How much is too much? Well, it generally depends on how and why you want that glass of wine. For me, it has to be red wine, a nice rich, full-bodied red wine, with a percentage of no less than 14%. Four years ago, I would have said there was never too much wine and I could have easily drunk 3 bottles with lots of food to mop it up with. Living with a hangover on a Saturday morning became normal. It was a real thrill to have 3 or 4 bottles lined up on the kitchen worktop, ready for Friday evening. Sometimes we would even go and buy more from a late-night shop around the corner.
But how much is too much? Again, on an empty stomach 3 glasses could be too much, but that’s ok as you can order a pizza and still feel alright, yes?!
The NHS states the following; Regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week risks damaging your health.
So, one bottle of red wine has 10 units, as sipped over a week this would be ok. My rule of thumb is that one bottle has three glasses in it, which is not much. There are about 650 calories in a bottle of red wine.
Back to the question with an answer, I would say that one bottle over a weekend is acceptable if you are conscious about your intake, the trouble is when you are dieting you need to eat when drinking as a chicken salad or a protein shake is not going to work with wine. Treat a wine weekend with proper planning in advance. Really take care that you don’t overdo it and think that one night off can roll into two nights.
If wine was really going to be missed when dieting I would look at every 5 weeks to have a special wine evening. Create a moment of indulgent luxury, by staging an evening, with healthy food beforehand so that the wine doesn’t just go through you.
Dress up a little, you know, some lipstick and perfume, just to be elegant. Keep the calories low but good carbs, like a sweet potato baked potato with a dollop of chilli mince. Eat. Then pour yourself a glass of wine.
If you need to raise a glass at a birthday or wedding celebration, then do it just don’t drink it and learn politely to turn down any free refills. Try this ‘no thank you’ and cover your glass with your free hand. If the person insists, which they often do, either repeat (with a smile) no thank you or add it after, I really have had enough but thank you. You can be a little flirty here as long as your glass is not filled up.
Seriously a cuppa tea is much nicer, and you won’t have a hangover the following day!
Get in touch with me if you want to discuss other ways to enjoy wine whilst dieting.