Drinking Alcohol and losing weight

2

Replies

  • vlivengood
    vlivengood Posts: 23
    Keep in mind the average shot of vodka is around 95 calories in itself.......
  • sugarlips1980
    sugarlips1980 Posts: 361 Member
    I've managed to lose 13 pounds in my first month while not quitting alcohol. Hey, you've got to be realistic! I have made adjustments though. I don't drink much in the house anymore, not that i did much anyway. When out, i stay way from creamy cocktails. Try to have vodka and soda water most of the night. It tastes boring but then might allow myself a coupe of rosé wines at the end. I've also bought some Champagne on special offer - that's the best for calories! Can't always afford that when out mind! And I try to save some calories from food throughout the day (but don't go out drinking on an empty stomach) and I exercise like mad dung the day (burn say 800 cals). Then I figure out how much cals I save within my daily allowance for booze and (try!) to count them! End up a few hundred cals over but that ain't too bad. I log the dancing cals too!
  • LadyBeryl
    LadyBeryl Posts: 344 Member
    Calories are calories. Count 'em and don't worry about it. It may help you to STAY on your diet if you don't feel deprived and don't regress because lamenting over a single drink. It is no different from having an occasional truffle.

    That said, the problem is when alcohol hinders your judgment and you don't log all of the alcohol calories and what you might eat WHILE drinking.

    Except for red wine, what alcohol does anything positively for fitness?
  • joannathechef
    joannathechef Posts: 484 Member
    If you are under your calories why not?

    Read this is explains some good things about subject

    http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html
  • krickeyuu
    krickeyuu Posts: 344 Member
    I have lost 20 lbs since January and I drink wine daily. I do cardio daily to pay for those drinks but as I see it, this is a long haul game and I do not intend to give up anything per se. Life is about enjoying food, wine, company so I don't ban anything in moderation. If I go to the County Fair, I eat fried food. If I am at a Wedding or Birthday party and I want cake, I eat cake. Out for Mexican food, I might sip on a Margarita. I just build it into my calorie count and my Macros and give myself a break once in a while. This is the only life I have so I am choosing to live with joy and not deny myself something I enjoy.
  • bjmcq
    bjmcq Posts: 305 Member
    After having a glass of wine one evening to make up the calorie count, I looked it up!

    OOPS ! the reputable sites say that it slows your metabolism, so you are not burning up food/fat energy..

    So if you have only a few to lose it will be different than if you are trying to meet a weekly goal.

    Hope that helps...you should see what other sites say....is a calorie just a calorie, or is an alcohol sugar act differently...
    Good luck
  • MissyJessy
    MissyJessy Posts: 1,279 Member
    hard core alchoholics are usually super skinny

    Not the beer drinkers i mean the people who put vodka in there cereal

    Theres nothing wrong with vodka in your captain crunch :bigsmile: :drinker:

    Cannot dissagree here they tend to keep their crunch better than if eaten with milk or orange juice
  • bet3120
    bet3120 Posts: 125
    Between Friday and Saturday I drink several glasses of vodka and tonic, but always try to be hydrated taking between drinks a bottle of water, i still losing weight :drinker:
  • laceyfowler
    laceyfowler Posts: 127 Member
    Keep in mind the average shot of vodka is around 95 calories in itself.......

    Actually, that's not true. A shot of vodka has 64 calories... on average a shot of flavored vodka has 69 calories. So, a shot of flavored vodka + club soda would ring in at... yup, you guessed it - a delicious 69 calorie drink!

    Now, I'm not saying that drinking is healthy and will help weight loss, but from a mathematical, calorie-counting perspective you can certainly have several drinks now and then, account for the calories, and lose weight no problem.

    Note that if you drink chronically, that's a different story - as others mentioned, heavy drinking can have a big impact upon your body's ability to function properly.
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
    Truth be told...I drink almost every weekend....I am sure it slows my process of losing weight...It is just hard to give it up... But that does sound good...and do share the recipe of the lemon drop w/grey goose..

    This + maintained weight year and half..Beer is my fav...Fit it in..Everything works within reason;-) Cheers!
  • lajuice7
    lajuice7 Posts: 58 Member
    I exercise solely so I can drink more

    Agreed :-)
  • Sophiem1402
    Sophiem1402 Posts: 27 Member
    I dont know about me but my Boyfriend , whenever he drinks, the next morning hes 2 - 3kgs lighter.. ?? Doesnt matter what or how much he drinks his weight always goes down :drinker:
  • uhhuthatsright
    uhhuthatsright Posts: 26 Member
    Bump
  • sgv0918
    sgv0918 Posts: 851 Member
    Just log it. If you can fit it into your day, you should be okay.

    this
  • LondonEliza
    LondonEliza Posts: 456 Member
    hard core alchoholics are usually super skinny

    Not the beer drinkers i mean the people who put vodka in there cereal

    Damm, I knew I was doing something wrong!! Any recommendations for make of vodka??!
  • basillowe66
    basillowe66 Posts: 432 Member
    ALL ALCOHOLICS DO IT !!!!!!!!! It is a disease
  • kitigonkukoo
    kitigonkukoo Posts: 218 Member
    If I have a couple drinks every couple weeks, that seems to work... but I stick to vodka with water and a lot of lemon, or vodka & redbull zero.

