going out drinking question

bflicker11
bflicker11 Posts: 296
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
I'm going out for my birthday Friday night. I REALLY want to have one or two or three or four glasses of wine that night.:wink: What do you think about not breakfast or lunch and saving on my calories for small dinner and drinks? I really don't want to mess up becasue I'm in the mental zone I need to be in order to lose weight. I know breakfast is important. Maybe just a scrambled egg in the morning? I rarely get to go out so I want to "party" it up withouth getting too far off track. Advice? Thanks.

Replies

  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
    Keep it light (but nutritious) early in the day. Don't skip out on meals and especially a good size dinner since you'll be drinking. Then consider the calories in whatever you're drinking. Some drinks punch a lot more than others. Check and see if something else you like is less cals than wine...that willl give you more wiggle room.

    And finally...work out! If you burn off the cals that would be from the drinks then they will be guilt free :)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    My opinion - HORRIBLE idea. You'll be starving and then once you get a drink or two in your, your defenses will be down and you'll end up eating a ton! At least that's what would happen to me, and quite a few other people I've spoken to about skipping meals...

    How about instead of depriving yourself of nutrients all day, you eat light/healthy things (salad with chicken or shirmp, oatmeal, yogurt, protein shake) and burn some calories to make up the difference?
  • epj78
    epj78 Posts: 643 Member
    Agree with light and nutritious during the day. Don't skip on dinner!!! You don't want to be falling down drunk :) And pick your drinks wisely (i.e. stay away from anything frou-frou like margarita's stick with the wine, hard liqueur and light beer depending on your poison on choice)
  • merrillfoster
    merrillfoster Posts: 855 Member
    Days like that I usually have a light breakfast (string cheese or something, just to get the metabolism going), try to work out during the day, another string cheese or veggies or something light for lunch, then enjoy dinner and my wine. You figure a bottle of red wine is usually around 500 cals, so depending on how much you plan to drink, you can kinda judge it from there. If you can burn 2-300 cals from exercise, that leaves you enough for a pretty decent dinner (not sure what your cal limit is, but either way, should leave you with around 1000 cals for dinner) :)
  • bflicker11
    bflicker11 Posts: 296
    Thanks ladies. I did just ask for Friday off so I can hit the gym hard during the day. Now I can eat light during the day, burn off those calories and then have a decent meal and some drinks. Thanks again for your feedback!
  • aimgirl
    aimgirl Posts: 50 Member
    Do you take spin classes? Best way to burn alot of calories in an hour.
  • Dencrossgirl
    Dencrossgirl Posts: 501 Member
    Drinking wine without eating enough food is like filling a syringe with wine and injecting it directly into your blood stream. Drink a glass or two of water in between if you drink more than one glass of wine. Trust me it doesn't take a whole lot of wine to make a dieting girl into a drunken spectacle.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    I agree that you shouldn't try to deprive yourself of calories. Instead, eat nutrient dense foods like non-starchy veggies and lean meats. Fill up on fiber and protein, not carbs. Then get a decent work out in, and you'll be set. And make sure you're well hydrated before and during the drinking alcohol.

    p.s. Happy Birthday
  • princessflick
    princessflick Posts: 2
    Don't foget to drink plenty of water during the day to stave off the hunger, and Happy Birthday! Try a rum and diet coke for less calories.:smile:
  • pixietoes
    pixietoes Posts: 1,591 Member
    Wine, at about 100 calories a serving is relatively low calorie, compared to say, a strawberry margarita. You can work off 400 calories in an hour and still stay in your calorie plan for the day, but EAT unless the goal is to get so drunk you get sick. LOL

    Also, think about what you're going to eat while you're drinking. I do really well with my daily plan except when I drink too much and then resolve goes out the window and is replaced with whatever is convenient, salty and crisp. Not a good thing.
  • xAdrianax
    xAdrianax Posts: 269 Member
    well i went out drinking the other day, i purposely slept in a bit, then went to the gym and had a nice big low calorie meal lots of salad and veg and fish, and then enjoyed my wine later in the evening!
  • TiniTurtle
    TiniTurtle Posts: 595 Member
    i usually add in a workout or make my meals very light for the day so that i can get tipsy & enjoy my night out. i use MFP as a lifestyle change, not JUST a weight loss tool & i figure once i'm maintaining- there will be the occasional party that i'm drinking my calories at & we need to learn now how to deal with that in a semi-healthy way so that we aren't adding an extra 500-1,000+ calories just from alcohol on one night out. :o)
  • tj5000
    tj5000 Posts: 69 Member
    A small glass of wine - approx 250mls is between 75 and 90 cals.
    Spirits might be better at approx 50 cals for vodka, gin, rum, brandy and whiskey, Bacardi is more at 56 and southern comfort is 81! You would also need to add a low cal/slimline type mixer.

    Enjoy your birthday!

    :drinker:
  • TiniTurtle
    TiniTurtle Posts: 595 Member
    & happy birthday! ♥
  • Mtsidad
    Mtsidad Posts: 242 Member
    Here's my advice - and take it for what you will:

    You should be able to eat and drink what you *want*, so be sane the day of your birthday. As someone else said, drinking on an empty stomach is going to hit you harder than drinking on a full stomach.

    Eat a good dinner, keeping in mind your overall goals of eating carefully, and then have your fun at your birthday party, choosing to drink a little extra wine.

    I don't think punishing yourself - or feeling like you're punishing yourself - is the way to eat and live. You're doing great in your diet and exercise, and once in a while (birthdays are, after all, only once a year for most people. Some like me have them less frequently...) I think you can drink a little more.

    Now, all this is merely advice, not know you or your circumstances. For some people, certain foods are a trigger for abandonment. Me, I simply have to avoid greasy/fatty foods as they are so emotionally rewarding I eat way too much. So I'm not as tempted by wine (2 glasses would be way plenty for me), I would not be so sanguine if it was an all-you-can-eat bacon buffet.

    So don't take my advice as 100% truth. It works for me to not feel "bad" about eating or drinking what I like, but I also completely avoid my trigger foods.

    As far as I recall, "pure" alcohol is 7cal/gm, while protein/carbs are 4cal/gm and fat is 9cal/gm. It's the fillers and mixers that are the killer.

    And if you drink alcohol, have some water on the side - you can get a carbonated water & a slice of lemon & use that as a pacer.
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