How do YOU combine weight loss with (heavy) drinking?

2

Replies

  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    I don't drink unless I'm gonna be dancing! Dancing is a great exercise~ And when you're drunk you get extra vigorous with those motions and I like to think I burn extra calories haha

    I only drink shots/on the rocks or mix with no/low-calorie mixes. Water, diet soda/red bull, seltzer, tea, coffee, fake juice powder stuff like crystal light or mio. Occasionally wine or beer. The calories in alcohol alone aren't too bad, but if you are mixing it with high calorie liquids, they add up SO fast!
  • RaeLB
    RaeLB Posts: 1,216 Member
    Smoke weed instead.

    ^ or this lol
  • alienrite
    alienrite Posts: 314 Member
    I lost weight while allowing myself to drink; mostly beer. I just planned my calories and found that learning to run or taking a long hike became a real good way to burn the calories (ahead of time not after). Alcohol definitely makes it harder and slowed my progress but it is possible. The end of the story though is that I have learned to prefer exercise over drinking and have slowed my drinking a lot without even meaning to because it impacted my ability to run or hike or lift.

    In the end, it is all about managing your calories. You want alcohol, some want ice cream or cake. Probably cannot have them all though :)
  • Elisabeth2016
    Elisabeth2016 Posts: 21
    Whiskey and coke (and by that I mean coca cola lol) and just stop eating Im just kidding about the stop eating thing! Ive found that exercising a lot before going out then just get to drunk to care! lol
  • emAZn
    emAZn Posts: 413 Member
    I drink pretty heavily on the weekends and I just fit it into my calorie goals. I tend to "bank" a few hundred calories per day during the week and use them up when I go out on the weekends.

    I used to try and make them fit into my daily goal but that left me eating like 300 calories a day and drinking the rest... not a good idea on my part but I've never claimed to be the smartest ;)

    So as long as I stay under my weekly net I'm good to go! Feel free to friend me, I log all my alcohol so no judgy-wudgy bears.
  • Blacklance36
    Blacklance36 Posts: 755 Member
    Oh good grief with the sanctimony in here.

    Yes, you can drink and still lose weight, but you just need to be smarter about it. Start out with a couple of shots and then you don't need to drink much to maintain your buzz while you're actually partying. I have a couple of rum and diets before going out (no, I'm not driving people) and then just have one beer or so at the bar.

    Don't forget the water though. I try to drink a glass of water between every drink to avoid hangovers.

    I agree, this teetotaler stuff is uncalled for. Its like religion. Its good that you have one, its good that you are proud of it, just don't bring it out in public and wave it all over the place.
  • gmthisfeller
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
    Smoke a little something instead ;)

    +1

    Or better, yet, add your something to chocolate brownies, then work them into your calories.
  • sarahinrichmond
    sarahinrichmond Posts: 6
    I usually plan what I want to drink and then do extra cardio or lifting that day to earn those calories. I like my wine and I know I'd like to spend about 400kcal on just wine tonight so I'll go home and do about 30-45 min of cardio to earn my drinks. If I only get about 20 minutes in that means I can only have one glass of wine and I stick to it.

    It's all about planning.
  • cmira5ol
    cmira5ol Posts: 1,246 Member
    i work out and drink almost everyday.

    But then again, i got a few inches to get rid to see my abs.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    Hey! So I'm losing weight, and thus far it's going quite good.. However I've quit drinking until now, but I plan on starting again soon. I want to sustain my student lifestyle with getting drunk (so not just a few beers/wines) once every 1-2 weeks. I suppose it could be possible (I know it's not healthy) and I was just wondering how other people do it, if people do this at all?

    its calories in calories out.

    maybe best to look at how many calories you want to eat in a week.

    plan your eating around your drinking lol. eat less on the days surrounding it so smooths out for the week. Say you want to eat 2000 cals a day. if you ate 1500 a day on a drinking week, then you would have an extra 3500 cals on your drinking day to drink with
    Normal diet:
    7*2000 = 14000 cal goal for the week

    Drinking diet:
    7*1500 = 10500

    14000-10500 = 3,500 to get yo' drink on!!!!
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    i just smoke weed but that comes with its own issues
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Drink so much you puke it all up. Problem solved.
  • zzznaptime
    zzznaptime Posts: 2
    I hear you and wish I could sustain my wine while losing weight.

