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    Alcohol and weight loss

    Posts: 7
    edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
    Has anyone successfully been able to drink alcohol (a significant amount) on a splurge day once a week and not have it effect your weight loss?

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    • Posts: 4,323 Member
      edited November 2014
      i drink on the weekends. factor it into your daily calories.
      or if it's a splurge day, don't.

      easy peasy.
    • Posts: 677 Member
      Yeap. I go out a couple times a week.
    • Posts: 41,865 Member
      Yes...I regularly consumed alcohol on the weekends while I was losing. I still lost weight. I'm sure things would have moved along faster had I abstained, but that wasn't going to happen.

      I'm on a cut right now and I don't drink during the week at all...but I will be having a good time on Saturday night and enjoying some craft beer. Again...I'm probably better off not doing that, but I'm sure the extra week or whatever it'll take me to hit my goal will be well worth it. I love craft beer and it takes everything that I have not to sit down with one every night...especially with all the winter brews coming out. Unfortunately a couple of those set me back around 400 calories so it's pretty hard to indulge on a regular basis.
    • Posts: 7
      I felt like drinking a glass or 2 of wine daily (even with keeping track of the calories) was contributing to very stubborn loss for me. I've stopped that, but we party every Friday, and I'd like to have just that one day still!
    • Posts: 313 Member
      When I did not have a jumbo margarita once a week at happy hour I was making progress with reducing my body fat. Since I started doing this my body fat rate went up from 23% to 25.6%. I've been going to happy hour almost every friday for over two years now and my fat reduction has been slow. The other day I checked an my BF is at 24.8%.

      Personally I feel the alcohol has hindered my progress of reaching my goal which is 20%.
    • Posts: 7
      Encouraging to see it wasn't a big roadblock for you guys, I'll allow myself to indulge tomorrow! :D
    • Posts: 859 Member
      edited November 2014
      i drink 2 times per week still get results 4oz of liquor or beer 12-24 oz within those 2 days. i've losted 26 lbs so far .. everything in moderation is key a glass of wine should be fine
    • Posts: 127 Member
      I have wine in moderation, it fits into my calories. I think it prob slows down my weight loss a little, but i think of this as a lifestyle change not a diet
    • Posts: 12,142 Member
      Drink all the alcohol, your body has no stores for it
    • Posts: 15,573 Member
      When I drink I tend to like to drink more than I should calorie wise...I stick to red wine and whisky. I don't know how to answer your question because I never tried losing weight and NOT drinking...so I'll just say, I still lost weight.
    • Posts: 81
      I don't do 'splurge' days - I factor the alcohol into my daily calories.
    • Posts: 10 Member
      I'm still losing weight, though slower than I probably would without. I do switch margaritas and things of that nature for light beers or plain liquor with diet soda to keep the sugar and extra calories down as much as possible.
    • Posts: 2,667 Member
      Yes do lots of exercise in the week so that you are running at a calorie deficit for the week and then the alcohol will bring it up to neutral.
    • Posts: 15,151 Member
      Caloric deficit is all that's required for weight loss; doesn't matter how you get there.
    • Posts: 282 Member
      Your body will reach to burn the alcohol off first, which inhibits the body from burning fat. I tend to stay away from the high-calorie, lower alcohol percentage drinks like sugary mixed drinks and beer.The other problem most people have while drinking is not making good decisions and not being able to stay away from all the salty, high-fat foods that are usually present. I also noticed I feel so sluggish the next day after a night out and alcohol can impact your metabolism.
    • Posts: 10 Member
      bmele0 wrote: »
      The other problem most people have while drinking is not making good decisions and not being able to stay away from all the salty, high-fat foods that are usually present. I also noticed I feel so sluggish the next day after a night out and alcohol can impact your metabolism.
      Very true. If too much alcohol is involved I always revert to cheesy-greasy-everything-delicious that night and the next day.

    • Posts: 1,080 Member
      Cut out wine bar a special occasion as found I ate too much with it. Don't miss it. Had a glass last night for my birthday but ended up over my goal. Usually have a gin and slimline tonic instead now as don't nibble when drinking that. Don't generally drink Monday to Friday.
    • Posts: 2,353 Member
      yes as long as it fits in your calorie goal you can drink one drink a day or several drinks in one day if you skipped them for a few days.

      29509743.png
    • Posts: 2,320 Member
      Yes!
    • Posts: 4,585 Member
      Liftng4Lis wrote: »
      Caloric deficit is all that's required for weight loss; doesn't matter how you get there.

      Flagged three times for this?! Oh, MFP, build the like button already!
    • Posts: 8 Member
      I always have a drink a day, sometimes two. I work it into my calories. It's never been an issue for me in terms of weight loss.
    • Posts: 1,895 Member
      I have had a beer or two, occasionally more, every night for the past 4 months and still dropped 15 lbs in that time.

      Log the calories, that is all that matters.
    • Posts: 283 Member
      I have. I drink 3-4 times a week. Usually a 6 pack or a bottle of wine. I've lost 14 pounds so far. I try to factor it into my calories, and am usually close. It also helps that I stop eating at 5-6pm so I don't have to drink as much to get a "buzz". I also drink light beers and dry red wine so less cals. and sugar. Also, on the contrary, I do not get alcohol munchies, at all, no appetite while drinking so that helps too.
      If I start to have a hard time losing weight I do plan on cutting down though.
    • Posts: 5,762 Member
      PRMinx wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Flagged three times for this?! Oh, MFP, build the like button already!

      I know! I think I'll just follow Lifting4Lis around all day and see how many flags she gets. So ridiculous...
    • Posts: 245 Member
      For me, I would try to drink and stay within my calorie allotment. However, I went over most of the time. I did lose some weight but very slowly. When I stopped drinking the weight came off faster. Probably partly because I was more consistent within a calorie deficit and partly because it slows down your metabolism (my personal opinion).
    • Posts: 4,589 Member
      phaia wrote: »
      Has anyone successfully been able to drink alcohol (a significant amount) on a splurge day once a week and not have it effect your weight loss?

      Not just alcohol, but I've been pounding jello shots every Sunday since football season started. Although it may have been affecting my weight loss, hard to know what would have happened if the world was different.

    • Posts: 451 Member
      you can put whatever you want in your mouth and swallow it as long as you stay within your daily caloric needs\.
    • Posts: 2 Member
      I've heard that when alcohol is in your system, your body will burn it first over all other sources of fuel. So if you have it with a lot of sugar and fat coursing in your system, all that other stuff will get stored. I have no idea if this is true but I figure it's not a bad idea to eat extra super healthy for the day (protein and veggies only) if I know I'm going to go out to drink later. And to pick drinks with low sugar/carbs.

      That said, I often have a glass of wine with dinner and keep it within my calorie allotment.
      I have managed to keep up my weight loss.
    • Posts: 1,895 Member
      No - that is not true.
    • Unknown
      Unknown
      edited November 2014
      This content has been removed.
    This discussion has been closed.

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