Student life and alcohol

I'm a student and I'm having a really hard time to control my calorie intake with alcohol.
Any other students out there recognizing the problem? And how do you deal with it?
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Replies

  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    edited January 2016
    I'm not currently a student but I was (****# OF YEARS REDACTED***) years ago

    Knowing how much I drank then, I can imagine that the two (alcohol/college life and weight loss) don't mix well.

    You'll need to use a combination of a few strategies:
    1. Drink lower-cal alcohol (light beers, etc)
    2. Do the "every other drink" trick (a glass of water or club soda for every alcoholic drink)
    3. Up your exercise calorie burn
    4. Plan ahead - if you know you're going out on Friday night, 'bank' an extra 100 calories each day from Monday-Thursday
    5. Offer to be the DD
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    My college years were the last years where I had a chance of out running a bad (high calorie) diet. Of course, they led to the downfall from which I am still picking myself up.
  • skydiveD30571
    skydiveD30571 Posts: 281 Member
    I'm not a student anymore, but I still deal with balancing alcohol into my day. I know I'm going out tonight so I planned ahead with smaller breakfast/lunch and will be getting an extra workout in tomorrow morning. It's a pain but personally I prefer it better than never drinking again.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    i drink nearly every day but not like a college student (i save that for once a month LOL)

    plan for it. if you are serious about your weight loss, you will prioritize what and how much, you put in your body.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,481 Member
    I did a lot of dancing to work off the alcohol calories and stay fit.

    This is retrospective knowledge as I ate like a pig; drank like a fish, didn't believe in purposeful exercise, and barely stayed at 105lbs.

    Cheers, h.
  • gracepost123
    gracepost123 Posts: 81 Member
    Omg! This is one of my biggest worries!! Haha I see how many glasses of wine I can have and how many shots I can take and still be in my calories for the day!! Will he looking on this post for advice too ;)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,452 Member
    You DON'T have to drink to have fun. Having fun and partying is more about attitude then getting blitzed. In fact, why not be the responsible of the group and not drink and be the designated driver to ensure people get home safely.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • stephchadz
    stephchadz Posts: 143 Member
    I am also a student and my solution for this is to simply not drink. If you do want to, try to limit and make sure you log it and stay within your goals.
  • allenpriest
    allenpriest Posts: 1,102 Member
    xveer22 wrote: »
    I'm a student and I'm having a really hard time to control my calorie intake with alcohol.
    Any other students out there recognizing the problem? And how do you deal with it?

    Don't drink alcohol. Simple solution
  • allenpriest
    allenpriest Posts: 1,102 Member
    Omg! This is one of my biggest worries!! Haha I see how many glasses of wine I can have and how many shots I can take and still be in my calories for the day!! Will he looking on this post for advice too ;)

    That sounds like a poor way to live. AA might prove useful if you are revolving your diet around alcohol.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,379 Member
    Even back in those younger years when I partied, I knew it was always important to find a balance with drinking.







































    Because nobody wants to drop a keg! :)
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,767 Member
    "I'm a student and I'm having a really hard time to control my calorie intake with alcohol."

    Oh really? I thought a student's role was to study, not be a professional drinker?
  • blgray94
    blgray94 Posts: 5 Member
    I know how you feel. I'm also a student and I love the social life that comes with it, but it is really difficult to control calorie intake on a night out drinking, and of course you cant lower your food intake to make up for it because that would mean drinking on an empty stomach!
    I find the best thing for me is to limit the amount of money i take out with me so I can only buy a certain number of drinks, and what I do drink is always a spirit and diet mixer, as that's the lowest calorie option available. I also encourage as much drunken dancing as possible to burn the calories as I go :tongue:
    Enjoy yourself but drink responsibly!
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
    I am a student and to be perfectly honest, alcohol is my downfall. Not the alcohol itself, but the inhibitions I lose once I have consumed the alcohol. For me, it works best just to abstain. My friends know, and respect it. I meet them at bars and drink tea or kombucha, soda water with lime. I do plan on drinking in my future, but it has to be on my special occasions. I've found as a student, when you're running around with 20 people in your age group all the time, it is always sooomebody's special occasion.
  • laurabolt500
    laurabolt500 Posts: 9 Member
    To all of those saying "simply don't drink" you obviously didn't have a lot of fun in college, haha. ;) I understand what you're dealing with, OP! I'm currently a student as well and staying away from alcohol is easier said than done.

