Alcohol

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Replies

  • Julesdublin
    Julesdublin Posts: 39 Member
    I struggle with the same. I can drink a lot of beer during a night out. I am trying to have just 1 night out per week and never more than 4 pints and it’s already around 800 calories. Deadly.
    When I started MPF I was a lot more conscious but I can feel I am becoming more and more relaxed with my drinking. With St Patrick’s weekend starting tomorrow I will probably have to spend the entire week drinking water and eating lettuce to make up for the extra calories I will ingest from tonight until Monday. :drinker: :sad: :drinker:
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    Regular drinking is not really compatible, with consuming at a deficit. To drink regularly and stay at a deficit, your nutrition would really have to take a beating. Not a good sustainable plan. A better idea is to change your lifestyle.

    I hate your brutal truth Eileen, but facts are, if your goal is to eat/consume at a deficit, then alcohol is a no-go. If you consume, then you have to restrict actual nutrition to keep at a defict. Not practical.

    BTW, I haven't had a drink in 15 days.... my blood alcohol level's getting dangerously low.

    :drinker:

    I am going to disagree with you both. I am doing an OK job meeting my (to me, reasonable) nutrition goals and am quite healthy based on my most recent check-up. I drink pretty regularly, probably most days of the week. Now, "most days of the week" is a glass of wine or two, or a double shot of liquor sipped in bed while reading, but still, it is drinking regularly. And occasionally I "over" indulge on a night out on the town. On those days, I do have to either not meet my nutrition goals, or go over my calorie goals. I'll generally go over my calorie goals without remorse if the social / cultural night out is more important or special to me.

    I'd definitely agree that regularly consuming large amounts of alcohol calories and maintaining a deficit is nigh on impossible (regularly as I use it meaning more than one night a week or so for me).

    And I'd also agree that it is a lot more challenging for those who have to maintain a low calorie total to maintain a deficit -- i.e., it is a lot easier for a larger man to hit reasonable nutrition goals, have a glass of wine or two or hit the town once or twice a week, and hit a deficit with a 2400 daily cal total, and than for a smaller women who maybe tops out at 1600 cals before hitting maintenance levels.
  • marywt8
    marywt8 Posts: 6 Member
    It is really hard, I'm doing an alcohol free week this week and hoping I can cut down from there. I'm the same, I have to exercise at work but I don't put in the effort like I should and still am packing on the grams. I went over the top last week so this week I'm almost happy for a break.
  • tiffalicious121
    tiffalicious121 Posts: 14 Member
    I also struggle with this. My latest technique is to measure all alcohol before I consume it. I also have to pour a single serving of it into a glass. So, for wine, 5 oz of a red I like is 105 calories. If I know I want to drink that night, I create a 300ish calorie deficit through exercise and I skip my afternoon snack. Also- no chugging. Ever. No shots, ever. I have been more inclined to savor my wine if I know I'm only getting 3 glasses of it. I've also found that I get a more pleasant drunk off of less.

    As for the hangover foods, the easy answer is to not be hungover. Consuming 1-2 glasses of water for every alcoholic drink should help pace you better throughout the drinking.

    Treat alcohol like you would treat chocolate cake. There's no point in eating healthy all week only to snarf a huge chocolate cake on the weekends. Maybe ask yourself why you want to eat that much cake in the first place.

