How often do you drink alcohol?

Hi everyone!

We all know that alcohol can really slow your hard work and weight loss. I am just wondering though, how much is too much?

Is it a drink a day? 2 drinks a day? No drinks all week but a couple on the weekend?

I am simply curious! I am 19 years old and have 15 pounds to lose and it seems like all my friends ever want to do is drink on the weekend. I enjoy having a bloody mary a couple times a week (though it puts me way over my sodium!) but I can't take all the binge drinking on the weekends - it would really slow my weight loss.

Anyways.... For those of you who have lost weight, did you do it while having that "one glass a day"? Or did you cut out alcohol completely?
«1

Replies

  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
    I subscribe to the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) so i have about two low cal mixers a night, or a glass or two of wine.
  • I dont drink Alcohol
  • m0jk
    m0jk Posts: 133
    special occasions like christmas and new year or a night out... weekend of drinking at music festivals .. but im sure i burn it off dancing on those occassions :)
  • bio01979
    bio01979 Posts: 313
    personally I rarely drink but not for weight loss reasons, more because my stomach won't tolerate alcohol anymore lol (and I am in my 30s I already did my fair share of partying - it got old by 25)

    but I would say that as long as you are within your daily total calories you should be fine. Most alcohol is empty calories so you would need to leave yourself a decent cusion for calories if you want to have 5 or 6 drinks one night :) Or you could exercise it off :)

    realistically though I think all things in moderation is good and if you do happen to have a night on the town I wouldn't stress too much about it if you go over your calories that night - just don't make it a habit every night ;)
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    I drink lite beer either Friday or Saturday nights, usually about 6-8 of them. Can't totally stay away.
  • goshnames
    goshnames Posts: 359 Member
    Never...except for right now!

    I haven't had a drop in over half a year during my weight loss efforts. I know I'll be drinking in the summer though, so I thought I'd test it out and see what happens over the next few days...if I gain or lose or stay the same. I can be a test subject! lol :)
  • emelia_
    emelia_ Posts: 91
    On the weekends I might have a few beers. During the week I sometimes have a glass of wine with my dinner, but this happens maybe once or twice a week.
  • GoClaireGo
    GoClaireGo Posts: 8 Member
    It is up to the person. I will say that there is a lot of research that shows that even with one drink you sleep significantly worse. Being sleepy is a major diet sabotage for me. I am really trying to limit myself to 2 drinks on one weekend night. I usually go for a shot of vodka in crystal light : )
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    I take it you are outside the U.S.? Only asking because of your age.... and if you are in the U.S., I do not think it would be appropriate to answer your question. :flowerforyou:
  • oktolose
    oktolose Posts: 3 Member
    I think you can have some alcohol each week, but definitely limit it to only a few (like 3 drinks) and count the calories and stay within your total calorie limit. Vodka or rum has no carbs and about 65 calories per 1 oz. You can mix with diet coke, or some other diet soda, or maybe diet cranberry juice or water with a fresh lime for example. Or you can drink wine, but it will probably be more calories plus carbs. Keep in mind that you might not feel like exercising the next day depending on how used you are to drinking. Also, remember that there is no nutritional value in alcohol (vodka and rum). If you use calories from alcohol, you rob yourself of nutritional value you could have had from food. But if you decide to party with your friends, you have not totally blown it. Just try to stay within your calorie limit. If you go over, try to exercise more and cut back on calories a couple of days.
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
    Haven't had a drink in prbly 2 years now. No alcohol problem just didn't feel like it.
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
    Outside of maybe glass of wine at Christmas and Easter dinners with my fam, I don't drink alcohol (out of respect for my fiance, who is 12 years sober). None of our friends have any issues with us not drinking (even those who don't know why we don't drink). :)
  • yes i'm from canada
  • JHadinger
    JHadinger Posts: 10 Member
    I drink alcohol at least one evening for majority of weekends. I stick to rum or vodka and mix with diet colas. Those drinks do run around 60 to 65 calories per 1 oz. My game plan is always to drink 8 oz. of water in between each drink I have as well as MOVE!!! I've been on the dance floor for hours and it is a great way to burn off the calories. Hydration and keep moving. I've lost over 70lbs over last 2 years and I can say, you can still do it. But I believe it will slow down your progress a bit though. Clean living is always going to do your body better.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    I usually don't drink alchohol at all. Maybe a pina colada or a margarita every two or three years. I just never got into that.
  • I brew beer and I love wine. Oh, and vodka. I just try not to over do it (most of the time). I had a beer tonight before dinner and will probably have a couple tomorrow to end my week but aside from that I probably won't have much over the weekend. I think lifestyle and sometimes age plays into what/how much we drink but as long as you are doing it responsibly and recognize that it can hinder your weight loss goals if you have too much, you can decide what and when to drink.

