Blame it on the alcohol..

al983
al983 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
When I started doing the calorie counter I began to realize just how much calories drinking was taking up. I'm a young college student and am in the habit of drinking fairly often with my peers. I would like not to have to cut it out altogether. Any tips on being able to enjoy a few drinks while also losing weight?
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Replies

  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    edited January 2015
    As long as you maintain a calorie deficit, you can have all the alcohol you want.

    Choices have to be made and consequences paid, right?

    I squeeze in several glasses of wine a day. It can be done, but if you're used to pounding 14 brewskis in a sitting, that doesn't leave much eating, now does it.

    What are your priorities here? Those will drive the decision.

  • yargmike
    yargmike Posts: 2 Member
    I have been a teetotaler for many years but after my heart attack my Dr. suggested adding a glass of red wine a day to my diet. I was suprised that a 3 oz glass of wine was only 60 calories. I can exercise that off in 1/2 hour. Light beer might be another option for you.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Eat less or exercise more. :)
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    Alternate with water/diet coke.
  • AlciaMode
    AlciaMode Posts: 421 Member
    Light beer and gin and tonics.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    Saw this link the other day, Get Drunk, Not Fat it may be of use to you.
  • strueblood
    strueblood Posts: 8
    Being young is a serious advantage although there are more and more reports showing that the younger generation is winding up with health problems for many dietary reasons. When I was young I could drink with the best of them with no issues. I now suffer from high blood pressure so that is why I'm turning a new leaf. I want to exercise more and lose weight. I can tell you 2 years ago I tried My fitness pal and counting in all the alcohol and found I was losing weight but was still unhealthy. If you are a person that can limit their drinking to 1 maybe 2 tops per day your are in better health but that's still a lot.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I limit beer because of the calories. Wine is a much better bargain for the calories, IMO.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Phrick wrote: »
    Saw this link the other day, Get Drunk, Not Fat it may be of use to you.

    I love this site. It's a great reply to "just switch to light beer." What you drink depends on your goals. If you're trying to get a nice buzz/tipsy, light beer might not get you there while keeping you within your calories. If you just want something in your hand to sip, a vodka diet coke is a good bet.

    I love drinking. The way I manage it is by only drinking once in any given week. I'm extra disciplined during the week and try to stay UNDER my calorie goals by 50-150 calories every day through eating less and exercise. Then, the day I plan on drinking, I skip breakfast and have a high-volume, low calorie lunch with plenty of protein (think pile of steamed broccoli with an entire box of tofu). I usually have enough calories for a normal dinner and an entire bottle of wine/4-5 cocktails/3-4 high gravity beers.
  • Eire228
    Eire228 Posts: 238 Member
    99 berries. It's a vodka, but higher proof. So it's less calories, but you get more bang for your buck as far as alcohol goes. My friends in college who did weight watches would drink it a lot. Or drink vodka soda's with a little lime juice for flavor. Just be careful of how much you drink, of course! :)
  • Mary0519
    Mary0519 Posts: 9 Member
    I always ask for a glass of water, even if I am having a glass of wine or a mixed drink. The water fills me up and I will drink the alcohol slower. There's a lot of options for low cal alcohol. Vodka is a good choice, 60 cals a serving, mix with diet 7-up or diet Tonic water and a squirt of Mio or mix the alcohol with Fuze.
  • strueblood
    strueblood Posts: 8
    or hey better yet, if you are a true college party goer. Switch up to weed. Smoke a big doobie after that you won't want anymore than 1 beer. You've now saved yourself some calories. Problem solved. :wink:
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    edited January 2015
    strueblood wrote: »
    or hey better yet, if you are a true college party goer. Switch up to weed. Smoke a big doobie after that you won't want anymore than 1 beer. You've now saved yourself some calories. Problem solved. :wink:

    [/list]


