Alcohol & Weight Loss....

LaurenDanielle014

Sooo I am 23 and active, and I gave alcohol up from January 1 to February 2 (Super Bowl Sunday, had to have a drink LOL)... I am now limiting my alcohol to drinking 2 times per month because I would binge eat/drink in the past and never go to the gym and I gained a lot of weight, FAST after turning 21 because of my lifestyle... im not going to lie I love to have some drinks and unwind..... I have decided to completely stop drinking BEER, because we all know how high in calories they are and I wouldn't have just one, it would turn into 3 quickly...

Since I am young a lot of my friends like to go out, every weekend... I am still going out because I am a very social person, but I am finding it harder and harder to resist to drink. lately I have volunteered to drive because I will not have even 1 drink and drive so that keeps me from drinking, but I feel the pressure from people especially at the bar to "have some drinks, we will call a cab" ... is anyone else having these temptations, and if so how do you stay strong ? When I do have my occasional drinks I am now sticking to vodka with crystal light and club soda (80 cal per drink)....I just want to stay on track with my eating & exercising which will not happen if I drink... drinking = munching on bad food = over eating the following day and not going to the gym....

ntinney6228

I just went over this with my friend last night. I told her to do "fake shots". Like, when my friends push me to drink and order a round of tequilla. I tell the bartender to make mine fake. He/she will make you a shot of water with salt around the rim. When they do other shots like Royal Flushes or Vegas Bombs, there are juices to make it look real.
IDK if this is true, but I had an amazing personal trainer tell me once that drinking alcohol, vodka included, not only converts into glycogen and is stored as fat in the body, but also prohibits the body from burning fat too? IDK, everyone seems to have their own opinion, but I play it safe and just dont drink anything other than a glass of wine now from time to time. At least until I reach my goal weight and maintain.

VictoriaDarleneGale

Bumping for my party hard daughter lol

VelveteenArabian

Some suggestions...

-If you can't control yourself or have a hard time controlling yourself around liquor, then don't be around it.

-If you can only socialize with your friends around liquor, find new friends.

-Try changing the activities you do with your friends if you still enjoy their company outside of the bar.

-Exercise more and create a larger calorie deficit to make more room for liquor and the junk food. Not healthy but if that's how you roll, that's your business.

- There's no reason to overeat on the second day because you might have gone over on the day before. If anything, it should make you want to eat better and hit the gym harder the next day to try to make up for the day prior.

feliscatus84

If I know I am going to be drinking I make space for the calories. I also do vodka and Cherry Pomegranate Crystal Light as I try to follow a lower carb diet. I limit myself to 2 drinks and last time I even had some low carb pizza when those "drunken cravings" hit. I didn't gain any water weight the next day. I also think the Crystal Light helps because it's basically flavored water instead of something like diet coke which has a nice chunk of sodium in it.

supnicole

IDK if this is true, but I had an amazing personal trainer tell me once that drinking alcohol, vodka included, not only converts into glycogen and is stored as fat in the body, but also prohibits the body from burning fat too?

That is 100% correct. I am also 23 and (used to) binge drink a lot. I gained 30+ pounds in 4 years of college. If I go out, 1 drink ALWAYS turns into 10, so I simply don't go out any more. I have lost friends and honestly, it's for the better. I have gone out drinking 4 times in the past 3 months and I've lost about 20 pounds. It just isn't worth all of the extra calories and laziness for me anymore. It also makes going out more exciting and more social (focus more on socializing and less on shots and shotgunning) since I do it less often. Good luck!

eric_sg61

IDK if this is true, but I had an amazing personal trainer tell me once that drinking alcohol, vodka included, not only converts into glycogen and is stored as fat in the body, but also prohibits the body from burning fat too? I

There is no mechanism in the body to store alcohol as fat. It is burned off since the body views it as a poison. I drink vodka every weekend.

einstein86

I agree that it is tough to resist, especially in social situations. That crystal light trick is pretty nifty. I will have to try it sometime. Just last night a friend came over and wanted to drink but I just sipped my diet cherry pepsi and thought about how bloated I would be the next day if I drank, especially late at night. Plus I didn't know what to drink that would be low in calories and not make me feel all puffy. I woke up this morning to find that I lost a little weight as opposed to gaining a few pounds from sticking to my calorie goal for the day and resisting. It felt pretty good. Just hang in there and keep your goals in mind. Go out now and then and have a drink or two, but as long as you aren't doing it all of the time (in moderation), you should be fine. We aren't perfect, and can't eat healthy every second of every day. For example, I know that I like to have a drink or two when I hang out with friends, and my fiance and I love to eat out. So I eat as healthy as I can at home, that way when we DO go out, I don't feel guilty about enjoying myself and getting what I want.

tennisdude2004

IDK if this is true, but I had an amazing personal trainer tell me once that drinking alcohol, vodka included, not only converts into glycogen and is stored as fat in the body, but also prohibits the body from burning fat too? I

There is no mechanism in the body to store alcohol as fat. It is burned off since the body views it as a poison. I drink vodka every weekend.

Agreed the body has to deal with the alcohol first as it is viewed as a poison, which means it jumps the queue and is burned first.

My personal vice is red wine!!! Hmmm red wine.

I have looked into this quite a bit and whilst the message is none is better than some. It therefore stands to reason that some is better than lots.

If you are going to drink, try not to go for neat drinks and definitely drink on a full stomach. When the stomach is full your sphincter muscles closes and lets your stomach acids set to work on your food before passing it down the line.

If you drink on a full stomach some of the alcohol will be broken down by the stomach first.

vanguardfitness

Usually I play the designated driver card but that doesn't always fly. I've also faked drinks. Getting a small glass of water with a lime in it and those tiny red straws. Most of my co-workers are law enforcement and some of these guys are big and drink like tanks. They're a pain to go out with if you're watching you energy intake.

topazora

I wouldn't give up alcohol, but then I don't drink that much to make a difference. It was like I gave up soda to loose weight, and didn't lose weight (though, I don't drink soda anymore). If I want beer or wine, I'll make it fit into my calorie allowance. I see no reason to give it up.