I love wine

[khbow]

Hello everyone! I'm excited to start this journey, but also very scared. I know this is pathetic, but more than the dairy, sugar or carbs, I'm scared that I won't be able to go without wine for 30 days! I don't drink to excess, but I have made a habit of enjoying a couple glasses of wine a few nights a week. It's such a great source of relaxation for me. Is anyone else in the same boat? I have chosen to do my Whole 30 during a month when I don't have too many social engagements that might tempt me, but I'm still worried.

 

Advice appreciated!

[joolie]

Yes! I love wine. and vodka. and beer. Whoops, maybe I'm revealing too much . It's just 30 days. We can do this! I was just talking with a friend the other day about giving up alcohol for 30 days and it seems like there is never a good time (not for Fall Football season...or during the holidays...or during Spring break, and definitely not during BBQ summer fun).. We decided maybe Jan-March might be ok ...But hey! We've committed to this...it might as well be now, right?

[salemsister]

Ditto! It wasn't food that I was worried about missing, it was my evening wine or cold beer after mowing the grass!

 

But I am at the end of Day 11 and haven't missed it really at all. This new way of eating and nourishing my body is really focused for 30 days and then I can have a glass of wine...if I want it. And I will really know how it affects my body/system.

 

You can (we can) do it!!!

[GFChris]

I love wine too. Have spent a couple vacations in wine country, California, and believe it or not, wine country in Long Island, NY.  Have about 40+ bottles in my home at any one time.

When I did my Whole30 a couple months ago, wine and cheese were my worries. I took the mindset, as joolie stated, that it's only 30 days, and I could do whatever I wanted afterward.

I was shocked that I never craved cheese or wine during my Whole 30. I might have fantasized about a glass of wine a few times, but was never strongly tempted. Part of it was I felt so good, I saw improvements in my skin, and my clothes were getting more loose during the process - I didn't want to mess that up.

I finished my Whole30 on June 27th, and lost 4.2 inches and 5 pounds. Since then, I've split a bottle of wine with my husband out to dinner, and otherwise have had the equivalent of 1-2 glasses a week, max. I've also lost an additional pound and 2.8 inches, eating mostly Whole30 since then.

Pellegrino has been my savior - I drink that constantly, both at home and out to dinner. At home I enjoy it plain. Out to dinner, with a lime.

30 days. You can do it too.
 

[Angela N.]

I love wine too. And gin and tonics. And margaritas...Anyhow, for this whole 30 I am going to substitute sparkling water with a slash of lemon juice, served in my wine glass. It is only 30 days, and you (and I!), can do it!

[amberino21]

I love wine too. I love good wine - that only happens on special occasions! I can quite easily go without...

 

 

in terms of using it to relax, you might be like my husband and I, and find that eating this way creates a sense of relaxation and so much less stress. we've noticed a massive change!

[khbow]

Thanks everyone for the positive thoughts and helpful advice!  It helps to know I'm not alone in this! Got through my first night (which involved dinner at my parents' house) with flat water and lemon. I'm looking forward to trying the sparkling water with lime! Thanks again!

[KelliS]

Me, too, khbow! I wasn't worried about giving up anything but my nightly ritual of red wine. It was my way of destressing at the end of the day. It was my "treat" for surviving another day in education (in NC where education is no longer important to our state government, so I'm very sad). I'm on day 18 and I don't miss it near as much as I thought I would. I have a couple of glasses of sparkling water each night now as my "treat". I do plan to have a glass on day 31, but I can no longer imagine drinking a glass or two everyday. I'm surprised and happy that I don't miss it more than I do.

 

Keep reminding yourself it's only for 30 days. It's for your health and that is the most important reason for dedicating these 30 days to clean, whole eating.

[jaydee]

I had dinner at my sister's house last night and my brother-in-law poured me a glass of wine like he normally does. I just kept drinking my water and although I considered it, I did leave it alone.  I find it easier to avoid the things that would make me want to cocktail, good thing I don't mow my own lawn or it would be overgrown by now! 

 

A week after my whole 30 ends, I am spending a weekend at a resort with my sister and some girlfriends and there will be some poolside rumrunners happening then.  Like everyone else, if I ever feel like I am missing out on something, I remind myself none of it will be disappearing in the next thirty days.

[Bet]

I kept myself to one glass of wine a night before W30. Maybe 2 on weekends. I don't miss it that much, but days like today (FRIDAY!!!), I do wish I could have a glass. I've got 5 days to go. Why do I feel like an alcoholic? (or a chocoholic or an ice creamaholic....)

[JayneNZ]

Being a rather BIG wine drinker of late (trust me, even I was starting to worry) this topic literally jumped out and slapped me in the face.

 

It is the one biggest thing about the Whole30 that I think is going to potentially trip me up (that and cheese lol)

 

I am only on Day 1 so I have no pearls of wisdom, I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. I have also been perfecting my mantra in preparation - "It's only 30 days" and I can see I'm not very original with my mantras haha

 

Stay strong - kia kaha

 

Jayne

[sheba-kitty]

I was worried too... Love my red wine! But mostly it hasn't been too bad. The other night I was craving pretty bad... My brother (a regular whole30 person) suggested doing something different than I would normally do during my usual wine drinking time... So I dusted off the Wii and got through the craving and even got in a little aerobic exercise.

[bstombaugh]

So happy you posted this @khbow, like you, I also felt I would miss wine more than cheese or ice cream or peanut butter. I just finished day 3 and it's not unbearable or anything, I just think the social parties where everyone else is imbibing is going to be most challenging. I've never liked sparkling water so not sure if that will help, maybe I'll give Pellegrino another chance...

[Devon]

My sister and I love this post and wine too! We were discussing yesterday (our day 14), how we know the first thing we will want to re-introduce in day 31 is wine. So bad, I know.