    I love the chocolate cake reference! I also really needed to read this thread. I too have really been struggling with alcohol. I will do really good all week then blow it on the weekends. I usually drink almost daily, but through the week I tend to limit to one or two glasses of wine or vodka with crystal lite. Last weekend I consumed 2 bottles of wine in a single day...that's almost 1000 calories! I have also discovered that when I really overindulge, exercising does not seem to help, not to mention trying to exercise with a hangover is no fun at all. I too am going to try to take a week or 2 off to see if I can start seeing some results. My drinking is stress driven, so I know it will be a challenge. Good luck!
  • zealey77
    zealey77 Posts: 104
    Amen to that OP, I drink most of my calorie allowance 3 days a week with alcohol. But, hey, calories are calories. So long as you keep under your daily calorie goal what does it matter whether it's Big Macs or bottles of hooch? (I'm sure it matters somehow but MFP is obsessed with just eating under a calorie deficit each day so who cares where the calories come from? lol)
  • LosingItForGood13
    LosingItForGood13 Posts: 182 Member
    before u start drinking open up your food diary and research how many calories the drink is that u are drinking and this way u can better manage how many glasses u may be able to have without going overboard:wink:
  • monstergirl14
    monstergirl14 Posts: 345 Member
    I'm not gonna lie, I'm a huge drinker. I used to drink Friday and Saturday with all of my friends, we'd go to the bar and have a lot of fun. Sometimes we just danced the night away. I'm far from an alcoholic, but I do love to drink on the weekends because it's fun for me. I've hit a wall in weight loss though, so I stopped drinking one weekend and realized that that was the culprit. I stopped drinking for almost a month and I'm seeing results now, so that's good. When I drink, I DRINK. I cannot moderate. Go big or go home. I miss having a beer sometimes but I'm not craving the stuff. Might drink on Easter, I don't know.


    TL;DR, I have the same issue and stopped drinking lol
  • jkowula
    jkowula Posts: 447
    Man it is so nice to see that I am not the only one out here who struggles with this. I need.. yes need my whisky on Friday or Saturday nights. This is not really an option for me. Ya maybe I need to take step 1, but I am not ready to admit I have a problem. I just don't see the weekends any other way. If I don't drink I might as well be working, if I am working, I might as well not have a life.

    So.. to this point I have done great on the weekdays. I have lost 28 pounds in 5 months but now the problem is things are slowing down big time, I am pretty much stuck at the same weight. I know if I quit drinking the pounds would come off again. I am torn, as others have said, what do you want more.. hmm, that is the dilemma with me.. I will be watching this thread closely for helpful ideas.
  • dickrocketjones
    dickrocketjones Posts: 78 Member
    Don't eat when you drink. Will lower your tolerance. Less alcohol required. Just drink in moderation to avoid the hangover. Or smoke a little weed and avoid the hangover all together.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    I find I can be strict with diet and exercise throughout the week but as soon as the weekend hits I drink enough alcohol and accompany it with enough hangover food to undo all the good work I've done in the week. Does anyone else struggle with this? I've been trying to change my habbits but as I live away from my family for work I find it really hard to restrain from drinking in my down time.

    Hi, my name is Lesa and I am an alcoholic. I was not an every day drinker, nor did alcohol cause any problems in my personal life, as a matter of fact, the only person I was hurting was myself when I drank. One day I woke up and realized that it was not okay for anyone else to hurt me, so why was it okay for me to hurt me?

    I found help with abstaining from alcohol an changing many aspects of my life for the better in the rooms of AA. Best decision I ever made in my life.

    I was not an all day drinker, and every day drinker or an every week drinker, but when I drank, I could not stop, THAT is what alcoholics are.

    If you would like some help stopping drinking I would be happy to talk to you about it. I can honestly say that I have a better life today with out booze in my life than I did before, and I could not imagine going on vacation, and enjoying it, with out a pitcher full of margaritas. I loved drinking, it just did not love me. Life is good today with out it.

