How do you fit alcohol in your diet??

reh1089
reh1089 Posts: 21
in Food and Nutrition
I love to drink -- sorry, that's just not gonna change! How do you all fit alcohol into your diets without it sabotaging you completely?? Do you save calories for it?

Replies

  • ubermensch13
    ubermensch13 Posts: 824 Member
    One, I have a realistic calorie goal, and two, I pick drinks that have more bang for the caloric "buck". Gin/Scotch are your friends! Sweet/Sour mixers, are not.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Spent 3 years in the U.S. Army and had way to much time on my hands and drank way to much and it burned me out... Since then it just has not been my thing... I eat out once a week and have a tall draft beer and am content... Only advice is try to fit it into your daily calories other than that best of luck......
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Vodka, gin, whiskey, etc...on the rocks...straight up...or diet, no cal mixer like diet tonic or club soda. Also, a reasonable calorie deficit...pretty hard to fit in alcohol when you have a huge deficit and low calorie goal. Generally when I drink, I just resign myself to the fact that I'm going to be over on my calories for that day. Honestly, it hasn't really hindered my weight loss to have a couple of nights per week with some drinks. I'm usually over my calorie goal for those days, but never above maintenance.
  • smb0506
    smb0506 Posts: 10
    I like to drink tall vodka & soda water. Sometimes I get a splash of cranberry juice to feel girly. The tall drink has more soda water so it makes me feel like I am drinking more with friends. Be careful tho, they catch up fast! :smile:
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Generally I pour it in a glass, and drink it.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
    As I have lost weight I am able to drink less. I just generally add exercise to cover for it if I even need to. 1 beer or 1 glass of wine at dinner isn't going to break the caloric bank. I'm 42 years old with an 18 month old daughter going out and pounding back a bunch just doesn't happen, especially with my lower tolerance.

    That being said, we had a scheduled pub crawl and I came home from work and ran 6 1/2 miles to build up my calorie budget for beer and shots.

    Then I splattered all those calories across an alley because I can't hold my alcohol any more. :sick:
  • feetjustgo
    feetjustgo Posts: 36 Member
    Ugh, this is a huge issue for me! I love all types of beer (cheap to rare microbrews), taking shots with my girls, strong specialty cocktails, and wine glorious WINE. I grew up in a family where drinking was a daily thing and was quite the party girl in HS and college. I'm 24 now and I've cut back a LOT in the last two years. It would have been impossible for me to save my calories back then--except if I didn't eat anything all day, which is obviously not a good idea. Now I do try to save my calories and I use the following strategies.

    - On week day nights, happy hours, or any other casual hang out time, I try to really savor my drinks. Maybe buy two expensive, super flavorful IPAs instead of drinking 4 PBRs during that time. A glass of full bodied red wine with dinner instead of 3 vodka sodas with lime (God, I can pound those things) or maybe a couple of straight scotches. Figure out what will take you longer to drink and then try to take it even slower.

    - On nights that I do want to drink liquor, I try to stick with liquor with soda water and lime. You could also do liquor with diet soda, but I find a drink still tastes yummy with extra lemon or lime. My gal pals and I love to take shots, but I set a limit because that's quick calories. One straight (NOT mixed) shot a night. If I know exactly what I'm ordering and drinking, I can keep track of calories and figure out how much damage control (treadmill time) to do the next day. And I work out longer in the morning if I know I'm going out a night to get extra calories to work with. An hour of mixed running and incline walking can add up to 5 drinks!

    - But then there are times when I just want to drink like I'm in college or order fancy cocktails and not know what's in them. I give myself a cheat day a week to go totally wild, not even try to keep track of calories. I would go insane otherwise. I am a big proponent of the one cheat day a week.

    - My favorite low cal drink for house parties is some sort of infused vodka with soda water. Roots are really easy (ginger, horseradish). Hot peppers take less than a day to infuse for spicy vodka (delicious with diet limeade). Fruit takes longer, but is always wonderful (pineapple, clementines, apple, mango, whatever you like).

