Socialising and drinking on a weekend

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cinnamon009
cinnamon009 Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not sure what it is like in other parts of the world but here in the UK there is booze & food focused culture around socialising. My friends particularly like to meet up in the pub or go out for meals and its usual to put away quite a few units of alcohol in a night.

I know its not good for you and I am trying to cut out the alcohol in particular but this is the bit I'm finding really hard. I feel sober and boring when out with friends and sometimes after a tough long day at work I give in and crack open a bottle of wine.

I feel like all my good work during the week is lost on a weekend and by Monday I am back at square one.

I have two friend's birthdays coming up which will be really boozy and I really want to partake but know I shouldn't. My OH has also organised a night out for us this Sat - having the tasting menu at a good restaurant with the accompanying flight of wines. How do I diet and still have a life?! I feel like I need to lock myself indoors allowed out only to the gym and work.

MFPers who have fought this - give me your success tips and help me resolve.

Replies

  • Amitysk
    Amitysk Posts: 705 Member
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    The best I can suggest is to

    1. /Save up calories over the entire week so you can indulge a bit on the weekend
    2. Have an extra workout on the weekend to get you some calories to use
    3. Don't worry about drinking. I'm sure your friends love you for you and you may discover you have a lot more fun being sober than in the haze of drunkenness.

    Good luck, Have fun and be safe!
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    How do I diet and still have a life?

    MFPers who have fought this - give me your success tips and help me resolve.

    You need to plan ahead. You know these events are coming so allocate calories for special occasions. Look up the calories of the booze you drink and add to your diary beforehand so you know what you are working with when you go party.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Self control is a problem for a lot of people on all different types of issues. I might that I actually like being sober going out. I used to say I would never stop drinking too.
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,780 Member
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    i never fought this. If I knew I was going to be drinking I would allot the calories or do more exercise. I have done everything I have without skipping a single drink because of calories.

    the food stuff is different. Don't get me wrong, I haven't cut out any foods. But eating a less so the calories are manageable was the hard thing
  • Jimmy_Rhythm
    Jimmy_Rhythm Posts: 26 Member
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    Something I'll do occasionally is order a drink I'm not particularly fond of --- scotch and water, say. I can usually make one or two of those last all evening.
  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
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    My problem isn't the calories (plan ahead) it's the decrease in strength for a day or toe afterwards. After a particularly boozy holiday weekend, I'm struggled with my workout this morning. But hey... I workout so I can cut loose every once in awhile, like this previous weekend. Haha.
  • conniehgtv
    conniehgtv Posts: 309 Member
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    It's hard,know whrer you are. I order Scotch and club Soda in a tall glass. Or any Alchol, Gin,Vodka,,Brandy,BourbonEtc
    Mixing with club soad dilutes the drink but can still give the buzz. As far as Tastings,should be a small portin eat half and push the rest to your sig other, Mine used to eat it up.Or leave it.You do not have to be a clean player.Cover it with napkin,over pepper it so u won't be tempted to polish it off. Talk alot, Chew slowly.If you order a lime or lemon wedge you can chew on that to cleanse your palate.good luck
  • mcibty
    mcibty Posts: 1,252 Member
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    Tell me about it! I always say, "I'm not an alcoholic - I'm British."

    Everything I do socially is either food or booze, or better, both.

    I had to go hardcore and either - Not go, or not drink, at first. Now I save up calories, make better meal choices, and work the next day to earn some calories back so I don't feel too guilty. I actually work really hard when I'm hungover, and the workout helps it go away once you start.

    Or... I just go all out. Enjoy my time, and move on.
  • felblossom
    felblossom Posts: 132 Member
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    This is something I struggle with as well. I'm a student and a kind of social chair which means I have a lot of events to attend; events with a lot of food and drinks. I'm on my second go with MFP for this exact reason, I let go of all control over my events and gained back a bit of weight.

