alcohol and your weight loss?

tabicatinthehat

I rarely drink except during football season. But when I do I just account for the calories by eating less carbs that day. My total calories stay within my goal regardless. I usually drink 3 or 4 light beers and that's it, so not a real issue for me.

Oh yeah, football. Well damn, this is gonna be a tough one.

enzosmama

I really don't drink that much anymore. Years ago when I was married my xH and I used to go through a bottle of wine a night, every night. About four years ago I wanted to lose weight in preparation of getting pregnant and cut most of my alcohol intake out then. Every now and again my GF and I will go out to a bar and have a few drinks, or I will have a drink at home, but it's not regularly. I just don't like wasting my calories on liquids :-)

sculli123

Oh yeah, football. Well damn, this is gonna be a tough one.

I just drink one per quarter and have either lunch or dinner with it depending on if it's a night or day game. I love it, we have a large group that all watch the game every week together at this bar I go to .

Jetta_C

For me, I need to give it up when I do a "reset" and try to deliberately clean up my diet. Later I can put it back in within moderation but it has a way of creeping up over time...

kbunting999

Most of the time, I can stay under my calorie limit even with beer (although my nutrition totally tanks). But, It definitely makes me retain water. I usually drink on Friday nights, so my weight will look high on Saturday and even Sunday sometimes, but be back down to normal or below by Monday.

Two things I've learned about myself. 1) If I drink so much that I get a hangover, it is very hard to stay under calories the next day (tip: one Whataburger tacquito is 450 calories!) and 2) If I drink multiple days in a row, the "water" weight will last 4 or 5 days, which really feels like a set back. So, I've tried to stop doing that.

LoneWolfRunner

According to MFP calculations, I drink about 500 calories worth of whiskey a day. Doesn't affect my weight or my running. But I drink it neat.... no soda, juice or other contaminants.

SandyBVTN

Today is 17 days without a drink. I usually drink on the weekends (beer and vodka sodas) Although I am doubtful that I can put down booze all together cold turkey, but I am going to try and consume less, and drink less often.

I have stuck to my work out and diet for (today is day 28) and I have lost 10.5 pounds since my Saturday morning weigh in. I am sure since I have stopped drinking alcohol for the past 2.5 weeks that this has contributed a little bit to my weight loss. not only is alcohol empty calories, I make horrible eating decisions when I drink (eating pizza at 1 am, or eating a bunch of chips) For the most part I can control food decisions if I have a few beers, but if I am drunk I will eat whatever.


Frankly, I am sure alcohol is most likely the main contributor to my weight today, wether it be the alcohol its self, or the decisions I have made that come a long with it.

I am really going to try as hard as I can to refrain from drinking, or take 2 weeks off after the last time I drink. It is Labor day weekend so I am most likely to have some drinks. I just need to have better control.

My story is very similar. I'm feeling pretty awesome actually, having cut waaaay back on my booze intake lately. I had a fun night and several drinks while camping with friends two weeks ago, but otherwise haven't touched it. I also believe that alcohol (and the choices I made while/after drinking - not exercising the next day for example) contributed a great deal to my weight gain to begin with.

I am starting to think about alcohol like I think about cake. I love it, it's delicious and wonderful, but I'm only going to have some when it's a special occasion and really worth it. For me, a Saturday night glass of good wine with my hubs who I've barely seen all week - worth it. Drinking just because it's Tuesday, not worth it. I'm going to a wedding next weekend and I'll definitely have cocktails, probably all three days, but I'll log them and make sure they are fairly low sugar/low cal drinks. I am sure I'll go over my calories but I'll walk a lot that weekend and will up my exercise from now until then, and for the week after.

In the past when I have done a more "crash diet" type of thing, I drank quite a bit still and ate less during the day to make up for the calorie difference. It left me feeling weak and like crap, and of course the "diet" didn't last long.

lemurcat12

I am alcoholic so I don't drink at all but I am quite confident that alcohol was one of the biggest contributors to my weight gain. I looked it up recently and just one pint of vodka was something like 1300 calories.

