Alcohol affecting my progress!

jporcelli

Hi Guys,

I'm just wondering if anyone has the same issue and if they have any advice for me...

I work for a company with a lot of young professionals (20's and 30's). We all get along really well and typically on Fridays we will go out for drinks after work. I find that I'll have a few classes of wine or a vodka soda but often times that leads us to another bar and before I know it I've have four drinks (totaling over 400 calories) and then I'm starving and just want to go home and eat more than I should.

How can I go out with my colleagues and not make this mistake? Does anyone find themselves in this type of situation?

I hope this Friday night binge isn't slowing my metabolism....

879311

I love wine...love it....would have it every night....but it is true, alcohol slows down your metabolism. There is really no way around the way your body deals with alcohol......so I have limited my consumption....but not 100% HAPPY about it!
:-)

frankiesats

I'm 20 years old and I gave up drinking for 6months. Completely. It really helped me to lose the first 15lb or so!

I went out and told myself I could have a good time without it - I was still as hyper and bubbly as I would be having a drink. Why not try not drinking every other week? Or having alternate drinks - alternating with water or a diet soda?

Also - on Thursday evening why not make yourself a nice healthy salad or pasta etc. ready to eat when you get home! No temptation to pig out x

chachadiva150

Limits. You don't need to drink to hang out and have fun. Limit yourself to one drink per location. After you finish that one drink and if you think you always need a drink in your hand, order a seltzer or a diet coke or something.

sollyn

That is great advice! specially the bit about having the food ready for when you get home! Clever you.:flowerforyou:

nnylee

I gave up drinking completely except for weddings. Then I'll have a glass of wine or something.

Awkward30

I drink vodka water with lemon or lime, so it is lower calorie, but I can still be social. I also eat before I drink so that I don't drunk eat later. And if you are eating bad stuff at home, you could always not have that stuff around.

jfaure23

Frankie - great suggestions! Remind yourself why you are doing this. It sounds like the socializing is more important than your weight loss... although, that said, plenty of others have lost weight while still having alcohol. They didn't drink in excess, and they didn't binge eat with it. Look at your cals and set a reasonable goal when you go out. Like alternaying drinks, or having a 2 drink limit.

Consider telling your colleagues why you are limiting, it is likely they will be supportive. And good luck on your journey.

Jess

Fieldsy

Alcohol is the worst thing you can put in your body. I really struggled with it, because I LOVE to drink. At times I have felt like I needed to drink to have a good time.

My advice is to see if you can cut the alcohol in half. If you are really just going out to be social and not care to drink, order a ginger ale or another kind of non-alcoholic drink. People won't mind.

27Kiana

I have the same problem. My friends have a girl night every friday and i try to stay in the house instead of hanging out but i seem to always find my way over my friends house because she makes the best fuzzy navel daquiri's that i ever had. I try to not drink at all during the week and on friday's keep my calorie intake low by eating maybe salads during the day, so that i can enjoy myself later. I have been on a weight loss journey before and drank and still lost 56 pounds. I say if you feel like you wan't a drink, have it but make sure you have ate enough before hand so that you won't binge eat later.

Fieldsy

I have the same problem. My friends have a girl night every friday and i try to stay in the house instead of hanging out but i seem to always find my way over my friends house because she makes the best fuzzy navel daquiri's that i ever had. I try to not drink at all during the week and on friday's keep my calorie intake low by eating maybe salads during the day, so that i can enjoy myself later. I have been on a weight loss journey before and drank and still lost 56 pounds. I say if you feel like you wan't a drink, have it but make sure you have ate enough before hand so that you won't binge eat later.

