Nights out and alcohol!

I just do it.


Still losing weight. Still improving blood results. I go out, I drink, I don't go out, I don't. Evens it out through the weeks.



My only warning is be aware of how much caffeine you're putting away with your vodkas. One day, they may start catching up with you and you're so wired, you just can't sleep and your heart is pounding in your chest and you have gut ache and diarrhoea. Which isn't fun, especially for someone who used to be able to drink strong coffee at midnight and still be sound asleep at 12.30.

I tend to drink only when I go out on Saturday nights. I'm pretty conscious of exactly what (and how much) I drink, since I used to like to drink enough to make me blackout. I also dance. A lot. I get that dancing mood when I'm feeling good, so that's never been an issue.

I do my usual workout routine on Saturday morning, and eat the same as I normally do. Since I know I'm going to be dancing a LOT (and walking, because I rarely stop moving at that point) later in the evening, it doesn't make a difference to me. Water is also a big help, in that regard.

If you're worried about how many calories a certain drink might be, tot it up in your recipe section. That's what I do, and I drink accordingly.

I hope my experiences help.

I really do not worry about it much. I also have my Sunday Funday's where I get together with friends, enjoy cocktails or whatnot.. It's usually once per week or once biweekly. I just make sure to eat healthy and work out the remainder of the week, which I typically do out of habit anyways. The one and only downfall for me when I drink lots of booze with friends is I have a super hangover the next day and end up craving the most horrible greasiest and unhealthy foods. However, I've learned to replace those hangover foods with healthier versions Life is too short, sometimes you got to let yourself have some fun and not obsess over every single calorie going in.

Also, to the OP, I am sorry people are jumping to conclusions about how much you drink. I personally see where you're coming from. Nights out can lead to excessive drinking, especially when you're younger. It happens, it's part of growing up and the college life and its great you have realized that you were drinking a decent amount and have changed since then

When I go out, and get really drunk.........All I want to do is go to the greasy kebab shop after as I am starving.... NOT GOOD!!!

If I know I'm going out, I'll save up some calories from the other days of the week for that purpose, sometimes it's not as much as I'm going to consume but I feel like I'm at least minimising the damage. I think maybe some people on here just don't get the UK student lifestyle, which is fine, but it looks excessive to them.

I'm a postgrad student, and go out about once a week. Usually if I predrink I'll have 2/3 of a bottle of wine, so I know how many calories, and then maybe 3/4 double vodkas and diet cokes, and a couple of shots. I also go for a run the next day, which personally helps me loads. I think it's key to stay away from junk food that night and the day after, if you can manage it. I only have about a 50% success rate lol.

Anyway I hope you have fun on your night out ????

I'm interested in knowing how people factor in nights out/alcohol into their diet/lifestyle? Do you plan ahead, eat at a bigger deficit than usual that week so that you can enjoy your night out without having to pay much attention to calories? Do you just try to be conservative with your alcohol intake on the night? Or do you just throw caution to the wind and go for a big blow out, and then get back on track the next day?

I've been limiting my alcohol consumption since I've started losing weight (alcohol was a major factor in my weight gain - I succumbed quite willingly to the binge drinking student culture at uni) so it made sense to give my body a break. I'm going on my first night out in a long time this weekend and, whilst I know that I will be more conscious of how much I'm drinking, I know that I will still drink a fair bit. I always stick to vodka and diet coke, so it's probably one of the 'better' options where calories are concerned... But I know that I'll drink the majority of my daily calorie limit. I'm not going to beat myself up about one night, I feel like I deserve a wee night out, but I'd still like to stay on track with my weightloss for the week if I can.

Only having a few drinks isn't really an option for me - lovely social anxiety issues and once I've had a few it's so easy just to convince myself to have a few more... And a few more...

So how do you personally contend with nights out? I can't decide what option would be best for me, so any advice or suggestions are appreciated!

Right. This post has got my name written all over it. I got this.

Ok so first of all you'll need to know, if you haven't already figured out by now, that drinking large quantities of alcohol is going to be a big problem in your weight loss journey. Binge drinking and a healthy lifestyle are about as mutually exclusive as two things can be, so basically the advice I'm about to give you, on how to binge drink more successfully, SHOULD NOT BE FOLLOWED.

Nah but seriously, there are a few things you can do to ease the problem....


Obviously alcohol is empty calories and if you're having 19 vodkas, that's around 950 calories to add into your diary. The first, most obvious lesson, is to reduce your intake; not by drinking fewer drinks, but with smarter drinks choices. With vodka and diet coke it seems you've done this already, so just keep off the shots (especially that rank Corky's stuff that they throw at you in student bars, they're full of sugar and not even particularly alcoholic) and you're already doing what you can in this respect.