But then we started talking about how for 21 years or longer, we would get excited about meals without even contemplating the question...beer, wine, martini? Instead of thinking...hmmmm Pasta and wine, we would think, mmmmmm pasta and bread, or instead of Pizza and beer, "Mmmmmm......Pizza!". So I guess I am trying to convince myself to look forward to a great Paleo recipe for now. we'll see. We also discussed how this seems much harder than giving up wine while I was pregnant with my daughters, because I was doing it for someone else (plus had horrible morning sickness, so not appealing.) So I guess I should try to remind myself I owe this round of no wine to myself.....hard to feel that way by the end of the week though. lol.

[bookworm05]

I rarely drink normally, but after going on vacation I've been enjoying a couple of glasses a night. That will stop come Sept. 1 when I restart Whole30 but I totally feel you. I don't need the wine at all, but I really have been enjoying it. 

[sallyarchi]

So glad there is a "I love Wine" forum.  Giving up my two glass evenings will be tough.  I am on day 3.  I tried the Whole30 in July and only made it 6 days because I wanted my wine.  I am determined to do this.  I am a strength trainer and I want to inspire my clients while I help them with nutrition.  What is the toughest day?  When does it get easier.  The first two have been easy but I know as the weekend approaches, I will be tempted.

[jubileejones]

So glad there is a "I love Wine" forum.  Giving up my two glass evenings will be tough.  I am on day 3.  I tried the Whole30 in July and only made it 6 days because I wanted my wine.  I am determined to do this.  I am a strength trainer and I want to inspire my clients while I help them with nutrition.  What is the toughest day?  When does it get easier.  The first two have been easy but I know as the weekend approaches, I will be tempted.

 

Have a look at the timeline: http://whole9life.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/.  It gives you an idea of what to expect. 

[salemsister]

I finished my W30 on Tuesday - didn't slip once and from my earlier posts here you see I was really looking forward to the glass of wine on the eve of day 31 (last night).

 

It was interesting - through the day I had come to the decision that I would wait until the weekend to enjoy a couple of glasses but my sweet daughter knew that my red wine was what I really missed and she had a glass poured for me when I got home from work last night. Even though I had already decided I wasn't having any, I couldn't turn her down after such a thoughtful gesture. As I took the first sip I was amazed at how SWEET the wine tasted. And I drink dry reds. I realized that I really hadn't missed it that much at all and only had the one glass. I also noticed that it triggered hunger...that dang sugar monster!

 

Will I have it again - of course! But the taste difference really amazed me. I plan on staying pretty much on the W30 track/paleo but it's nice to know if I want a glass of wine I can have it. Reintro has me a little nervous, to be honest. I like the way I feel and like the foods I am eating so...

 

Have a great one!

Cheers!

[KaySea]

I too love wine!! I have been enjoying chamomile tea (had to hunt for one without soy lecithin) and a foot soak on evenings when I want something special to wind down.

[KaySea]

Oh and making sparkling water with my soda stream has been handy!

[Deb Floyd]

I am so glad that you all posted on this topic because I was also feeling terrible about myself knowing that my nightly drink would be the hardest part of the next 30 days. Tonight is only day one and I found out that most of my "need" of a drink is slightly habitual. I just always have one. So I substituted my glass of wine with an iced herbal tea (I even put it in a wine glass because I am that committed) and was pleasantly surprised that it was enough to curb the hankering. 

[SaraP]

I also love wine, as well as other adult beverages, but I figure these next few months of my pregnancy are the best time to slay my sugar dragon and try to eat as mostly whole as I can, while I don't even have to worry about the alcohol factor. Cause... pregnant, yeah. Haha.

 

I also probably won't drink for multiple months after having my baby (because of nursing) so, I figure I have a good 5 or 6 months to really get the sugar dragon under control and focus more on whole and less on processed. 

[1Maryann]

Wine was a biggie for me the first couple of times.  Then I had a 'duh' moment.  After a hard day at work, I would come home, pour a glass of wine, and just sit and decompress for a while before doing anything else.  When I would come home and NOT drink, I would start right in fixing dinner, or folding laundry, or whatever.

 

It finally occurred to me that the days I was craving a glass of wine, I wasn't craving the wine, but the permission I gave myself to just sit and be still for a while after a hectic day.  Just like a cigarette break isn't always about the cigarette, but about walking away from the task at hand, changing the scenery and clearing your head.  Once I gave myself permission to come home and sit with whatever--herbal tea, sparkling water, etc--and just breathe deeply and let the day go, I found I really didn't miss the wine at all.

[usmile777]

Maryann, such an interesting observation! Thank you for sharing.

I am part of red wine almost every night club. I started Whole30 and only completed 14 days of it and had a weak moment of having some wine, had to restart 3 days ago.

For me drinking red wine relaxes my mind and lets me eat the foods that I normally wouldn't eat - processed junk food. I would go all day eating healthy and during dinner start with some red wine and end up eating tons of unhealthy stuff, next morning would go to the gym and work out like a mad woman, and start the daily cycle again. It's not just me, it's my husband and I doing it together.

I am hoping that after Whole30 I can do it in moderation and just enjoy a glass of wine without eating all the extra food. Or maybe I am just fooling myself and need to take a long break to let this habit die and come up with a better way to enjoy my evenings. 

[sheba-kitty]

So I substituted my glass of wine with an iced herbal tea (I even put it in a wine glass because I am that committed) and was pleasantly surprised that it was enough to curb the hankering.

That is exactly what I did one night. Other times I have tried to do something completely different so I dusted off the Wii and played a few games before my batteries died. It was enough to get the cravings to pass. I am now 30 full days without any alcohol or sugar and feeling great! Still need 10 more days for the official whole30.