Drinking On a Night Out

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JessBarnes1991
JessBarnes1991 Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello I'm going out soon on a night out for a celebration and was just wondering what are the best alcoholic drinks to have when dieting? Thanks Jess

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  • Ignaura
    Ignaura Posts: 203 Member
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    I try to avoid beer. I usually drink whisky or vodka with club soda or diet coke. Your body uses alcohol first for energy and then uses the sugar/carbs, so try mix it with sugar-free drinks to avoid the extra carbs that can be storage as fat.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
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    It really depends on your calorie allowance, your goals, and what you like to drink. Generally, with planning, you can enjoy a night out and a few drinks without affecting your weight loss efforts.

    Hard liquor has the least amount of calories per unit, if consumed straight, but if you are spending a night out and having a few to several drinks, you probably don't want to be doing shots. Generally 1 oz of 80-proof booze has about 70 calories.

    Mixed drinks really vary, and can end up being quite high in calories. First, they generally have a couple of ounces of hard liquor (140 cals or so), then mix it with fruit juices, soft drinks, or other liquors. If you like drinks like rum and coke, or gin and tonic, you can always use diet mixers, and then you only have to deal with the calories in the liquor.

    Wine is a good choice if you want to have a few drinks and not go too high. A typical 6 oz of red is in the neighborhood of 120 - 150 calories per glass, and white is in a similar range, starting probably a little lower).

    Beer ranges from 64 calories for 12 oz of bubbly yellow water to a few hundred for yummy Belgians. Most decent commercial beer like Sam Adams, Blue Moon, Dogfish head, or Sierra Nevada are between 150 and 250 calories per 12 oz.

    When I plan on going out and having a few, I make sure to make room in my daily allowance for a few drinks that I am going to enjoy. While I don't specifically pre-plan my drinks, I tend to have a feeling for what I would like. So I may make room for a couple of mixed drinks, or a few decent beers, etc.

    A big thing to watch out for is snacking while you drink... don't fall for your buzzed self telling you that it doesn't matter if you order the chicken wings (unless you've made room in the day for them, that is).
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
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    Your body uses alcohol first for energy and then uses the sugar/carbs, so try mix it with sugar-free drinks to avoid the extra carbs that can be storage as fat.

    While this is true, as long as you are at a deficit, your body won't keep the fat, it will get burned. Basically, the body is always shuffling stuff around, storing it as fat, burning fat, etc. throughout the day. If your overall energy needs exceed your intake, the net effect is a loss of fat (as well as lbm, but that is for another topic).
  • JessBarnes1991
    JessBarnes1991 Posts: 19 Member
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    Thanks for the reply, I've saved 500 calories for tonight as I'm not a big drinking, I shall stick to vodka and diet coke I think and try to only have around 4-5, thanks again great replys!
  • Smashley1947
    Smashley1947 Posts: 129
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    I am going out drinking tonight,

    I will have delicious craft brews. I do not like hard liquor and I find pop or juice as a mixer too sweet.

    Only 1 or 2 half-pints though

    I don't log my alcohol my boyfriend gives me a hassle about it, but over the long run, those few drinks are not going to make a big difference.

    What will make a big difference for me is hitting the gym
  • megpumpkin
    megpumpkin Posts: 6
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    I usually order something like a flavored vodka or fireball over ice. Allows me to sip it slowly. Drink water between drinks! It'll keep you hydrated. :)

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