas, 110lbs lost Surgery 6-26-02    — alexndallastx (posted on October 13, 2002)

October 13, 2002
It also depends what you drink. Is it those surgary drinks? When I go out, I drink Absolute mandarin & club soda. There's very little fizziness in the soda, and it never seemed to stall the weight loss, but I'm now over over 3 years out, so I'm pretty much stable at this point.
   — Leslie F.

October 13, 2002
Yes. Alcohol is bad for you in the process of trying to lose weight. It has way to many carbs. Limit your consumption to 1 or 2 drinks ever so often. That is what I had to do. I can have 3 drinks in one weekend, or I will not lose a pound for that weekend. I know it is hard, but you have made one sacrafice for your weight, might as well make another.
   — jb4274 ..

October 14, 2002
I must admit that alchohol is me carb of choice. Hey, I know it's ot the best thing in the world for me and it is something I am trying to cut down on, but I will say I can drink like I did before surgery - except now it's wine instead of beer. I don't know if it slows down weight loss, everyone says it will. It is a hell of a lot of empty calories. But, I maintain under 900 calories day in and day out, almost entirely protein...so I don't feel that horrible about drinking on the weekends. I make sure to drink 2x as much water the next day though to keep well hydrated. I am eight months today and still losing an average of 12 pounds a month. I am down 132.5 pounds and less than 20 pounds from my personal goal. So, no...in my case it hasn't affected my weight loss.
   — PaulaM

October 14, 2002
I am 3 months out and have found I can have a glass or two of wine...2 weeks ago I had a glass and a half, but that was it...I also make sure that I watch what I eat that day as I knew I was going to have some, so I didn't want to go over, I also get to the gym and work extra hard to make sure I don't stagnate..I don't plan on making drinking a regular thing...as the alcohol goes right to your liver..this can be a problem..please be careful about that and also about overdoing it..you can stop your weightloss if your not conscious.
   — Trish R.

October 14, 2002
Alcohol is SUGAR. Sugar causes cravings for more sugar. Sugar makes you gain weight. Be careful with the alcohol. A little in moderation may be OK. Check with your doctor.
   — Marianne K.

October 15, 2002
Hi Alex...it must be a shocker not to lose weight after dropping over 100lbs in just three months - incredible! Anyway, it could be the drinks you had, it could be a plateau, but don't worry...you are zooming towards your goal. Keep up the great work!
   — rebeccamayhew

October 15, 2002
Hi Alex, I didn't stop loosing weight, but my liver enzymes went up because of drinking (I'm just talking about a couple of drinks on the weekend.) so I would advise to be very careful with the alcohool. Especially since being thinner we tend to have more of a social life and more opportunities to drink and party. I try to keep it to one drink per week on Sunday.
   — Diane B.

October 16, 2002
The last poster said their liver ensymes went up after drinking. This should be your real fear, not of the calories. Without a stomach to dilute/digest the alcohol, it goes straight to the liver. Our livers are already overworked due to the surgery and you could cause yourself severe problems. Try limiting it to one drink a weekend until you are much further out. When your pouch has stretched and weight loss stabilized, it will not be as big of a problem.
   — grammie5