Drinking alcohol but staying within calories

ebayaddict0127
ebayaddict0127 Posts: 523 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know alcohol isn't good for you and it's empty calories, but how detrimental is it to drink alcohol and still stay within my calories? Clearly this wouldn't be a daily occurrence, but on the weekends it will probably happen.

Anyone still successful losing weight and drinking on occasion? (I'm talking more like 3 glasses of wine, not one small serving). I wanna let loose this weekend!

Replies

  • cactuswax
    cactuswax Posts: 77 Member
    I lost weight without even trying while drinking beer regularly and eating a little ice cream most nights.. just needs to fit in your calories :)

    I will say.. that the past few months I slacked on exercise due to the light change/work, and put on the lbs drinking and not tracking my food. Just keep on top of it!
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Who says alcohol isn't good for you? *confused*
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Just a note: Alcohol inhibits fat burning while it's still in your system. Alcohol will be the primary fuel burned until it's used up.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
    Good to know, ninerbuff. I don't drink anymore, but looking back when I did, does that mean the whole "Go to Denny's at 3am and eat a big greasy meal" stuff was a terrible suggestion?

    OP, it's my understanding that vodka is one of the lowest in calories and don't quote me here, but something about alcohol that has been distilled versus fermented (liquor and whiskey versus beer and wine) has less of an impact on the bathroom scale. But I can't remember why. I just know 15 years ago when I was all that and bag of skinny single chips, vodka and cranberry was the drink of choice among the ladies for reasons having to do with weight.

    Don't know the science behind it, or the facts, so take it with a grain of salt ... and a twist of lime if you're doing tequila shots.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    as long as you stay in a deficit you will lose weight
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
    I live by one simple rule: Everything in moderation.

    Nothing is good when consumed excessively. If you enjoy alcohol, don't deprive yourself of it. That's going to lead to failure. I drink occasionally. I've still lost weight. I have a weakness for Jack Daniels and Irish Cream. Just don't overdo it.
  • darkrose20
    darkrose20 Posts: 1,139 Member
    I do it a few times a month, and I'm not dead yet. Oh, and I've lost 20 lbs. Also, high five for Jack Daniels. There's a bottle on my counter calling my name.

    Also, there is a website dedicated to the calories (by brand, no less) of one serving of alcohol...something like skinnydrunk.com. Grr....now I have to look it up...one sec...

    www.getdrunknotfat.com

    For those of us who like to know in advance how much of a "bender" we can go on. Cheers! :drinker:
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    yes:drinker:
  • vijaynarayanan
    vijaynarayanan Posts: 23
    I drink once a week, 8 shots of whiskey and weight and cardio train rest of the week.

    My trick is I drink on a Thursday, burn out 550 cal on cardio the next day to balance. Also I try not to overshoot calories grossly and stick to scotch or vodka with no cal chasers. Dry wine is fine too.

    Vy
  • TeishaMitchell
    TeishaMitchell Posts: 13 Member
    I did a restart on mfp January first. But really I have been at this for over a year. I lost ten pounds so far since my restart. 25 days! And guess what. I have drank every weekend. Anything from beer to margaritas to bloody Mary's. And the countless shots. I play darts at a bar every Saturday. If I buy my own drinks I usually do cherry uv and diet Pepsi. It's under 100 calories. But if someone is going to buy me beer and shots I won't turn it down. You can lose living life. I do try to burn a little more calories Saturday or the Sunday after. But nothing crazy. Maybe an extra ten or fifteen on the elliptical:)
  • angelbabies89
    angelbabies89 Posts: 26 Member
    Let me start off by saying yumm coronas. .my fav! lol but i think you can give yourself a day of drinking one day on the weekend u owe to yourself if you been on mfpal all week. working hard doing your calorie intake. .my opinion some ppl dont believe in days off. .but go for it just dont drink & drive lol
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
    I probably drink too much, most nights in fact, although I have cut down from where I used to be. I have lost weight consistently through being in calorie deficit even after consuming the alcohol.

