Vodka

rjacob1214

My partner and like to indulge in a night of drinking here and there. I suppose it could be categorized as binge drinking, as I don't drink 6 nights out of the week, and that one night, will have 4-6 vodka sodas, depending on where the night takes us. We have a great time, loosen up, hang out with friends, take a cab home and that's that.

I'm facing a few problems, the first being: the calories in said drinks. I don't want to give these nights up, and also find if I restrict calories on these days, it can lead to some "issues" (puking). I know a lot of people on the weight loss journey give up alcoholic beverages altogether, but where's the fun in that? The second issue: insatiable hangover hunger and lack of motivation to work out.

Does anyone else chose to drink while dieting, and if so, do you experience this?

Do I just need to bite the bullet and give it up?

Also, I'm new to the community and if you want to be my friend, well, I wouldn't mind that at all.

Rachel

SammyLou28

My partner and like to indulge in a night of drinking here and there. I suppose it could be categorized as binge drinking, as I don't drink 6 nights out of the week, and that one night, will have 4-6 vodka sodas, depending on where the night takes us. We have a great time, loosen up, hang out with friends, take a cab home and that's that.

I'm facing a few problems, the first being: the calories in said drinks. I don't want to give these nights up, and also find if I restrict calories on these days, it can lead to some "issues" (puking). I know a lot of people on the weight loss journey give up alcoholic beverages altogether, but where's the fun in that? The second issue: insatiable hangover hunger and lack of motivation to work out.

Does anyone else chose to drink while dieting, and if so, do you experience this?

Do I just need to bite the bullet and give it up?

Also, I'm new to the community and if you want to be my friend, well, I wouldn't mind that at all.

Rachel

I can be a bit of a binge drinker. Usually I will go through the week with nothing, and then on the weekend I will throw back 6 - 8 drinks in one night.

As far as weight loss, this sabotages everything. I consume all the calories I have burned through-out the week with exercise, I don't want to do crap the next day, I eat like crap the next day, I eat like crap the night I drink because I am drunk and want nachos or whatever... I went through this Fri/Sat and this morning I just said forget it and decided to quit the drinking until I lose my weight. At that point I will start incorporating it back in at a level I think I can handle and still maintain the weight that I want.

SammyLou28

I suppose you could safely drink a couple on the weekend and offset it with exercise. But I don't have that type of control over myself when it comes to beers or wine. One drink just turns into another, and another, etc. I gotta stay away from it altogether, as this weekend has proven to me.

WalterWallCarpet

I went onto a vodka-only diet a couple of years ago.

I lost six weekends.

mabug01

I'm a one-drink drinker, so I probably cannot relate to your particular situation. However, in general I would advise that any behavior that gets in your way of losing weight is a behavior that you should try to modify. Best of luck!

deedoll76

Well there are a few things you could do. I love my vodka as well, but now that the cold fall days are upon us, hot buttered rum is what I like. So I have to really plan my calories for that.

If you are drinking several vodka sodas a night on the weekend and 4-6 drinks, you cold try alternating just having a soda/lime between each vodka drink. That will cut it in half.

Also, you could plan a hard workout for the day you are going out drinking. Earn yourself the extra calories.

Vodka with soda & Lime is my drink of choice as well, but at least with that you only get the calories from the vodka, not the mix.

You can still drink, you just have to plan more carefully. Have fun!

mmiski

I'm a Rum person myself, which sucks because it is more calories than vodka. I do the mixing with diet coke to shave the calories (at least I tell myself that in my head). I drink on weekends, and 3-4 days during the week. It is my "crutch". To me it is something to look forward to after a long hard day, I don't drink to get wasted maybe just that slight buzz to take the edge off from the day. I know I should stop it would be healthier for me, but it's hard. The one thing I will do though is put those drinks in my daily food log - I'm not gonna lie about it and might as well be honest. I'm thinking about cutting the drinking during the week and just doing weekends, I'm not looking forward to it, but for health reasons I need to do it. Add me as a friend if you'd like if you need someone to talk to about it, I know how you feel.

raj83168

I absolutely quit alcohol before going on a clean diet, realized alcohol is nothing but empty calories without any nutritional value

aphid

i tend to drink a lot when i drink, and often very high calorie drinks like beer, and then i eat badly at the same time, like have a takeaway or crisps... not to mention often greasy food the next day because it apparently helps with the hangover, and not exercising... so when i diet i don't drink alcohol at all because it messes the diet up for at least two days. when i'm at the point of maintaining my weight instead of losing it, i'll start drinking again but not as much as i used to.

rjacob1214

The alternation is a great idea! I will keep that in mind.

sevsmom

This is gonna sound like a mom. . . but really, is binge drinking worth it?? Not just the calories, but the other unkind effects of drinking too much?? From the "been there, done that" world, I can tell you that very little ever good comes from 5+ liquor laden drinks.

