How do you fit alcohol in your diet??

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.

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.

Generally I pour it in a glass, and drink it.

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.

No mix will go a long way in not busting your calorie allowance.

I dont drink my calories! I have to fit in cake into my macros!

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!

Yes, I save and intentionally "earn" calories for it. You can bet that I'm thinking "beer" anytime I'm doing cardio!

Drink enough so that you're too drunk to log it.

Drink enough so that you're too drunk to log it.

Hahahahah..... Yeah do the above......

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.

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.

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