I'm sure this has been mentioned many times before, but i thought i'd add my 2 cents.... STAY THE HECK AWAY FROM ALCOHOL!!! Ok, now i'll tell you how i really feel.

I have been on Atkins for one week and this Saturday i went out for a night on the town, like i always do, determined to only have a drink or two. Well, i only had two Vodka tonics and one low-carb beer, which is very little for me, and i was completely and utterly hammered!!! Literally to the point where it was difficult to walk. Is it just because i am still on induction or is this just normal for LC'ers? Only good thing that came from it was that my dancing abilities improved considerably!!! Anyway, just a heads up for those just starting Atkins.

Oh and i had one other question. I heard you are supposed to lose 10% of excess weight the first week of Atkins. That means i should have lost around 2lbs, but i have lost 6 lbs!! Is this ok? (read: healthy) Just wanted to make sure i wasn't going overboard. Thanks!

Not to worry about the six pounds being too much. The first week or two can pretty pretty drastic but it slows down from there.

I'm a perfect example. I lost 12 lbs in the first 10 days, and only made it down an additional 2 lbs in the next week (which for some reason I have fluxed back up).

Although alcohol is low carb (assuming you select drinks like you had.) I have decided to stay away from it since the body still has to process the alcohol.

It's fairly normal for LC'ers. It's good or bad, depending on your point of view!

Karen

thats the bonus plan of atkins for us drinkers

I have two miller lites and I'm seeing fuzzy where before I could drink 12 and barely feel it.

When I first started atkins I lost weight pretty fast about 12 lbs in the first 8-10 days. Most of which I learned was water weight, since I was drinking so much water my body didn't need to keep such a high storage of it.

LOL....good point! Hey, at least i'll be spending less money when i go out.

CHrome: Ok, good to hear that. You are right, i would love to stay away from alcohol completely, but i'm basically using it as my "treat" for the week. Hopefully, it won't stall my weight loss too badly.

Ahhhh....that MUST be it. I pretty much ONLY drink water now, about 72 oz a day. (with the occasional diet coke here and there) Before i drank almost NO water. That really does explain a lot.

I don't really have the problem of not being able to hold my alchohol. I don't drink very often, once a month, but when I do I usually drink about a pint maybe pint and a half of bourbon. I haven't had any problems with vision, balance, or memory. When I was in college it wasn't uncommon to drink a fith on a weekend night and a liter or two of Guiness each night (I know this was stupid), so maybe my body has just built up a tolerance over the years.

Basically what I'm trying to say is I really think that it is how an individuals body handles alchohol in general, but I could be wrong.

I cut alcohol out completely - I used to drink wine on the weekends, I didn't lose any weight, in fact I gained. I then switched to Vodka because of no carbs (an the occasional Jack Daniels ) but the same thing happened, so I've been alcohol free for some time now - we have a function on February 22nd and I have decided to stick to mineral water with fruit (to look like a spritzer - some people seem to get totally indignant if one doesn't drink at these events), mainly for the weightloss, feel good, etc. and because I haven't had booze in so long, I'd be afraid of getting legless and looking like an ass.

Vikki

dsights: Yep, i usually go out drinking once a week. Not always excessively, around 4-6 beers and maybe a shot or two . Before i started Atkins, to get to the same level of intoxication that i was at this past weekend, would have taken probably 8-10 beers or 6-7 shots. Perhaps it was just a one-time off thing. We'll see this weekend.

i so relate!! as a single girl giving up the alcohol is not an easy chore. what do a group of single people do on the weekends - go to the bars and drink..... so what are we suppose to do, sit home by ourselves and watch cable television all the time. what if my prince charming is out at the bars and i miss him because i am home "doing atkins."

the good thing is that you do get drunk much more easier and i am not sure if it is because we don't have carbs to suck up the alcohol or because we now have to drink the hard stuff. (ha ha)

good luck!!

Lisa

I went to a party this past New Year's Eve...even though I did not drink the rest of the night I did have my champagne toast...I notice afterward that I felt a litte different...but it took me awhile to realize why!!

Not that I was complainin'!

Julie
37-48Ford

I often have a glass of wine with dinner. But I never have more than that. I agree that any significant alcohol consumption does not work on a diet. Alcohol contains enough calories to make a difference. But there is no reason that one glass of wine or a very low carb drink shouldn't be enjoyed.

Good Luck!

I can't give up my wine

my only problem is once I open a bottle its hard for me not to finish the whole bottle :O

matter of fact about 80% of the time I usually finish the bottle, lol

Thats why I just quit, it's so easy to drink the whole bottle (26 oz.) over the evening. Even taking into account on fitday.com the wine, and organizing my meals for my wine on the weekend, I still gained, probably due to water retention (bloating) and no fat buring off. I can really see the difference without it.

red wine - 14 grms carbs - 552 calories / 26 oz bottle
white wine - 6 grms carbs - 552 calories / 26 oz bottle


Vikki

Everyone is different but I have also found that a small amount of wine has a big effect on me now. I also use wine as my treat, i have a glass or 2 before bed. It doesn't stall me and I wonder if this is because I am not drinking it with a meal. Whatever, its a nice civilised way to end a day. Here's a hint if you find yourself finishing a bottle when you would rather resist: but really good wine and your budget will add some incentive to rationing it out! And besides, life is too short to drink bad wine!