    Watch out for the freshman 15!
  • BIW2012
    BIW2012 Posts: 97 Member
    Very rarely. A few times a year... can't think when I last had a glass of wine. It sounds bad, but I don't really have just one glass, if I'm going to drink, it's more like 10-12 glasses of wine.

    I live in New Zealand, very big on drinking!
  • Shan790
    Shan790 Posts: 280 Member
    I make sure there are some room for a drink or 2 a week in my diet. I enjoy a beer on the patio on the weekends with friends.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    I have 1 - 3 drinks per day and have done it since I started losing weight. I just made sure that they fit in my daily goal. For holidays or parties I would exercise before I left to get room in the day for snacks and more drinks. It hasn't had an effect on my weight loss and, unless I really over do it (maybe once in the last year) it hasn't made me not want to work out on an exercise day.

    Of course, this is just my personal experience and YMMV.
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
    Every now and then, I will have a margarita or a glass of wine.

    But...

    LAST night, I drank a whole bottle. I am miserable cause my hubby is on a business trip in Tahoe. ::sniff::
  • CMB1979
    CMB1979 Posts: 588 Member
    I usually only drink alcohol on Saturday nights with friends. I'm not sure how many though because, come Sunday, I can't remember. :)
  • Used to drink a lot, then I switched to weed. Calorie free!

    So, before you report me I'm totally kidding :) (It is legal some places now... but that's beside the point)

    Yeah, the social drinking can be a real bear to deal with. I've cut out most of my random weeknight beers and save it for parties or special-er occasions.

    A big part of it for me was just being AWARE of how many calories are in beer. My favorite IPA is something like 300 per pint. It's motivation to have just one - the tastiest one I can find! - and leave it at that. Plus, if you don't drink as often it's pretty easy to get a buzz off one or two beers.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
    I don't drink at all (but not due to weight loss, just personal choice). I have no problem hanging out with my friends while they drink.
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
    I'll have a beer 2 or 3 times a week. Though now that it's summer that tends to increase and include whiskey
  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
    IF I have alcohol... it's once every 2 weeks... sometimes month. I have a 'cheat' day every week where I go over my macros, and I usually have wine :) I mean a bottle ... or more :laugh:
  • fuzzball01
    fuzzball01 Posts: 105 Member
    Sorry, don't drink anymore, Not allowed. But when I did quit drinking I did lose weight. I used to have a few everyday.
  • Before I started working out I used to take recreational drugs daily (just about everything really - weed, benzos, opiates psychadelics, stimulants). Since then I only take drugs on weekends but I've found myself substituting them with almost daily consumption of alcohol :/
  • fat2strongbeth
    fat2strongbeth Posts: 735 Member
    I used to have 1-2 glasses of wine a night but have cut back to no more than 2 days per week. I can't seem to fit it into my calories every day and I usually eat more when I drink.
  • DCruz83
    DCruz83 Posts: 99
    Honestly, I hardly ever drink, special occasions or the random night out but that could be like once every few months at most. I'll drink my fair share on that one night, true, but it's not something I do often anyway so I doubt any of the weight I've put over time is due to drinking. At any rate, if you wanna let yourself go once in a while I don't think it's a big deal as long as you keep up the hard work the rest of the time, just make sure you don't come to think of it as acceptable to do it often as long as you work it off, otherwise you're not making much progress, at best you might just stay at the point where you are.
  • ronrstaats
    ronrstaats Posts: 294 Member
    Maybe once or twice a year I will have multiple drinks in one night. I have never been a big drinker. Other than that I might have one drink every 2 months.