That's not surprising, but for me it was the opposite. I lost 60 lbs back when I was drinking to excess regularly and maintained my weight pretty easily despite the fact that I had to be consuming ridiculous numbers of calories in wine. I was really active at the time, and must have been eating less than I realized (and I was eating pretty healthy otherwise, although saying that is rather like "other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln"). I crashed and burned enough to stop exercising before I stopped drinking, but I mostly put on weight (lots) after I stopped, I think because I started misusing food as a partial replacement but also because I just felt hungrier and because it took me awhile before I wasn't scared that restricting food would end up being a pressure that would make sobriety harder.

Unfortunately, even after I moved beyond that I didn't care enough to try and get back into my healthier habits for a while, for various other life reasons.

Anyway, just my experience, probably not relevant to the OP at all.

modickson

I can completely sympathize with EVERYTHING that you are saying. I have been in a slump for quite some time due to dringing and bad food choices. I am going to start tracking everything, working out more and decreasing my alcolhol intake. Your post was encouraging. Thank you. Good for you on your weight loss. That is amazing

Rlavigne93

I drink some wine with dinner sometimes, but I had to give up drinking socially because it got hard to keep track. No one seems to mind, but I did end up being the default DD for every weekend.

Elsie_Brownraisin

Not sure.

I still drink a couple of times a week, usually a bottle of beer or a glass of white wine, or hot rum toddies in winter. I don't like spirits when mixed with diet drinks, so my drinks are higher in calories, but I drink a lot less of them than I used to.

I usually drink and eat too much when I'm miserable. Eating properly, exercising and cutting down on the booze happened at the same time for me, so I can't single it out. But I imagine it both added to the excessive calories and helped fuel the low mood that prevented me from cooking and exercising.

I like drinking though, I don't have any plans to give it up entirely.

Like other people have said though, if I'm going out with friends, I find it easy to plan my drinks calories, but often fail to factor in how weak my resolve is after a few pints and end up getting chips on the way home.

bjg2993

I drink regularly at university (socially) to an extreme point, where I would be drinking over 1000cal a night two to three times a week. Yes, it does hinder weight loss quite significantly but I made an effort to be particularly good with food when I knew I was going to be drinking on the day and the day after, and made sure I exercised at least some of it off - easy enough when you're drunk enough to think you look good dancing. I've still managed to lose 14% of my body mass since January (21lbs).

annietud

I am starting to think about alcohol like I think about cake. I love it, it's delicious and wonderful, but I'm only going to have some when it's a special occasion and really worth it. For me, a Saturday night glass of good wine with my hubs who I've barely seen all week - worth it. Drinking just because it's Tuesday, not worth it. I'm going to a wedding next weekend and I'll definitely have cocktails, probably all three days, but I'll log them and make sure they are fairly low sugar/low cal drinks. I am sure I'll go over my calories but I'll walk a lot that weekend and will up my exercise from now until then, and for the week after.

This is how I'm think I'm starting to feel. Tuesday wine isn't fun.( I didn't have any tonight) hubby away. And I already feel the same about cake. Also when there's a bottle open hubby can't leave it, I end up with more than I bargained for and the chips or cheese that goes with it.
I'm out tomorrow with gfs, I will restrict it and start reducing my 2 weekly bottles to less.
Its really good reading everyone's story and opinions.????

icrushit

I think I've been gradually drinking less and less since the heyday of college and my early twenties, thankfully acquiring better habits re: alcohol too along the way, much in line with the reduced quantities I drink. I still enjoy good beer, red wine, and of course champagne, but these days I seem to have fallen out of the habit almost entirely, which is not necessarily a bad thing for my weight loss efforts. One thing's for sure, and that is I find trying to lose weight much easier without drinking much, although I still do drink when the occasion warrants it, and when I hit my weight loss goal and enter weight maintenance, allowing for a little alcohol will definitely be part of things.

BITEME_GRRR

Calories in must be < Calories out.

Doesn't really matter unless you have a ton to lose. Still the math is the same. Count your booze calories stay active you should be fine. Everything in moderation...............

I personally count my calories and usually go over on weekends due to booze; but I limit it to that. Or try to.

Pamela040863

Hi there

I'm new to this toö.
I Like my drinks so Im gonna try working with in the kj and see how I go
Would be nice to keep in contact with other newbies for a bit
of competitiveness :-)

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Swanz21

This has always been a favorite topic on MFP. Many of us like our beverages, some like them more. I tried to have a drink or two in with my daily caloric intake but....like a lays potato chip, I can't just have one and once I start having a couple, my supper of fish gets replaced with a 5 meat pizza.
To give myself an honest shot at losing weight and getting back into shape, I have cut out drinking altogether during the week and only occasionally on the weekend and then I make sure I have gotten a really good work out in earlier in the day and and my calories are way down so I can absorb any of my undoing at the local bar and grille.

