What are you doing about Alcohal?

Dawnsharheb
Dawnsharheb Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello All,
I'm 24 and I've noticed all week I'll be in control of my calories and exercise. I'm not too too strict if I go over 100 or 200 calories, I don't stress because I want to stay positive and focused, but I've noticed on weekends I end up not tracking my food, I drink wine and I'll have an occasional shot of alcohol (mostly influence of the boyfriend). I don't go out so I'm not having high calorie mixed drinks; however, Saturday and Sunday majority of the time I'm dehydrated and hungover. My weight fluctuates, I feel gross, sometimes bloated and sometimes emaciated. When I drink on the weekend normally 3 glasses of wine is enough for me which is more or less 300 calories which shouldn't be that much to effect my weight and progress, but it really does! What are you guys doing about alcohol? Avoiding it completely? Including it in your daily allowed calories? I don't know if I should just cut down completely but that would have to be a lifestyle change not just temporary?
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Replies

  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    I would stick to 1-2 glasses if 3 make you hungover and try to avoid too many shots.
  • sarafil
    sarafil Posts: 506 Member
    Calories from alcohol should be logged and fit in to your goals. If it is making you feel gross, bloated, or emaciated, then you should probably consider whether it is worth it? If the alcohol fits in to your plan for the day, then great....if it doesn't, then consider if the extra calories and feeling bad are worth it to you.
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
    I quit drinking while I try to lose weight..I would rather eat vs drink those calories.. Maybe once I maintain I might start having a few again but for now it just isn't worth it.
  • whiteheaddg
    whiteheaddg Posts: 325 Member
    I have one glass of red wine nightly. I'll switch to beer in the fall/winter when the hearty seasonal brews are released. I factor them all into the daily calorie count.
  • meredith1123
    meredith1123 Posts: 843 Member
    I quit drinking beer and wine a long time ago and started drinking Vodka with crystal light lemonade. good stuff and it hasnt killed my weekly average for calories, etc.
  • MichaelBrewer2634
    MichaelBrewer2634 Posts: 91 Member
    My advice is to avoid it. It is a poison that affects the glands used to lose body fat. The liver, kidneys, pancreas, adrenal glands, hypothalamus, and the list goes on. If you must have alcohol, I'd recommend 1 glass of wine with a meal. Otherwise avoid it like the plague. The same can be said for quick sugars. This advice has served me well. I think it will do the same for you. Good luck. :)
  • annepage
    annepage Posts: 585 Member
    Never touched the stuff.
  • bwerdon
    bwerdon Posts: 2 Member
    I would suggest only having one small glass of wine and stay away from the shots. Alcohol is basically liquid sugar so even if your total calorie intake is low, the insulin spike you are creating by drinking it has an affect on your overall wait loss goals. And the older you get, the more negative affect this will have on your body. Just my two pennies:~)
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    measure it, log it, then drinks it... all...
  • julesxo
    julesxo Posts: 422 Member
    I don't feel well if I drink alcohol so I try to avoid it. The odd time I'll have a glass of white wine but that's it. If it makes you feel that bad perhaps try limiting it or cutting it out.
  • kendrafallon
    kendrafallon Posts: 1,030 Member
    Drink it!! :drinker: Depending on the type of course!

    Seriously tho, I drink in moderation and log what I drink.
  • jamiem1102
    jamiem1102 Posts: 1,196 Member
    Alcohol is tough. Since you typically know when you drink and how much you drink, maybe give yourself a buffer - whether it's going for an extra long run or just make sure you eat a little less that day. For me, its not necessary the day that I drink that's a problem, it's the next day (I for whatever reason am always STARVING the ENTIRE next day after drinking... horrible). So yeah. Maybe drink more water while you drink... that could help with the hangover and dehydration.

    Good luck!
  • HippieMomma86
    HippieMomma86 Posts: 18 Member
    I drink every Friday night and most Saturday nights. Doesn't effect anything for me. I lost 50lbs a year ago without giving it up. Everything in moderation. Now that I'm back and trying to reach my final goal, I still don't see a reason to give it up.
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    I drink in moderation, and it works within my calories and nutritional goals/needs
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    I drink it when I want it.

    Unless you're never going to drink alcohol again in your life, why cut it out? Just work it into your calories.
  • umfan85
    umfan85 Posts: 113 Member
    HYDRATE. It is the single best thing you can do before, during, and after drinking alcohol. This will help with the bloating and everything.

