Alcohol

Dom_m

How do people deal with alcohol?

I'm from Aus (don't know if that's relevant but...) and I regularly drink socially, say twice a week? If I'm out for 2 hours I might have 4-6 beers (600-750 calories). If its a longer night, its more. One of the first things I did was make one meal 'alcohol' so I can see the total calories from that each day.

Last night I had 5 beers, 1 shot of black sambuca, and 6 shots of scotch. Total: 1234 calories.

I also had 3 slices of vego pizza for 632 calories at about midnight.

Net calories for the day was 2758 - by far my highest since I started tracking. The only 3 times I've been over my goal have been drinking nights. I've actually been drinking a lot less alcohol and a lot more water over the last 25 days (since I started with MFP) which is great and I feel better. But my friends still expect regular drinking sessions and I like it too.

How do people find a balance? If I know I might get 1,000 calories of alcohol in an evening and I want to prepare, is it ok to eat my target and then count alcohol calories against exercise?

Thanks!

dolce7vita

If you really want to lose weight, you just have to stop drinking as much. I personally haven't stopped drinking, but I go with red wine. I think beer has more calories than other kinds of alcohol- so maybe you could switch? Also remember that the bigger problem with alcohol isn't always the calories and fat in it itself, its the fact that alcohol: 1. makes you eat more, and usually eat more BAD things, and 2. makes you bloated, which causes unnecessary weight gain. I personally balance it by not drinking as much, and by not drinking as often. If your alcohol description is typical, it looks like you could probably scale back a bit on what you are drinking, and it would definitely help some. Good luck!

SHBoss1673

OK, you asked, you're probably not going to like what I have to say, but that's life I guess.

Look, it all comes down to how badly you want to live a new, healthy lifestyle. I'm not going to preach on the evils of alcohol. Suffice to say, alcohol is a poison, it's bad for the body, and REALLY bad for people trying to lose weight or become healthy. That doesn't mean you can never drink, it just means that the more you DO drink, the harder weight loss will probably become. Seriously, I feel that drinking that much (don't kid yourself, drinking 4 to 6 drinks in 1 sitting is a lot, no matter who you are) is going to be a problem for your health eventually. That said, doing that once every couple of weeks probably won't cause too much of an issue, but doing that multiple times in one week, that's probably going to give you real problems, especially as you approach a healthy weight.

Again, I'm not telling you to stop drinking, but I'll say this definitively, drinking more than 1 or 2 drinks multiple times a week WILL retard your progress. The choice is of course yours, again, the question is, is altering your lifestyle to drink less often, and less at each sitting an option for you? If your answer is no, then you must realize that your health will be one of the down sides to it.

deedeehawaii

We each need to make our own choices about the foods and lifestyle we want to lead. But for me, well, I cannot see how 4-6 beers + scotch would fit into my healthy lifestyle choices. For you, it might be a matter of needing to set your priorities. Just what are you trying to accomplish in your life regarding your health and diet, and does excessive alcohol intake fit in?

You ask how do I deal with alcohol? For me, I am trying to lose the pounds that I want in the quickest way I can, but at a safe and reasonable pace. The calories from alcohol just don't fit in, or rather, I treat an occasional glass of wine as a treat. I don't want to be dragging out my weight loss by adding in a bunch of empty calories from alcohol.

Good luck on your weight loss, think of your "overall health" and that might help with choices. :flowerforyou:

FrenchMob

If you're serious about getting healthy, then drop the alcohol. Thinking that just counting calories of the beer you drink is all you have to is a mistake. Alcohol has to be dealt with by the liver. If the liver is busy trying to detox your blood, then it can't metabolize fat at the same time, well not efficiently anyhow. So that will slow your fat loss drastically.

Want balance? Go out once a week and have 1-2 beer. You're still going out and having beers, just a little less. Like everything else you put in your mouth, moderation is key.

ultraviolet29

I simply gave up alcohol, i know being from Oz is gonna be harder they make fosters after all :P but i found that i couldn't go out and just have 1 or 2, i would want to keep up with my friends, meaning that i was still the "fat one" I would have pints, shots anything i could get my hands on so the easiest way for me to reach my goal was to stop.

My friends all understand that its just until i get to my goal weight and can control it more, i went out last week, my friends were all drinking and i did feel jealous, but i still danced the night away and no one noticed i was sober, i also woke up the next day not craving junk which was brilliant. My hardest tests are going to be the rugby six nations and the football world cup but i'll still try.

If you dont want to give up alcohol, i wouldnt really advise skipping meals for it, just lower your intake gradually, you may take longer to reach your goal but you'll be doing it healthier. As for the pizza, make a healthier option before you go so that you know you have food left for you so you dont need to eat junk after you've been out.

