Alcohol and dieting?

so I gave alcohol up for lent, and with Easter coming I'm trying to plan out how I'm going to add it back into my diet. Are there certain things you cut out if you're going to have a couple of drinks that day or do you just save enough calories?

Replies

  • ciaramc7
    ciaramc7 Posts: 3 Member
    I'd go for lower calorie options for alcohol. I'd have vodke with soda water and lime. Try avoid high sugar drinks like the alco pops and ciders. My weakness is wine! But there is a lot of calories in a bottle so I only have it as a treat and share it with the other half so I don't feel as guilty
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Wine is one of the things I decided was worth the calories. I drink wine almost every day. I give up other treats instead.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    Just make it fit into your daily calories. I find Liquor helps me stay within goals better than beer.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    The fourth food group congrats on realizing it most don't!! Alcohol in moderation can fit into any diet it really depends on what your drinking and how much. I personally don't drink alcohol but if I did I would probably drink a vodka Martini with some olives as the Juice or pop added to most drinks is where the calories are located. It looks like rum and vodka have 64 calories per 1 ounce and 5 ounces of red wine has 125 calories. Good luck!! Wait your only 20 years old-- REBEL!! :):):)Good luck I have seen more than a few young college kids put on 30 lbs drinking to much..
  • Sophiasmomma
    Sophiasmomma Posts: 155 Member
    I drink skinny girl brand drinks
    Some are less than 100calories for a good sized drink!!!
  • jangus9416
    jangus9416 Posts: 69 Member
    Gadget1968 wrote: »
    The fourth food group congrats on realizing it most don't!! Alcohol in moderation can fit into any diet it really depends on what your drinking and how much. I personally don't drink alcohol but if I did I would probably drink a vodka Martini with some olives as the Juice or pop added to most drinks is where the calories are located. It looks like rum and vodka have 64 calories per 1 ounce and 5 ounces of red wine has 125 calories. Good luck!! Wait your only 20 years old-- REBEL!! :):):)Good luck I have seen more than a few young college kids put on 30 lbs drinking to much..

    Whoops I forgot you could see my age! Lol I'm almost there!
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    jangus9416 wrote: »
    Gadget1968 wrote: »
    The fourth food group congrats on realizing it most don't!! Alcohol in moderation can fit into any diet it really depends on what your drinking and how much. I personally don't drink alcohol but if I did I would probably drink a vodka Martini with some olives as the Juice or pop added to most drinks is where the calories are located. It looks like rum and vodka have 64 calories per 1 ounce and 5 ounces of red wine has 125 calories. Good luck!! Wait your only 20 years old-- REBEL!! :):):)Good luck I have seen more than a few young college kids put on 30 lbs drinking to much..

    Whoops I forgot you could see my age! Lol I'm almost there!

    Busted!!
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I may or may not have scanned bar codes in the liquor store trying to find a wine with low calories....

    I'll enjoy one or two glasses on the weekend on a big workout day. Or if I have a dinner outting that I plan on just eating/drinking with friends I won't bother logging. I still try to reach for low calorie options and use portion control though. I try to limit those nights to once a month and will usually not eat back my exercise calories the next day.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I only drink wine on my workout days because I have extra calories to play with then. The obvious exception is special occasions, but I stick with wine to keep the carbs down unless beer is the only thing available.
  • robynmoosehead
    robynmoosehead Posts: 66 Member
    I own a pub in the UK and drink regularly. I manage to eat three decent sized and delicious meals a day and still come in at under 1200 calories a day (see my diary, if you'd like).
    I'm a huge wine fan, especially reds but sometimes switch to a dry white because it's lower in calories, especially if you add ice and soda water (both calorie free) to make it a spritzer! White spirits and slimline tonic is another reasonably low calorie option.
    I've never had a sweet tooth and for me, my wine or drinks are my form of reward (albeit one that's in my calorie allowance) and it definitely helps me stick to my plan!
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    I will pull the calories from carbs or fat generally
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
    I now choose white wine over vodka coolers because it is lower calories. This is only a problem in sports bars when the wine is usually not great :P

    Just don't cut back on your healthy food to make room for too much alcohol. Sure, while it may still "fit in your calories" for the day, that isn't healthy or sustainable. At one point a couple years ago, it was not unusual for me to eat 900 calories worth of food to "save" 300 calories for wine. That was not a good idea, and not surprisingly, I didn't stick with it for more than a few weeks. Cutting back on other little indulgences to make room is fine though :)
  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
    I drink wine when I'm having a meal that just demands it (red meat in particular) but it's pretty rare. One thing that has happened since I changed my lifestyle to be healthy is that I feel the effects of alcohol much more quickly and just am not as interested in drinking in general. I still love a good red, but I only had half a glass last night and it didn't bother me. Ditto with vodka- I only have it if I'm drinking something simple and tasty, otherwise no thanks.
  • j75j75
    j75j75 Posts: 854 Member
    I am a big beer drinker. But lately I have chosen drinks with less cals. A gin n tonic is a good choice.
  • Kimberly_Harper
    Kimberly_Harper Posts: 409 Member
    When I overhauled my diet back in September I had to give up alcohol completely and I was a huge fan and drinker of beer, and tequila, and vodka, and...lol A couple months later, I added in dry white wines (just not a fan of red). I would limit my intake to a couple of glasses. I noticed that when I did drink the wine, my weight loss would usually stall for a week or two - then catch back up. Now I'll sometimes have a shot of tequila or two, OR a glass of wine or two and that is usually enough. I try not to do it more than once every week or two.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    I drink wine on occasion, and I find it low calorie enough to give me the "buzz" I like without a lot of calories. It does depend on the person, though. A 5oz glass of wine is enough for me, but others may not feel the same.
  • 12bfree
    12bfree Posts: 67 Member
    If I am trying to loose weight, I don’t drink at all for the following reasons: (1) I experience a 3-5 pound swing, and it takes that many days to stabilize, (2) if food is present, the temptation to graze is overwhelming. During “maintenance mode” I add the calories and adjust my meals accordingly.
  • Bugdude54
    Bugdude54 Posts: 137 Member
    I was a whisky and coke guy before I started counting. Now I do gin and tonic. Gin has 30 or 40 less calories per ounce and tonic is like 70 cals per 8oz? A proper gin and tonic is 1 shot to 2 oz so really its about a 100cal drink. Give or take.


    Now the problem is when you gave like 5 or 6. Haha
  • Bugdude54
    Bugdude54 Posts: 137 Member
    Ohh might add I try to stay away from the booze as it seems to make me hold water for a few days which makes the scale plateu which causes frustration.
  • lyrical_melody
    lyrical_melody Posts: 242 Member
    esjones12 wrote: »
    I may or may not have scanned bar codes in the liquor store trying to find a wine with low calories....


    I most definitely have done this as well!! I have done this a lot with pre-made stuff in the stores and all the time with alcohol hahahaa. I will say alcohol for me is the hardest thing to fit in my diet and is what usually breaks my healthy eating for the day. If I know I am going to be drinking a cocktail or two I make sure I hit the gym and eat a lower calorie lunch/dinner or something. I do find that wine is better for me in terms of calories vs. my usual cocktails and rum/cokes.

    Good luck!
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    I put it into my daily calories. I usually only eat back half my exercise calories.... but if I know I'm going to be drinking that night I usually consume 100% of my exercise calories... I'm still loosing!