    Just remember as you are reading through these posts, to many, alcohol is like a family member or very best friend, people will do what ever they can to protect it and keep it in their lives. Dont take the advice of those people. :wink:
  • ChaplainHeavin
    ChaplainHeavin Posts: 426 Member
    I have a couple of glasses of wine every night with my evening meal. I don't have any desires for sweets and rarely eat junk at night so as long as I keep within my calorie quota I'm fine.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    When you try to make changes and get healthier, you run into these kinds of walls.
    MUST CLIMB OVER!!
    Get some help in necessary, but push through! Your body/mind may be dependent on this habit... so it may be hard to change.
    Be patient with yourself, give yourself weeks and months to heal from your need to do this. You can change! Do it!!
  • Autk79
    Autk79 Posts: 286 Member
    Alcohol is my biggest downfall with losing weight and Im trying to slow it down but what I seriously dont get is when people say dont go over your calories when drinking. So lets say I drink 800 calories and Im on a 1300 calorie deficit. People think its seriously ok to only eat 500 calories all day and go out drinking or starve yourself all week cutting out 150 calories a day to make up for saturday lol? Man Id be a cheap date and a sloppy drunk... Just sayin
  • Amattaway1
    Amattaway1 Posts: 9 Member
    I understand this! I'm like the story "if you give a mouse a cookie."
    If you give me a glass of wine, I will want some cheese. And some crackers. And another glass of wine. And some more cheese. And maybe some of those other crunchy things I had stored away...
    I do much better when I work out in the evening and come home TIRED!

    ME TOO!! I couldn't have said this better myself :laugh:

    I try to work out on Friday evenings in order to curb the urge to drink and eat the bad stuff... it works pretty well, if I can fit it in. Saturdays I usually just aim for maintenance, especially now that I am closer to my goal, but I do try to limit my calories during the day on Saturdays since I know I'll be drinking that night.

    Good luck!
  • leti126
    leti126 Posts: 179 Member
    As a college student I find it really difficult, to not drink out with friends on the weekend. I don't mind it if I'm not the only one, but its really hard to go out and have fun when everyone else is drunk and being ridiculous. I eat healthy and exercise during the week but weekends come and the drinks are what kill me. Even if I don't eat the hangover food.

    P.s. feel free to add me as a friend for support
  • Skittle_BoomBoom
    Skittle_BoomBoom Posts: 72
    Alcohol is one thing I definitely struggle with. You are not alone. I just love drinking.
  • caellen518
    caellen518 Posts: 14 Member
    I totally feel you OP. I am a huge wine lover and used to frequently have 2-3 glasses after work to relax and a bottle+ on the weekends. The only things that cures my hangovers? Everything bagels with cream cheese or McNuggets. Not the healthiest way to start a Saturday or Sunday morning!

    Right now I am abstaining from alcohol on weekdays. I drink green tea + lemon for something to sip on while I'm watching TV, and I try to go to bed earlier. I still drink plenty of wine on weekends, but I make sure to stock my pantry with bagel thins and healthy crackers (big fan of 'Back to Nature' brand - salty, but much healthier than chips or cheez-its). So far they've been really helpful and kept me from running to the local bagel shop.
  • Ashleybrooke8783
    Ashleybrooke8783 Posts: 13 Member
    I love craft beer and I won't be successful long term if I don't allow myself some from time to time. Every weekend is too much for me but I found in the past, that if I ate healthy all day and in between beverages sipped in club soda with lime, I would drink half as much but still feel like I was not restricting myself
    Also in Germany they snack on sliced radishes with a bit of salt... This tastes amazing with beer! I also will eat celery or if I am home, roast up some cauliflower til it's crispy and eat with hot sauce and blue cheese in lieu of wings
  • mermaid00
    mermaid00 Posts: 8 Member
    Yup. I had a really REALLY rude wakeup call in late January when I got on the scale for the first time in months and saw how much weight I had gained since the weather turned cold and my daily 3 mile walks were brought to a screeching halt. (I'd added another 10 lbs. on top of the extra 25 I was already lugging around)

    I am a homebrewer and love craft beer. I also like good wine, expensive bourbon, and weekly "meetup" groups that involve some sort of happy hour type of activity.

    I had to make a decision about whether or not I wanted to just keep getting fatter, or face the facts that alcohol has a TON of calories (especially craft beer.. yow!!)

    If you drink at home, measure every cocktail and/or measure every glass of wine. Buy smaller glasses for wine so you're not so tempted to fill up the big honkin glass with 300 calories of the good stuff.