    Um, I was never a toker myself, but judging from my observations, The Maryjooannas have the tendency to inspire less-than-moderate snacking habits. #leavemychiparoosalone,roommate
  • strueblood
    strueblood Posts: 8
    Oh true good point, you might get the munchies and stuff your face. Good lord there is just no winning. :neutral_face:
  • eatsyork
    eatsyork Posts: 71 Member
    A lot of low-carb beers have like 80 calories per serving. Coors Light is also relatively low carb and calorie for a mass-marketed beer. All types of hard liquor are the same calorie-wise so there's really no difference between vodka, rum, gin, whisky, or tequila. Any of those straight or mixed with club soda, water, or diet soda are reasonable choices. Avoid anything that tastes sweet. Those are all calorie bombs (liqueurs, coolers, dessert wines). "Normal" beer is also terrible. I love Guinness but it really is a meal in a glass. I order a glass of water with every drink. It helps keep me on the calorie budget by slowing me down. I also usually only drink once a week as alcohol is metabolized with priority over fat so it can cause stalls for some people if it's a frequent occurrence in excess. I've lost a fair amount of weight without cutting out booze and karaoke so I figure it's possible to have a happy medium.
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
    You have to decide going in what you want more. Food or booze. Then, when you make your mind up, plan ahead. I plan a beer/wine a day into my food diary. The only way I don't feel deprived.
  • TMLPatrick
    TMLPatrick Posts: 558 Member
    Its tough.... the best way (short of not drinking, obviously) would be to just exercise to make up the difference. I managed it for a while, but its tough because drinking usually leads to bad food decisions... or hangovers, for which the best cure seems to be bad food...
  • cheekyraspberry
    cheekyraspberry Posts: 17 Member
    I'm a fan of vodka and soda. Tonic isn't too bad but soda water has no calories. To make it not as bland I will usually use a flavored vodka and/or a splash of cranberry juice.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    I cut back to drinking 2 days a week. I save cals all week for Friday/Saturday so that I can drink (or splurge on pizza or something else). Last weeks net cals: 1435, 835, 1667, 1359, 1952, 2044, 1661. My weekly average was 1565 which was right where I wanted it. Guess which days were Friday and Saturday?

    You can also exercise for more calories, eat more filling food like soup to save calories on food. An extra 80 cals a day (easy!) pays for a bottle of dry red wine.

    Other things that help:
    Lower cal mixers: diet soda, soda water with lime, etc
    Drink water to slow you down
    If you are afraid that the guys will give you crap about watching your calories: have every other drink a mixer without alcohol. Soda water with lime looks like a cocktail with or without vodka/tequila. Same with diet soda.
    Put off your first drink. I'll have one in a bit is a lot easier to stick to than to not have another one IMO. Put it off an hour and that saves you at least one drink.
  • TheCerealKiller
    TheCerealKiller Posts: 21 Member
    I know you want advice on how to drink and still lose weight, and certainly people do it. The options you have been given from others will help, however people tend to avoid the real reasons why alcohol does not jive well with weight loss. Alcohol essentially slows down your metabolism, and limits your body's ability to burn fat. That combined with the fact that it also lowers your inhibitions and clouds your decision making while making you hungry, means often times people are eating horribly after a few drinks. It's just a complete weight gaining tornado. Nobody likes talking about that stuff because let's face it, alcohol is awesome and we all want to drink ... every day ... and we don't like to hear that the things that bring us joy are bad for us. But look it up, do a few googly searches, you will find lots of scientific evidence that drinking and weight loss just don't get along very well. That being said.. you are young, you have every right to enjoy life. If you want to drink and lose weight it is definitely possible, just means you have to work really hard to counter the affects the alcohol is having.
  • rossinator63
    rossinator63 Posts: 36 Member
    IMHO, light beer is the wrong route to take. It is flavorless and bodiless. Find a good, flavor-full craft beer, then you can really enjoy one beer. Light beers are designed to be consumed in large quantities, it is all marketing.
  • NewMeSM75
    NewMeSM75 Posts: 971 Member
    TMLPatrick wrote: »
    Its tough.... the best way (short of not drinking, obviously) would be to just exercise to make up the difference. I managed it for a while, but its tough because drinking usually leads to bad food decisions... or hangovers, for which the best cure seems to be bad food...

