Alcohol & Weight?

Jesus, 1 Mike's Hard Lemonade is 200 calories. After four of them it adds up to more than half my daily goal.
Does it end up really affecting your weight? will it affect my weightloss if i drink 2-3 times a week of significant alcohol?

I know a calorie is a calorie, but some liquors go right through you. Idk maaan. :P I just wanna have fun, but I don't wanna get fat because of it! And I'll never ever understand those people that drink ALL the time, and stay super thin. o.O
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Replies

  • TiredMom12
    TiredMom12 Posts: 78 Member
    bump b/c I would like to know the answer to this too.
  • Uuuhlexis
    Uuuhlexis Posts: 90 Member
    Unless you drink until you puke every night, it counts. I gained 50lbs drinking like a college student (cause I am) 3-4 times a week. Stick to clear liquor and diet soda if you can!
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Don't fool yourself, it counts! Unfortunately moderation applies to alcohol too:drinker:
  • deadbambi
    deadbambi Posts: 368
    Unless you drink until you puke every night, it counts. I gained 50lbs drinking like a college student (cause I am) 3-4 times a week. Stick to clear liquor and diet soda if you can!

    ugh, too bad i can't STAND clear liquor. :P I'd rather come home from work and have a few mikes than anything. spose i'll just have to work out extra and eat very little on the days i want to drink :P
  • Maybe add an extra workout? Cut out a snack or a sweet somewhere to get the extra calories? Or just stick with one or two.

    I only drink when camping and even then I won't have more than 2 of anything.
  • Uuuhlexis
    Uuuhlexis Posts: 90 Member
    Unless you drink until you puke every night, it counts. I gained 50lbs drinking like a college student (cause I am) 3-4 times a week. Stick to clear liquor and diet soda if you can!

    ugh, too bad i can't STAND clear liquor. :P I'd rather come home from work and have a few mikes than anything. spose i'll just have to work out extra and eat very little on the days i want to drink :P

    I'm not a fan of liquor myself. I'd prefer to down a whole bottle of wine 4x a week. But if I want to lose weight that's a no go :(
  • deadbambi
    deadbambi Posts: 368
    Unless you drink until you puke every night, it counts. I gained 50lbs drinking like a college student (cause I am) 3-4 times a week. Stick to clear liquor and diet soda if you can!

    ugh, too bad i can't STAND clear liquor. :P I'd rather come home from work and have a few mikes than anything. spose i'll just have to work out extra and eat very little on the days i want to drink :P

    I'm not a fan of liquor myself. I'd prefer to down a whole bottle of wine 4x a week. But if I want to lose weight that's a no go :(

    I can't even do wine! lol, I'm not a fan of liquor unless it's sweet, full of sugar, and the taste of it is masked. Which sucks. because those are the 200+ calorie drinks. :P
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    I switched from Mikes to liquor and diet soda a long while back. Most are about 60 calories an ounce and you can drink a pint for less calories then a 6 pack of Mikes.
  • sarahharmintx
    sarahharmintx Posts: 868 Member
    If I drink even one night a week, I gain. One shot of jager is 103 calories and I can never have just one.
  • m0mofw4r
    m0mofw4r Posts: 74 Member
    Unless you drink until you puke every night, it counts. I gained 50lbs drinking like a college student (cause I am) 3-4 times a week. Stick to clear liquor and diet soda if you can!

    ugh, too bad i can't STAND clear liquor. :P I'd rather come home from work and have a few mikes than anything. spose i'll just have to work out extra and eat very little on the days i want to drink :P

    Yup, I do vodka and diet cherry 7up. So we're just going to have to consider them extra calories and work em off. Lame. Even those super light beers add up after a while :(
  • dmg4867
    dmg4867 Posts: 14 Member
    Alcohol, especially the super sweetened kind, beers, etc. can really ruin your fat loss goals.

    If you want to keep your calories down, try drinking straight liquor (on the rocks, shots, whatever), or mixing with diet soda.
    Just don't go too crazy! Check the calorie content of various liquors on MFP.

