Weight gain on weekends from drinking

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desy617
desy617 Posts: 60 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
is possible for me to lose weight and still be able to have some drinks on the weekend, I do well losing during the week, but I gain five pounds every weekend and lose it by Friday then gain it again by Monday. my drink of chose is vodka and orange juice, I enjoy drinking on weekends and I don't want to give it up but i want to lose weight,i tried the no sugar and flavor water and i do not like it. I just need to give up drinking.feel free to look at my diary, i do share and log my bad habits.no bashing please just good old advice, i just want to lose weight a enjoy some drinks on the weekend
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Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    If you want to lose weight, eat at a deficit. If you want to drink, make room for the alcohol in your calories.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    desy617 wrote: »
    is possible for me to lose weight and still be able to have some drinks on the weekend, I do well losing during the week, but I gain five pounds every weekend and lose it by Friday then gain it again by Monday. my drink of chose is vodka and orange juice, I enjoy drinking on weekends and I don't want to give it up but i want to lose weight,i tried the no sugar and flavor water and i do not like it. I just need to give up drinking.feel free to look at my diary, i do share and log my bad habits.no bashing please just good old advice, i just want to lose weight a enjoy some drinks on the weekend

    I drink regularly and I am losing weight. Is the alcohol, combined with the juice, causing you to exceed your calorie goals?

  • Jiggle_all_the_way
    Jiggle_all_the_way Posts: 32 Member
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    You may experience a temporary weight gain due to water retention from drinking (I can gain up to 4 pounds), but if your week overall is at a calorie deficit, you'll see weight loss.
  • desy617
    desy617 Posts: 60 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    desy617 wrote: »
    is possible for me to lose weight and still be able to have some drinks on the weekend, I do well losing during the week, but I gain five pounds every weekend and lose it by Friday then gain it again by Monday. my drink of chose is vodka and orange juice, I enjoy drinking on weekends and I don't want to give it up but i want to lose weight,i tried the no sugar and flavor water and i do not like it. I just need to give up drinking.feel free to look at my diary, i do share and log my bad habits.no bashing please just good old advice, i just want to lose weight a enjoy some drinks on the weekend

    I drink regularly and I am losing weight. Is the alcohol, combined with the juice, causing you to exceed your calorie goals?

    yes I know it is, i usually have about two maybe three drinks everyday during weekend each drink measured 4 to 5oz of vodka and about 6 to 8oz of oj per drink,pretty bad i know, and i never drink juice unless im having a drink, no soda what so ever
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    You just need to create a weekly deficit in order to lose weight. You're not "gaining 5 lbs" of fat - it's mostly water, which is why it's gone by Friday and back again on Monday after drinking all weekend. It sounds like you're maintaining your weight eating/drinking this way. So, in order to create a deficit and start losing, you need to make a decision. You can either eat less throughout the week to make up for the alcohol on the weekends. You don't have to go all day Saturday without eating...you can cut 100-200 calories Monday-Friday in order to leave plenty of room for alcohol on weekends. Go by weekly averages. Or you can drink something with less calories, which you said you don't like. Or you can drink less of what you do like. Or you can increase your exercise by a bunch in order to create a larger deficit that way, but let's face it, that sounds awful. And finally, you can just stop drinking, but it's not actually necessary if you choose one of the other options.

    The choice is yours. There's no magic trick - to get the results, you have to make a few sacrifices along the way.

    It's times like these when I'm glad even one drink makes me feel like crap. No temptation to drink whatsoever. :smile:
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    To gain 5 lbs over the weekend, you would have to eat/drink a surplus of 17,500 calories (3500 calories per lb; 3500 X 5 = 17,500).

    I don't think you're actually gaining that much each weekend. It's probably bloating from the alcohol (and maybe sodium/sugar from the weekend).

    That aside, if you end up at the same point every Friday, then something isn't working. Certainly the alcohol could be causing you to damage your deficit. You CAN drink. You can have anything you want. But you can't have it all at once. You're gonna have to chose how many drinks you want, and calculate the calories. Then find other places in your diet to cut back and/or exercise more. It's all about choices. I only drink about 2 glasses of wine. Probably less than 300 calories, so I can easily find small places to cut back throughout the week (plus I add in a long workout on Sundays). If you want to drink a lot of calories, that's fine, but then you need to give something else up. It's just like budgeting a bank account.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I have an adult beverage nearly every day - just fit it into my calorie budget.

    As for the rapid up/down in weight, that is probably nothing more than your water weight fluctuating.
  • thstarfish316
    thstarfish316 Posts: 20 Member
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    They are absolutely right, you have to reduce the number of calories you take in during the week in order to allow for drinking on the weekend. Another option is exercising more to burn more calories. I started drinking vodka and water because it does not taste as good as the Red Bull or Cranberry Juice I prefer, so I drink less. Good luck
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 661 Member
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    I have a buddy IRL who stopped drinking beer, he averaged 3-4 beers per night. In a lil less than 3 months he was literally down 30 lbs. He already has a physical job, requires some lifting and movement. That one change did the trick for him. Good Luck to you... :)
  • desy617
    desy617 Posts: 60 Member
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    LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »
    You just need to create a weekly deficit in order to lose weight. You're not "gaining 5 lbs" of fat - it's mostly water, which is why it's gone by Friday and back again on Monday after drinking all weekend. It sounds like you're maintaining your weight eating/drinking this way. So, in order to create a deficit and start losing, you need to make a decision. You can either eat less throughout the week to make up for the alcohol on the weekends. You don't have to go all day Saturday without eating...you can cut 100-200 calories Monday-Friday in order to leave plenty of room for alcohol on weekends. Go by weekly averages. Or you can drink something with less calories, which you said you don't like. Or you can drink less of what you do like. Or you can increase your exercise by a bunch in order to create a larger deficit that way, but let's face it, that sounds awful. And finally, you can just stop drinking, but it's not actually necessary if you choose one of the other options.