Nurse a drink or two and see if you can a) balance your caloric intake nicely, and b) learn a new way to relax and have fun with your friends.

OK. . .mom-speech over.

rjacob1214

I think that it's awesome that people chose to get rid of it altogether, it really isn't worth anything nutritionally. I guess I just shoot for realism! I'm from a family that drinks on holidays and have friends that I meet with for happy hour. Just like not prohibiting "naughty" foodsI I don't want to lose weight with a lifestyle that I can't keep, because I am in this for the long haul, I will never be as heavy as I once was.

I don't have kids yet and I imagine once I head down that path (soon hopefully) the weekend drinking will definitely slow down. It's a social thing for me, but I also understand that if I want to continue to lose weight, I have to be mindful. I like hearing from people who also drink and are successfully seeking a healthy weight, sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who thinks about this stuff!

owenjt

You can limit the damage using these simple methods.

Only drink things such as Vodka, Gin, White wine (drinks with low fat/carbs content) Have diet mixers.

Don't eat after drinking, your body focuses on breaking down the alcohol which it can only do at a slow rate. Therefore carbs and fat get put on the back burners and get stored. You can get away with protein so if you need to eat then go for chicken or similar.

On days where you know you will be drinking lower your carbs and fat intake.

It's up to you if you want to make a deficiency in your calories to make up for the drinks. The average double vodka and diet coke is around 130 calories so that's something to remember.

Hope this helps Works for me.

_lizzie_

Try a diet club soda with a flavored vodka (I really like blueberry for this) it taste great and cuts your drink calories to half! Or just mixed with your usual soda but the diet kind. Alternating while doing this also sounds like a good idea. If you make your own drinks at a party or something, try adding only 1oz of alcohol instead of the usual 1.5 to cut some calories too.

Phaedra2014

Alcohol = Bleah :frown:

Binge drinking is a terrible choice.

SoCalWoman

You might want to join us here. :drinker:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/622-like-minded-lushes

skynyme01

I'm in the same boat. I'm a vodka drinker and I socially drink as well and I don't want to give it up either. I read all the other suggestions and I don't disagree but cold turkey is tough. I can do it but I don't want to. All my friends socially drink and it is so not fun to be the sober one in the room... It's actually quite boring and annoying talking to people who are inebriated.

If you truly aren't a binge drinker then may be a slight modification/step down may help a bit until you're ready to stop

A few suggestions:


Try cutting down each night by one drink. If you typically have 4-5 begin by drinking slowly, never through the straw as it gets you drunk faster & you drink more. Drink water in between.

Don't get sweet or fruity, etc...vodka drinks. I stick to Vodka and club soda. Club soda has no calories. Depending on what is available and my whim I add a twist of, lime, lemon, orange orange wedge, olive or maraschino cherry for aesthetics and to give it a hint of flavor - so it doesn't look like water.

Another suggestion is a straight up vodka martinis - vodka only. It's like a vodka shot...the rationale is that they are potent and you can't drink a lot of them thus cutting down on the number of calories.

I also drink only red wine wine because of the low sugar in it.

Hope this helps!

vegasmari

My drink of choice are Vodka Soda's as well, with lime. Right now I'm pregnant, so not drinking, but before I would have a lot and when I get tipsy, I tend not to eat too much anyway, but the calories did add up really fast when I logged them.

Have you tried or seen the Skinnygirl vodka line? You'll get 65 calories for an ounce and a half, compared to 96 calories if you choose a brand like Belvedere or Ciroc.

kevin3344

I know where you're coming from, in fact I run a group called Triangle Happy Hour in Raleigh, NC where a bunch of us try a different restaurant / bar each week...so I go out a lot. My friends might say I'm out all the time. haha.

How do I do it? Well, for one I always put it in my diary beforehand so I know how many drinks / food I can have. I usually alternate drinks with water and look up the menu to the restaurant online before I go. Of course, you have to estimate as best you can.

Second, most of my friends are into exercise big time. I'm in a running club and we also train for marathons, half-marathons, 8ks, warrior dash, rugged maniac you name it. We also do circuit training, TRX classes, etc. Anything challenging. I know a single mom w/3 kids that runs marathons. It can be done!

