Alcohol - log and include in your calories?

pooey718

I am due to go out at the weekend and this will involve eating out and alcohol. I know to include the food into my daily calories but what about the drink. Would you eat less during the day to compensate for the alcohol. Although I'm eating out it is a cheap pasta place where the dishes aren't that big, then there is puddings. I'm stressing out about. Thank you.

astrampe

You can eat less during the day to save some calories, and definitely log it.....A 5 ounce glass of Merlot contains between 100 and 120 calories - so it adds up very quicly.....

laceyslabaugh

Hello, I log anything and everything that touches my lips (and I log whether it's 0 calories or not). It helps me when I look back over the weeks. Alcohol has calories. If I have a beer, I log it. If I know I'm going out ahead of time, I plan my meals throughout the days coming up to the event so I have extra calories (my friends like shots).

Tacklewasher

Yes you need to log the alcohol. It has calories.

I'd be careful restricting food while drinking. Makes the alcohol hit worse. Plan to be at least at maintenance for these days (including alcohol calories)

Pre-plan and eat maybe 200 cals less per day going into the weekend, but don't restrict too much while drinking.

Also, a trick I use is I get a glass of water with my drink. I don't get a second drink until both are gone, and then it is another drink & water.

Also, enjoy yourself. Don't let the counting be a source of stress for you. You can get right back on the weight loss plan on Monday. Life still needs to be worth living.

JaydedMiss

absolutely log it alcohol adds up FAST and if you dont track you probably wont realize, Tracking can help you decide if its worth it next time (it always is) but you can make beter choices and drink a little less and save up calories through the week for it :P

nowine4me

Log it and learn from it. You don't HAVE to have pudding, or you could share one, right? And keep it to 1-2 glasses of wine at about 120 cals each. Go for a run that morning to give yourself some wiggle room.

_Bro

My tip - eat more good clean food with a higher edge on protein prior to the drinks.
Then enjoy the drinks -- shots / hard stuff is better than thing(s) loaded with sugar.

Seems effective and I've still cut weight successfully with that approach.

pooey718

Thanks everyone. I've been worrying about it. I shall certainly take this on board.

JaydedMiss

keep in mind the amounts of alcohol places give you vary hugely depending where you go and who pours it...may help to learn to eye out what a shot looks like weighed on a scale. First time i did that little exercise at home because someone told me the same i realized my drinking days that seemed already bad got about 1/3 worse XD

Derpy_Hooves

Definitely log and if you go over, so what? "Naturally" skinny people drink alcohol too.
As long it's not daily, I wouldn't worry about it.

savithny

Of course you log it. It has calories. LOTS Of calories. There's a reason they call it "beer belly."

WinoGelato

I have found that stressing out about normal, fun, social events because I am trying to lose weight is counterintuitive to the idea that this is a lifestyle change.... my lifestyle includes social events, restaurant meals, birthday parties, cocktail parties, holidays, vacations, etc. I'm not going to stop going to these events, so I needed to figure out a way to incorporate them into my lifestyle even while eating at a deficit.

Some tips I used while losing (and still use now that I'm in maintenance):

1. Eat slightly less calories in the days leading up to the event so that I bank calories for that day. Shaving 100 or so cals off M-F while I was losing meant that I had an extra 500 cals to use on Saturday at a nice dinner out.
2. Look at the restaurant menu ahead of time and figure out what looks good, then see if I can estimate what the meal will "cost me" in terms of cals. If the restaurant publishes nutrition info great, if not, look on MFP for that restaurant or similar dishes from other chain restaurants, always erring on the high side.
3. Prioritize what I really want out of the meal. If it's a place with amazing desserts, maybe order only an appetizer or split an appetizer and a salad with a friend and then get dessert. I can forgo the bread basket in favor of a glass of wine. If it's a steak place, I put most all of my calorie budget toward ribeye and a nice glass or two of wine.
4. Eat light the day of the meal and try to get in extra exercise
5. Log everything I eat even if it's just an estimate. Doing that, even when I'm going over, helps me see the total impact which is usually less than I think it's going to be considering that I already had a weekly deficit built in.
6. Know that I'm going to see a temporary spike on the scale from water retention and don't freak out when I do.
7. Remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and I'm not going to undo all my progress in one meal, or one vacation...

I lost > 30 lbs and am now maintaining for ~ 2 years, I drank wine most days while losing and ate in restaurants 1-2 times/week.

aftertheendtimes01

I log my alcohol when I drink. since I've started I've switched to light beers like Bud light lime or wheat ales and they aren't that terrible for calories just don't go over board. Also if you know that you are going to drink extensively consider going for a walk or jog or do some other household chores to help balance out the intake output scales

junodog1

For a general rule of thumb count a straight alcohol ounce as 80 calories if you like nice round numbers. I'm not talking about frou frou liqueors, I'm talking scotch, rum, vodka, etc. Also - in the US anyway a drink does not usually have a single ounce. The average shot glass is 1.5 ounces.

Then add in the mixer.

CSARdiver

I think of this all in terms of budget, just as I would finances. If I plan on having a beer then I ensure I have sufficient calories budgeted. If I go a bit over one day then I adjust accordingly over the next few days.

ccsernica

This isn't worth stressing out about. Just log the calories. MFP has many cocktails, wines, and beers in its database. It shouldn't ruin you unless you're drinking like a fish.

bizgirl26

I have a glass of wine a few nights per week. Note I said "a" glass. Log it and drink lots of water too. I would choose something other than pasta as it I easy to over do it and not log it properly and is loaded with calories but that's just me as I cant control myself once I start eating it .Or ask for a take out container and split it right away for left overs.