    Alternatively, you can drink whatever you want and just run 10 miles a day to make up for it - lol.
  • DaveyGravy
    DaveyGravy Posts: 283 Member
    Someone once said to me..."you never see a fat alcoholic, do you?"

    Lol, the dude had a point!
  • If you want to keep your calories down, try drinking straight liquor (on the rocks, shots, whatever), or mixing with diet soda.
    Just don't go too crazy! Check the calorie content of various liquors on MFP.

    One of my friends grandfather's makes a wicked good orange creamsicle with diet orange soda and vanilla vodka!
  • ninakir88
    ninakir88 Posts: 292 Member
    Someone once said to me..."you never see a fat alcoholic, do you?"

    Lol, the dude had a point!

    I do all the time, lol.

    When I am out I'm usually do a vodka tonic with lime juice, bacardi with diet, or a standard light beer. I noticed the more simple the drink is, the less calories it will have. Moderation.
  • katm427
    katm427 Posts: 227 Member
    You could try cutting your drinking nights down to one night a week. Especially as a college student, it's fun to go out and not pay attention to exactly what you're putting in your body. Work out extra, and don't slack off on food or exercise the following day because you're hungover. My one friend, who has lost over eighty pounds, tries to burn off 1,000 calories on the day after drinking - split up throughout the day, of course. It helps offset the immediate damage that may occur.

    Don't have a cheat meal that week, either, if you're into that sort of thing.
  • Elainejk21
    Elainejk21 Posts: 121 Member
    YES alcohol counts! If anything, it leads to worse decision making later (i.e. oh look there's a food truck outside, let's get pizza/gyros/takeout/etc.)
    I started limiting my alcohol consumption when I realized it was doing most of the damage to my calorie intake. I now limit my drinks and have either corona light (99 cal) or grey goose with soda water and two limes/lemon wedges (70 cal) when I go out. It works.
  • Uuuhlexis
    Uuuhlexis Posts: 90 Member
    Unless you drink until you puke every night, it counts. I gained 50lbs drinking like a college student (cause I am) 3-4 times a week. Stick to clear liquor and diet soda if you can!

    ugh, too bad i can't STAND clear liquor. :P I'd rather come home from work and have a few mikes than anything. spose i'll just have to work out extra and eat very little on the days i want to drink :P

    I'm not a fan of liquor myself. I'd prefer to down a whole bottle of wine 4x a week. But if I want to lose weight that's a no go :(

    I can't even do wine! lol, I'm not a fan of liquor unless it's sweet, full of sugar, and the taste of it is masked. Which sucks. because those are the 200+ calorie drinks. :P

    Try vodka, diet sprite and lime juice..and make sure it's full of ice!

    Anyone know how many calories are in a kamikaze?
  • thewang
    thewang Posts: 71 Member
    Unless you drink until you puke every night, it counts. I gained 50lbs drinking like a college student (cause I am) 3-4 times a week. Stick to clear liquor and diet soda if you can!

    ugh, too bad i can't STAND clear liquor. :P I'd rather come home from work and have a few mikes than anything. spose i'll just have to work out extra and eat very little on the days i want to drink :P

    I'm not a fan of liquor myself. I'd prefer to down a whole bottle of wine 4x a week. But if I want to lose weight that's a no go :(

    I can't even do wine! lol, I'm not a fan of liquor unless it's sweet, full of sugar, and the taste of it is masked. Which sucks. because those are the 200+ calorie drinks. :P

    Try flavored vodka and diet 7 then... I personally hate fruity booze. I stick to vodka and diet 7 if I decide to drink, maybe some red wine. I've had to really limit my favorite which is dark beer.
  • I love to drink Mikes too! There are some "Mikes Super Hard" lemonades you can get in a tall-boy can.... one of those gets me pretty messed up (I usually have 3-4 12 oz regular ones). They are still bad for you, but there is more booze so you can drink a little less of the sugary drink part... You can also get crystal light drink mix powder that is lemonade flavored and mix it with vodka, it doesn't taste quite the same but it is pretty good!
  • Uuuhlexis
    Uuuhlexis Posts: 90 Member
    YES alcohol counts! If anything, it leads to worse decision making later (i.e. oh look there's a food truck outside, let's get pizza/gyros/takeout/etc.)

