"Dry January" and weight loss

Yes, always lose weight when I give up alcohol (and I don't even drink much). It's only empty calories (and increases your appetite!) If you're trying to lose weight, I can highly recommend a keto diet - you never feel hungry (once you're in ketosis) and the weight falls off. It's brilliant.

I noticed DH wine consumptionwas creeping up. hes had problems with spirits in the past & restricts himself to red wine now (hes unable to give up alcohol completely but never drinks & drives) he asked me to help by telling him if I ever thought he was drinking too much - thanks mate! Anyhow I did - gently & got lots of huffing & puffing etc so I cut out alcohol because I couldnt face it & thought it might help if he didn't have a drinking buddy. I didn't make a song & dance out of it just said no thanks or had a soft drink. It has helped him and he's quietly cut back (but we have been down this route before) fingers crossed. I'd my MOT recently due to my BP etc with practice nurse & I'd lost 8lb - could have hugged her. Weight is a battle for me now even though I've cut out sugar & pudds for ages. I used to be so thin my family would joke dont stand on a drain you'll fall through. I did toast Christmas &new year with cava & eenjoyed it.

Since my Christmas alcohol consisted of 2 boxes of Baileys chocolate liqueurs I’m now on Dry January as they are finished. The best thing about that is that not eating chocolate always means I lose weight. I’m not sure if the alcohol content counts. Perhaps we could start a Choc February instead of giving up chocolate for Lent.

My “Dry January” lasted one day! Oh well..............

I have dry 12 months every year.. never drink alcohol.

I read somewhere that alcohol itself stops weight loss ( not just the calories), and I have found that cutting it out makes a difference. Psychologically I feel better after 5 days abstinence cos I think my liver must be breathing a sigh of relief after Christmas! Not that I drank to excess, but haven’t had any alcohol free days for a while until now. Amazing what a good quality glass and a slice of lime can do

We are aiming for a moist January - not completely dry!

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all your replies: please keep them coming. I feel inspired to carry on....

I'm doing dry January too, but last time I abstained for a month didn't lose any weight at all.
I usually drink 3 nights over the weekend, mainly beer, and usually under 14 units, but thought my liver would benefit from a rest.
I'm trying the non alcoholic beer, but tbh it doesn't taste good.
The only way I have lost weight is cutting down on carbs. I started doing this about 3 years ago, gradually lost a stone and have maintained it.

DH has cut down drastically (and I mean, drastically!) since a minor heart attack about 16 months ago. He has lost weight but is punctilious about doing the exercise set he learnt at cardiac rehab classes and I think it's the combination that has contributed to his weight loss.

I don't drink as much now he doesn't and I think I have lost some weight (don't believe in scales!) but not a lot.

I have not had any alcohol since 2011 (to support my hubby who cannot drink due to now life-long medication) - and sadly I haven't lost any weight at all. However, I do applaud anyone who is trying to cut down or stop drinking alcohol. As other posters have said - much depends on what, if anything replaces the previous drinks! Good Luck to anyone giving Dry January a try.

Been doing dry January for years. What has irked me considerably is that where I live the alcohol beer and wine selection available seems to have shrunk since last year. I can’t bear any type of soft drinks so it’s either water or wine with me. Roll on February.

I'm all in favour of a dry January but will probably just stick to my favourites ... dry martini and dry white wine! ??

Depends what alcohol you are giving up if you will lose weight. Beer, cider, wine are all high calorific. Spirits alone aren't high. What you add can be eg full tonic, fizzy drinks, fruit juice. And of course the nibbles that usually go with alcohol are usually fattening. Haven't done a 'dry' anything as I feel having about 2 low cal gin & ts a week won't amount to much in weight loss.

I did a dry October in 2013 and felt so great I carried on and am still dry. I wasn't a raving alcoholic but we were living in France at the time, and it was definitely party central most of the time. I came back for a few months, we had a flat here, and I started some temp work, was living on my own and it seemed an ideal time to stop drinking. I wont ever drink again, I really don't miss it. I didn't lose any weight at all however.

Greeneyedgirl I drink non alcoholic beer since giving up booze...I loved beer when I was drinking and over the last few years I think the non alcoholic brands have improved considerably. Try Ghost Ship which is my favourite....or Brewdog Nanny State truly delicious....I live on Hampshire/Berkshire border and there is a little pub near me that serves non alcohol beer on tap.....which is amazing. There is a shop called the Alcohol free shop...its an online shop that sells everything, including Campari, dry Martini, Gin, Whisky etc...all alcohol free....the Campari is sensational.

I did once give up alcohol for lent, no weightloss

As a person who just doesn’t like the taste of most alcoholic or ‘soft’ drinks, it’s difficult to comprehend why people can have a problem with giving it up. I have friends who are Slimming World members and who say that having a few drinks sabotages their weight loss, but I don’t know if it’s true or not. Cutting out the booze and substituting fattening nibbles probably more than cancels out the benefits of going ‘dry’, I suppose.

Yes I’m doing it, got to the point I was drinking a bottle of wine every night, shocking but lovely ! Trying to cut out sugar as well and have lost 5lbs so far. Just think how much I am saving in £’s as well. Feeling motivated to try a couch to 5k anyone want to join me?

I have signed up for’walk a thousand miles in 2020. I can’t start until I get back from Australia at the beginning of February. It’s too hot to do much walking here, unless you get out very early, and my little GD thwarts that idea!
I will have to do about 3-4 miles a day to complete the challenge.

Well done charlie2753, just think how your liver will be thanking you! Good luck with the 5k.
Solonge thank you so much for the beer recommendations, will give them a go.
The online shop sounds interesting too. My idea is if I find a non alcolic beer that I like, I am a real ale fan, I will continue to include it with my regular beers.
I am very conscious that as we age our liver becomes less efficient - along with everything else!!

Day 7 now of Dry January and I am starting to feel virtuous and sleeping a bit better too. My lovely walking netball ladies filled in my sponsorship form yesterday so I have to keep going. (I'm supporting Help for Heroes as my Golf Captains charity).

I got gin for Christmas, but I'm limiting myself to just having it at the weekends. I can't drink wine of any colour as it gives me terrible heartburn these days. I don't like fizzy alcohol such as cider or lager, yuk.
I got on thexscakes this morning and I've only put on one pound over Christmas.
Better than I thought.?

I go for long periods without drinking alcohol (not for any particular reason, it just doesn’t figure v highly in my life) but I never lose any weight.

I do not drink enough for it to cause any weight loss. Not being holier-than-thou. I have never really enjoyed the taste of alcoholic drinks, the effect when you drink them or the feeling the next morning.

At least nowadays, there are plenty of non-alcoholic alternatives, and people are not rude to me when I opt for a soft drink.