drinks & dinner?

kaorusato
kaorusato Posts: 6 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
does anyone here have good tips on maintaining weight and at the same time, enjoying the occasional glass of your favourite alcoholic beverage with your meal?

Replies

  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    What are your goals?
    What is your calorie target?
    What beverage are you trying to fit in? How much and how often?
    How do those calories fit into your day or weekly allotment?


  • kaorusato
    kaorusato Posts: 6 Member
    my recommended daily calorie intake to maintain my current weight is 1300, so i reach my limit quite easily. i guess the best way is to bank the calories where i can, and stop at one glass of whatever i am drinking. usually wine.
  • oceangirl99
    oceangirl99 Posts: 161 Member
    Bank those calories and then enjoy them!
  • kaorusato
    kaorusato Posts: 6 Member
    i am 5ft 1 and 102lb. i am mostly sedentary, although i force myself to do some form of 30 minute workout 6 days a week, that ranges from yoga to hiit, but nothing extreme. i got the total calories from this app.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    kaorusato wrote: »
    i am 5ft 1 and 102lb. i am mostly sedentary, although i force myself to do some form of 30 minute workout 6 days a week, that ranges from yoga to hiit, but nothing extreme. i got the total calories from this app.

    Are you logging and eating back those exercise calories? That can often be the difference b/w having only calories to cover the basics, and a bit of a buffer to allow room for some treats. Are you sure you are really sedentary? Meaning you get less than 5,000 steps/day?

  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    kaorusato wrote: »
    i am 5ft 1 and 102lb. i am mostly sedentary, although i force myself to do some form of 30 minute workout 6 days a week, that ranges from yoga to hiit, but nothing extreme. i got the total calories from this app.

    Are you logging and eating back those exercise calories? That can often be the difference b/w having only calories to cover the basics, and a bit of a buffer to allow room for some treats. Are you sure you are really sedentary? Meaning you get less than 5,000 steps/day?

    I've seen a lot of different numbers, but based on my experience with Fitbit linked to MFP, 3500 or less steps is considered sedentary (or "not very active" on the Android app). Even on a day that I am actually sedentary (sick, for example), I will earn a few calories as long as I break 3500 by the end of the day.

    I can believe that 1300 includes 30 minutes of exercise for someone who is only 102 lbs.
  • kaorusato
    kaorusato Posts: 6 Member
    i dont have anything to track how much i walk but i would say the only meaningful exercise i get are the thirty minutes i workout. i drive to work, and am sat at my desk for most of the day, and i only walk up one floor.
  • kaorusato
    kaorusato Posts: 6 Member
    i guess if i count the amount i burn working out i could squeeze in extra.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    kaorusato wrote: »
    i guess if i count the amount i burn working out i could squeeze in extra.

    If you used MFP to get your 1300 cal target, that is excluding any exercise. So when you do work out, you are meant to log and eat back those calories.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    It's a food. I log it like food and keep it within my calorie budget. I don't drink that much. The only thing that was a challenge was dark heavy beer. I just stopped drinking those.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited February 2020
    An occasional single glass of an alcoholic beverage should not interfere with your maintenance goals. On the high end it’s 200 calories a week. Maybe a bit more if it’s a sugar loaded cocktail. It would take 4+ months to gain a pound. That can be easily offset.
    The problem for most people comes when occasional becomes frequent and glass becomes glasses. Also remember to watch your nibbling with even one glass. The extra food can add more calories than the beverage.
  • slbbw
    slbbw Posts: 329 Member
    I prioritize lower calorie alcohol that I still enjoy and can drink moderately. For me that usually means a whiskey on the rocks>small pour glass of wine> a good quality beer. I often have room for a treat at the end of the day as well. And some times my treat is chocolate and sometimes my treat is wine or whiskey.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,303 Member
    edited February 2020
    Your 1300 target comes from MFP using the Mifflin formula and is based on you caring for yourself, leaving the house and coming back, and, in general, moving less than an hour a day. It would include about 3500 steps of casual activity. A smart phone will, in general, count less steps than an all day activity tracker but could give you an indication of your activity. Both tend to under-estimate infrequent/casual small movements.

    I note that the older Harris-Benedict equations would give you a good 130 Cal a day more, i.e. a full glass of wine, almost.

    So now we have to ask ourselves whether the equations will accurately predict you.

    There is no DEFINITIVE answer to that short of trial and error. So log your calories (or eat and drink as you believe to be appropriate for you without logging if that's your cup-o-tea) and observe your weight TREND over time. Weight TREND change over more than one month. Not day to day weight change.

    There do exist good reasons to think that the Mifflin formula may not be 100% accurate in your case.

    You are relatively not tall and in addition to that you are at the very bottom of healthy BMI for your height. The Mifflin sample consists of a relatively more contemporary mix of normal weight and overweight adults which makes it more relevant to the Fitbit's and MFP's of today.

    The Harris sample included more normal weight individuals. The Harris Benedict women averaged just under 5ft 4", in height, weighed 124 on average, and had an average BMI of 21.5.

    Though I would think this to be far from a typical random sample today, it sounds closer to your stats than the Mifflin sample.
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    It's tricky when you are very small - I'm similar (about 5 foot and about 104 pounds). I probably maintain on around 15-1600 calories and I get those extra to you because I walk a fair bit and do a bit of exercise. I just log alcohol as calories, try to save a few during the week for the weekends, and drink lower calorie drinks (gin and light tonic/prosecco/vodka lime & soda).
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited February 2020
    Count your cals.

    I drink beer and wine w/almost every meal. Always have enuf cals available 2 have a glass if either at about 120 cals/glass
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    It's really no different than any other high calorie item: You plan for it (bank your calories, do an extra hard workout, pick a sensible entree if possible to pair with your drink) or deal with it (you're just not going to make progress today, oh well really enjoy your meal and move on.)

    There are lower- calorie alcohol choices (light beer, etc.) but they suck and if I'm going to have a drink it's going to be something good.

    One thing about alcohol is that it does lower your ability to say "no thank you" and stick to your plan.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    You are quite petite and certainly not overweight. Sounds like you are getting good exercise. I'm hoping you are happy and healthy. So, in general, I hope your life is good!

    As for booze: Bars don't scale drinks by the patron's body weight, but they should. The best advice is always to drink lightly or not at all. Everyone everywhere knows that this can be a challenge, yet the advice stands and we all do our best.

    I am amazed when I hear people speak about booze as though it's just the greatest invention of humankind and the end goal of every endeavor. If that's the way you feel, you got to go out and try some new things! Nothing can steamroll your health and happiness like like booze.

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  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    I try not to drink at all during the week..stick to my eating plan..and I go out to dinner once or twice on the weekends with my husband and aI have a few cocktails and eat dinner..but never order fried food or junk food..more like shrimp cocktail, fish..salad..and I do have mashed potatoes ..and a piece of bread. I lost all my weight doing this.
  • chriscox2020
    chriscox2020 Posts: 1 Member
    I am brand new here, but I REALLY enjoy a nice glass of Bourbon in the evening. I log it when I enter my first food so I'm sure I have the calories available. :wink:
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,748 Member
    One way to increase your daily calories is to exercise more. Instead of 30 minutes 3 times a week, try 4 or 5 days a week, or 45-60 minutes instead of 30. Find something you enjoy doing and want to do regularly. I walk every day and run 5 days a week, plus occasional other exercise (yoga, bike, calisthenics, etc.) so get a much larger daily calorie allowance than I would if I were truly sedentary. Thus I can enjoy beer or wine a couple of days a week, or eat ice cream or pie for dessert.

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