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I do not drink beer, only wine or liquor and have been wondering if there is really any benefit in giving up alcohol. Has anyone had a better experience with fat loss after giving up alcohol? Or is this crossing the line of being to restrictive? Sometimes I feel like if I cut out the alcohol I am actually hungrier. What has been everyone's experience with/without alcohol and paleo?

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About the same experience with and without. I got fat both ways, and lost 50 lbs on a glass of wine a day. – thhq Sep 22 at 14:46

13 Answers

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Drinking lots of alchohol reduces my willpower, making it rather more likely that I will binge eat on nasty non-Paleo foods (something that is highly unlikely in a sober state).

Drinking even relatively small amounts of alcohol disrupts my sleep and makes me feel rough in the morning.

I am much less likely to exercise after drinking the night before, and if I do my performance will be rubbish.

So drinking makes me:

  1. Eat bad food.
  2. Sleep badly
  3. Not exercise

Doesn't sound very optimal to me.

Which is a pity, because I'm English, and therefore World Class Drinker. All that wasted talent in the name of Paleo healthiness...

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Bar food is suboptimal for sure. – thhq Sep 22 at 14:04
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Well maybe a scotch egg or a slim Jim would be ok. – thhq Sep 22 at 14:11
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All of this applies to me, too (including the English bit). Drinking just a couple of beers or glasses of wine gives me a ruthless hunger, both at the time and the next day. – Chappy Sep 22 at 19:51
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The way I see it, many alcohols are fermented and therefore Paleo. Ha, ha.

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Just stay away from barrels and bottles to make sure.... – thhq Sep 22 at 14:41
If not paleo, at the very least it's ancestral! :D – Anondson Sep 23 at 3:00
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I try to get tipsy about once a month......getting wasted with your friends every once in a while is good for the soul.

I would never give it up totally... I have fun when I drink and nothing bad has ever happened with the exception of a couple mild hangovers. Humans naturally love alcohol...why fight it.

Moderation

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I think you need to figure out why you want to drink alcohol.

If you want to drink for nutritional benefit, you are better off drinking beet kvass and eating grapes.

If you want to drink for social reasons, that is a vary valid reason, but there are other ways.

I don't drink because I don't see a value in it. I don't like the taste of alcohol. To me even boiled onions taste better. I would rather eat raw broccoli - not that I am a fan of raw broccoli. Plus every time I drink, I just feel very tired and I fall asleep.

Plus, when I am sober, I am much more fun and I can do crazier things than when I am drunk (not that I can do much when drunk).

So I do not drink at all but it is my choice and if I have to drink in some situations, I just taste the alcohol to be polite.

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I can't drink as much as I used to. Although it would help with dealing with Dr. Oz or other Dr TV questions.

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Without it I feel healthier, my liver bloods are finally normal and I dont feel like I am poisoning myself.

I imagine the lack of regular poisoning will probably stave off disease (logically).

Doubt it has a huge effect on weight, but then again, if it impacted your liver, it could lead to visceral fat (aka beer belly).

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There is some evidence (e.g., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22782847) that alcohol downregulates immune function in ways that benefit people with autoimmunity in the long-term.

I observe that abstaining or drinking does not change my weight. Drinking has health benefits for me that outweigh its risks.

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i would say moderation. i like to go out with friends- a lot. i have cut down from going out for a cocktail here and there (i still go out with them but have soda water with lemon) to only going out (drinking more than 4 cocktails) once a week. as mentioned above i sleep better, exercise more consistently, and make healthier choices when not in a tipsy or higher state.

see what works for you- my roommate binge eats if she doesn't have a glass of wine for dessert... i would rather have a glass of wine at 125 calories than binge eat a box of cereal! if a cocktail is your signal to stop eating- keep at it, its better than grubbing on a bunch of food just to keep your hands busy!

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Yes, there's an advantage if weight loss is your goal. There are other advantages, as well. And no, if it feels too restrictive to you, it's not such a good idea for the time being. As has been mentioned, you really need to see what works best for you, knowing that alcohol is not improving your health and can slow your weight loss. Sometimes the trade-off is still worthwhile.

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Alcohol is a depressant.

Alcohol is extremely calorie dense and nutrient free.

The anti-carb people love to point out the similarity between alcohol and sugars.

Lots of people (note my monicker) are effectively 'allergic' to alcohol and can't drink it without bad effects.

Try not drinking and see how it feels. You may be amazed to find out how little other people drink.

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i drink maybe one or two drinks every other week. Nothing major. It doesn't change my life in any way. When i was younger I drank a lot more with noticeable differences. It is good to limit alcohol.

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As someone who quit drinking on doctors orders, no alcohol hasn't affected my weight much. I may have lost two pounds over two months and I can't tell if that's water weight.

I was hoping for about a pound a week since I drank about 1000 calories in vodka a day.

/Damn liver narc'd on me

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Alcohol is toxic to every cell in the body.

There's no good reason to drink alcohol. I haven't drank one sip of alcohol in about 2 years probably and I'm not missing anything. Occasional quality red wine has been proven to be fine, even beneficial in some.

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Yet absolutists are less healthy than those who consume moderate amount of alcohol. – Wisper Sep 24 at 0:03

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