Sabine_Stroehm

I had a glass or two of wine most nights during my weight loss, and I have a glass or two of wine most nights now.

I firmly believe that if you enjoy alcohol (and don't have issues with it, or with moderating it) you should fit it in.

I am a strong believer, however, that it needs to be just another thing you ingest. I DO NOT support the notion of working out extra hard TO DRINK, or eating a light lunch TO DRINK.

For me, that sort of thinking is a recipe for disaster for the long run.

Best of luck figuring out what works for you.

sculli123

Does alcohol even fill you up? I'm glad I don't drink because those would be extra calories I'd have to throw in.

I suppose it depends on what you drink. And personally, I usually have mine with a meal. But as far as them being extra, they're not extra to me I just eat less of some other carb source that day. Either way i stick to my calories allotted for the day. But yes you're better off not drinking for the most part.

bikrchk

Yes, I do and I log it and work it into my day. I could not do it without exercise to balance it out.

aquafitted14

Well, I love red wine and my husband bought some expensive wine and I decided to google how many calories this wine had..OMG 2500 calories..ugghh I think he drink the entire bottle I was so turned off by it. I took like 3 sips. So, I rather not drink while trying to loose weight. So good luck with that one.

LanceDuvall

Booze has a negative effect and ruins most of my weeks work....I like to party on the weekends and not willing to forgo having beers and wine on Friday and Saturday.....Good all day Friday....morning and afternoon workouts and then I start hitting the beers before dinner and self control is out the window.....I usally will order out and top of the evening with Ice Cream.....Saturday pretty much the same.....a workout in the am....a long bike ride during the day and then repeat....drink, go out to eat and drink some more....Sunday I start getting back on track unless there's a BBQ or some other party.....On Monday back to a good routine and the disappointing Monday weigh in.....seeing the damage that the weekend has had.....

laurie04427

I don't have much luck drinking and trying to lose weight the same time but that's just me.

The amount I like to drink doesn't really fit into a calorie budget well lol. And the hang over the next day tends to sap my workouts.

I tend to take long breaks from drinking if I'm trying to make progress with the weight loss.

Sabine_Stroehm

Well, I love red wine and my husband bought some expensive wine and I decided to google how many calories this wine had..OMG 2500 calories..ugghh I think he drink the entire bottle I was so turned off by it. I took like 3 sips. So, I rather not drink while trying to loose weight. So good luck with that one.

Yowsa. Find another wine. My wines typically have about 120 calories a glass. 4.5 glasses per bottle.

LanceDuvall

lol...I was thinking the same thing...a bottle of wine 2,500 calories?....must be a gallon of Gallo Burgundy.

earlnabby

Most of the time I just can't find ways to work it in to my targets. I reserve alcohol for when I am with family or friends, then limiting it to one or two at the most. I have always preferred beer and wine so I choose them over higher calorie drinks like margaritas.

drepublic

I have lost weight while consuming alcohol (and counting he calories in alcohol) on weekends but I got the results of someone who consumes alcohol. When you are running deficit calories, you should really aim for the highest quality calorie possible eating more nutritionally dense foods.

My main reason for quitting is that it affected Testosterone and hindered my results. But if you are working out you will feel the affects. You might consider limiting alcohol to weekends and in moderation to start, or take a complete break for a few months to really hone in on your nutrition and get your results.

Good luck!

accelerashawn

Alcohol increases the "don't care" factor...so its not so much the alcohol that hurts your weight loss but the choices you make while under the influence.

Then again, alcohol has a shizload of calories and your body doesnt store alc calories therefore you have to burn those as soon as you injest them before your body can go back to burning fat.

Personally...i drink beer. Beer makes me bloated and causes me to carry a bunch of extra pounds...probably water and something in my intestines...dunno...but after a week of vacation and plenty of beer i came home 6lbs heavier and since i didnt drink the week i came back i dropped those 6lbs.

So i only drink like 5-6 times per year.

earlnabby