What are you doing about Alcohal?

24

Replies

  • tinak33
    tinak33 Posts: 9,883 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!

    This^^^
    Make sure you have at least 8 glasses of water before you start drinking and at least 1 after. Maybe mix in a glass of water between glasses of wine.
    If you are doing shots, chase it with a glass of water. The dehydration is what makes hangovers and bloating soooo much worse....
    Also, if you know you are going out and having wine and maybe a shot or two, log it before you go! That way it's in, you already know how many calories you will use from it, and you can work your food and exercise around it. 3 glasses of wine isn't too bad in calories, so you should be able to work it in. :drinker:
  • amye004
    amye004 Posts: 32
    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?

    Track your food on the weekend! It can also play a factor into why your weight fluctuates and give you some insight as to your weekend habits. If you want to drink, then drink. Do not deprive yourself if you want it but make it apart of your daily intake. I would also recommend you have water that night (even just before bed) as it will keep help you feel less hungover the next day. Drink a lot of water the next day as well to keep hydrated. I also find exercise the day after, even if it's a 20 min walk helps with feeling gross too. I don't drink often, but when I do it fits into my daily goals.
  • shmiracles
    shmiracles Posts: 105 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. :)

    i don't always succeed at this goal,
    but i fully support this statement. for me it's not about the calories but the more immediate effects drinking has on the liver, the kidneys, and metabolism that slows down weight-loss overall.
  • jacque930
    jacque930 Posts: 122 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!

    Hungover feeling - HYDRATE.. I agree... most of that feeling is due to the dehydration from alcohol. I drink and just log it and work it in. I may have 1 day a month, if I am lucky, in which I have one or two too many drinks but one day won't hurt.. Just track it and don't make it a daily occurrence. - Remember to enjoy life! Just have to be reasonable..
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 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.

    Yep.

    At home, I purposely got old-fashioned small wineglasses that comfortably hold an actual 5-6 ounce pour, so I know what I'm drinking. Restaurant wineglasses are often huge, and while they're certainly not overly generous with their pours, neither are they sticking to the amount in the calorie counting charts! I don't drink much out of the house as a rule, and when I do its usually one glass with a nice dinner on a rare date night.

    At home, we'll have two (small) glasses with dinner once or twice a week, and I think its possible to fit that into your totals and macros.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    What's more important to you....being drunk and letting your boyfriend dictate your choices or losing weight???? I treat drinks the same way I do anything else I consume. If I have the calories then I have a drink. It fits into my goals and I do not excude food in order to be able to have a drink. Tomorrow night I plan on having a glass of wine or 2 so I'm making sure I workout so I have a good sized buffer of calories. If you aren't eating just so you can have alcohol then you have problems. And if your drinking makes you feel like crap, why are you drinking??? The things we do in life shouldn't make us feel like crap, they should make us feel good.
  • Misha6
    Misha6 Posts: 17 Member
    When I know that I'll be rounding out my evening with a few drinks I add more exercise! I'll work out an extra few hundred calories. Calorie restriction on a day where I'm drinking doesn't make as much sense to me, because I don't want to spike my blood sugar too much while I'm consuming alcohol. I also try to hydrate more. I drink water before drinking and drink some of a Powerade Zero before bed to reintroduce some electrolytes. It helps tremendously.
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
    I'm a bartender so I'm constantly surrounded by the stuff. From behind the bar I see that measurements aren't too accurate to go on either - a glass of wine might be almost double what you think it is. I struggled to keep to one or two drinks here or there so I swore off the stuff completely for a month. Now everyone around me is used to me not drinking and I'm used to saying no. It makes it much easier to stick to just one vodka if I choose to drink, and to say no if I don't want to.
    I suggest giving yourself a month off the stuff before stepping back in with caution.
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 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!

    I had this problem.. I don't eat when I did drink so the next day I ate everything in sight... much safer to not drink.
  • smittelman6
    smittelman6 Posts: 3
    I agree with those who say you just have to suck it up and count those calories! Of course on a special occasion like your brithday or christmas you might be taking the day off from counting altogether -- but if this is a regular every weekend type of thing, they need to be logged. I tried it the other way, and found that I was losing substantially less on the weeks I drank.

    Now, if I want a couple of beers, I make sure to exercise an extra 400 or 500 calories off in the morning (for me this is only about 45 minutes on the elliptical -- not that big of a commitment!)... that way, I can still eat normally and have 4 or 5 (light) beers at night, without getting completely off track.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    I make up for it by working out. And when I drink, I usually have water between drinks so I don't get dehydrated.
  • atb0821
    atb0821 Posts: 458 Member
    Right now, I'm drinking it.

    But this usually isn't the case. I'm making an exception because this day sucks.
  • BlackJack96
    BlackJack96 Posts: 43 Member
    If I'm drinking I have one glass of water per drink. That helps with the dehydration. Also, work out a lot on the weekend to get the extra calories to go out.
  • lrbassmom
    lrbassmom Posts: 123
    What am I doing about alcohol?

