Drinking alcohol

barberella

Someone please tell me they have lost weight drinking alcohol.. I mean, they continued to drink and still lost weight....
I am not an alcoholic by any means, but it's one thing I don't want to give up. I enjoy socializing with friends, and happy hours are where a lot of us get together. However, I still stick to my diet and exercise regularly, but I"m wondering if that may be what is stopping me from losing weight...And BTW, I drink Whiskey only..

misshenn78

Girl - I totally know where you are coming from!!! I've had people tell me I have to stop drinking all together...but, come on, there are plenty of skinny girls at the bar, and I just want to be one of them! I've been just trying to add the drinks into my calories for the day, and been kicking up the working out just that much! I did do some research, and yes, whisky isn't bad, and either is wine! Good luck - I would love to see if there are more people to weigh in on this!

lushy20

how often do you drink it and do you stay within your calorie allowance?

oddyogi

Whiskey straight? I'd say as long as you don't do it too often (more than once per week), you'll be fine. Just be sure to include it in your daily calories, and eat your other meals around it--kind of like a cheat meal.

OLP76

Nope! Alcohol was the first thing to go along with weed for myself. best wishes though....xo

LFern

When you put in your tracking for foods n snacks do you include it in your tally? I add the beer I drink and include it in my daily calorie count - if I can stay below what MFP has allowed me for calories then I should still make progress....I hope!

oddyogi

Another good drink to have is vodka with club soda. Very low calorie.

Either way, alcohol will lower your metabolism if you drink too much.

stampede55

I'm a whiskey/bourbon drinker as well. It can be done, just monitor the amount. There are calories in liquor unfortunately. Roughly 69 per 1oz shot. Bars usually pour 4-5 oz shots so it can really add up. I work around this by measuring my shots before hand and filling up a flask. When beer is involved I stick to the 55 cal beer flavored water. Good luck!

clioandboy

well there is good news and bad news..................I have lost all my weight whilst drinking alcohol HOORAY FOR ME however, I lose faster for sure when I am not drinking.............. BOO HISS

I am a Jamesons girl myself and class it as my diet drink, when all restraints are off (as has just been the case) G & T and red wine and beer figure too

Cheers!

rpalacio

Vodka n tonic or Vodka n diet 7-up. I gave up BEER completely this year! You only need a few vodka drinks....a lot less calories than beer. Just saying. :-)

Sirenism

When I drink I make sure to add it to my log as well as drink an extra couple of glasses of water to help with the dehydration.

EmilyV80

I have. As long as I have the calories for it, a drink or two is fair game. For me, it is usually wine but I don't think it should matter.

Nogo

I hate to say it but I think that has been the 100% hinderance to my weight loss. I'm no alkie either but I do LOVE to drink. I'm switching from light beer to vodka/soda water. One thing that has helped me is to drink a water with my drink. Refill both at the same time and you will greatly reduce the calories. Or switch from drinking shorts to talls (assuming you are drinking diet soda or water in your whiskey).

Shayla11

Hi Barberella,

i have been in the same place as you are. i have lost weight while continuing to drink. you just write it down and count the calories while watching the nutrition intake. Alcohol turns to pure empty sugar in our bodies.
If you plan to drink, then cut back on sugar or carbs elsewhere. If you are willing, the mixer, if any can be changed to lower calories, as well.

if you're like me, the alcohol alone is not the problem, it's the bad eating choices i make when under the influence, and i am easily infuenced when it comes to bad food choices!

in the end, it is your choice... you get to make the decisions. Make informed ones and plan, plan, plan!

Good luck,
sh

Christie23

I tried this too. For so long. But, I'm not gonna lie to you... that's why I haven't met my goals since I started here. In the past 3 weeks, though, I have kept drinking to one night per week and I've been SURPASSING my goals. Sometimes, I will slip up and drink twice in a week, but I can tell the difference every single time I do that. There really is no way around it. I wish there was. But it's kind of about choosing what's more important to you at this stage in your life. If you cut calories to allow for alcohol, you are compromising your nutrition. And even when it does fit into your calories for the day, breaking down the alcohol will slow your metabolism, deydrate you, etc. It kind of undoes your hard work. I'm sure I could excel even faster if I cut out alcohol entirely, but I just don't wanna!!! :bigsmile:

Best of luck, though!

LeeKetty1176

You got to have a drink! I will not give it up! I like nothing more than a glass or two when the wife gets in. As long as you put it in your count and have been good during the day why not I say!

merrillfoster

Sure, just factor it in when you're calculating your calories for the day and don't go over. I mean, wine is a serving of fruit, right? .