Good luck =]

jaycee76

Last night I had 5 beers, 1 shot of black sambuca, and 6 shots of scotch. Total: 1234 calories.

:noway:

Sorry if I offend but that is an obscene amount of alcohol never mind the calories!!!!!!!!

carinrogo

If you're not ready to give it up or cut back a lot on the days you want to go out for a few, plan ahead. If I know that I'm going out that night, I exercise a bit harder early in the day & eat very healthy meals with few calories. Then I can see how many calories I have left for the day & I kind of pre-plan how many drinks fit into that. & drink a lot of water during the day & some at night before you stumble into bed :-)
It's worked for me twice with no junk-food-craving hangovers like I used to get. And I'm still losing weight...
Good luck! :-)

carinrogo

Sometimes you'll retain water for a couple of days, but it will pass if you watch your salt intake & keep drinking that water :-)

bambi5014

I used to binge drink once a week... way more than you! (not proud of it, but I can relate to you). I switched from beer to ONE glass of wine, maybe two... if its champagne OR I order diet soda with rum or vodka, vodka tonic or even sugar free redbull with vodka. Maybe you could find an alternative low-calorie beer, if giving up beer completely is not an option yet. And its best if you can stick to one or two drinks. I'm sorry to report, that I have been at this a month, and the nights I do drink with friends, totally sets me back and I have been gaining 1 - 1.5 lbs. back and then it takes me almost all week to lose that! So not worth it!!! For now, I have to agree, that alcohol should be given up completely until you have reached your first weight-loss goal, then maybe you could have a night of celebrating and still, like food, consumed only in MODERATION. Good luck! I know this is sucky news, but its so true and this is an entirely new way of living! You can do it!!

bambi5014

I simply gave up alcohol, i know being from Oz is gonna be harder they make fosters after all :P but i found that i couldn't go out and just have 1 or 2, i would want to keep up with my friends, meaning that i was still the "fat one" I would have pints, shots anything i could get my hands on so the easiest way for me to reach my goal was to stop.

My dad actually works in Australia and says the locals don't drink Foster's at all, nor is it heavily advertised where he is at.

Dom_m

I should clarify. Since I started with MFP I've only drunk alcohol 3 times (25 days). Last night was the only one of those three when I drank enough to be drunk. The comment about 1-2 times / week really applies to before MFP (I was fortunate enough to start using it on a Friday, so got a bit of a shock when I went to the bar).

SHBoss, you must be one of the most patient people in the world. After posting this, I realised this topic has probably come up before, so went back and found quite the decent discussion on it (including much from you).

Cheers.

(ps. Bambi's right - I've only ever drunk Fosters in the UK, but export quality fosters tastes the same as pretty normal beer here).

Dom_m

Last night I had 5 beers, 1 shot of black sambuca, and 6 shots of scotch. Total: 1234 calories.

:noway:

Sorry if I offend but that is an obscene amount of alcohol never mind the calories!!!!!!!!

No offense taken. I completely agree with you, which is why I wrote it in the post. I certainly don't do that on a regular basis.

bukozki

I simply gave up alcohol, i know being from Oz is gonna be harder they make fosters after all :P but i found that i couldn't go out and just have 1 or 2, i would want to keep up with my friends, meaning that i was still the "fat one" I would have pints, shots anything i could get my hands on so the easiest way for me to reach my goal was to stop.

My dad actually works in Australia and says the locals don't drink Foster's at all, nor is it heavily advertised where he is at.

That's mostly because Foster's is a terrible beer. Hardly the worst, but not really anything that would hold back a diet. I wouldn't break a fast for a can of Foster's.

That said, from someone who is managing an alcohol issue, like food I tend to drink until I'm full... or drunk. That can present some calorie counting issues, as mentioned. I don't think you should give up drinking though. Unlike food, I'd say front load your drinking, get drunk quicker if that's your goal and spare yourself the hours of session style drinking. I personally prefer higher ABV (Alcohol by volume) beers, they tend to fall into the craft brew category. They tend to be higher in calories, but they balance it out by being higher in alcohol, they also tend to be more sip-able and therefore less chug-able. So those give you a few options, drink quickly and get drunk quickly without filling yourself up, or sip slowly and get the same effect from potentially fewer calories.

A few head to head comparisons courtesy of MFP and BeerAdvocate.

Bud Light
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29/1320/

Style: Adjunct Lager
Rating: D-
Serving Size: 12 Oz
Calories 110
ABV: 4.2%


Pabst Blue Ribbon
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/447/1331

Style: Adjunct Lager
Rating: C
Serving Size: 12 Oz
Calories 153
ABV: 4.74%


And because you're Australian...

Foster's

Style: Adjunct Lager
Rating: C-
Serving Size: 12 Oz
Calories: 193
ABV: 5%


Now let's make a mixed drink to compare...