    haha yesss! I did that the other night, I was like "cheese sammach? YES PLEASE" I get really bad drunchies. Plus when I'm hung over I feel like my stomach is a black hole that can only be filled with junk food.
    Needless to say, I'm DDing tonight.
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    Alcohol has been my biggest impediment to weight loss. I LOVE my wine and beer, and tequila shots are kind of a thing at happy hours. Even if I account for the calories, I still have problems because of how alcohol affects your metabolic process. Your body has to deal with the alcohol before it can work on breaking down everything else you consume. And then there's the tendency to start munching on things when you drink too much...

    Just be smart and pay attention to how your body reacts when you drink X amount in a given night, and adjust your intake accordingly.
  • deadbambi
    deadbambi Posts: 368
    If you want to keep your calories down, try drinking straight liquor (on the rocks, shots, whatever), or mixing with diet soda.
    Just don't go too crazy! Check the calorie content of various liquors on MFP.

    One of my friends grandfather's makes a wicked good orange creamsicle with diet orange soda and vanilla vodka!

    Oh my god that sounds so good.
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
    Doesn't MIke's make a light version now? Less cals/sugar? You could drink vodka with crystal light lemonade....
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    Drink mikes hard LIGHT lemonade, they have only 100 cal. In general though yes alcohol will pack on the lbs. I myself have gained many lbs by consuming a few too many a bit too of and it came to a point when I decided it just wasnt worth it anymore.
  • You could drink vodka with crystal light lemonade....

    Now that's a great idea for the surplus of those individual powder drink things I have at home.
  • jilliew
    jilliew Posts: 255 Member
    First, I know several fat alcoholics. Not to mention that skinny doesn't always equal healthy.

    Second, if you're drinking booze that doesn't taste like booze I'm guessing you're just drinking to get drunk? In which case you probably need to decide what is more important to you; getting drunk or loosing weight.

    I had to give up alcohol almost completely, because it totally stalled my weight loss every time I drank. Now I only drink on special occasions - and going out to have fun on the weekend doesn't count as "special." I maybe drink once every other month. If I go out with my friends, I might have one drink if my calories allow it, but then I stick to water. I can have fun out dancing or playing pool without the buzz. Incidently, I also had to give up Coke, bread, pasta, sugar, coffee (because I can't drink it black), and many, many other yummy things I used to eat.

    It's just a matter of priorities.
  • deadbambi
    deadbambi Posts: 368
    Drink mikes hard LIGHT lemonade, they have only 100 cal. In general though yes alcohol will pack on the lbs. I myself have gained many lbs by consuming a few too many a bit too of and it came to a point when I decided it just wasnt worth it anymore.

    i'm worried it won't taste as good LOL. so far i think i'll just let myself have an Alcohol cheat day, instead of a food cheat day. and work off loads of calories the next day, or the day prior. Idk man this is lame, i hate weightloss. xD
  • Uuuhlexis
    Uuuhlexis Posts: 90 Member
    I don't think a diet (or life style change) is going to stick if you have to give up the things you really enjoy. You should take a break for a bit, and then when you start drinking again, you'll have a lower tolerance and won't have to consume as many calories to get drunk ;)
  • deadbambi
    deadbambi Posts: 368
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  • smiley245
    smiley245 Posts: 420 Member

    Anyone know how many calories are in a kamikaze?

    There are 178 calories in 1 cocktail of Kamikaze.
    about 100 in a 1.5oz shot
    Calorie breakdown: 2% fat, 97% carbs, 1% protein

    Ahhh FML A margarita has about 740.....

    Mikes makes a Light version. Ive had it, its pretty good with lots of ice :)