    My main concern with the drinking is that it may be the reason why my BF% is not falling as fast as I would like (or it might be my lack of exercise)

    My view on drinking? I have stopped smoking, I am tackling my weight issue and yes I do need to cut back on my drinking but one thing at a time :smile:
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
    I agree that your body used the alcohol before burning any food you eat. This is just physiology. I know all the " a calorie is a calorie" but I would rather burn fat . The other issue is the lack in inhibition and eating more food than u planned. I stopped for a while and lost weight. When I started again, on came the weight. I think each person is different.
  • fxg20
    fxg20 Posts: 61 Member
    If I'm drinking a lot I log it and then exercise off my overage over the next week. It keeps you under your deficit and acts as a deterrent to overindulge on alcohol. (leverage your laziness, lol)

    I love the stuff, but beyond just calories excessive consumption of alcohol is really bad for the body. Moderate drinking for the win.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    I drink like a fish and I lose consistently. I make sure it's in my calorie goals (usually -- sometimes I blow it and DGAF) and then just carry on.

    PS: If you're staying within your calorie goals (which include a deficit from TDEE), it doesn't really matter if your body "burns the alcohol first." It's still few enough calories that you will be burning them all, plus some more (which is your deficit). I don't see the point in worrying which exact calories burn first as long as I'm creating a deficit.
  • Jordan_Gregers
    Jordan_Gregers Posts: 35 Member
    After tracking my calories for almost a month I figured out that I have drank 11,944 calories through alcohol. Most days I stay under my calorie goal, some days I go over by about 2 or 300, on a weekend piss-up I go over by about 1000.

    That being said I've lost 15 pounds in about the same amount of time...

    I am really, really concerned about it... 12,000 calories in 22 weeks is ridiculous. It works out to 542 calories PER DAY. On the days when I meet or am under my 1400 calorie goal, I am robbing my body of nutrition that I would get through eating actual food. On days when I go over I am needlessly not losing weight simply because of drinking.

    I wake up every morning thinking "not gonna drink today" and then by 6pm I have a glass of Whiskey in my hand.

    This post is starting to sound like a cry for help... LOL. But in a way I'm dieting so that I can keep drinking... which is ridiculous.

    I was wondering how I gained 50-60 pounds in a few years... after tracking alcohol calories now I know.
  • rassha01
    rassha01 Posts: 534 Member
    Just a note: Alcohol inhibits fat burning while it's still in your system. Alcohol will be the primary fuel burned until it's used up.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    My experience is that if I drink alcohol (3-6 servings) more than twice a week I do not lose weight that week. 1-2x a week and I will just fine.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I lost most of my weight drinking more than moderately. that said, I've found that to lean out anymore than about 19/20% BF I've had to cut way back regardless of whether I fit it into my calorie goals or not.
  • michael300891
    michael300891 Posts: 275
    7kcal/g of ethanol. 25ml shot of vodka is about 100kcal. Often referred to as empty calories because it is entirely energy that a large proportion will get turned into fat. On top of the ethanol you get plenty of sugars with beer cider and wine. So yeh its bad...

    But lets be honest, we all drink!

    If your going to drink focus on optimising your recovery so you can make up for it the next day. Plenty of water after the sesh and if you can get some protein down you. Then get an extra cardio blast in the next day problem solved.
  • ladyliz25
    ladyliz25 Posts: 10 Member
    You're a savior!!!! Using this site!!!!! :)
  • Brianna032015
    Brianna032015 Posts: 10 Member
    Love the www.getdrunknotfat.com website!! My fiance and I drink about two or three bottles of wine per week, and always at least one bottle of champagne on the weekend. I can't give it up, so I"m glad to know that others are also sticking with alcohol! We can lose weight and still have fun!! :drinker:
  • ebayaddict0127
    ebayaddict0127 Posts: 523 Member
    After tracking my calories for almost a month I figured out that I have drank 11,944 calories through alcohol. Most days I stay under my calorie goal, some days I go over by about 2 or 300, on a weekend piss-up I go over by about 1000.

    That being said I've lost 15 pounds in about the same amount of time...

    I am really, really concerned about it... 12,000 calories in 22 weeks is ridiculous. It works out to 542 calories PER DAY. On the days when I meet or am under my 1400 calorie goal, I am robbing my body of nutrition that I would get through eating actual food. On days when I go over I am needlessly not losing weight simply because of drinking.

    I wake up every morning thinking "not gonna drink today" and then by 6pm I have a glass of Whiskey in my hand.

    This post is starting to sound like a cry for help... LOL. But in a way I'm dieting so that I can keep drinking... which is ridiculous.

    I was wondering how I gained 50-60 pounds in a few years... after tracking alcohol calories now I know.

    I went from drinking an entire bottle of wine a night to only drinking on Saturdays (and didn't even drink this weekend). If you think you drink too much, you can cut down. I never thought I could, but here I am!

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