Alcohol & Treats

ABHY7
ABHY7 Posts: 70 Member
edited July 2019 in Health and Weight Loss
Is it possible to still drink alcohol & lose weight? Every week I would be good, eat well & walk alot. Then hit the weekend for a few drinks & back to square 1!!
At night I crave salt so my downfall is Popcorn/ crackers/ crisps!
Is it a total lifestyle change or am I going about this all wrong?
Also, I had a colonoscopy last year & lost 5lbs with the prep (put it straight back on in a week).. could I be holding water weight?
Thanks for any replies

Replies

  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    It is absolutely a lifestyle change. If you don't follow a food plan that's sustainable, you'll end up going in a vicious cycle.
  • bluesheeponahill
    bluesheeponahill Posts: 169 Member
    yes you can, I have lost 11kg with a glass of white/red with dinner. however, I have a standard glass, measured out etc. followed with water. Like PPs said, it's all about the total calories you have at the end of the day. as for treats, sure I have them, just not every night. Not unless I plan all my other meals calories around this treat. But if wine inhibits your self control, I'd suggest laying off the wine for a bit until you have a better hold on your meal planning, weight loss, and self control on snacking on stuff.
  • Girlheidi
    Girlheidi Posts: 60 Member
    lgfrie wrote: »
    My wife and I had to quit drinking to start losing weight. When we drank, our inhibitions would go by the wayside, which is the fun part in many ways, but was a disaster with food. Planning for controlled eating on drinking nights was a complete waste of time once we were buzzed and craving pizza, ice cream. more drinks, chicken wings, Reeses peanut butter cups. The instant we stopped drinking, we were able to batten down the hatches and get serious about dieting. Like, that day.

    Weight loss requires inhibitions, specifically an inhibition against undisciplined overeating. Alcohol lessens inhibitions. Alcohol and weight loss are mortal enemies.

    One thing you find out quickly when you stop drinking is what an enormous component of your social life is made up by other people drinking and having fun. You used to be one of them, but no longer. Is it worth it? That's an individual choice. We decided that weight loss and healthy living was the priority; other people choose differently. Either way, I think realistically, for most people, you can either drink or lose weight, but not both. A good thing to do would be the two drink test. Next time you're going out on the weekend, tell yourself you get two drinks and no eating until you're fully sober again. If it works, congrats, you're in the tiny minority that can pull it off. If it doesn't, then you'll have a useful data point from which to make a choice.

    This was also me. No willpower after a few beers. Chips, cheese, and the beer.

    Decided to cut out beer and went away on vacation for 2 weeks. Ate lots, walked lots and lost 7lbs that break! Cut out beer completely and am down 33lbs so far. Ice cream is my treat and I account for it in my totals. That was over a year ago.
    People were a bit fazed that I no longer drank, but I really wanted to drop the weight and saw it as temporary. However, a few weeks in I realized that I preferred not drinking and being in control.
    Maybe give it up for a week, kick start the weight loss and see where you go?
    I'm like the poster above though!
  • Samantharavenclaw84
    Samantharavenclaw84 Posts: 161 Member
    I fit the drinks I want into my calories for the day. Though I notice it's harder for me to stay on track after a couple.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Yes it's possible to drink alcohol and still lose weight, but that's assuming that you have the ability to consume fewer calories than you burn. I also haven't changed my habits with regards to drinking. If anything I drank more over the winter months than I usually do.

    I don't drink a whole lot primarily because I don't like spending money on alcohol. When I do drink, it's rare that I'll have more than a few ciders (I don't drink beer) or cocktails because I really don't enjoy being inebriated. I also don't have insatiable cravings for various things (perhaps due to the amount of alcohol I drink when I do drink).

    So for example, yesterday I went to a large party at a brewery. I had a cider, two chicken wings, and maybe 15 chips. I thought about ordering food there, but decided against it for various reasons only one of which had to do with an estimated amount of calories. I ended up having to make myself pick up takeout on my way home because of how little I ate (and that would have been at around 9:45).

    Whether or not reducing the amount of alcohol you consume makes you realize how much people around you rely on it for entertainment/socializing is pretty individual. That's solely related to who you hang out with, how much they drink, and how quickly they're losing their inhibitions. I've hung out with this same general group of people from yesterday plenty of times (though typically without their significant others) and generally alcohol isn't involved. Coffee - yes. Regattas - sometimes. Beer/cider - only a select group if dinner and/or a party is involved.
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  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,228 Member
    edited July 2019
    ABHY7 wrote: »
    Is it possible to still drink alcohol & lose weight? Every week I would be good, eat well & walk alot. Then hit the weekend for a few drinks & back to square 1!!
    At night I crave salt so my downfall is Popcorn/ crackers/ crisps!
    Is it a total lifestyle change or am I going about this all wrong?
    Also, I had a colonoscopy last year & lost 5lbs with the prep (put it straight back on in a week).. could I be holding water weight?
    Thanks for any replies

    Yes. I drank less while actively losing weight than I do now in maintenance, simply because I have more discretionary calories now. I don't like routinely sacrificing what I see as essential nutrition in order to have treats, so normally I try to make sure all my nutritional boxes are checked before spending many calories on alcohol (or other treats). (I might make an exception to that for a special occasion . . . but I might make the exception of simply choosing to exceed my routine calorie goal in order to have nutrition plus alcohol or other treats on that special occasion. It varies.)

    My daily calorie goal, to which I adhere most of the time, is a slight bit below my maintenance calories. Once a week or so, I eat above my maintenance calories. The objective is to balance out over time, and maintain weight. It's not perfect, but I'm still at a reasonable, healthy weight (BMI 22-point-something) after most of a year losing, and 3 years of maintenance since.

