Going Out for Drinks...

shannnn90

Hi Friends,
I've tried sticking to MFP before and about 80% of the time can do it properly, but there's always the same issue: going out for drinks. It's huge in both my circle of friends and with work. I've made a huge change lately to seriously limit the number of times I go out. I go to the gym instead, or I'm productive around the house. I still find that almost every week or weekend, there's something going on like a birthday or work function. The worst part is, I'm a beer lover.

What's your advice for balancing a social life and losing weight without going cold turkey? Do you avoid beer altogether? Do you have vodka and soda's and limit to a few? Do you give up alcohol for 1 month to help yourself get started?

kgirlhart

I work drinks into my calorie goal. I am not a heavy drinker and rarely have more than 3 drinks in a day. I like light beer and I like vodka and club soda with lime. If you are planning a big weekend out you can always go under your calorie goal by about 100 each weekday and save up 500 extra calories for the weekend.

vismal

shannnn90 wrote: »

Hi Friends,
I've tried sticking to MFP before and about 80% of the time can do it properly, but there's always the same issue: going out for drinks. It's huge in both my circle of friends and with work. I've made a huge change lately to seriously limit the number of times I go out. I go to the gym instead, or I'm productive around the house. I still find that almost every week or weekend, there's something going on like a birthday or work function. The worst part is, I'm a beer lover.

What's your advice for balancing a social life and losing weight without going cold turkey? Do you avoid beer altogether? Do you have vodka and soda's and limit to a few? Do you give up alcohol for 1 month to help yourself get started?

Alcoholic beverages are no different then anything else, when you have them, log them. You'll find drinking lower calorie drinks will allow you to eat more food on days you drink so something like a vodka and zero calorie mixer is a fine choice. Light beer has much less calories than most craft beers. You can drink whatever you like but remember for every drink you have that's food you aren't going to get to eat.

theflatpick

I will agree with @vismal. A calorie is a calorie. Log the calories and move on. Personally, Amstel Light is 95 calories a bottle, and I like it. So I log each one I drink as I would any calories, and move on. It is not cheating if you log it. (I realize some of you are past logging, and power to you, I am not there yet). You may know of lessor calorie drinks, please share! You don't really have to give up anything, just stay within your calorie goal. Cheers!

amtyrell

A flight of beer is 4 mini glasses but volume close to same as 1 glass. Get a flight and a glass of water. That way you can try the multiple delicious beers and stay sober and under calories. Drink a glass or at least a half glass of water between each of the glasses of the flight it will have you able to taste differences better while also stop you from wanting to drink as much. Work the flight into your days calories.

anybeary

A calorie ISN'T a calorie when it comes to alcohol. Alcohol makes your liver work hard to eliminate the stuff, meaning it's not working on the metabolic stuff it needs to in order for you to lose weight. It slows down your metabolism for days after you drink it. I still go out with friends a couple of times a week. I just don't drink alcohol anymore. One thing that helps is Kudzu Root. It lowers your alcohol cravings. I can't believe how well this stuff works. Like, you have one drink, and say to yourself, "Meh, that was okay, but I'm not interested in another." So, when I was first starting out, this really helped. Alcohol was my nemesis when it came to meeting my goals. Now that I've been alcohol free for a couple of months, I don't crave it anymore when I go out and I have diet soda instead.

vismal

annieberical wrote: »

A calorie ISN'T a calorie when it comes to alcohol. Alcohol makes your liver work hard to eliminate the stuff, meaning it's not working on the metabolic stuff it needs to in order for you to lose weight. It slows down your metabolism for days after you drink it. I still go out with friends a couple of times a week. I just don't drink alcohol anymore. One thing that helps is Kudzu Root. It lowers your alcohol cravings. I can't believe how well this stuff works. Like, you have one drink, and say to yourself, "Meh, that was okay, but I'm not interested in another." So, when I was first starting out, this really helped. Alcohol was my nemesis when it came to meeting my goals. Now that I've been alcohol free for a couple of months, I don't crave it anymore when I go out and I have diet soda instead.

This is not accurate. While alcohol does prioritize your metabolism it only does so while the alcohol is in the system. It does not override calories in vs calories out. an 80 calorie drink still only contributes 80 calories worth of energy. You metabolism being slowed for days is absolute nonsense.

jacobsl221

I used to have two crown royale and diet drinks every night at cocktail hour, or 1/2 a bottle of wine. Since I started MFP I have cut back to the wine only once a week, and maybe one night of crown royale. I find the sugar from the alcohol puts my weight up the next day, but it is gone in two days. Just log these sugar calories, but remember that YOU are the one who decided to lose weight, and that means cutting something. It is all about your goal and how you want to reach it.

shannnn90

annieberical wrote: »

A calorie ISN'T a calorie when it comes to alcohol. Alcohol makes your liver work hard to eliminate the stuff, meaning it's not working on the metabolic stuff it needs to in order for you to lose weight. It slows down your metabolism for days after you drink it. I still go out with friends a couple of times a week. I just don't drink alcohol anymore. One thing that helps is Kudzu Root. It lowers your alcohol cravings. I can't believe how well this stuff works. Like, you have one drink, and say to yourself, "Meh, that was okay, but I'm not interested in another." So, when I was first starting out, this really helped. Alcohol was my nemesis when it came to meeting my goals. Now that I've been alcohol free for a couple of months, I don't crave it anymore when I go out and I have diet soda instead.

Interesting, thanks for the advice. How do you integrate Kudzo Root in your diet?

YalithKBK

I switched to Coke Zero so I could stil have my Captain and Cokie on Friday nights. Just fit it into your calorie goals. The biggest issue for me is not the drinks themselves, but the munchies I get with being buzzed. I plan my food choices before I start drinking and try very hard to stick to them.

Tacklewasher

YalithKBK wrote: »

I switched to Coke Zero so I could stil have my Captain and Cokie on Friday nights. Just fit it into your calorie goals. The biggest issue for me is not the drinks themselves, but the munchies I get with being buzzed. I plan my food choices before I start drinking and try very hard to stick to them.

^^This, just substitute Crown Royal for Captain.

I get a drink and a glass of water. Can't get another drink until both are gone. I certainly can't drink as much as I used to though. Get buzzed after a couple glasses of wine. But, if I'm drinking less, I'm drinking better stuff. So a Guinness or a good micro-brew vs. blah beer. Better gin, Crown Black. That kind of thing.

But overall, I'm drinking less than I did.