What I'm trying to say is there are no excuses...if you want to enjoy the good life -- and we do -- you have to be willing to put in the work. This past summer 5 of my friends and I went to Cabo, Mexico and we stayed at a swim up bar all day for 3 days straight. We had a blast!! Yet my gf and I never missed a day on MFP...and when we got back we ran like crazy lol.

JenniBaby85

This is gonna sound like a mom. . . but really, is binge drinking worth it?? Not just the calories, but the other unkind effects of drinking too much?? From the "been there, done that" world, I can tell you that very little ever good comes from 5+ liquor laden drinks.

Nurse a drink or two and see if you can a) balance your caloric intake nicely, and b) learn a new way to relax and have fun with your friends.

OK. . .mom-speech over.

^ This

ohmariposa

I still drink..couple of glasses of wine aren't going to kill anyone
life is good...enjoy it

MichelleLaree13

Part of the hangover is dehydration and the lack of vitamins and minerals. A couple V8s and a bunch of water before bed always helped the next day. I dont even get hangovers/sick any more. Each shot has like a 100 calories in it.... so we are looking at 400-600 calories. When I dont feel like dieting, I just make sure my calories dont go over 1800 so I am not losing ground. I definately plan ahead if I can find a menu online so I make the best decisions while out.

Lindsay_N

On weekdays I'll leave over some calories to save for the weekend. I drink my vodka with water and lemon juice so the only calories are from the vodka (about 70 per ounce). I still drink like 10 drinks a night though, 1-3 days a week. It adds up alot. I'd like to cut back, but I dont want to give up drinking either.

kenazfehu

Well, if you drink on an empty stomach, less alcohol will do more. For that reason, if I'm going to have a glass of wine in the evening, I have it while I'm preparing dinner because I get to enjoy the effect. So you might, for example, go out with an empty stomach and only have 2 drinks, with a glass of water between.

I also like earning it with exercise. Sometimes I have to get the exercise the next day, though.

ldizquierdo

I don't drink, but maybe while you are in a diet, hang with people that motivate you to exercise instead of going out for a drink. It have helped me to lock myself in my room when my family order pizza, which is my weakness. Also to kind of have a group of people in the gym that are really working hard to lose the extra pounds. We all have something in common, the same goal and try to motivate each other. Good luck.

Lindsay_N

Its also a good idea to try not to eat after you've started drinking. You're body puts processing the booze first and all that food just gets stored.

algebravoodoo

I have actually lost a fair bit of weight using what my husband and I jokingly call "the beer diet".
And before anyone can comment about losing nothing but muscle, please, rest assured the muscle definition I have gained says otherwise.

I run and lift on a normal schedule, or as normal as life allows. I eat reasonably clean, mostly vegetarian but supplemented with a vegan protien isolate and plenty of bean/grain combo meals. HOWEVER, when the weekend comes (or evening in the summertime) supper is usually a beer or two with a handful or so of nuts or trail mix. If I decide to drink enough to get drunk, I take two aspirin before going to bed and drink plenty of water with it. Maybe I'm just lucky, but there is no hangover the next day and I am up and going about as if nothing happened the night before. This includes working out.

I say that as long as 90% of your diet is clean, you can afford the occasional libations. It all depends on you as an individual and your goals.

wgn4166

I love my vodka!!! I used to have a few drinks during the week but have cut it back to friday and saturday. I log it. Make sure i have the calories for it.
My goal next week, is to just drink on Saturday.

coolsmartygirl

I like to have a drink when we go out to a restaurant, but it's usually a fruity sushy kind. For me, we have a ton of alcohol at home but we rarely drink it.

I think if you know you are going to do it every weekend then work harder on that day or the days before. Alternative between things, like water then vodka as it will help fill you up. Plus it would be better if you cut down one drink each week until you are done it a better calorie level. It is definitely hard to work it off the next day after drinking, so think of it as I need to work for those calories now at the middle of the week or I shouldn't drink on the weekend. If you love doing it and going out, you've got to put in the hard work for it. Good Luck!

MsNewBooty83

i do, i drink vodka 7 presses with lime wedge (ice, vodka, water and splash of 7up (diet if ur at home) and a wedge of lime) ...then ur onlycals come fro mthe booze. i also dance my *kitten* off and log it! lol

grizzlymaze

II don't have kids yet and I imagine once I head down that path (soon hopefully) the weekend drinking will definitely slow down.


You want to make a bet on this? You are an alcoholic, like it or not. And any addiction is an addiction. It will take lots of work to regain control, but it is doable. I can help you if your willing! Once you put kids into the picture, it makes that much much worse. I know what I'm talking about, I've been there.