    I agree
  • strueblood
    strueblood Posts: 8
    TMLPatrick wrote: »
    Its tough.... the best way (short of not drinking, obviously) would be to just exercise to make up the difference. I managed it for a while, but its tough because drinking usually leads to bad food decisions... or hangovers, for which the best cure seems to be bad food...

    I'm going to have to disagree with that. They say that 80% or more of what you put in your mouth determines the successful outcome of your workouts.
  • slider728
    slider728 Posts: 1,494 Member
    Personally, I never blamed alcohol for making me fat. The skinniest I ever was, I was a drunk. Funny how that works :)

    Beer has a lot of calories, especially now with the microbrew craze. I had a Revolution Unsessionable last night (10% alcohol) and looked up the calories on MFP. A 12 ounce can had 300 calories....

    If you want to reduce calories from alcohol, move onto spirits and calorie free mixers. Personally, I like a good quality spiced rum and diet cola. I used to drink vodka and diet cola. Play around with spirits and find something you like that has minimal calories. That Get Drunk Not Fat website is a huge help. As a rule of thumb, any spirit that I can make a "rail drink" out of is usually has an acceptable calorie range for me.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    As others have said as long as you log and track it and stay within your total calories no reason you can't have alcohol.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    TheCerealKiller wrote: »
    I know you want advice on how to drink and still lose weight, and certainly people do it. The options you have been given from others will help, however people tend to avoid the real reasons why alcohol does not jive well with weight loss. Alcohol essentially slows down your metabolism, and limits your body's ability to burn fat. That combined with the fact that it also lowers your inhibitions and clouds your decision making while making you hungry, means often times people are eating horribly after a few drinks. It's just a complete weight gaining tornado. Nobody likes talking about that stuff because let's face it, alcohol is awesome and we all want to drink ... every day ... and we don't like to hear that the things that bring us joy are bad for us. But look it up, do a few googly searches, you will find lots of scientific evidence that drinking and weight loss just don't get along very well. That being said.. you are young, you have every right to enjoy life. If you want to drink and lose weight it is definitely possible, just means you have to work really hard to counter the affects the alcohol is having.

    I think it depends on the person and on the circumstances. I was drinking 5-6 days a week for a large portion of my weightloss, 1-2 on weeknights and 3-5 on Fri/Sat, and I lost 13lbs against a goal of 12lbs in 12 weeks. I just fit it in like any other calories. In fact, I was in vegas for 3 days and drank the majority of my calories (A lot!) and ended up unexpectedly losing weight. Calories from alcohol actually seem to count LESS for me. This is at least somewhat supported by research:
    http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/04/health/why-the-body-may-waste-the-calories-from-alcohol.html
  • strueblood
    strueblood Posts: 8
    Holy crap do any of you people have livers left. Forget the calories, DAYUM!!!
  • dr0707
    dr0707 Posts: 24
    was down 2.5 lbs for my first week of dieting. went out yesterday, 8 beers later and a bowl of chicken noodle soup and some clams, Im back where I started. Im gonna have to give it up if I want to lose weight.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    dr0707 wrote: »
    was down 2.5 lbs for my first week of dieting. went out yesterday, 8 beers later and a bowl of chicken noodle soup and some clams, Im back where I started. Im gonna have to give it up if I want to lose weight.

    That is untrue unless those were 1000 calorie beers. 3500 calories in a pound. You would have had to have eaten ~8700 calories OVER maintenance to have gained that back. The vast majority is just salt/bloating and it will go away.
  • routehero
    routehero Posts: 9 Member
    http://www.thedranktank.com/product/the-drank-tank/

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