Kinda what I do. I used to drink every day, then just on weekends....now I try to drink a little one day a week. I really struggle with it, but have been getting better! The day I do drink, it is about 6-7 drinks. I want that number to be 4-5 from here on out...

jlebert716

I am a grad student and we go out and drink most friday nights, I try to make sure I get in some activity! I ride my bike out and home (total like 6 miles) and try and get in a couple hours of dancing. I figure it all evens out

jennkess

I totally see where you are coming from, if you notice my profile pic that's a glass of rum and coke sitting next to me! Having said that you really do need to limit your intake. it super hard especially when you think of social drinking. the suggestions from everyone so far have been great,

if you are not ready to tell your friends you are trying to limit your drinks, alternate between a drink and coke with Lime, if all else reality is if you are really serious about getting healthy and you still cannot limit yourself, the answer may be to cut it out altogether for awhile until you are mentally stronger.

good luck and from someone who loves to drink, but loves my kids more it still is very very hard to limit myself. :flowerforyou:

RosieWest8

I have noticed that a 'good night out' does set me back, but like I've said before I'm not willing to cut alcohol entirely out of my diet....I love beer too much and also like to unwind every once in a while. I am lucky though, I'm the youngest person in my office by about....15 years or so. So I'm not going out for drinks every Friday. So I think maybe it's possible you will have to cut back on how often you drink (if you're going to be having 4+ drinks in one night =D).

I've started drinking flavored rum + water. It tastes like flavored water....and the only calories are from the booze, which is only about 60 something calories. And it forces you to drink water while drinking which has got to be good. So pick a flavor and try it out next time. I haven't tried it with soda water yet though...
Or, you could just alternate having an alcoholic drink and then a water, and so on and so forth.

Good luck. =D

ladyraven68

Hi Guys,

I'm just wondering if anyone has the same issue and if they have any advice for me...

I work for a company with a lot of young professionals (20's and 30's). We all get along really well and typically on Fridays we will go out for drinks after work. I find that I'll have a few classes of wine or a vodka soda but often times that leads us to another bar and before I know it I've have four drinks (totaling over 400 calories) and then I'm starving and just want to go home and eat more than I should.

How can I go out with my colleagues and not make this mistake? Does anyone find themselves in this type of situation?

I hope this Friday night binge isn't slowing my metabolism....

I drink Gin & Slimline tonic, or vodka/bacardi & diet coke for the first drink, then I alernate with just a tonic or diet coke with the same lime & ice and nobody knows the difference.

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I stopped drinking except for the rare occasion when I found out 2 alcoholic drinks affect your fat burning ability by 73%. That's where a great deal of my weight came from. I was a pretty big drinker, in both senses of the word. :ohwell: I really want to try out this theory, though! http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

Stacyanne324

The first thing I did was switch from regular beer to Yuenglng Light. I've found that I can still enjoy a beer or two or a glass of wine or two most nights and not have it affect my weight loss at all as long as I make sure that the drinks fit into my daily calorie plan. I also tend to eat a very light breakfast and lunch to save the majority of my extra calories for dinner and drinks which I enjoy. I've been steadily losing doing this.

There is one day a week I allow myself a free day and in exchange for that I stay lower calorie than I need to the other days of the week. That one day I'll drink and eat and not worry about it. It's done wonder for my weight loss journey and my mood;

Fieldsy

The first thing I did was switch from regular beer to Yuenglng Light. I've found that I can still enjoy a beer or two or a glass of wine or two most nights and not have it affect my weight loss at all as long as I make sure that the drinks fit into my daily calorie plan. I also tend to eat a very light breakfast and lunch to save the majority of my extra calories for dinner and drinks which I enjoy. I've been steadily losing doing this.

There is one day a week I allow myself a free day and in exchange for that I stay lower calorie than I need to the other days of the week. That one day I'll drink and eat and not worry about it. It's done wonder for my weight loss journey and my mood;

must be close by to me...not many people know Yuengling!

barefoot76

For me personally, the first drink sells the second. I find it almost impossible to "just have one" (the same way some people have trouble with just one cookie or just one french fry, lol).

When I was previously at my goal weight, I didn't eat perfect, but I didn't ever drink any alcohol or caffeine. Now I eat very clean, but I drink alcohol and caffeine and find that the weight is not coming off at all. I find that the real problem is like you said: alcohol lowers my inhibition to eat more, so even if I am eating healthy foods, it doesn't matter. I eat too much. I find caffeine does the same. It curbs my appetite for a little while, but once it wears off, I am starving, and I eat too much.

