Drinking alcohol but staying within calories

ebayaddict0127

I know alcohol isn't good for you and it's empty calories, but how detrimental is it to drink alcohol and still stay within my calories? Clearly this wouldn't be a daily occurrence, but on the weekends it will probably happen.

Anyone still successful losing weight and drinking on occasion? (I'm talking more like 3 glasses of wine, not one small serving). I wanna let loose this weekend!

cactuswax

I lost weight without even trying while drinking beer regularly and eating a little ice cream most nights.. just needs to fit in your calories

I will say.. that the past few months I slacked on exercise due to the light change/work, and put on the lbs drinking and not tracking my food. Just keep on top of it!

QuietBloom

Who says alcohol isn't good for you? *confused*

ninerbuff

Just a note: Alcohol inhibits fat burning while it's still in your system. Alcohol will be the primary fuel burned until it's used up.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jayjay12345654321

Good to know, ninerbuff. I don't drink anymore, but looking back when I did, does that mean the whole "Go to Denny's at 3am and eat a big greasy meal" stuff was a terrible suggestion?

OP, it's my understanding that vodka is one of the lowest in calories and don't quote me here, but something about alcohol that has been distilled versus fermented (liquor and whiskey versus beer and wine) has less of an impact on the bathroom scale. But I can't remember why. I just know 15 years ago when I was all that and bag of skinny single chips, vodka and cranberry was the drink of choice among the ladies for reasons having to do with weight.

Don't know the science behind it, or the facts, so take it with a grain of salt ... and a twist of lime if you're doing tequila shots.

hesn92

as long as you stay in a deficit you will lose weight

SomeNights246

I live by one simple rule: Everything in moderation.

Nothing is good when consumed excessively. If you enjoy alcohol, don't deprive yourself of it. That's going to lead to failure. I drink occasionally. I've still lost weight. I have a weakness for Jack Daniels and Irish Cream. Just don't overdo it.

darkrose20

I do it a few times a month, and I'm not dead yet. Oh, and I've lost 20 lbs. Also, high five for Jack Daniels. There's a bottle on my counter calling my name.

Also, there is a website dedicated to the calories (by brand, no less) of one serving of alcohol...something like skinnydrunk.com. Grr....now I have to look it up...one sec...

www.getdrunknotfat.com

For those of us who like to know in advance how much of a "bender" we can go on. Cheers! :drinker:

poedunk65

yes:drinker:

vijaynarayanan

I drink once a week, 8 shots of whiskey and weight and cardio train rest of the week.

My trick is I drink on a Thursday, burn out 550 cal on cardio the next day to balance. Also I try not to overshoot calories grossly and stick to scotch or vodka with no cal chasers. Dry wine is fine too.

Vy

TeishaMitchell

I did a restart on mfp January first. But really I have been at this for over a year. I lost ten pounds so far since my restart. 25 days! And guess what. I have drank every weekend. Anything from beer to margaritas to bloody Mary's. And the countless shots. I play darts at a bar every Saturday. If I buy my own drinks I usually do cherry uv and diet Pepsi. It's under 100 calories. But if someone is going to buy me beer and shots I won't turn it down. You can lose living life. I do try to burn a little more calories Saturday or the Sunday after. But nothing crazy. Maybe an extra ten or fifteen on the elliptical:)

angelbabies89

Let me start off by saying yumm coronas. .my fav! lol but i think you can give yourself a day of drinking one day on the weekend u owe to yourself if you been on mfpal all week. working hard doing your calorie intake. .my opinion some ppl dont believe in days off. .but go for it just dont drink & drive lol

ChrisM8971

I probably drink too much, most nights in fact, although I have cut down from where I used to be. I have lost weight consistently through being in calorie deficit even after consuming the alcohol.