    Lucky for me, I do enjoy Vodka, if I didn't, I think it would be harder, since other alcohol has so many more calories. I miss beer, I have to give that up when I'm loosing weight, because even 1 beer a week seems to level out my inch loss that I'm working so hard to achieve... so I guess I go middle of the road. :)
  • MMark2012
    MMark2012 Posts: 143 Member
    Those grey Goose with Crystal light sound good! I think Fresca Soda is calorie/sugar free also. I think sugar free drinks will help me lose weight faster, as well.:smile:
  • kentmac
    kentmac Posts: 101 Member
    Absolutely possible.

    Give yourself a calorie buffer on the day you're going to drink by sticking mostly to lean protein + veggies. Then, for drinks, stick to spirits + calorie free mixers (diet coke, soda water, what have you.) Don't go too crazy and you'll absolutely still be able to lose weight, just don't binge on nachos or wings at the bar!

    Kent
  • iris65uk
    iris65uk Posts: 3
    I have found as soon as I have a drink it shows on the scales even with factoring in more exercise etc
    Decide what you want more, easier said than done I know, good luck
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    When ethanol, a toxin, is introduced to the body all metabolic processes of other macronutrients halt indefinitely until alcohol is removed from the system. Therefore anything ingested prior to, during, or too soon after is subject to storage in adipose tissue as it won't be used for immediate energy use.

    On a plus note: alcohol is non-insulinogenic so if you're in a fasted state a few vodka, scotches, or whiskies wont break you :)

    But all said and done yes; alcohol contributes to weight gain.
  • Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim
    Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim Posts: 267 Member
    Bump
  • vlivengood
    vlivengood Posts: 23
    Keep in mind the average shot of vodka is around 95 calories in itself.......

    Actually, that's not true. A shot of vodka has 64 calories... on average a shot of flavored vodka has 69 calories. So, a shot of flavored vodka + club soda would ring in at... yup, you guessed it - a delicious 69 calorie drink!

    Now, I'm not saying that drinking is healthy and will help weight loss, but from a mathematical, calorie-counting perspective you can certainly have several drinks now and then, account for the calories, and lose weight no problem.

    Note that if you drink chronically, that's a different story - as others mentioned, heavy drinking can have a big impact upon your body's ability to function properly.

    People tend to think of a shot as one ounce, as a former bartender a bartenders pour shot is really 1 1/2 ounce so yes one ounce of vodka may be 64 calories but if you are ordering a drink at a bar chances are you are getting a shot that is really 96 calories
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    Hard honest truth....NO
    Drinking alcohol and loosing weight does not work together.
    An "occassional drink" is ok - means once in a blue moon....but every weekend wont work.
    All the good work during the week is being erased with a couple of drinks as they are all "empty calouries".
    Wanna loose weigh - ditch the alcohol

    Total bullsh1t.

    I drink almost everyday. Not every weekend but 4+ days a week. Sometimes whiskey or whisky. Sometimes vodka martinins. Sometimes wine. Mostly beer. And I mean real beer. Not light beer like Guinness or Bass but Belgian quads and Imperial Stouts at 300 to 500 calories per beer. If you fit it into your calories you'll and stay at a deficity you'll lose weight.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I have a glass of wine most nights and did while I was losing. Just make sure I burn the extra calories to cover it!
    Ditto.
  • Katbody10
    Katbody10 Posts: 369 Member
    I make a glass of wine or whatever fun drink part of my calorie counts for the day..

    I can't go having a bunch of drinks back to back .. but I like having wine most evenings with dinner. I limit to one good glass (8 oz) I'm losing weight!

    I also have one day a week I don't bother counting calories .. I eat and drink whatever I want .. (I usually pick Sundays - Sunday Splurge Day) .. but sometimes a friend's b-day or whatever happens (you know - Thanksgiving is coming up soon .. and the Christmas holidays) .. so I adjust the rest of the days around that.. and work a little extra harder on my exercises .. at least do them longer.. adding minutes, etc. to cardio ..

    Everything within reason .. moderation is key! Alcohol is known to be belly building .. hard alcohol, beer .. fruity cocktails and such .. let's face it .. they are aren't calorie friendly. (lots of empty calories .. won't keep you feeling full)
  • brnsgrsbody
    brnsgrsbody Posts: 254 Member
    Dance it off. Work it off. Or...my personal favorite, run it off...just be sure you're not drinking as you run. It seems to generate unwanted attention by the boys in blue.

    Tooooo funny !!!! Love it!!!
  • brnsgrsbody
    brnsgrsbody Posts: 254 Member
    Truth be told...I drink almost every weekend....I am sure it slows my process of losing weight...It is just hard to give it up... But that does sound good...and do share the recipe of the lemon drop w/grey goose..

    Hey hun, I sure will hook u up with some recipes....prob will exercise them off ....
    Hell especially this weekend is Howard Homecoming!!!! Bout to party!!!!!!!
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    When ethanol, a toxin, is introduced to the body all metabolic processes of other macronutrients halt indefinitely until alcohol is removed from the system. Therefore anything ingested prior to, during, or too soon after is subject to storage in adipose tissue as it won't be used for immediate energy use.

    On a plus note: alcohol is non-insulinogenic so if you're in a fasted state a few vodka, scotches, or whiskies wont break you :)

    But all said and done yes; alcohol contributes to weight gain.

    ....

    Did you say something, I was too busy looking at your picture.

    :heart:
  • VinnyI82
    VinnyI82 Posts: 19 Member
    I drink my Metaxa and I log it, however much I have, which isn't much (1-2 ounces)
    With needing 5000-6000 calories on weekdays, it doesn't really affect me too much.

Categories