Red Wine

[dhoyt86]

I know alcohol of any kind is basically an empty calorie, and I saw another thread where if you are going to drink beer, it can count as a carb... but what about Red Wine? Some doctors prescribe it, and I was wondering where it would stack up if you had a small glass during a regular day?

Thanks for the help!

[Sterling]

dhoyt86:

Red wine is a great choice when considering alcohol consumption. In moderation, it offers some cardiovascular benefit among a few other things.. I covered alcohol as it relates to health and fitness in a blog post.

Take a gander at it: http://bit.ly/9f5XT2. There are several links within the post that expound on the topic.

Let me know if it helps.

[dhoyt86]

Awesome feedback, Sterling. Nice to know I can enjoy a glass occasionally, and not have to feel guilty about it.

[Dave]

I'm with Sterling on this one. A little red wine isn't going to kill you. If you destroy 3 bottles on a Tuesday night, then you are going backwards. Try to get the stuff without sulfates if you can. As always, the less chemicals the better.

Nutrition is, in my opinion, not about perfection. It is about adhereing to a nutritional plan that is sustainable and supports your activity level. For example, I eat more carbs than I would recommend for anyone doing P90X because I'm doing a 1/2 Ironman in 6 weeks. I simply need the extra carbs to fuel my body for that. I follow the 80/20 plan, which means that 80% of what I eat complies with my Healthy Eating Tips: http://www.thefitclubnetwork.com/community/showthread.php?176-Healthy-Eating-Tips-for-Success and 20% doesn't. I try not to break that rule and when I get closer to this race I will shift to 90/10 and cut out alcohol until after the race is done.

Other than that, don't worry too much about it.

Dave

[FitRunner]

I'm not sure life would be quite right without a glass of wine with dinner from time to time. Or a glass of champagne to celebrate a graduation, a wedding, or a new year.

[Sterling]

No doubt. A lot of people don't realize that alcohol is not what makes you gain weight, it's all the crap you eat (or mix in the alcohol) when you drink due to social situations, etc., especially when inhibitions are lowered.

[amkaz]

Red wine has been the hardest for me. I was a 1-2 glass a night girl with a bottle or two sometimes on the weekends. I am down to one glass a month. I was trying to make it the whole 90 days but had the calories left over twice now when I wanted one so I had one. I am not going to hit my 2 pound goal this week (I weigh in tomorrow and I did a test weigh this am and it seems impossible) so I am going to regret the wine... but I will measure myself also so that I feel better knowing it is the muscle.

Thanks for this post, it will help me through! :)

[CyberFitnessGuru]

All work and no play makes Jake a dull boy...

:)

[dbervig]

I am so glad to see all the posts on this topic. Feb 23rd was my wedding anniversary and I was in the middle of week 8 of P90X and eating clean. I took my wife to one of our favorite restaurants and ate pretty well. However, I had a glass of red wine. I'm now in week ten and I've been battling a guilt trip ever since that glass wine. I'm free again. Thank you all! David

[Dave]

David Guilt makes you fat, so let it go. Seriously, its true. When your body is put under stress it naturally releases cortisol and adrenaline. You may have seen the informercials claiming to find a way to limit cortisol production. The primal response is fight or flight. These hormones allow your body to either fight or run. The problem is that we typically do neither because our stress is artifical. There's nothing to fight or run from. The body has do respond somehow and it does so by storing fat. So stress makes you fat. Guilt is the ultimate artifical stress. Let it go, move on to the next thing. If you have to do a few extra pushups or work a little harder on your cardio the next day, then go for it, but don't stress out.

[FitRunner]

To celebrate something recently, I treated myself to a glass of red wine with my steak dinner. It was delicious :D

[chrisiclow]

So just what is a little wine...lol this is a huge challange for me too! Giving up the drinking

[FitRunner]

I'd say a "little" wine is a glass. And by glass, I mean glass, not small fishbowl on a stem, and including the headspace for proper tasting. I just measured how much that is in one of my white wine glasses, looks like about 1/4 cup. You wouldn't really drink less wine than a glass unless it was diluted. At least I wouldn't :)

Teresa

[Visionary]

Dave...any recommendations on the Red Wines that you drink?... Obviously looking at the label to account for whether sulfates are added is the first step I would gather...just wondering a few types/brands that you drink that Annette and I could give a try. We haven't had any wine during our first round of P90X just for the sake of weight loss and personal preference, but having toured all over Italy, Red Wine from time to time is a MUST! LOL! Anyone who has any suggestions on this, your recommendations are more than welcome. Personally, I enjoy a nice glass of Valpolicella.