My main concern with the drinking is that it may be the reason why my BF% is not falling as fast as I would like (or it might be my lack of exercise)

My view on drinking? I have stopped smoking, I am tackling my weight issue and yes I do need to cut back on my drinking but one thing at a time

lambchoplewis

I agree that your body used the alcohol before burning any food you eat. This is just physiology. I know all the " a calorie is a calorie" but I would rather burn fat . The other issue is the lack in inhibition and eating more food than u planned. I stopped for a while and lost weight. When I started again, on came the weight. I think each person is different.

fxg20

If I'm drinking a lot I log it and then exercise off my overage over the next week. It keeps you under your deficit and acts as a deterrent to overindulge on alcohol. (leverage your laziness, lol)

I love the stuff, but beyond just calories excessive consumption of alcohol is really bad for the body. Moderate drinking for the win.

avskk

I drink like a fish and I lose consistently. I make sure it's in my calorie goals (usually -- sometimes I blow it and DGAF) and then just carry on.

PS: If you're staying within your calorie goals (which include a deficit from TDEE), it doesn't really matter if your body "burns the alcohol first." It's still few enough calories that you will be burning them all, plus some more (which is your deficit). I don't see the point in worrying which exact calories burn first as long as I'm creating a deficit.

Jordan_Gregers

After tracking my calories for almost a month I figured out that I have drank 11,944 calories through alcohol. Most days I stay under my calorie goal, some days I go over by about 2 or 300, on a weekend piss-up I go over by about 1000.

That being said I've lost 15 pounds in about the same amount of time...

I am really, really concerned about it... 12,000 calories in 22 weeks is ridiculous. It works out to 542 calories PER DAY. On the days when I meet or am under my 1400 calorie goal, I am robbing my body of nutrition that I would get through eating actual food. On days when I go over I am needlessly not losing weight simply because of drinking.

I wake up every morning thinking "not gonna drink today" and then by 6pm I have a glass of Whiskey in my hand.

This post is starting to sound like a cry for help... LOL. But in a way I'm dieting so that I can keep drinking... which is ridiculous.

I was wondering how I gained 50-60 pounds in a few years... after tracking alcohol calories now I know.

rassha01

Just a note: Alcohol inhibits fat burning while it's still in your system. Alcohol will be the primary fuel burned until it's used up.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

My experience is that if I drink alcohol (3-6 servings) more than twice a week I do not lose weight that week. 1-2x a week and I will just fine.

cwolfman13

I lost most of my weight drinking more than moderately. that said, I've found that to lean out anymore than about 19/20% BF I've had to cut way back regardless of whether I fit it into my calorie goals or not.

michael300891

7kcal/g of ethanol. 25ml shot of vodka is about 100kcal. Often referred to as empty calories because it is entirely energy that a large proportion will get turned into fat. On top of the ethanol you get plenty of sugars with beer cider and wine. So yeh its bad...

But lets be honest, we all drink!

If your going to drink focus on optimising your recovery so you can make up for it the next day. Plenty of water after the sesh and if you can get some protein down you. Then get an extra cardio blast in the next day problem solved.

ladyliz25

You're a savior!!!! Using this site!!!!!

Brianna032015

Love the www.getdrunknotfat.com website!! My fiance and I drink about two or three bottles of wine per week, and always at least one bottle of champagne on the weekend. I can't give it up, so I"m glad to know that others are also sticking with alcohol! We can lose weight and still have fun!! :drinker:

ebayaddict0127

After tracking my calories for almost a month I figured out that I have drank 11,944 calories through alcohol. Most days I stay under my calorie goal, some days I go over by about 2 or 300, on a weekend piss-up I go over by about 1000.

That being said I've lost 15 pounds in about the same amount of time...

I am really, really concerned about it... 12,000 calories in 22 weeks is ridiculous. It works out to 542 calories PER DAY. On the days when I meet or am under my 1400 calorie goal, I am robbing my body of nutrition that I would get through eating actual food. On days when I go over I am needlessly not losing weight simply because of drinking.

I wake up every morning thinking "not gonna drink today" and then by 6pm I have a glass of Whiskey in my hand.

This post is starting to sound like a cry for help... LOL. But in a way I'm dieting so that I can keep drinking... which is ridiculous.

I was wondering how I gained 50-60 pounds in a few years... after tracking alcohol calories now I know.

I went from drinking an entire bottle of wine a night to only drinking on Saturdays (and didn't even drink this weekend). If you think you drink too much, you can cut down. I never thought I could, but here I am!