drinking?

gibsy

I'm not a big drinker (of alcohol that is) but every now and again, maybe once a week max, I'm gonna go out and have a few drinks with friends. These obviously make a huge dent in your calorie quota for the day, so how do you deal with that? Not eating food to make space for the alcohol is clearly a terrible idea. Do you just consider a pub night a cheat night, or what?

I've switched from beer to either cider (which isn't much lower in calories, but it doesn't leave me feeling groggy and bloated) or a mixed drink such as gin and orange juice. Even still, it does make a dent. I'd like to hear from other people, what your strategies are, how drinking fits into your calorie counting.

jg627

I haven't had any beer in a little while, but I didn't have a problem fitting it into my calories. I don't drink to the point of getting sloshed though. I usually have one or two and I'm done. I don't drink poopy beer just to save calories though. If I do have a beer, it's gonna be something worth it, like a Dragonmead Final Absolution. Thumbs up to those belgian monks.
By the way, I don't know the calories on Final Absolution, but I'm sure it's not less than 300.

andym269

I had to stop drinking altogether... I used to drink almost every night and then on weekends I'd go out and get drunk lol... When I started dieting I would go out once a week and allow myself a "cheat day" where I would drink a lot... However I noticed that my weight loss started to slow down so I made the choice to just stop drinking for the time being...

pmanpdx

"I'm gonna go out and have a few drinks with friends. These obviously make a huge dent in your calorie quota for the day, so how do you deal with that?"

I look at it like this: A calorie consumed is a calorie consumed.

If I decide to consume 600 calories of Hard Cider (about 3 12oz bottles), :drinker: then I would eliminate 600 calories consumed some other way to meet my goals. I deal with it by deciding which 600 calories I want more: the 600 calories I can get from food/beverages that contain nuitrients my body needs, or the 600 calories that doesn't contain any nutrients, but does contain somthing to tax my liver & brain.

btw, have you ever considered calling a "Cheat Night" a "Failure Night"? For me, it would help me realize I was NOT "getting away with something", but rather DEPRIVING myself of something -- reaching my goal.

DanaDark

I look at the calories. While alcohol has roughly 7 calories per gram, it actually accounts for only a minor portion of the calories in a drink.

A standard mixed drink of vodka for example will have 100 calories from the vodka (high estimate) and MANY more from whatever you mix it with.

So, if you have something like a blueberry press (Blueberry vodka + soda water) you'll have a low calorie drink.

I wouldn't say starve yourself before hand or anything, but go ahead and try to cut a few extra calories that day and keep track of the number of drinks you take. Maybe drop 200 calories that day by eating even healthier than normal, and offset with 2 drinks.

As well, if you don't go out very often anyway, then ignore it. You weight loss goals are not determined by a single day.

gibsy

btw, have you ever considered calling a "Cheat Night" a "Failure Night"? For me, it would help me realize I was NOT "getting away with something", but rather DEPRIVING myself of something -- reaching my goal.

Nah, I'd rather not think of it as a "failure" night. I'm not gonna kill myself for letting loose once in awhile (believe me, I'm uptight and self-critical enough as it is. Bringing "failure" into it is not a psychologically healthy option for me.) "Having a few" for me is usually having 2 tallboys of strongbow, or if I'm getting wild, 2 or 3 double gin and OJs, maybe once a week, more like twice a month. It's hardly a failure to go out and enjoy the company of friends and tip a couple hundred over your deficit calorie goal once in awhile, assuming it's not every day. I mean yeah you probably don't want to think of it as "getting away with something" either. Maybe cheat night isn't the best term. Maybe just "break night" or "whatever, this cider is gonna put me over my limit today but that's OK in light of the week as a whole" is better. The notion of getting away with something implied in the word cheat is maybe kind of ridiculous.

I'm mainly just wondering how other people who like the odd social drink balance it out in their usual planning, if a single day matters to you, or if you just make up the difference in the long run.

Mels707

Well I don't drink much anymore (the hazards of two kids haha), but I do like to go out to an amazing restaurant every couple weeks. I don't go crazy with the menu, but I also don't track carefully what I eat there...and I definitely have wine! IMO its kind of the same thing. It's really important to have fun and live a little...I just keep this in mind and am realistic about it (slightly) slowing weight loss in the long run.