Anyway, I am trying to quit alcohol and caffeine. I really enjoy them, but they are wrecking my goals. Feel free to friend me if you need a buddy in quitting!

silvercanoe

bump to think about later

AmyJo54915

I completely gave up alcohol...for weight loss and medication reasons...my friends totally understand and support me :flowerforyou:

Sabine_Stroehm

I have the same problem. My friends have a girl night every friday and i try to stay in the house instead of hanging out but i seem to always find my way over my friends house because she makes the best fuzzy navel daquiri's that i ever had. I try to not drink at all during the week and on friday's keep my calorie intake low by eating maybe salads during the day, so that i can enjoy myself later. I have been on a weight loss journey before and drank and still lost 56 pounds. I say if you feel like you wan't a drink, have it but make sure you have ate enough before hand so that you won't binge eat later.

Kinda what I do. I used to drink every day, then just on weekends....now I try to drink a little one day a week. I really struggle with it, but have been getting better! The day I do drink, it is about 6-7 drinks. I want that number to be 4-5 from here on out...

When you drank daily was it 6-7 drinks?

sarahdee2007

I have limited myself to one glass of wine per week unless there is a celebration. If I drink more, I like to make sure I have burned those calories. Alcohol calories have no nutritional benefit so keep that in mind! You can always offer to be a DD if you need an "excuse" NOT to drink! Drink responsibly!

Anthonydaman

I love fruity, rum Tiki drinks(exotics), Bottom line, I just can't have them nearly as often as I did in the past

lmelangley

First, eat a little something before you go out. Even just some peanut butter on a couple of crackers. Then, order wine spritzers with club soda - that will cut way back on the calories. Lastly, try to drink just a little more slowly. Cutting back one drink per night at first, and then go for 2. Remember, you need to make a plan you can live with long term.

ExplorinLauren

I totally feel your pain. I'm a "night cap every night" type of girl lol ... I notice I am losing weight slowly... If I weren't drinking, I would probably lose it a lot faster I'm still struggling about what is more important to me, so I am not a lot of help lol.
I never drink sugary drinks or mixtures.... and just 2 days ago started upping my work outs, and eating less cals a day (but healthy filling food still!) to try to offset what I drink. I guess I will let ya know how that goes! Sorry I can't be more help!

j4nash

drink, just not alcohol. get calorie free soda with a lime. no one will notice the difference and you'll be sober at the end of the night.

almaster666

Drink a lot of water while drinking alcohol. Typically, 2 glasses of water for every alcoholic beverage. You'll pee most of the booze away and won't absorbe most of the calories.

deniseearheart

Just make Fridays your cheat night... date nights with my guy are mine I have a few drinks and eat a healthy dinner and try to eat lower calories earlier in the day

FireballStrike

I hear you! For me, it's a quality of lifestyle. I don't intend to stop drinking while I lose weight or when I hit my goal. Waaaay too many delicious brews and social fun to be had!

A calorie is a calorie, so I try to work alcohol into my daily intake. If I know I'm going out in advance, I will get a sweaty long workout and I always try to make somewhat healthy food choices...example: grilled chicken wings vs. pizza.

If it helps, there's an awesome website I use for reference: www.getdrunknotfat.com

Good luck!

JoniBologna

Drink a lot of water while drinking alcohol. Typically, 2 glasses of water for every alcoholic beverage. You'll pee most of the booze away and won't absorbe most of the calories.

I assure you this isn't the case. Try this method and then pass through a DUI checkpoint...doesn't work.

I allow myself to drink several drinks in one sitting 2-3 times a months. Yes, this typically involves some sort of drunk munchies. Admittedly, this has probably slowed me down a bit weight loss-wise. However, as time has passed and my weight has dropped, my tolerance has lowered. I have to limit myself now or I'm a drunken mess. Also, a lot of times now I skip the food because I have learned how terrible I feel when I have a regular and food hangover. You can find a balance and still lose weight!

Edited to add: Also, I have found there is no better cure for a hangover than some exercise outdoors....seriously. :drinker: