Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Weight Loss and Alcohol


Just like my nephew Alex, I was stunned to find out there was hardly any protein (.7 grams)or fiber in Coors Light.

What a revelation! I must have read the can wrong and thought it said 7 grams, so a couple of beers would have been almost 15 grams of protein while watching college basketball. No wonder I plateaued this weekend. My only other excuse could have been that at 61 I don't always remember lessons learned from the past - like how alcohol literally stops weight loss in it's tracks.

But since this whole journey is based on "common sense" and "no excuses" I just have to admit that I fell off the wagon a little bit and Alex's reaction has put me back on the right track again - alcohol until I reach 165 lbs is a no-no.

And I guess I have no excuses when it comes to wine - red or white - either. It's easy to get swayed with studies like the one I read over the weekend about "Resveratrol in Wine Kills Cancer Cells". That's almost an invitation to start drinking wine in mass quantities since the study went on to say that resveratrol has been shown to kill cancer cells while leaving heathly cells alone. Clinical trials on people will be starting shortly at the University of Wisconsin where the hope is that a number of different cancers that affect children, as well as, cancers of the eyes, skin, and breasts will also be positively affected.

Again, my short term memory loss (the alcohol thing again) was ended by my nephew Alex who was stunned to find that one of the supplements I already take has a high concentration of resveratrol already in it. So I'm covered without having to have wine in the weight loss program.

Well, let me end on two positive notes.

First, one of the most positive outcomes so far has been the fact that I haven't had any diet soda for over two weeks and my digestive system is very happy. Not to mention all the sodium and artifcial sweetner that I am not ingesting. A quick aside - this spring when you see the first gathering of ants just get a yellow Splenda packet and sprinkle it around the ants. Guess what happens - they are poisoned and no more ants. But the FDA approved it so it must be okay.?

Second, in a comment from Keoki, in I believe Hawaii, he made a great point and it goes to the other reason (besides alcohol) that people fall off the wagon and quit a weight loss program - HUNGER! As he broke the 200 barrier and is approaching 190, he finds that cutting carbs (1/2 sandwich for lunch) and eating something every few hours like apples, nuts, carrots, grapes, and cheese, kept him going. By eating small snacks like these the body is being constantly fed, isn't hungry and doesn't need to store energy as fat. He also mentioned he is back drinking more water.

So, I look forward to getting further from Keoki and any of you have taken up the challenge to get where you want to be. Please add your comments below, fill in the contact form in the upper right corner, or email me. If you'd like info on the supplement I'm taking that contains resveratrol, just ask.

Warm regards,

Bill Ehmann
Copley, OH
billehmann@boomer-solutions.com

1 comment:

  1. I know what you mean about the empty calories in "adult beverages"! As you know, I have been on Weight Watchers for the past 11 1/2 months...as of today I have lost 51.2 lbs. I did lose the first 40 while continuing to enjoy my adult beverages (love good red wine!) but I hit a plateau and even started gaining weight back in Nov., Dec. and Jan. So I made some changes...like you no more alcohol, also have just about eliminated red meat. Wow! What a difference! I have lost 10 lbs since Super Bowl. I also started back with my supplements so I must be getting that all important resveratrol.

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