    Right now I'm trying to work my social life into my weight loss by simply planning ahead. I make poor choises, but at least they fit my macros this past week and I'm happy. If you know you're going to a specific restaurant or pub and know what's on their meny it's quite simple to plan ahead what you want to eat. You don't have to skip the alcohol completely, there are options that are slightly less calorie dense (drinks with diet soda or lighter beers perhaps). Make sure to plan ahead and don't drink more than you planned. Easier said than done, but I always make sure to have a few extra calories from the previous week from days I don't have social events and am in complete control of what I cook and eat, to make room for something little extra. A little extra exercise also goes a long way, just by simply walking to the pub/restaurant you burn a few extra calories that make the damage less severe.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    i have a meal out at once a week usually... and it fits into my weekly cals and macros because i 'save' cals each day from the rest of the week...
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
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    i never fought this. If I knew I was going to be drinking I would allot the calories or do more exercise. I have done everything I have without skipping a single drink because of calories.

    the food stuff is different. Don't get me wrong, I haven't cut out any foods. But eating a less so the calories are manageable was the hard thing

    I echo this and everyone else who said that you can work off calories, too.

    I'm partial to dancing (drinking or not) so sometimes I STILL end up in calorie deficit.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Some options:

    You can still drink, just go with lower cal options. What I usually do is order a rum with diet soda and then maybe have one or two more but mostly drink diet soda the rest of the night. No one really notices that you're not as drunk as they are and as long as you have a drink in your hand they won't hassle you about not drinking.

    Or volunteer to be the designated driver so you have a reason to stay sober.

    As other said, when you know it's coming up, make it part of your weekly plan. It's the surprise ones that usually get me!! Eat under your calories by 100 or so each day and try to get extra workouts in. This will give you at least 400 calories extra by the end of the week (as it's already Tuesday).
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    So here's my take. I used to drink heavily when I was younger from my teens through early 30s. I quit completely from 2007 to 2013. I didn't mind not drinking at all, as I spent all my time with my family so I didn't miss anything. I also feel that it was a very healthy thing to do.

    After my wife and I split in late 2012, I started drinking a little again after a while in 2013. But usually only on special occasions or during football season I just drink once a week and have 3 or 4 beers tops. If find this is pretty much ideal for the kind of socializing I do when I drink (mostly watching sports at a bar). I adjust my food on the days I drink to fit them into my calorie goals. I also don't actually get drunk often at all. I got really drunk once this year (first day of my vacation last month lol) and none last year.
  • jenversuslife
    jenversuslife Posts: 57 Member
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    - If you are going to a restaurant, browse the menu and nutritional content, pre plan your order and whack it into your tracker a couple of days before
    - Stick to lighter drinks like vodka with soda and fresh lime and if you are going out put this into your tracker the day before as well
    - Try to stick to only excessing in one or the other: food or drink. If you are going out drinking don't stop at the kebab house or get a curry that evening. If you are going out for dinner stick to water and one small glass of wine.
    - Exercise before you go. Idk about others but the next day I feel sluggish and gross and can't think of anything else worse than exercising on a hangover. So I'd rather work out in the morning to gain back some extra calories
    - Suggest alternative ways of socialising; cook dinner for your friends - here we have some last few rays of sun so a BBQ still wouldn't be out of the question and it's easy to stick to chicken breasts with salad and enjoy a glass of wine.

    - And finally sometimes just forget about it and enjoy your tasting menu with wine
  • shanitomorrow
    shanitomorrow Posts: 64 Member
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    I'm not sure what it is like in other parts of the world but here in the UK there is booze & food focused culture around socialising. My friends particularly like to meet up in the pub or go out for meals and its usual to put away quite a few units of alcohol in a night.

    I know its not good for you and I am trying to cut out the alcohol in particular but this is the bit I'm finding really hard. I feel sober and boring when out with friends and sometimes after a tough long day at work I give in and crack open a bottle of wine.

    I feel like all my good work during the week is lost on a weekend and by Monday I am back at square one.

    I have two friend's birthdays coming up which will be really boozy and I really want to partake but know I shouldn't. My OH has also organised a night out for us this Sat - having the tasting menu at a good restaurant with the accompanying flight of wines. How do I diet and still have a life?! I feel like I need to lock myself indoors allowed out only to the gym and work.

    MFPers who have fought this - give me your success tips and help me resolve.

    Hmm, is this a bit about peer pressure and feeling that you have to conform to the norms in your group of friends or lose your friends? Is it about asserting what you want for yourself against group think (or some assumptions about groupthink).

    I don't whether you are thinking about this as a lifestyle change, or what your goals are, but I'm just wondering whether there are some conversations you could have with friends (in ones and twos and not at eating/drinking social events) about what you want, and what you are trying to achieve and how they could support you with this. And this also goes with your OH.

    When people are trying to give up drinking, because they have an alcohol problem, one of the things they are advised is to create another life which doesn't revolve around going to the pub and mixing with people who drink more than is good for you.

