Cutting out alcohol?

You must account for the calories of the alcohol in your daily calories if you want to drink. The more alcohol you can cut it out the more weight you will lose - so it depends on how serious you want to lose weight. No alcohol is the same and the body treats a beer (liquid bread) differently than a shot of spirits. It also depends on what diet you are following in terms of how it may effect weight loss. Do not forget to include the mix if having a mixed drink. The mix can be more calories than the alcohol itself. So be smart and make good choices of the type of alcohol you choose as well as the mix. One other thought is a few drinks can make you eat something you might have not if you were not drinking.

I also have wine most evenings. I have learned to have less - smaller glasses help and usually just have one glass (or two little ones). That wine is such a nice part of my lifestyle that I've cut out other things to ensure I can include the wine in my calorie count (e.g. I cut out the generous splashes of milk in my coffee, switched to plain yogurt, smaller portion sizes). The most important thing for me is 30 min of pretty intense exercise daily, which ups my calorie expenditure sufficiently to permit the wine.

On days when I am feeling heavy or know that I need to cut back, it's pretty easy to just not have the wine.

Good luck!

Just fit in into your calories. Especially if you go with a conservative weight loss goal so you have more calories to work with, and if you exercise, again giving you more calories to work with, not everything you eat has to simply be for nutrition, some can be for enjoyment.

You can fit it in like others have said, or if you're like me, you might value the calories from food over those in alcohol. I am eating around 1400 calories a day and you can bet your bottom dollar I would choose a snack over a glass of wine on that calorie budget, so it just depends on which one is more appealing to you!

Having alcohol fit within your calorie goals, not be hungry with the loss of food calories, and meet your weight loss goals is a luxury indeed. It's not that easy for everyone, so if you can do it, enjoy it for the rest of us.

I budget for alcohol, and avoid bread and sweets on the days that I drink to keep from "piling on" the starchy sugary empty calories.

When out with friends, I order a glass of water with every drink both to ensure I stay hydrated, but also to slow down my alcohol consumption.

And while I rarely drink mixed drinks because of the extra calories in the mixers, when I do have the occasional margarita, I order an extra shot of tequila on the side and the pour it in the drink. Two drinks with half the mixer calories!

blondieabroad wrote: »

So, as a young (single) person, I often meet-up with friends or go to social events and while it is easy for me to say no to cookies and cake and a plate of nachos, I know that I'm wasting calories on alcohol. This is a really tough one to give up because I really enjoy the social aspects of drinking and I love a good glass of wine with a nice meal, or just to chill out at the end of the day.

I also know that this is a lot of useless calories...Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Is it possible to still enjoy it in moderation every once in a while or do I need to totally cut it out? My weight loss goals are moderate (10-15lbs), and I'm really trying to get back on track after a broken leg and a few months of inactivity paired with some unhealthy eating resulted in some weight gain.

Does anyone have advice on successfully cutting out alcohol, or ways they could still be social or relax at the end of the day without it? Like I said, eating healthy isn't that difficult for me if I focus, but I'd be sad if I can't enjoy a glass of wine every now and then.

I'm a little confused. I think if you were truly referring to "a glass of wine every now and then," you wouldn't be asking this question.

What specifically would moderation look like to you - how many ounces, how many times per week? Weekly total?

How many calories are you eating per day? The system says 3.5 ounces of white wine is 70 calories. I think many people could fit one glass of wine into their day if they so desired. However, if you have a sparse amount of calories to work with and are talking about more than a 3.5 ounce serving, that's a different story.

You could try different alcoholic beverages that would be lower in calories.....someone else will have to chime in on this one as I'm pretty clueless on what the lowest would be....I have seen Vodka mentioned quite a lot with Soda and and lime wedge as a lower calorie option....

You say you get enjoyment from your glass of wine and would be sad without it in your life, so from that point of view they really aren't wasted calories.

Everything about losing and then successfully maintaining weight has to be attainable and sustainable for the long haul....if you can't see yourself having as much fun at these events without alcohol then keep on drinking as the moderate rates of which you speak.

I will say this though as someone who used to think just like you ie. Parties etc aren't the same without booze was the the time I started to re-evaluate my relationship with alcohol.....I quickly realized that I was giving the alcohol a little teeny bit more power than was healthy so I stopped drinking for over a year and surprise, surprise didn't miss it at all.

It took longer for friends to accept the change and there were a few awkward moments but they passed.....I do drink now occasionally but not EVERY single event. I have just subbed in mineral, soda water with bitters etc and no one blinks an eye....plus I'm the most popular one at the end of the night when they all need to roll on home and I'm the designated driver.....

@VykkDraygoVPR well there you go much more relevant info than I can can provide.....Thanks

There is nothing wrong with living you life. Try to track ahead for the day so you know what you can have, so if it is a big drinking day, have a lot of salad and lean protein for meals like fish and chicken. Easier said than done, but that is the ideal answer.

The problem with wine is that portion control is difficult and I could easily have another. However, 1 jigger of Vodka, slice lime and 6-7 oz of diet tonic over ice is only 90 calories and can be nursed along for an hour when dining with friends or at the end of the work day..I can fit that into my calorie track and not feel deprived.

I had a glass of wine almost every day when I was losing weight and I have one or two (sometimes more!) now that I'm maintaining. A 5 oz pour is about 125 calories so it's not that hard to work into a calorie allotment, even at a big deficit it can be worked in with a little exercise.

So yes, it is possible to drink in moderation and continue to achieve your goals but it is important to track the calories and that includes the ones that may come as a result of spontaneous consumption due to lowered inhibitions...