    Other than that tendency for alcohol to lower inhibitions to overeating, I've never seen any indication that alcohol has any impact on fat loss that's different from what I'd expect if I consumed those calories in some other form. If I sacrificed nutrition, maybe that would make a difference**, I dunno. I do see some water weight implications related to alcohol occasionally, but nothing major, and it's just water weight so I don't worry about it: It's temporary and meaningless.

    To answer your other questions: Yes, maintaining weight is a lifestyle change. That change can include different alcohol consumption or not, whichever works better for you: It's your lifestyle.

    You lost weight with your colonoscopy prep mainly because you were doing your best to completely clean out digestive system contents. When we eat normally, there's some typical average amount of food residue making its way through our digestive system, between the moment it goes in our mouth, and the time it comes out the other end. That food residue has weight. In colonoscopy prep, you lose that weight. When you eat again, you regain it. It's not fat. There could be some water weight fluctuation, too. That's not fat, either.

    If you crave salt, consider pickles or sauerkraut, if you want something salty with fewer calories. ;)

    ** ETA: I'm not suggesting anything magical here. If sacrificing nutrition made a difference, it would be because poor nutrition leads to poor energy level, causing reduced activity, so lowered calorie expenditure, either through less daily life activity or reduced exercise frequency/intensity; or through some effect on body composition or satiation/compliance. No magic. :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,228 Member
    fitnessdiva_ wrote: »
    I’ve heard that alcohol consumption can stall weight loss as long as it’s in your system, because your body can’t use alcohol for energy so it prioritizes digesting the alcohol over burning fat. For this reason I’ve avoided drinking throughout my most of my journey & only recently started drinking on cheat days because I’m so close to my gw. It hasn’t effected my weightloss at all, so I’m not sure how true the above theory is. One thing I did notice is that I was a lot hungrier while tipsy, and craved more food. At the end of the day, it all comes down to moderation and self control and of course calories.

    My understanding is that your body puts a priority on burning off the alcohol first. But, if you're still in a calorie deficit even when the alcohol calories are counted, that deficit is eventually going to be made up by burning fat. The problem, IMO, is that overeating is easier with the disinhibition from alcohol, and that serious over-consumption leads to hangovers that usually mean less activity the next day.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    These are two very seperate questions, I'll try to answer them both.

    As far as alcohol, it all depends on whether you can moderate or control. Alcoholic drinks have calories in them, so they need to be counted and included in your daily goal. Some people also find if they drink they have stronger hunger cravings, and lower self control, so they eat more. That makes it a double strike. However if you can moderate, you can certainly drink during it. I personally only drink on rare occasions, as I prefer to reserve all my calories for food. But on ocassions that I do, it doesn't hold me back because it's within my goal.

    Regarding the colonoscopy, losing that much weight is normal during prep, because you take industrial strength laxatives to clear out your system, as well as fasting, because your body needs to have nothing in your digestive system. That is not something your body can normally maintain, and will always come back after the procedure. You are not holding onto unnecessary water weight. This is why real weight loss can only be done by a calorie deficit.
  • lukejoycePT
    lukejoycePT Posts: 182 Member
    Absolutely you can drink. Calories need to be your main focus. But you don’t have to follow the format of x amount of a calories everyday e.g 1600 calories per day every day to lose a 1lbs a week.

    The way I do it is...

    Figure out a weekly calorie goal to lose a pound per week. E.g 3500 calories per week under maintaince. This is generally how many calories you need to burn a week to lose 1lbs of fat per week. For me it’s around 12,500 calories.

    Then I divide up my total calories over the week. So for my plan (this works for me and my size etc)

    Monday - 1500 calories
    Tuesday - 1500 calories
    Wednesday - 1500 calories
    Thursday - 1500 calories
    Friday - 2000 calories
    Saturday - 3000 calories
    Sunday - 1500 calories

    As you can see Friday and Saturday I have more calories. It means I can have wine on Friday night and “cheat meals” on a Saturday. Basically I just eat/drink what I want on a Saturday.

    I think this is far more effective than just the same calories a day because your bodies metabolism will slow down the longer you diet. If you cycle your calories it keeps your body guessing and keeps your metabolic rate going.

    Plus it gives me freedom!

    I eat this way when I am bulking too.

    ABHY7 wrote: »
    Is it possible to still drink alcohol & lose weight? Every week I would be good, eat well & walk alot. Then hit the weekend for a few drinks & back to square 1!!
    At night I crave salt so my downfall is Popcorn/ crackers/ crisps!
    Is it a total lifestyle change or am I going about this all wrong?
    Also, I had a colonoscopy last year & lost 5lbs with the prep (put it straight back on in a week).. could I be holding water weight?
    Thanks for any replies
  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
    As long as I plan for it, I am ok! I know i'll want to eat yummy food when I am drinking so I plan for it in my week, or even sometimes 2 weeks ahead. During the week, i'll add in wine here and there if I have those calories left over by the time I get to dinner. But if I am planning for something like I said, I will save any extra calories I don't need for a week or two leading up and it has seemed to all balance out for me so far. I am only 4.5 months in but for me it has this has worked.

    Alcohol is something I can moderate. I have a lot of things I can't, so I have cut those out like other's have cut out alcohol. Figure out if you can moderate, or if you can plan for it. If you can, enjoy! If you can't, probably best to learn other things you enjoy and kick it to the curb for a while.

    And remember, some things you can't moderate now you might be able to later in your journey, so it might be goodbye but only for a little while.
  • crisma1974
    crisma1974 Posts: 52 Member
    You tend to gain water weight for a day or 2 when you drink BUT alcohol does have a lot of calories especially mixed cocktails. 1.5 oz of tequilas has around 92 calories.

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