    What works for me is making sure I leave an extra 300 calories or so per week within my goal, and when I do drink I only drink vodka sodas (about 70ish calories each, give or take the lemon and lime). Or I do straight shots of clear liquor - these are generally fewer calories than other liquors. If you absolutely need a mixer, use a flavored seltzer, they are zero calories! Also, if you want to go crazy for a night, I'd fill up on things like veggies all day (low calorie, but filling) and leave about 500-600 calories for partying that night.

    I still party all the time but this works for me, as I'm down 10 pounds this last month! :)
  • laurabolt500
    laurabolt500 Posts: 9 Member
    Or do a lower calorie whiskey with Diet Coke! Yum!
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,767 Member
    edited January 2016
    To all of those saying "simply don't drink" you obviously didn't have a lot of fun in college, haha. ;) )

    Funnily enough, when I went to university, I went there to STUDY, and get a degree, not get drunk and waste my money. You know, the actual thing that universities/colleges are designed for.

    I also had plenty of fun while I was a university student. If you think the only way to have fun is to get blotto drunk, then you have SERIOUS issues.
  • pineapple1989
    pineapple1989 Posts: 195 Member
    Why not get involved in some college sports activities? I didn't go to university myself but I understand they have teams such as netball, football etc. I always make sure I go to the gym on a Saturday morning to bank a few extra calories if I know I'm going out, so the extra exercise might help.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited January 2016
    misskarne wrote: »
    To all of those saying "simply don't drink" you obviously didn't have a lot of fun in college, haha. ;) )

    Funnily enough, when I went to university, I went there to STUDY, and get a degree, not get drunk and waste my money. You know, the actual thing that universities/colleges are designed for.

    I also had plenty of fun while I was a university student. If you think the only way to have fun is to get blotto drunk, then you have SERIOUS issues.

    Lighten up Francis :) . Yes, you go to school to study, but I know plenty of people that graduated with honors in difficult programs and also drank their share of beer (or maybe even a bit more).

    Just a matter of balance.
  • KrisiAnnH
    KrisiAnnH Posts: 352 Member
    misskarne wrote: »
    To all of those saying "simply don't drink" you obviously didn't have a lot of fun in college, haha. ;) )

    Funnily enough, when I went to university, I went there to STUDY, and get a degree, not get drunk and waste my money. You know, the actual thing that universities/colleges are designed for.

    I also had plenty of fun while I was a university student. If you think the only way to have fun is to get blotto drunk, then you have SERIOUS issues.

    Actually I'm at University at the moment and you'd be surprised, those on my course that are getting the highest grades also tend to be the ones who go out/drink most often.

    Also a lecture about what she should be doing at University isn't particularly relevant to her original post. There's probably a better outlet for you to vent at than someone who genuinely wants help with work/play balance.

    OP- I'm at University and I've lost 45lbs, it is possible. The downside is, often it comes down to the choice between losing weight and going out/drinking. I personally don't drink unless it's an event or night out, as I'd rather drink socially than have a few beers at home or anything.

    Drinks like cocktails are often higher in calories due to fruit juices etc- compared to a vodka and diet coke which can be between 50-100 cals depending on the measure :)

    If you do want the occasional odd drink, then working it into your calorie allotment may be a good approach :) If you're talking more about going out to events and social drinking (or 'binge' drinking, depending on how much) then a better approach may be to preplan it and work to a weekly calorie goal, so stay under your goal by 100 cals for a few days leading up to the event, to allow for the extra calories you'll consume while drinking.

    Or, the third option, is to stick to your goals all week and then try and be sensible when drinking, while going for the 'log it and move on' approach. One night out every now and again probably wont damage your goals too much (unless you're a drunk eater like me, a few drinks and all self control goes out the window around fried food!).