I lost 21 pounds of 'wine weight' and DIDN'T have to go teetotal: Here's how I did it
As a frazzled 47-year-old married mum of three, I don't have much in common with David Beckham, other than we both live in the Cotswolds, love dogs and have a penchant for fine wine.
However, just like our homegrown Adonis, I too have discovered the secret to losing weight and shaping up in midlife. Over the past six months I've lost 1st 7lb – all thanks to stepping away from the wine fridge.
Stripping down to his Boss underwear in the latest campaign, the 49-year-old revealed he ditched the booze for 14 weeks to look, I think we can safely say, smoking hot.
'I actually told my team, I'm not going back into my underwear,' he said, last week. 'And then we signed the Boss deal.
'I was under quite a bit of pressure at that point, so I agreed to it, and then I trained for 14 weeks. And as someone that loves food and wine, I cut that out for 14 weeks and just went for it.'
Like David, I love wine too. I can take or leave cakes and chocolate but I could never resist a large glass of Chablis or Whispering Angel. On any given week, for the last couple of decades, I'd knock back half a bottle of wine five nights a week (plus a bit more on a weekend), adding up to at least three bottles clanking into our recycling bin every seven days.
Georgina Fuller lost 1st 7lb in just six months thanks to cutting down on booze - and didn't have to go on a food diet
Toned and tanned, David Beckham in the new Boss ad campaign
However, since hitting perimenopause four years ago, the pounds started piling on until – the horror – I had gained an extra 2st. I wasn't eating any more than usual and exercising every day (walking my two Labradors counts, yes), so my wine weight was clearly adding up.
There was only one thing for it. The Burgundy habit had to go. Since last September, I've been booze-free Monday to Thursday and I've lost 21lb. I'm now just under 10st, and in a healthy BMI range for my 5ft 3in frame.
Cutting down on the booze has been quite the revelation - in fact, much more effective than any diet I have ever tried (and, believe me, from Atkins or 5:2, to that Special K one, there's hardly any regime I haven't tried).
Admittedly, I didn't go cold turkey like Beckham, who clearly has stronger willpower than me, but ditching the wine four nights a week has given me a health boost too. I'm sleeping better, my skin is glowing and I'm full of energy.
Now, I'm drinking a maximum of one bottle a week plus the odd G&T. I've also become a 'low and no' wine aficionado. I have a lot of time for Wednesday's Domaine alcohol-free wines, and I'm partial to a zesty glass of Mother Root, a spicy ginger switchel.
Or a Pentire Coastal Spritz, a grapefruit botanical with a crisp gin-like taste, paired with a light tonic, really hits the spot. A 200 ml glass of Pentire is only 52 calories, compared with 140 calories in the average medium glass of white wine – so it's a win-win.
Some friends have cheekily asked if I'm on Ozempic, but after a hearty lunch or dinner date with me they soon realise that's not the case.
Fortunately, I'll never have to strip down to my underwear for any Beckham-style photoshoots (no one needs to see that), but I believe I've finally cracked the 'everything in moderation' approach to my wine habit which I'll take through to my late 40s and beyond.
Losing the extra pounds has made me feel better and considerably less self-conscious. I've got a new spring in my step, and, if anything, taking a more modest approach to the booze has made me appreciate wine all the more.
I can't wait for the weather to warm up and the rosé to return, but there will be far fewer of it for me this year!