    When it comes to alcohol it’s not the same calories in calories out process you have with food. Your body metabolizes alcohol through the liver and generally the body can process only 1 standard drink in an hour. The trouble is that while it is being processes everything else is put on hold or stored in the body, so mind what you eat!

    Next thing is that alcohol increases cortisol levels which are essentially fat creating hormones. In addition to all of this it’s very high in calories. In the last year I have gone from a 123-144lbs because I was very indulgent and careless with my alcohol intake.

    I eat very clean, run 25 miles a week, do interval training sessions for an hour 3 days a week, and practice Barre for an hour once a week. Obviously it’s the drinking as the rest of my life is on point. No sugar, well except what is in the alcohol, only complex carbs, lean meats, and loads of veggies. All aided by regular sessions with my nutritionist to ensure I am keeping my macros accurate. Her advice is always “Drastically decrease the alcohol! You are doing everything else right. You will start to lose once you do this”

    I tried intermittent fasting, juice fasting, and limiting my calories for the whole in out theory but nothing worked. I am now only drinking on special occasions and trying to get back to my healthy weight which for me ranges between 119 and 125.
    Good luck to you!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    i just smoke weed but that comes with its own issues

    Yeah, you don't want a bag of chips or anything like that near you! My advice: get a small pack of chewy caramels. It takes all night to finish chewing them, lol! And they taste especially awesome.
  • _errata_
    _errata_ Posts: 1,653 Member
    Drink so much you puke it all up. Problem solved.

    Bwhahahahahaha.

    Oh man. I'm going straight to hell.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    Work out earlier in the day. Go dancing. Stay hydrated.

    Find an alcohol you like the taste of. Mix with real lime and/or soda water (not tonic!). Make it your drink. Try this: mix an ounce of whiskey with some soda water and a slice of lime. First off, you'll look like a badass next time a guy goes to order you a drink and you say "whiskey soda" (personally, I've always responded "I can buy myself booze. Let's dance instead" because I have a fear of having a guy at the bar think I owe him something). Secondly, it's not exactly calorie free, but it's easier to track and lower than a lot of other mixed drinks out there. Third, it's definitely less calories per drunkenness than other types of alcohol. Fourth: less bloat than wine or beer.

    Remember that being buzzed is much more fun than being drunk. And being the woman who drinks whiskey and gets a little buzzed? So very very much cooler than drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade and vomiting in your hair. And you know, use your judgement.

    For the record I'm typing this while drinking chardonnay and reminiscing about my college days of drinking at the bar and dancing my *kitten* off.

    You're brilliant. Please write a book!
  • Amadbro
    Amadbro Posts: 750 Member
    cocaine
  • walkdmc
    walkdmc Posts: 529 Member
    I don't drink much now but when I do, it's a flavored vodka and club. I love Absolutes CherryKran and club....yumm!
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    Funny. Somehow I've managed to last six years in college without getting regularly *kitten* faced. Hmmmm.