    When you're out on the weekends, stick to drinks like flavored vodka in a big glass of club soda and then track how many of those you have. Alternate between alcohol and non alcohol drinks. (for non-alcohol drinks order club soda and a twist of lemon or lime - avoid tonic water because it's not calorie-free).

    Food at home is easier to control - I really love radishes or celery dipped in salt, roasted (until black & crispy) cabbage or kale chips, If you have any say in the restaurants you hit with your friends over the weekend, see if you can find places that have great salads on the menu and/or stuff like chicken or beef satay, tuna tartar, ceviche, avoiding "pub grub" if you can - at least until you know you can stop at 1 or 2 wings, etc. :)

    Just keep tracking how much you're consuming - even if you feel too guilty to write it down - before you order another stout, pina colada, whiskey sour... make a mental note of how many calories you're going to down.

    (Guilt is an effective motivator for me - so is reminding myself that I'm going to feel like crap if I have to buy more "fat" summer clothes in a larger size)
  • ChaplainHeavin
    ChaplainHeavin Posts: 426 Member
    Alcohol is my biggest downfall with losing weight and Im trying to slow it down but what I seriously dont get is when people say dont go over your calories when drinking. So lets say I drink 800 calories and Im on a 1300 calorie deficit. People think its seriously ok to only eat 500 calories all day and go out drinking or starve yourself all week cutting out 150 calories a day to make up for saturday lol? Man Id be a cheap date and a sloppy drunk... Just sayin
  • ChaplainHeavin
    ChaplainHeavin Posts: 426 Member
    Alcohol is my biggest downfall with losing weight and Im trying to slow it down but what I seriously dont get is when people say dont go over your calories when drinking. So lets say I drink 800 calories and Im on a 1300 calorie deficit. People think its seriously ok to only eat 500 calories all day and go out drinking or starve yourself all week cutting out 150 calories a day to make up for saturday lol? Man Id be a cheap date and a sloppy drunk... Just sayin

    I don't think anyone has come remotely close to making such a statement. I know I didn't.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    "Hangover food?" you may want to look at your drinking seriously. There are alcoholics, there are functioning alcoholics, there are weekend warrior alcoholics, they they are all alcoholics.

    Just saying, it's something you may want to look at. Why do you drink; and why does it have to include hangovers? That's the question.

    Most people don't drink to to have hangovers; problem drinkers do.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    I find I can be strict with diet and exercise throughout the week but as soon as the weekend hits I drink enough alcohol and accompany it with enough hangover food to undo all the good work I've done in the week. Does anyone else struggle with this? I've been trying to change my habbits but as I live away from my family for work I find it really hard to restrain from drinking in my down time.

    Hi, my name is Lesa and I am an alcoholic. I was not an every day drinker, nor did alcohol cause any problems in my personal life, as a matter of fact, the only person I was hurting was myself when I drank. One day I woke up and realized that it was not okay for anyone else to hurt me, so why was it okay for me to hurt me?

    I found help with abstaining from alcohol an changing many aspects of my life for the better in the rooms of AA. Best decision I ever made in my life.

    I was not an all day drinker, and every day drinker or an every week drinker, but when I drank, I could not stop, THAT is what alcoholics are.

    If you would like some help stopping drinking I would be happy to talk to you about it. I can honestly say that I have a better life today with out booze in my life than I did before, and I could not imagine going on vacation, and enjoying it, with out a pitcher full of margaritas. I loved drinking, it just did not love me. Life is good today with out it.

    Just remember as you are reading through these posts, to many, alcohol is like a family member or very best friend, people will do what ever they can to protect it and keep it in their lives. Dont take the advice of those people. :wink:

    I'm glad Lisa said that. I was going to pipe in with the "problem drinking" think to.

    I'm valerie and I'm a addict. So, you may really want to look at the "hangover food" and why the term "hangover" is even in your action plan.

    Booze will kill all dietary goals, will kill your liver and well, will make you puffy and old before your time.

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