    Drinking it of course! :drinker:

    I try to avoid Monday -Thursday, and weekend I enjoy in moderation. And cutting out during the week was a big step for me. And I adjust my calories accordingly. Yes, my weekends probably do slow down my weight loss but drastic changes and not "allowing" myself alcohol or telling myself it's off limits... well that just makes me want it more. I figured that in order for the weight loss and lifestyle change to stick, the change is going to have to fit my lifestyle. I love a draft beer or three, and enjoy red wine as a way to take the tension out of the neck and shoulders.
  • nineteenstars
    nineteenstars Posts: 24 Member
    I allow myself a glass of wine at the end of the week if I stay on track. It's like a reward.
    Works for me .... since I really really really like wine :) lol
  • Dawnsharheb
    Dawnsharheb Posts: 3 Member
    ur nice
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I have greatly moderated my alcohol consumption, though I do like to indulge on the weekends. I used to be a 7 day a week drinker though...and not just a beer or something. I've always like to party like today is my last. I don't drink much during the work week anymore, but I like to cut lose on the weekends. I don't drink as much beer as I used to...generally vodka or gin and soda water with lime these days.

    Given that I have not intention of giving up alcohol altogether long term, I don't see why I would give it up right now. Though I'm at a deficit, I'm really just practicing for my new lifestyle...which also includes alcohol.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    scotch only has 65 calories per ounce. I like a nice scotch and water. Its stiff enough that i dont drink it too fast, and 2 ounces are all it takes to make me forget about the workday

    it is an acquired taste of course
  • shelbygt350h
    shelbygt350h Posts: 12
    I love my white wine...on the wagon right now though...but the way I drank it to control my weight and avoid a hangover, would be to add water to it !! Many times I would end up adding about 75% water when all is said and done. I got used to it, and didn't have to go without and didn't gain weight. People thought it was strange at first, but when I told them about the no hangover part they understood completely. Good luck !
  • EmilyMejia93
    EmilyMejia93 Posts: 4 Member
    welp, thank god i never drink! :)
  • Kaylaef
    Kaylaef Posts: 194 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.

    Yup. Even when I was on Herbal Magic and last 60 lbs, I NEVER stopped drinking wine. In fact, I probably drank a little more. Haha. I have not noticed it inhibiting my weight loss. But everyone is different. So if it makes you feel awful, then cut it out. I can marrily have 3 glasses of wine and be perfectly okay the next day. But I am a wine snob...
  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
    I don't drink much, and I learn to say NO! I was offered 3 times tonight and had to say no and make up some excuse... it's like... how can someone not want to drink?!

    300 cals for 3 glasses of wine? You must be drinking very small glasses of wine then! When I am going to have some red I always try and make it fit with my daily goal :) If you get that hungover either 1. you're drinking a lot more than you think or 2. you are very light weight. Either way, remember to keep up drinking a lot of water in between drinks and eat something carby (naughty word) to absorb extra alcohol and prevent the hangover.

    I just drink a lot of water and find I don't get at all hungover these days.
  • HealthyDreamy
    HealthyDreamy Posts: 42 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.

    Totally agree with that! Im an all or nothing kinda gal ;0)
  • krickeyuu
    krickeyuu Posts: 344 Member
    I drink wine every day. Alcohol can be part of your overall eating plan the same as any other treat. IMHO it is best to try and meet all of your macros first before adding "empty" calories. I eat 90-95% of my 1500 calories and then I use my extra exercise calories for wine. It is very important to drink water when consuming alcohol in order to prevent that hungover feeling. We usually bring our own wine to restaurants so we know we are getting (2) 6.25 oz glasses with dinner out of one bottle. At home we measure out the same 6.25 oz glasses.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    DRINK MORE!!!
    EXERCISE MORE!
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 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. :)

    Umm no, the same can't be said for "quick' sugars.
  • Tyree985
    Tyree985 Posts: 22 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.

    Heck yea! :laugh:
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    I don't drink very much so it's no big deal to go without any alcohol.

    Except for tonight - going out to dinner then to a club to see a coworker perform.

    Jermaine and the Ill Funk Ensemble
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ONWGVzTJV0
  • KristenRidl
    KristenRidl Posts: 82 Member
    I used to drink wine nightly; now I limit drinking to weekends only. Typically, I drink a couple of times/month now. At first, I thought it would be hard to make the switch, but now, I find it's something I don't even think about. Last weekend, I kinda had 6 shots of jack daniels. I worked this into my calorie goal; however, the drunk munchies are what brought me down!! For me, this is the hardest part about drinking. (I want to eat everything once my inhibitions are lowered.) If you enjoy drinking, I would say that everything in moderation is OK.
  • GymBeast2
    GymBeast2 Posts: 81
    I avoid the fun drinks most of the time. If I have then I want another and then another....so on and so on...

    My SO drinks for us both:laugh: ..so someone has to DD. I hate waking up bloated hungover and feeling like crap. I do the hard drinking once a year...New Years Eve:drinker: ....so I feel like S*it the next day and remember why I didn't drink hard the entire year.


    If you can work it in, then go for it. Count it and add it.

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