Alcohol

Lunaluna01

Hi all, I'm new to MFP have had years of dieting but hopefully doing it slowly will work for keeping it off this time.

Anyway I have a question.....is it ok if the calories average out over the week, i.e. can I save up calories throughout the week so that I can have a few glasses of wine at the weekend?

tonynguyen75

Generally, yes. But make sure your daily calories aren't too low in efforts of binge drinking.

fpelletier

Hi & welcome, I can't really say what you should or shouldn't do, if it were me though, I'd just work it into my daily calories by doing some exercises I don't eat perfectly and I don't deprive myself of anything, I just make it fit in. Good luck on your journey!

ChrisM8971

I tend to use exercise calories on the day to allow for a drink or two rather than save up during the week

And if you enjoy a glass of wine or two at the weekend then giving them up may make your new eating habits far less sustainable

aelphabawest

So, I drink usually a glass of wine or a bottle of cider most days. Some days I have more, but I do this with the awareness that I will not likely lose weight that week. When I did my Big-Weight-Loss (60lbs) I noticed that when I drank more than a glass, I did not lose. I might not gain, but I did not lose. It messes with your metabolism a lot.

That being said, some weeks are worth being zero sum re weight loss in the name of wine.

GuyDSwain

I agree with Chris. I too like a glass or five of wine at the weekend. I tried to save some space for those Friday / Saturday glasses, but it isn't too efficient, so I tend to exercise more to make some extra room. Not only do I feel better, I seem to drink a little less, and I feel as though I have earned that little luxury.

Dragonflag07

Like the other poster said, don't deprive yourself of anything - the sense of deprivation works against you in the long run.

Personally after three years of training hard all week and having a few beers at the weekend, i quit the booze. I was fed up with 5 steps forward and 2 back. Just a personal thing but when I was drinking i was more likely to eat crap and the next days training and diet often suffered. Might be an idea to take a break from the drink for a month to really find your feet then see where it goes from there.

Showcase_Brodown

As with anything, work it in with your calorie goal. There's nothing wrong with thinking about total calories for the week and leaving room for more calories on certain days.

It messes with your metabolism a lot.

No.

Jill_with_a_G

I'd personally rather eat those calories instead of drink them!

aelphabawest

It messes with your metabolism a lot.

No.

First off, I was speaking from personal experience and observation. So maybe I should have said "it messes with my metabolism a lot."

Secondly:

"Drinkers were less likely to have major weight gain or loss (gaining or losing ≥10 kg) than were nondrinkers." (e.g., http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/140/10/912.short )

Or, in the world of not-medical journals:

"That may not be such a big deal if you rarely drink, but if you enjoy a few cocktails every day or even several times a week, it could dramatically slow down your weight loss." http://www.fitwatch.com/weight-loss/why-alcohol-can-prevent-you-from-losing-weight-3349.html

"Research has shown a 20% increase in calories consumed at a meal when alcohol was consumed before the meal. There was a total caloric increase of 33% when the calories from the alcohol were added." http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_nutrition/page3.htm#weight

"Because your body can't store alcohol and must metabolize it right away, other metabolic processes suffer. Your body won't metabolize sugars and fats as efficiently during the metabolism of alcohol, and drinking heavily can cause your metabolism to slow. This can contribute to weight gain, as can the empty calories found in alcohol." http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/how-alcohol-affects-metabolism.html#b

All I was saying was: Drink. Go ahead and enjoy it. Just be aware of what it does to your caloric count & your metabolism.

leslielrd12

Yeah I try to keep up with exercise and only drink 1 night usually. But I also work 1 weekend day as a waitress for a breakfast diner and don't factor in the calories I burn there, so I feel that gives me some breathing room.

Laurenmp16

I drink a couple of times a week and am still losing. I normally will exercise extra that day to alot for the calories. Most of the time I have room within that day's calories rather than trying to save up over the week. I try to have as many healthy choice days as I can, then make up for the drink days with exercise.

Club soda and vodka are your friend! Add a splash of cran if you don't like the flavor, or squeeze in lots of lime. Good luck! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

sweet_blasphemy

Personally, I have. Last week in fact, it was my birthday so I knew I was going to want to get a little silly. The few days leading up to it, I pulled back on cals a bit and spent a little extra time at the gym each day. Day of, had a puny breakfast and measly lunch and did a ton of walking on the beach & boardwalk in the hot sun. Had a pint and and then some of rum, (mildly regretted it the next day ) AND dinner at P.F. Chang's AND a mini vegan cheesecake and this week I'm down 3lbs. So I'd say it works for me... for now.

imhungry2012

I had a free nutritionist consultation today at work and I told her I only drink on weekends and told her generally what I eat daily. She told me I should stop drinking all together and that I was eating too much protein!

So I punched her, ate some chicken and pounded a beer. jk. But she seriously did tell me that.

My opinion is if it is not interferring/hindering your goals...drink up and make sure you are still getting enough nutrients on the days you are "saving" the calories.

_Waffle_

is it ok if the calories average out over the week, i.e. can I save up calories throughout the week so that I can have a few glasses of wine at the weekend?

Yes. I typically try to hit goal each day but if you're hitting your weekly goal with an up and down each day you should still be able to lose. There's nothing wrong with banking a few calories for some weekend fun. Just make sure you're logging your weekend fun correctly.

jetlag

I had a free nutritionist consultation today at work and I told her I only drink on weekends and told her generally what I eat daily. She told me I should stop drinking all together and that I was eating too much protein!

So I punched her, ate some chicken and pounded a beer. jk. But she seriously did tell me that.