    I guess it is about choosing the kind of life and aspirations that you want and talking to the people around you about them. I would guess that people who care about you and want the best for you would support your decisions, and the others, well, the thing about losing some people from your life is that you create space for new friends who might be more in tune with what you are trying to achieve.

    There'll always be events and celebrations and posters have given lots of ideas about how to manage those, but there's a bigger picture about what you want for yourself and being straightforward with people who call themselves your friends.
  • shanitomorrow
    shanitomorrow Posts: 64 Member
    Options
    I'm not sure what it is like in other parts of the world but here in the UK there is booze & food focused culture around socialising. My friends particularly like to meet up in the pub or go out for meals and its usual to put away quite a few units of alcohol in a night.

    I know its not good for you and I am trying to cut out the alcohol in particular but this is the bit I'm finding really hard. I feel sober and boring when out with friends and sometimes after a tough long day at work I give in and crack open a bottle of wine.

    I feel like all my good work during the week is lost on a weekend and by Monday I am back at square one.

    I have two friend's birthdays coming up which will be really boozy and I really want to partake but know I shouldn't. My OH has also organised a night out for us this Sat - having the tasting menu at a good restaurant with the accompanying flight of wines. How do I diet and still have a life?! I feel like I need to lock myself indoors allowed out only to the gym and work.

    MFPers who have fought this - give me your success tips and help me resolve.

    Hmm, is this a bit about peer pressure and feeling that you have to conform to the norms in your group of friends or lose your friends? Is it about asserting what you want for yourself against group think (or some assumptions about groupthink).

    I don't whether you are thinking about this as a lifestyle change, or what your goals are, but I'm just wondering whether there are some conversations you could have with friends (in ones and twos and not at eating/drinking social events) about what you want, and what you are trying to achieve and how they could support you with this. And this also goes with your OH.

    When people are trying to give up drinking, because they have an alcohol problem, one of the things they are advised is to create another life which doesn't revolve around going to the pub and mixing with people who drink more than is good for you.

    I guess it is about choosing the kind of life and aspirations that you want and talking to the people around you about them. I would guess that people who care about you and want the best for you would support your decisions, and the others, well, the thing about losing some people from your life is that you create space for new friends who might be more in tune with what you are trying to achieve.

    There'll always be events and celebrations and posters have given lots of ideas about how to manage those, but there's a bigger picture about what you want for yourself and being straightforward with people who call themselves your friends.

    And hell, is it tedious being the designated driver. I'd rather gnaw my own arm off.
  • kalenawald
    kalenawald Posts: 18 Member
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    Where food is concerned, I'll "save up calories" during the week. With alcohol, my drink of choice is a margarita or a beer. I've switched to rum & diet cokes. Fewer calories & carbs, and I don't drink as many. See if there's a drink you might like that fits that bill. Check online before you indulge!
  • Skrib69
    Skrib69 Posts: 687 Member
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    I do a combination of several things, most of which are mentioned.....

    Volunteer to drive
    View your weekly average part of the diary and use this to balance the week rather than the day
    Increase exercise
    Drink shorts with a low cal mixer
    If possible, have a look at the menu on line, but if you are going for taster meals this will be impossible. It will also be nigh on impossible if it is not a restaurant chain.
    Enjoy the evening
    Don't worry if you go over - it will put a downer on your mood!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    - If you are going to a restaurant, browse the menu and nutritional content, pre plan your order and whack it into your tracker a couple of days before
    - Stick to lighter drinks like vodka with soda and fresh lime and if you are going out put this into your tracker the day before as well
    - Try to stick to only excessing in one or the other: food or drink. If you are going out drinking don't stop at the kebab house or get a curry that evening. If you are going out for dinner stick to water and one small glass of wine.
    - Exercise before you go. Idk about others but the next day I feel sluggish and gross and can't think of anything else worse than exercising on a hangover. So I'd rather work out in the morning to gain back some extra calories
    - Suggest alternative ways of socialising; cook dinner for your friends - here we have some last few rays of sun so a BBQ still wouldn't be out of the question and it's easy to stick to chicken breasts with salad and enjoy a glass of wine.

    - And finally sometimes just forget about it and enjoy your tasting menu with wine

    Very well said.

    I particularly like the stay active method. If I'm drinking, I'm typically active as well. At bbq's, I love to play Frisbee, do handstands etc. if going out at night, dance up a storm :smile:

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