Can you get drunk and still lose weight?

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,535 Member
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    gothchiq wrote: »
    Alcohol is super fattening. Try keeping that down to once or twice a month if yr serious about weight loss; otherwise it will go super slow or stall out.
    Actually it's not. You don't covert alcohol to fat. What it does do is inhibit any other energy sources from being burned until it's metabolized out of the body. And dependent on how much someone drinks will determine that along with their metabolic rate.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
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    The short answer: yes, you can.

    The long answer: yes, you can, but it may lead to overconsumption of food when you get the drunk munchies, overconsumption of food the next day if you have a hangover, overconsumption of calories if you're choosing sugary cocktails, or overconsumption of calories because you have too many drinks. Alcohol metabolization takes precedence, so you won't be burning fat while there's alcohol in your system. It can also affect your overall health, depending on how frequently this occurs.

    I drink wine. I drink A LOT of wine. I still lose weight. But the occasions where I full-out binge drink are very rare now - I usually keep it to 1-2 glasses. If you go out with your friend, can you limit yourself to 2 and drink water in between? Or switch over to plain club soda after a couple of vodka sodas?
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    gothchiq wrote: »
    Alcohol is super fattening. Try keeping that down to once or twice a month if yr serious about weight loss; otherwise it will go super slow or stall out.
    Actually it's not. You don't covert alcohol to fat. What it does do is inhibit any other energy sources from being burned until it's metabolized out of the body. And dependent on how much someone drinks will determine that along with their metabolic rate.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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    This is Very very Correct..
  • donjtomasco
    donjtomasco Posts: 789 Member
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    I guess the poster did not like the answers.....

    I don't see how this post is 'really' about losing weight since the answer is simple math. Why not go with your friend to where there is not fast food and temptations to drink?
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    The just Math isn't the absolute tell all with alcohol because it disrupts the body is so many ways IE- The liver and kidneys are trying to remove it from your body their not capable of using the other macros to their full extent.

    If your body is capable of using say 150 grams of protein in a 24 hour period and your capable of eating 150 grams of protein then you go drink 5-6 drinks over the course of 5-6 hours you have more than likely put your body in a situation where its now only capable of 75% of that protein absorption especially if your drinking before bed when your body is healing most.

    Now with that being said these numbers are not exact I simply used them as an example 6 hours being 25% of a day but the truth is alcohol can play a huge role in muscle gain/loss not to mention nutrient absorption hormonal changes etc..

    That being said I see a lot of old drunks out there so it might not change your length of life but certainly can change the way you move around in it.. My 2 cents
  • Witchdoctor58
    Witchdoctor58 Posts: 226 Member
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    If you are debating about whether you can stop, and you know it is interfering with your life, this is a strong sign that you may be an alcoholic. Sorry to be so blunt, but as a doctor I hear this story all the time. You need to so some heavy consideration of your relationship to alcohol, and decide what you are going to do about it.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    Witchdoctor58 wrote: »
    If you are debating about whether you can stop, and you know it is interfering with your life, this is a strong sign that you may be an alcoholic. Sorry to be so blunt, but as a doctor I hear this story all the time. You need to so some heavy consideration of your relationship to alcohol, and decide what you are going to do about it.

    That's a lot of assumption and projection from one post.
  • Howdoyoufeeltoday
    Howdoyoufeeltoday Posts: 481 Member
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    Once in a while yes. But I like high calorie drinks so my weight is all over the place these days. You can make it fit or you can make the choice to say that weight loss is more important. I tried making that choice... but my amaretto sours wouldn't let me go!
  • Witchdoctor58
    Witchdoctor58 Posts: 226 Member
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    I said it's a sign, not a diagnosis, worthy of examination of the relationship with alcohol. Whenever a patient tells me they will delay needed meds so they can drink, I have a discussion about priorities. Maybe it's significant, maybe not. But the possibity should be addressed. No harm done to think about it.
  • Witchdoctor58
    Witchdoctor58 Posts: 226 Member
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    And in this case, the OP states that it is linked to undesirable behavior. It doesn't have be an addiction to be a problem. There are likely multiple issues linked to the blowouts.

    Jerry, if you are out of control with binge eating, I relate to that. I need to avoid sugar rather than alcohol, and I've had to deal with emotional triggers too. I can't keep the stuff in my house. Everyone is unique. However, if you are serious about your health, you know what you have to do. Nothing will change unless you want the healthy goal more than you want the undesirable behavior, bottom line. You might need a support group or counseling, because overeating often has deep roots.

    To the critic, this is generic advice. I don't know what's going on in Jerry's head. But to solve the issue, Jerry needs to take a close look inside to figure it out. It's definitely not anything we can fix on this board.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
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    The struggle is real
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    When I log my drinks and stay in a deficit, yes.

    Right now I'm not logging my drinks. Just got out of a relationship and I'm drinking up and going out. And no-I am definitely not losing weight lol.
  • nixxthirteen
    nixxthirteen Posts: 280 Member
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    For very rare occasions like my birthday, I don't log and just enjoy myself. But then again, when I was 19 and over 200lbs I could drink like a BEAST and often got blackout drunk and am soooo over that now (especially how it made my body feel). I don't enjoy being anything more than tipsy anymore - and losing 50lbs 2 years ago made me such a lightweight anyway.

    If I'm mixing the drinks myself, I pour out single shots of vodka into diet sprite mixed with water and Mio/Crystal Light :). Each drink is roughly 64 cals IIRC?

    When I go out, I get gin and diet tonic with lime, or vodka and Coke Zero, etc.
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I've done some experiments on this topic, purely for science, and I can safely say getting drunk on the reg makes it quite a bit harder to lose weight. Alcohol has a lot of calories, in general. Also people tend to eat more when they're tipsy.
  • ticklepocket
    ticklepocket Posts: 36 Member
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    There is an awesome website called Get Drunk Not Fat http://getdrunknotfat.com/ that has detailed sortable information on the carbs and calories in various kinds of alcohol. So you could use that as a guide...

    That being said, I have found the way drinking torpedoes my weight loss is not so much in the added calories from the drinks themselves but more in the (often spectacularly) bad food choices I make while out drinking.

    My experience: I cannot lose weight unless I completely abstain from all alcohol. That sucks but it is the truth for me.

    Another consideration is age. I am 60 and if I had a month I could tell you all the ways that metabolism changes as you get older, none of them for the better. Habits that you can get away with when you are 20 will really clobber you 10 or 20+ years down the road. So I suggest that you form good habits now. Anything past a glass of wine with dinner is probably not your friend. Sorry.
  • fitnessjustin01
    fitnessjustin01 Posts: 239 Member
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    A random night out in the town isn't going to stop you from losing weight if you have a healthy life style outside of that. Go enjoy a night with your friends!
  • rmullins16
    rmullins16 Posts: 12 Member
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    Not only is it still calories. ..it takes away motivation the next day. Plus who eats healthy after a night of drinking? I believe in cheat days sparingly..cause who wants a boring diet life. But it does affect the diet plan
  • all_in_the_game
    all_in_the_game Posts: 39 Member
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    http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20670897,00.html
    It summarizes a Harvard study that found out 4 ways to lose weight without going dry for the weekend.
    There is no miracle drug here, just a fair amount of advice on drinking moderately and knowing what type of alcohol to consume. Keep your beers dark and your wines light. Eat before drinking or at least order your food before you order your drink so in that momentary lapse of reason you do not end up with a fried steak. Order something rich in protein and fiber and a small amount of dark chocolate.

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