Alcohol...my biggest downfall!!!

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BarbieFromHellx
BarbieFromHellx Posts: 758 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anybody else have a problem sticking to their diet when they're on a night out? I know I do :( basically I eat really well in the day and start off with just drinking diet coke and vodka which is fine, but then as the night goes on people start buying you loads of drinks and you're just like "yayyy this is free so why not!" and you end up drinking SOOOO much sugary crap by the end of the night. Also strawberry cider is my massive downfall!

It's something I need to work on, and especially when I'm drunk I tend to stop caring about my goals and drink whatever I want which really needs to stop. So my question is what do you guys do when you go on a night out and what kinds of stuff do you drink?

Please no unnecessary comments like "don't drink alcohol it's stupid". Helpful advice only yeahh.
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Replies

  • jackjb2
    jackjb2 Posts: 83 Member
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    DONT GET DRUNK! Drink in moderation.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
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    Well I don't think it's an "unnecessary comment" to say, if you are finding that you can't control your intake when you do indulge then a perfectly acceptable solution is... don't indulge. In fact it seems like the single most logical solution given your post. But if you find that to be unacceptable or "not helpful" then yeahh. I guess when you want your goal bad enough you'll do WHATEVER it takes even if it means giving up your binge-drinking, "it's a night out and it's freeeee" attitude.

    Or, plan ahead. If your friends ask you at 4:30 in the afternoon to go out that night, pre-log 2-3 drinks and then PRACTICE SELF CONTROL and STOP when you've reached your pre-logged limit.
  • BarbieFromHellx
    BarbieFromHellx Posts: 758 Member
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    I didn't word it right...I didn't want a lecture on why alcohol is dangerous and bad for you and stuff, saying stuff like control how drunk you get is fine. And don't be patronising, I don't go into threads and say "stop eating cake and pizza, fatass".
  • emmaroid1981
    emmaroid1981 Posts: 45 Member
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    Spirits with diet drinks are lowest calories, I always go with vodka and diet coke
  • jhellwig828
    jhellwig828 Posts: 109 Member
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    I had a much bigger goal than you to start but in the beginning I had to give up alcohol. Period. It was too easy for me to go from one glass of wine to three and completely derail all my hard work. I told myself when I lost 10 pounds I could have a drink again and then I only did on the weekend. It's a little different for me though, because I'm an old lady at home with two kids so it wasn't affecting going out with my friends. :) Try and space out your drinks with water and take your time. Good luck!
  • Sarahsteve7kids
    Sarahsteve7kids Posts: 146 Member
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    I never could figure out how to do it and was unable to lose weight and have drinks! Of course I typically drank more than once per week. My drink of choice was always beer, whci led to three problems, more beer, more food and feeling lazy! Good luck, I hope YOU figure out how to do it!
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
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    I might have a different take on things than most, since I will not give up my rockstar nights.

    I say go out, enjoy yourself and it's a new day the next day.

    Now obviously, it simply isn't something you will be able to do every weekend anymore, unless you limit your intake. You can also try switching to lower calorie drinks (this site will help: http://getdrunknotfat.com/).

    The main thing for me was to limit any eating I do while drunk - and I don' t have any advice for that - but that was my biggest downfall. The alcohol calories were bad enough, but once you added all the food I ate then I could easily ruin an entire weeks' deficit. I simply had to stop all the drunk eating.
  • BarbieFromHellx
    BarbieFromHellx Posts: 758 Member
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    Spirits with diet drinks are lowest calories, I always go with vodka and diet coke

    Vodka and diet coke is always a favourite!
    I had a much bigger goal than you to start but in the beginning I had to give up alcohol. Period. It was too easy for me to go from one glass of wine to three and completely derail all my hard work. I told myself when I lost 10 pounds I could have a drink again and then I only did on the weekend. It's a little different for me though, because I'm an old lady at home with two kids so it wasn't affecting going out with my friends. :) Try and space out your drinks with water and take your time. Good luck!

    I think drinking water in between drinks sounds like a good idea. I never drink on weekdays, I used to drink every weekend but now it's maybe once every 2-3 weeks but as my weight goes lower I find that even one night can reallyyyy mess up my hard work.
    I never could figure out how to do it and was unable to lose weight and have drinks! Of course I typically drank more than once per week. My drink of choice was always beer, whci led to three problems, more beer, more food and feeling lazy! Good luck, I hope YOU figure out how to do it!

    Luckily I don't like beer! Sometimes I think it's easier to just not go out at night for drinks at all haha. This is by far the hardest problem I face when losing weight.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
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    How about limiting the number of days per week that you do drink - so if you usually go out and wind up over-indulging 4 nights a week, try making yourself the Designated Driver at first maybe just one of the nights. If your're the DD then you have a completely legitimate reason to not indulge at all, and you can still enjoy your time out with friends, AND you don't wind up blasting your calorie goal out of the park either.

    Another option would be to track a few times when you go all out, without any guilt over intake, so that you have an accurate picture of exactly how many drinks you actually have (and how many calories you consume). Then you can better plan your days. If you find for example, that 4 nights a week you consume 700 calories in alcohol and sugary drinks, you can do a few things:

    - increase your workouts to earn more calories for consumption
    - pre-plan your food intake for a week at a time, including your anticipated alcohol consumption( do leave a little room for minor deviations like "I don't want pretzels today I want potato chips instead" or whatever) and keep your calorie level under for the week in total (rather than a daily goal) this way if you keep yourself say 300 calories under your daily goal, 3 days a week, then you'll have saved an extra 900 calories that you can "spend" on alcohol - more if you've also earned exercise calories.
  • BarbieFromHellx
    BarbieFromHellx Posts: 758 Member
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    I might have a different take on things than most, since I will not give up my rockstar nights.