    What you can't do is keep a food diary and track calories while totally ignoring what you drink. I've been guilty of that kind of wishful thinking and it will keep you from seeing the kind of results that will encourage you to keep going. If you're serious about weight loss, find a way to fit it into calories or be honest when you go over. Being strict with calories but still wanting to drink has been a major motivation for me to get to the gym and sweat it out on the cardio equipment.
  • donna_glasgow
    donna_glasgow Posts: 869 Member
    i count them in my allotted cals :) i've lost 30lbs to date :D

    i aim for 1600 cals a day and I choose diet lemonade and spirits (they are the lowest cal drinks that I enjoy)
  • Andyandyandyandyandy
    Andyandyandyandyandy Posts: 18 Member
    No mix will go a long way in not busting your calorie allowance.
  • slowe33
    slowe33 Posts: 6
    Another popular thing is to have a vodka water and add that Mio stuff or Crystal Light which is low cal.
  • dogetta
    dogetta Posts: 61 Member
    I dont drink my calories! I have to fit in cake into my macros! :wink:
  • Crossfitmandy
    Crossfitmandy Posts: 28
    I.... don't
  • khall86790
    khall86790 Posts: 1,100 Member
    I try to work it into my calorie intake and I have also started drinking less (as in going out drinking less frequently).
    Also, I tend to pick drinks I know are more calorie friendly so I keep away from beer and fruity cocktails.
    If you really want to go out and drink, just keep track of how many you have and work out your calories for it then try to burn it off in the next couple of days with some intense exercise.
    As horrible as a hangover feels, if you work out the day after drinking you sweat out all the alcohol and feel miles better afterwards. it can really cure a hangover, you just have to get the energy up to do it!
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
    ALL THE TIME
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    Yes, I save and intentionally "earn" calories for it. You can bet that I'm thinking "beer" anytime I'm doing cardio!
  • wassergottin
    wassergottin Posts: 154 Member
    I definitely gave up drinking, but a gin and tonic is relatively low cal (120-166 depending upon the drink). Or, I used to have rum and lemonades for my drinks and that's not awful. Vodka and cranberries are only 172-200 cal.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Drink enough so that you're too drunk to log it.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    Moderation.
    Though all the alcoholics I grew up with were skinny.....they just didn't live past their 40's
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    Drink enough so that you're too drunk to log it.

    Hahahahah..... Yeah do the above......
  • fespo276
    fespo276 Posts: 11 Member
    I try and save up through the day and reward myself with one or to light beers (Ultra 95 cal; Coors Light 102) at night. Hey, gotta reach your calorie goal, right? ;)
  • Sqeekyjojo
    Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
    Log it.

    Drink something you enjoy, not something you would never touch if it weren't for the lower calories.

    If you think it might be getting near to damage limitation time, have diet mixers.

    And soda water helps, in between other drinks.


    Final advice is to avoid going past takeaway places in the way home. It rarely ends well.
  • geralynhoerauf
    geralynhoerauf Posts: 73 Member
    I eliminated adult beverages for the entire month of January just to set the stage. And ya, it was brutal. Now I only drink on days that I exercise and always plan for the calorie count. I prefer to drink my calories than snack at night and it's working so far. I'm still avoiding beer though both because of the calories and the bloated feeling, but that's just me.
  • gabriellejayde
    gabriellejayde Posts: 607 Member
    I eat 1200 cals a day and i have room for alcohol- probably twice a week. Sometimes I have a small glass of wine with dinner if it's a low cal dinner, and thursdays in my office we drink vodka.

    I love my job. :)
  • Schellsisbacktoattack
    Schellsisbacktoattack Posts: 60 Member
    that's what I do too!!! =)
  • carmieg3
    carmieg3 Posts: 36
    If I know I am going to be drinking later that evening I will eat a bit lighter all day, or excersise before hand. I stick to vodka and soda water, 69cal per drink, or white wine, around120cal/ glass. I dont drink any pop, or juice as mix. I am noticing I get tipsy way faster now that I have lost weight, so I dont drink as much either. And, I log every drink! That way if I am over calories at the end of the night, I will compensate for it the following day with excersise. I have lost 35lbs, and I havent lost my social life :P

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