Marry me (I'm sure well find somewhere where it's legal)

Maisylouise2

HAH!

depjo01

I have a one glass of wine every night with dinner. It works for me.

jclark0523

It does slow down your metabolism. Because alcohol is nothing but empty calories, your body's response when drinking it is to put all else aside and just work on getting it out of your system. With that being said, i don't think you have to quit drinking completely to have successful weight loss, but you need to go into it knowing it will definitely slow things down. I did a lot of research on this and was not happy to learn this cause I love my beer!

maryhitt

See this:

http://www.builtlean.com/2012/11/26/alcohol-weight-loss/

joyincincy

Like the other poster said, don't deprive yourself of anything - the sense of deprivation works against you in the long run.

Personally after three years of training hard all week and having a few beers at the weekend, i quit the booze. I was fed up with 5 steps forward and 2 back. Just a personal thing but when I was drinking i was more likely to eat crap and the next days training and diet often suffered. Might be an idea to take a break from the drink for a month to really find your feet then see where it goes from there.

This, for me anyway. I am beginning to realize that alcohol for me (most likely related to racial background) is not a smart move for me when addressing weight issues. In my case, it is like 2 steps forward and 5 back - not good. BTW - I love wine, any alcohol really, so this is not an attempt to sway people into not drinking, just my personal experience.

Good luck to you OP!

Keiras_Mom

I have drinks, often several at a sitting, and it hasn't negatively impacted my loss at all. When I'm not actively trying to lose, I have at least a couple of glasses of wine per night, or a couple of cocktails, but I always figure in the calories. In weight loss mode, I tend to do alternate day fasting, so I'll have very low calories one day and normal calories the next. Cocktails are never a part of my fasting days, but are almost always a part of my eating days. :drinker:

Lunaluna01

Wow, thanks everyone for all your replies!! Kept searching and didn't think there were any then saw hundreds!!

Interesting stuff about alcohol slowing down metabolism, mine seems to be at a snails pace as it is!

I think I will give my bottle of wine a miss this weekend as I'm still getting into it and then see how I get on from there. Deprivation is never good for too long so will do extra exercise when I do finally give in and swap the wine for vodka and diet coke.

I've got 12lbs to loose, been trying to loose it for the last 3 years. Came off with the Dukan but eventually went back on again. Have always gone for the quickest route but am quite excited to do it properly, slowly and hopefully it will come off and stay off.

Thanks guys :happy:

redladywitch

I will have wine or beer on occasion. I don't think there is anything wrong with banking calories. I did that for a BBQ a while back and still lost weight.

I don't think you should cut your calories too low. Be careful if you're doing that.

JuantonBliss

Hi & welcome, I can't really say what you should or shouldn't do, if it were me though, I'd just work it into my daily calories by doing some exercises I don't eat perfectly and I don't deprive myself of anything, I just make it fit in. Good luck on your journey!

^^^^^^ This is what I normally do. However, that never works out when I drink with my friends lol

camila_scl

This is what I do....

I try to save some calories (I don't succed all the time though), when I exercise I don't eat those calories back and save them for the day I plan to go out (friday or saturday) and also the day I go out I try to exercise a little more and I eat at mantainance that day.

Example: I eat 1200 every day except saturday, which I eat at mantainance at 1700.
During the week and that saturday I save 500 calories of exercise.

I eat 1700+500=2200 that day.

Also, if I drink too much I don't eat much the next day because of the hang over LOL

So at the end for me it's like I eat at a calorie deficit 6 days a week and 1 day I eat right at mantainance.

randomtai

*shrug* I drink a lot of margaritas.... I lost 22 lbs no problems.. :drinker:

crose0056

I think I finally have this all figured out. I have my daily activity set for sedentary and eat 1200 calories daily. I get out and walk for 30 minutes 5 days a week. I have consistently lost weight almost on a weekly basis. I read an article here where they talked about alcohol and am a believer in a calorie is a calorie. I eat a balanced 3 meals a day a snack and always ice cream for desert. Now I have added a good brand cocktail to my meal plans. The good stuff doesn't have the fillers that make you fat. I got my information on alcohol from a site called "get drunk not fat". My drink of choice is Bacardi gold rum with only 98 calories for 1 shot which is 1 & 1/2 oz. I love all the wisdom everyone has here, thanks and keep them coming in.

WestCoastWild

I ended up having to give up beer altogether (wwwaaaahhhhh), since I always end up drinking way too many calories. A glass of wine, or a conscientiously mixed drink have never been a problem for me, though, as long as they fit within my goal for the day!

CarynMacD

It does slow down your metabolism. Because alcohol is nothing but empty calories, your body's response when drinking it is to put all else aside and just work on getting it out of your system. With that being said, i don't think you have to quit drinking completely to have successful weight loss, but you need to go into it knowing it will definitely slow things down. I did a lot of research on this and was not happy to learn this cause I love my beer!

Me toooooooo!!!!! I looooove my Beer. I drink low alcohol beer but it still contains approx 95 calories per bottle. Do you think drinking low alcohol beer interferes LESS with one's metabolism?

Lunaluna01

Hi all, just thought I would give an update. I am now into my 3rd week of no alcohol and this really seems to have made a difference.

Although before I was counting my alcohol in my calorie intake I really do think it was messing with my metabolism. I think this has been the problem with me for the last 3 years trying to loose weight; good all week diet and exercise wise and then a bottle or so of wine at the weekend and it takes me all week again to recover just to do it all over again and get nowhere. I had 12lbs to loose and am 5lb's down at the moment, which I am over the moon about, feel great. :happy:

I still have 6lbs to go and have social events for the next 3 weekends but I think I will definitely approach them with a different frame of mind and one eye on my glass!

Thanks for everyone's support and advice.