    I think I missed the memo that I need to be brainless to be a student.
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    cocaine

    Aughta do it.
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    http://getdrunknotfat.com/
  • lynettieee
    lynettieee Posts: 1
    stop eating food until u lose the weight alcohol has 7 calories per gram, only 2 less than pure fat. u cannot lose weight if y eat food n get drunk
  • JamieBeth19
    JamieBeth19 Posts: 47 Member
    They do have those "skinny girl" drinks :) Might not really help if you are strictly a beer drinker but I thought I'd throw it out there!
  • tfleischer
    tfleischer Posts: 199 Member
    Most of the very light beers are crap.
    However, Beck 64 is a good German rendition of a super low cal beer.
    Also, Shiner Light, which is made in Texas is good as well.
    Wine is 80 cals per 4 oz. or so.
    Beer is 120+ cals per 12 oz or so.
    Whiskeys are 80 cals per 1-1.5 oz., as are most hard liquors.
    You'll get full quicker drinking beer because of its volume per shot of alcohol.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    stop eating food until u lose the weight alcohol has 7 calories per gram, only 2 less than pure fat. u cannot lose weight if y eat food n get drunk

    strong first post.

    :noway:
  • GummyHuman
    GummyHuman Posts: 193 Member
    Vodka/cran is one of the snacks that is always near the top of the snack list. I like to have drinks 2-3 nights a week with the girls. Just 2, maybe 3 vodka/crans if all the kids have been picked up by hubbies. But those few hours a week are VERY important to my (mental) health, so I make them fit.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    When I worked download festival last year I got quite hideously drunk - I worked out the calories and it was easily well over 2000 (getting on for 3k I suspect) of alcohol for the worst day.
    However, over the weekend I actually lost weight and a good chunk - I was on my feet when working, then met up with some friends watching music and so on - so burning a good few calories - and my friends were in the guest area and I was camped in the main arena, so we didn't even have THAT far to walk.

    So, from that; if it's safe to do so, a start might be to walk to/from where ever you're out drinking - saves money, time to sobre up before getting in the house and so on.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    I never counted any of my alcohol calories while I lost my weight. I am not losing at any faster rate now that I am barely drinking. I have been a binge drinker off and on for years (currently off) and have never noticed any difference in my weight. My pattern was to only drink on Fridays but to drink to EXCESS.

    Here is a very short but very well-sourced article regarding lack of weight gain from alcohol and possible decrease in weight in women: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/AlcoholCaloriesAndWeight.html#.UsIaFWd22AQ Feel free to read any of the other peer-reviewed studies from which it was sourced for more info (if you *that* bored).

    This is terrible health advice but honestly what I would do is just pick one night a week to go out and drink whatever you want as long as you stay away from fruity, sugary, or creamy drinks. Don't drink the rest of the week. I would often skip dinner on Friday if I was going to go out, but I'm not saying you should. I guess this in a way does come down to calories in, calories out. If you are drinking moderately (2 drinks/7 days per week) what is the difference between drinking 14 drinks one day and no drinks 6 days? It's still 14 drinks per week.

    Light beer, wine, any regular spirit with diet soda, etc. is going to have less calories than anything with fruit juice or cream in it.

    Don't drive!

    I have been a bartender for 18 years either as my main job or as a side job in addition to a "normal" job so I've had plenty of time to test all this out on myself (anecdotal as it may be).
  • action_figure
    action_figure Posts: 511 Member
    Eh, I haven't figured it out yet. I ended up deciding I liked chocolate more than booze.
  • Sbrn_
    Sbrn_ Posts: 351 Member
    My main advice would be to have something decent (at least calorie-wise) lined up to eat after your drinking session. In my opinion the food that people usually eat during and after their drinking is what really blows the calories and contributes to weight gain over time; the masses of takeaway food and the losing of your inhibitions therefore gobbling up anything in sight, regardless if you actually like it or not. I go out drinking every Saturday and it hasn't affected my 'quest' negatively at all. I just stick to spirits and diet mixers, mostly vodka and diet coke, keep a tab of every drink on my mobile, and don't eat until I get home. I always have a ready meal waiting in the freezer. I admit they're not the most nutritious of foods but they come to around only 500-600 calories, which is handy. A generic 25ml of vodka and diet coke only comes to around 60 calories, and being the lightweight I am I only need about six or seven of those and that's me away with faeries. So a typical night out for me comes in at around 1000 calories. These things come easy if you plan. :smokin: So drink up my friend. :drinker::drinker:
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