    I say go out, enjoy yourself and it's a new day the next day.

    Now obviously, it simply isn't something you will be able to do every weekend anymore, unless you limit your intake. You can also try switching to lower calorie drinks (this site will help: http://getdrunknotfat.com/).

    The main thing for me was to limit any eating I do while drunk - and I don' t have any advice for that - but that was my biggest downfall. The alcohol calories were bad enough, but once you added all the food I ate then I could easily ruin an entire weeks' deficit. I simply had to stop all the drunk eating.

    I have cut the amount of weekends I go out drinking, every weekend just isn't an option for me any more because of how fattening alcohol is.

    I don't do drunk eating, not sure why but when I'm really drunk I hate eating which is always a good thing.
  • samgamgee
    samgamgee Posts: 398 Member
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    I'm the same, but with strong beers. Try to swap creamy, fruity cocktails for something like a mojito, and rather than sticky sweet shots, go for a real spirit - just have fewer of them :p Apple Sourz are EVIL.

    If you eat bad stuff drunk, try to provide drunk you with an easier alternative. Instead of a kebab on the way home, get a Subway. Instead of popping a pizza in the oven, have a lower cal ready meal in the fridge. Maybe even put a post it note on it saying 'SEXY!' or something that will remind your drunk brain, oh wait, I'll be better off eating this than a pizza.

    If all else fails, workout harder and eat better for the rest of the week, saving up some calories for the night out.

    That's what I'm going to try and do, anyway :drinker:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Please no unnecessary comments like "don't drink alcohol it's stupid". Helpful advice only yeahh.

    :huh: :laugh:
  • BarbieFromHellx
    BarbieFromHellx Posts: 758 Member
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    How about limiting the number of days per week that you do drink - so if you usually go out and wind up over-indulging 4 nights a week, try making yourself the Designated Driver at first maybe just one of the nights. If your're the DD then you have a completely legitimate reason to not indulge at all, and you can still enjoy your time out with friends, AND you don't wind up blasting your calorie goal out of the park either.

    Another option would be to track a few times when you go all out, without any guilt over intake, so that you have an accurate picture of exactly how many drinks you actually have (and how many calories you consume). Then you can better plan your days. If you find for example, that 4 nights a week you consume 700 calories in alcohol and sugary drinks, you can do a few things:

    - increase your workouts to earn more calories for consumption
    - pre-plan your food intake for a week at a time, including your anticipated alcohol consumption( do leave a little room for minor deviations like "I don't want pretzels today I want potato chips instead" or whatever) and keep your calorie level under for the week in total (rather than a daily goal) this way if you keep yourself say 300 calories under your daily goal, 3 days a week, then you'll have saved an extra 900 calories that you can "spend" on alcohol - more if you've also earned exercise calories.

    Working out more and limiting food intake in preparation for the weekends I do go out drinking sounds really beneficial.

    I don't think I could ever hack 4 nights in one week hahaha! Once a fortnight is enough for me.
  • TLondon24
    TLondon24 Posts: 4 Member
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    Vodka sodas! With loads of fresh lime (be pushy with that bartender). It's a really clean drink if you're going to have a few and you won't have those grim sugar crash hangovers. Alternate them with fresh lime sodas if necessary.... Having five or six in a night isn't great but it's better than all the sugar and cider.

    Weekends are trickiest as relaxing and going out with friends tends to involve alcohol and that totally throws off calorie goals. On the weekends I aim for maintenance calories (including drink) and am more disciplined during the week. You can always earn party calories through exercise ;) Its better to be realistic about what you can achieve - you are trying to form good habits for life and not going out/completely cutting out drink isn't realistic!!
  • BarbieFromHellx
    BarbieFromHellx Posts: 758 Member
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    Please no unnecessary comments like "don't drink alcohol it's stupid". Helpful advice only yeahh.

    :huh: :laugh:

    Clearly didn't read the contents of the thread :laugh: see my additional comment ta
    I didn't word it right...I didn't want a lecture on why alcohol is dangerous and bad for you and stuff, saying stuff like control how drunk you get is fine. And don't be patronising, I don't go into threads and say "stop eating cake and pizza, fatass".
  • localised
    localised Posts: 25
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    I understand your dilemma! Personally if I know I'm going to have a lot of alcohol that night, I budget the rest of my daily calories around it - salad and lean proteins earlier in the day. In general I don't like sugary drinks too much though, I generally have red wine or a mojito (which I usually ask for without sugar).
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    You could always NOT drink. It seems as though you have the whole "I need to drink to have fun" attitude by the 'it's free anyway' way you put it. But hey what does an alcoholic know anyway. Good luck with your binge drinking.


    BTW this EX-fatass never ate cake & pizza to get fat. I drank like a fish.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I actually prefer vodka and club soda with cranpom juice or a squirt of mio.

    If people are buying you drinks can't you specifiy? If someone offers me one that I am unsure of I politely turn it down...for a couple of reasons

    1. I don't like sugary drinks...ick or creamy ones...I can do a white russian everyonce in a while but not often.
    2. I don't know what they put in it....ie ruffie.
    3. I never get so drunk I am not in control of myself...
  • laurie04427
    laurie04427 Posts: 421 Member
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    What I do is stick to ordering Captain and Diet. Bit cheaper on the calories. And I try to restrict myself to 3 and just linger them.

    Or a couple tall light beers (they still have alot of calories) and just linger them.

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