So if you can't cut down any further on that 950 cals, then clearly you're going to be over target that day unless you starve yourself....DO NOT DO THAT! I know "eating's cheating" but if you're a binge drinker (like me) you'll **** yourself up if you don't eat. And I'm not talking about just getting drunk quicker, or getting a worse hangover, or any of those things that just give you better stories to tell, I'm talking about actual liver damage that you will seriously regret.

But if it's not from starving yourself, you need to make that 950 calories back from somewhere, right? So.... DANCE! Dance like nobody is watching and you'll burn plenty of calories. It won't be the whole 950, maybe not even half, but it's a start; it'll put a big dent in what you need to make up for. For an hours dancing MFP says I'd burn 500 calories. It won't be as high for you because I'm a lot heavier but it's still worth logging. For arguments sake let's take a guess and say you'd burn 450, you've only got 500 left to make up for.

So you've minimised calorie intake, and you've already burnt half of it off; what's next?

Damage limitation, that's what.

Damage limitation means giving in to your urges for excess when it comes to drink, but resisting them when it comes to food. It's probably a good idea to eat something straight after a binge session, it will certainly ease your hangover the next day, but that doesn't mean you have to go crazy.

A Subway, for example, is not a bad idea. But do you really need a footlong?

A greasy takeaway pizza always goes down well after a session - but did you really need that extra slice?

Wouldn't the Big Mac meal have filled the hole just as well without making it large fries and large coke?

Your drunk self will want to eat and eat. Be strong!

Stick with this mentality into the next day. When you're hungover you'll have the urge to eat and drink all day. This is your body telling you it needs nutrients, so sure, you need to eat, but a hangover is not an excuse to eat crap all day. Just try to eat as normally as you can. And don't be tempted to head for the pepsi; you may think the sugar will help wake you up but really a few glasses of water are all you need to ease a hangover from hell (most hangover symptoms stem from dehydration alone).

If you're not careful, the calories that you drank can quickly become insignificant compared to the oens you will eat if you binge on junk food.

As for burning off the other 450 or so calories, the important thing is not to try to do it all in one go. if you spread it through the week, it's only 65 calories a day.

Now, one more thing: But be careful because this is an advanced drinking strategy, not for the rookies!

Timing of your drinks can be important. Your body will, on average, dissipate 1 unit of alcohol per hour (1 vodka is 1 unit). This means that if you start your pre-drinking in the afternoon/early evenings, it's a waste because by the time you get to the bar/club later on, the alcohol from your first few drinks is already well out of your system. Why bother pre-drinking them, and taking the calories on board, if you won't feel the effect for your night out? If you start drinking 2 vodkas an hour at 6, and you're hitting the club by 11, there are 5 vodkas that you've already processed. So, why did you bother drinking them? If you have your vodkas in a shorter space of time, you can almost certainly get just as drunk on fewer drinks. This may mean you can cut down from 19 to a more sensible 15 perhaps?

Now, this is advice you need to be VERY careful with. What I'm NOT saying is for you to go out and drink loads of vodka in a really short space of time. You have to experiment with this strategy carefully, and find your own limits. Personally I find that if I sink 8 cans of beer in the 2 hours before I go out, that's the optimum pre-drinking session for me. That's the equivalent of around 16 vodkas in 2 hours. Your tolerance may well be lower so just take it steady until you figure out what's best for you, yeah?


DISCLAIMER: Everything I just said is really, really bad advice. DO NOT FOLLOW ANY OF IT. Just drink less, yeah? A lot less!

OK, I think you're mostly all over reacting to a reasonable question. I don't think she meant the extreme that she wasn't going to eat a thing and have ALL the calories in vodka. Chill out, please.

I'm from the UK too - Don't know if it's a cultural thing?

Anyway. I tend to save a few calories for gin and slimline. If it's a night out, I don't want to be cutting back my food and then expecting to drink, because I end up drunk early on, and it's not fun. Also a sure way to have a hangover. My advice is save a few, but not too many calories, make sensible drink choices (singles - cheaper, and you can last longer), and make sure you don't go 1,000's of calories over.

If it's an odd one-off, just ENJOY YOURSELF!

I learnt to say no and be able to stop after 1-2 drinks. You don't need them to have fun/socialise/relax. Grow some confidence girl! You've been losing weight and are young, go have fun!