Papa_Swearingen

As far as I can tell you can drink as much as you want, but at the end of the day its calories taken in vs. burned. I'm in the same boat, I love my happy hours! But the problem with drinking is that it packs a lot of calories. HArd liquor and diet soda or no calorie mixer is the best bet.

Also, the eating while drinking kills the day's calorie count too. I mean lets face it, usually happy hour leads to dinner and dinner might be deep fried pub food. Humph... its tough trying to let loose and restricted yourself at the same time.

JennaM222

I did, but i think it definately slowed down the process

gagagul

This is someting that lately I have seen that has slowed down my weight loss. During the week I do great, no alcohol can't with school and work then on fridays and saturday I want to let loose still try and stay under my calorie count and stick to mostly Vodka soda water with lime but then when you begin to have more than 1 or two it's just empty calories from there not to mention a late night taco or snack at the end of the night becuase your too tipsy to think otherwise. Soon very soon I am going to cut it out all together and see how far that takes me. I am a firm believer in still mainting a life outside diet and exerscie but I guess everything is with mediation and you can always start back up the next day and just work it off but you do definitely have to work that much harder!!! Good luck to you and to the both of us with our alcohol!!!!

HotMomma86

I have lost 13 lbs since November and have been drinking every weekend. I just make sure to keep my calories in check during the day and usually amp up my workouts once or twice a week. Everything in moderation Oh, and I only drink beer.

JayneWilson1963

I have a drink at least 2 times per week and have managed to keep losing. I make sure that I count it in my calorie limit for the day. I also exercise on those days and drink lots of water as well.

AppleBottomJeans

I'm about a week in and I've lost 4 lbs without foregoing my favorite alcoholic beverages. But, realistically, I don't think its sustainable for the long run. Alcohol slows down the metabolism...

skinnywithin

OMG I almost spit out my water reading the post about giving up the weed too...OMG I love it. Yes I would think thats a good thing to give up since it gives you the munchies...LOL too funny girls HOWEVER I have not given up my beer I just drink Mich Ultra now. ITs ok and every once in a while if I feel I need a kick start shot of vodka, less in calories...So drink up mama's!!! We cant give it all up at once .LOL

katbass

I've lost weight while drinking.....but I gained it all back. I havent had a drink since New Year's Eve (18 days but who's counting!?) and while I thought I would miss it terribly, the 6 lbs ive lost are worth it. I just know, from yo-yo-ing for so long, that alochol sabotages all the hard work I am doing to try to lose this weight. I wont cut alcohol out forever and ever, but I need to cut it out long enough to get the rest of my body back in shape. It will be worth it when I can sip tropical drinks on the beach in a bikini instead of a muumuu

doramouse

I drink - I know it slows down my progress but hey, its a choice. I log in everything I drink and eat so I don't lie to myself.

I noticed a post above that said on drinking days decrease your carb intake - that sounds smart. I might try that.

khskr1

I wish I could say that it's not a factor...but it's a HUGE factor in slowing weight loss. It's not so much the calories that make the difference, it's how the body metabolizes alcohol. I can't post links right now (I'm at work), but alcohol can slow your fat metabolization process by as much as 75% for hours after having only 1 drink!! You're body sees this foreign substance come into the body and it moves it's attention to processing the alcohol and ignores the rest of the food/stuff. It will also mess with your hormone levels which are vital to losing weight.

If you want to drink, limit it to once a week or special occasions. It will make or break your weight loss.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Phatpatty

LOL--55 calorie beer flavored water!! soooo true.... thats basically what it is!!

**When I did weight watchers u stay within ur calorie/points count most of the week but have an extra amount of points to use during the week, obviously i used them for beer.... however, i did notice I lost, just not as fast as if i werent drinking the empty calories!**** Good Luck

texasguy

God forbid life can't exist without alcohol.

I would say stop drinking for 2 months and see if the weight immediate flys off.

Then work the alochol back into your life, if the weight rises back up, then you have found your weight problem.

barberella

Thanks for all the feedback, guys! I was amazed at the results from people...
I must answer back to some questions though..Here goes: Yep, I only drink my Canadian Club/ Canadian Mist with Diet Coke. Funny how I have totally given up soda, but that is the only time I will drink it; diluted by whiskey :tongue.
And secondly: I do track the calories when I drink, and do manage to stay within my calorie intake of 1231 (according to Livestrong.com)

Again, thanks for the replies everyone. It's great to know that there are other social drinkers out there who don't wanna give up their booze!

JillyBean819

I know what you mean! I refuse to give up my drinks. Friday is near and dear to my heart because I regularly go to bars with 'Happy Hour' specials.