    The choice is yours. There's no magic trick - to get the results, you have to make a few sacrifices along the way.

    It's times like these when I'm glad even one drink makes me feel like crap. No temptation to drink whatsoever. :smile:

    thank you everything you said make so much sense i have to make a chose
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    edited July 2015
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    desy617 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    desy617 wrote: »
    is possible for me to lose weight and still be able to have some drinks on the weekend, I do well losing during the week, but I gain five pounds every weekend and lose it by Friday then gain it again by Monday. my drink of chose is vodka and orange juice, I enjoy drinking on weekends and I don't want to give it up but i want to lose weight,i tried the no sugar and flavor water and i do not like it. I just need to give up drinking.feel free to look at my diary, i do share and log my bad habits.no bashing please just good old advice, i just want to lose weight a enjoy some drinks on the weekend

    I drink regularly and I am losing weight. Is the alcohol, combined with the juice, causing you to exceed your calorie goals?

    yes I know it is, i usually have about two maybe three drinks everyday during weekend each drink measured 4 to 5oz of vodka and about 6 to 8oz of oj per drink,pretty bad i know, and i never drink juice unless im having a drink, no soda what so ever

    Have you tried any of the reduced calorie juices? I know you don't like flavored waters-but minute maid makes some very good juices for 15 calories a cup.

    But yea, just make them fit either way. 2-3 drink twice a week should not derail your goals. It's what? 200 calories or so a drink? So if you have five over the weekend that's an extra 1000 calories. Cut out 200 calories a day during the week by eating a little less and moving more and you're good!
  • desy617
    desy617 Posts: 60 Member
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    jaga13 wrote: »
    To gain 5 lbs over the weekend, you would have to eat/drink a surplus of 17,500 calories (3500 calories per lb; 3500 X 5 = 17,500).

    I don't think you're actually gaining that much each weekend. It's probably bloating from the alcohol (and maybe sodium/sugar from the weekend).

    That aside, if you end up at the same point every Friday, then something isn't working. Certainly the alcohol could be causing you to damage your deficit. You CAN drink. You can have anything you want. But you can't have it all at once. You're gonna have to chose how many drinks you want, and calculate the calories. Then find other places in your diet to cut back and/or exercise more. It's all about choices. I only drink about 2 glasses of wine. Probably less than 300 calories, so I can easily find small places to cut back throughout the week (plus I add in a long workout on Sundays). If you want to drink a lot of calories, that's fine, but then you need to give something else up. It's just like budgeting a bank account.

    Ok i can workout more on weekends before drink, up my cardio. but i check my weight on Friday morning and Monday mornings around the same time first thing in the morning
  • desy617
    desy617 Posts: 60 Member
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    thstarfish316 wrote: »
    They are absolutely right, you have to reduce the number of calories you take in during the week in order to allow for drinking on the weekend. Another option is exercising more to burn more calories. I started drinking vodka and water because it does not taste as good as the Red Bull or Cranberry Juice I prefer, so I drink less. Good luck

    water i can try, your right i will drink less i hate shots.love the orange juice
  • desy617
    desy617 Posts: 60 Member
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    BrotherBill913 wrote: »
    I have a buddy IRL who stopped drinking beer, he averaged 3-4 beers per night. In a lil less than 3 months he was literally down 30 lbs. He already has a physical job, requires some lifting and movement. That one change did the trick for him. Good Luck to you... :)

    thank you,i need more self control
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    I drink 5+ drinks a night at least twice a week. I fit it in. I also don't usually have a mixer that has calories. Do you have something against diet orange soda?
  • desy617
    desy617 Posts: 60 Member
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    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    I drink 5+ drinks a night at least twice a week. I fit it in. I also don't usually have a mixer that has calories. Do you have something against diet orange soda?

    i never had diet orange soda, i will try, thank you.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    If you prefer vodka, try it with a twist (lemon/lime/orange) with sparkling water.
  • grza36
    grza36 Posts: 21 Member
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    I've had great results switching from beer to whisky either by itself or with diet pop, and I continue to drink more than I should. Orange juice isn't a great mixer calorie wise so maybe try experimenting with diet pop or ideally find a low calorie spirit you can handle drinking straight, which also has the added benefit of causing you to automatically pace yourself a little better at least until you get used to it.
  • newfutures
    newfutures Posts: 113 Member
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    you need to make room in your day for the alcohol. best thing to do if you want to lose weight. you want to drink on Saturday then make sure that you decide on healthy food that day that will leave you the calories to blow on vodka. maybe cut portion sizes or choose different foods that day.
  • BrainiHabit
    BrainiHabit Posts: 2 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Other things to consider is not only the drinks that you consume during the weekend but also any other additional food that you eat.

    During the weekend it may be a challenge to stay committed to a diet or certain calories. Think about what it is easier to do. Exercise to create a deficit of 200-400 calories or have self control over what and how much is consumed during the week and weekend.

    It always comes to personal preference. But do consider that consuming alcohol does have its effects on the body. It could be possible that too much alcohol may lead to some dehydration which you may respond by drinking more or grab something to eat.

    Make sure to keep track of what you are eating during the weekends. Adjust your weekly calories to reflect the additional calories you consumed in the weekend.

    Also, don't let you fitness goals deviate from your long term plans. During the holidays (hint 4th of July) there is usually the tendency to overeat mostly because of social cues since everyone else might also be eating (or drinking) a lot. Stay firm with your goals, and before you take an extra bite or drink consider how much it will affect your weekly calorie plans.

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