Webtender.com provides these mixes...

Rum and Coke (4 Oz and 8 Oz) ((Optimistic pour at a bar, but you get the idea))
We're using Captain Morgan (30% ABV), because he was practically begging...

So 4 Oz of Captain is 240 Calories, diluted with 8 Oz of Coke at 105 Calories, or Diet which adds 0 Calories but probably contains some sort of astringent, leaving you with a 12 Oz serving diluted to 10% ABV at 240-345 Calories. That's assuming you get a full 4 ounces of booze and 8 ounces of Coke in your glass. Bars tend to go heavy on the ice because it's cheap, but the good news is that ice is calorie free. You're probably looking at getting something closer to 2 Oz of Rum and 8 Oz of Coke (multiplied proportionately to fill 12 Oz glass for direct comparison) which comes out to a 270 or 144 (Diet) Calories for a drink weighing in at 6% alcohol.

So, optimistically you're getting a much better deal than your typical lager beers, and realistically you're getting a marginally better calorie to buzz ratio.

Now take a look at some higher ABV Beers...

Founder's Backwoods *kitten*
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/35036

Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
Rating: A-
Serving: 12 Oz
Calories: 280
ABV: 10.2%

Dogifish Head 90 Minute Indian Pale Ale

Style: Imperial Indian Pale Ale
Rating: A
Serving: 12 Oz
Calories: 230
ABV: 9%


La Fin Du Monde

Style: Belgian Triple
Rating: A
Serving: 12 Oz
Calories: 225
ABV: 9%


I think the math is clear. You pay in calories for higher alcohol, but if you choose your drinks wisely (and based on their ABV) you can get to where your going without wrecking your whole week.

Think of it this way


Dogfishhead 120 Minute IPA

Style: Imperial IPA
Rating: B+
Serving: 12 Oz
Calories: 450
ABV: Varies 18%-25% (Generally assumed to be 20%-21%)

You could drink 12 Oz of beer at 450 Calories and get the same amount of alcohol (assuming 20%): 5 Bud Lights (60 Oz, 550 Calories), about 4 PBRs or Foster's (48 Oz, 612, 772 Calories respectively), 2 well made Captain and Cokes (24 Oz, 480 (Diet) or 690 Calories), or just over 3 Captain and Cokes that you might expect from a bar (36 Oz, 433(diet) or 810 Calories).

Do some math and do it before you get wasted. My advice, get in there, get drunk, ride the wave and don't fill yourself up on terrible drinks. Make sure you're getting quality of taste and quality of impact.

sissy56

All the posts saying to give it up are right. Having said that, dang, it's hard.

kimberlygo

Alternate. One beer, one diet soda, one beer, on diet soda.

bukozki

Switch to Cocaine or Speed or E. They aren't "healthy" but Cocaine raises your heart-rate and Meth is made with cough syrup--that's medicine. Think about it.

smae1980

An average six pack of beer contains about your entire calories for the day. I love beer, but I can't drink regularly and lose weight so I quit drinking for the time being. I feel great. Even if I didn't drink enough to get drunk, I always felt sluggish and lazy the day after i had drinks, which isn't what you want if you need to be focusing on calorie choices and exercise. Good luck I hope you come to a conclusion that works well for you!

Dom_m

Bukozki, I like your style. Get drunk quick and switch to diet coke can definitely work. Unfortunately non-alcoholic drugs aren't really part of my social scene in this town, so that can't be part of a regular solution.

On the other hand, tonight was a welcome back for one mate and farewell for another. 1 very nice vodka and 1 Russian beer with a diet coke at the end was enough for the night. I think I'm getting old enough not to really want the extra drinks - the trouble is when I hang out with people who do, and they always buy jugs. I've started the habit of getting jugs of water (about 1 liter) and drinking all of it (no one else touches the water) for every 8-10 ounces of beer. If nothing else, the frequency of using the bathroom slows down the amount you can drink in a set amount of time

deedeehawaii

If someone posted on this site that they wanted to lose weight, but had a hard time staying out of Ben & Jerry's with their friends and ordering icecream after icecream after icecream, we'd be all over them with the suggestion to "turn down the invitation". The same applies here to drinking excess calories.

I'm going to bluntly suggest that Dom stay out of the bars, even if that means he cannot hang out with his drinking buddies, and to instead concentrate on developing some lifelong habits that will enable him to lose his excess weight and keep it off. Otherwise, just face up to wanting to DRINK more than wanting to get healthier and lose weight. IMHO.

We each make our own choices. But once you choose, don't whine (no pun intented) about not making progress or not being happy with the results. If you want to drink all those extra calories, go for it. But do it as choice that you are willing to face up to. "I'd rather drink than lose weight".

IMHO. Peace and health to all.

bukozki

Ice cream is good, but it won't get you drunk: fact.