    Cheers!
  • chelsifina
    chelsifina Posts: 346 Member
    I love drinking wine, the taste of it , the little buzz, how it makes food taste better....but I've had to give it up for health reasons temporarily. It has been a real challenge, but I truly don't miss how badly it made me feel. I am really enjoying feeling consistently good in my body and clear headed. I don't think I will ever drink as much as I did before (a glass most evenings with supper) but I imagine I will occasionally indulge. I don't see why you have to have a complete lifestyle change, but perhaps giving your body a couple of weekends off a month from having to process something that it clearly finds toxic might be a great place to start. Your boyfriend will survive and so will you.
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
    sometimes I mix it, but mostly i just drink it straight.:smokin:
  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    I am/was a weekend drinker,, but I actually have only had about 3 beers in the past 2 months. I'm not much of a winter drinker, and I honestly don't miss it. Once the warm weather comes around and I'm poolside - obviously I'll probably drink again. This being said, just factor it in. Get your cardio in early, still eat properly. Sometimes I'm starving late at night (because I'm drunk), and I'll still eat a boat load of food but I'll make sure it's consistent with my goals.

    The thing is, if you drink you can't let it get in the way of workouts or other plans. If you're hungover, you still need to run 5 miles (if that's what you had planned) no matter how horrible you feel.
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
    I drink wine almost daily. I think it's doable, though I wouldn't tell someone who's not a drinker to start. :) However, if you're feeling sick after, you're drinking too much, or maybe you're having too much too fast. Try slowing down, one glass of wine, then some water (sparkling feels nice and festive to me), then another glass if you still want it, then more water, etc. Also, if you don't want to be drinking hard alcohol, have a talk with your boyfriend BEFORE you go out, and ask him not to try to get you to do shots with him. If you do want to have the shot(s), then decrease your wine intake accordingly, so you don't get too much alcohol.

    Honestly, with the way you're describing this, I would be a lot less concerned with taking in more calories one night a week, than with the fact that you're drinking enough to make yourself sick.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    Wine in moderation is good for you.
    Immoderate consumption of alcohol is bad for you in lots of ways.

    So: I treat my drinks like any other snack or side dish. Log it, try to plan around it, don't overdo it.

    Drink it because you enjoy it, not because you have to for party purposes or because everyone else is, and stop when you're not enjoying it any more.
  • mariodog1
    mariodog1 Posts: 16 Member
    Great insight! That makes sense.
  • hunnyhun921
    hunnyhun921 Posts: 20 Member
    I would do this too. I would go out with my husband on the weekend and have several drinks. I finally realized that I could not do that every weekend if I wanted to lose weight. I have about an 8 oz glass of wine about once or twice a week and that's it. And I make sure I log all of it.
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
    I quit drinking while I try to lose weight..I would rather eat vs drink those calories.. Maybe once I maintain I might start having a few again but for now it just isn't worth it.

    THIS! I am only drinking on special occasions like my birthday, a vacation, or when my mother in law moves away. :laugh:
  • JerseyGirl081
    JerseyGirl081 Posts: 98 Member
    I haven't given up alcohol at all but I don't drink that much to begin with. I drink 1-2 glasses of wine a week. And maybe a beer or 2 when I go out but that doesn't happen very often. Last time I went out was several months ago and i didn't even drink then. I haven't noticed it affecting my weight loss.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    HYDRATE. It is the single best thing you can do before, during, and after drinking alcohol. This will help with the bloating and everything.

    Cheers!
    YES! Alternate a glass of water with each cocktail..it helps a lot!
  • furniem
    furniem Posts: 145 Member
    I only have it for special occasions (birthday's, the odd party, Christmas, New Yrs) now as opposed to every weekend like before Just because it is the weekend does not mean all healthy eating and exercise stops. It just means work at a desk has stopped for two days.
    If you want it, fit it into your calories, exercise for anything extra if you want to but I would not make it a norm to drink to excess each weekend. Isn't excess what got us to this place? :wink:
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    Why be hungover and dehydrated?
    Why is this your boyfriend's influence?
    Make a healthy decision for yourself.
    Just don't drink.
    You don't need it.
  • andreagreen1974
    andreagreen1974 Posts: 64 Member
    Did you know that your liver also processes your fat?
    Pissing your liver off will not help you lose fat.

    In reality, you want to lose fat! Weight is made up of more things than fat.

    Is the alcohol making you binge eat?

    If you drink too much, it causes you to be dehydrated which makes you LOSE weight. But it prevents your fat from processing
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    3 glasses of wine is enough for me which is more or less 300 calories which shouldn't be that much to effect my weight and progress

    Unfortunately, I'm fairly sure those three glasses are more than 300 calories. Check the serving size and measure it out. For example, my most often wine of choice is Apothic Red which is 122 calories at 5 oz. 5oz is not a whole lot. Slightly more than a half a cup. Go take a look at your half cup measurement. If I drank 1 cup (8 oz) it is 195 calories. Nearly twice the amount you are saying. 488 calories for 3- 8oz glasses.

    You really need to log *every* day. No matter how bad. It will only hinder your process until you can start to tell by sight alone how much a serving of something really is and the calorie impact. I've been at this for a year and am just now getting comfortable at doing that. I still measure most of my foods & drink just to be sure.

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