Alcohol - Weight loss

jessicaeocon
jessicaeocon Posts: 18
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
HI!! I am REALLY trying to lose weight, but I always find the weekends to be hard...particularly because that is the time my boyfriend/friends and I will go to happy hour and have a few drinks.

So my quesiton is... what alcoholic drinks should I have when out with my friends? Or should I try to avoid them all together? I don't want to sabotage my diet, but I want this to be a realistic (and lifelong) change.
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Replies

  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
    HI!! I am REALLY trying to lose weight, but I always find the weekends to be hard...particularly because that is the time my boyfriend/friends and I will go to happy hour and have a few drinks.

    So my quesiton is... what alcoholic drinks should I have when out with my friends? Or should I try to avoid them all together? I don't want to sabotage my diet, but I want this to be a realistic (and lifelong) change.

    I have swapped white wine for vodka and diet coke.

    I sitll have te occasional glass of wine with dinner but if I am out for a "few" then I go for vodka and a low cal mixer.
  • barbacasec
    barbacasec Posts: 106
    have a glass of water inbetween each drink.
    Then you still get to have drinks but you will cut you intake in half. :)
  • Texas501
    Texas501 Posts: 274
    Jack (65 calories) and diet coke.
    And water in between like the person above said.
  • rwillard78
    rwillard78 Posts: 19
    mojitos tend to be lower in calories...
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
    have a glass of water inbetween each drink.
    Then you still get to have drinks but you will cut you intake in half. :)

    mich ultra, vodka soda, vodka rocks with extra lemon, umm white wine spritzer
  • cieraangel
    cieraangel Posts: 88 Member
    vodka tonic
  • megan4487
    megan4487 Posts: 142 Member
    have a glass of water inbetween each drink.
    Then you still get to have drinks but you will cut you intake in half. :)

    thats a really good idea, Thanks!! i am the same way the weekneds are hard, but this idea is really good thanks
  • kimberlygo
    kimberlygo Posts: 74
    I alternate a diet coke in between each drink and usually opt for a light beer. But the thing is that once you start to lose weight and drink less, your tolerance goes down, so you dont really need to drink as much anymore. I can get wasted on 2 glasses of wine :)
  • amylyork
    amylyork Posts: 11 Member
    My husband and I homebrew, so we obviously like good beer. However, I'm having Budweiser's Select 55 instead on occasion. I'd rather have a pint of malty dark beer but I've gotta make some sacrifices.
    I used to drink 1-2 beers a night, now I only have maybe one a week.
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
    mojitos tend to be lower in calories...

    Mojitos are LOADED with calories!!! ontop of the alcohol they add sugar in them...I am a bartender...these are no good for weight loss, but are delicious!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Jut stay away from the really high calorie drinks like fruity mixed drinks and Smirnoff Ice or Mike's Lemonade type drinks (those have MEGA calories!!), watch what you eat, and exercise and alcohol can be part of your diet.

    I drink wine most evenings and I've lost weight and maintained it. You just have to eat better and account for those calories. I rarely have sweets or junk food because I'd rather have wine. So, I eat healthy food and I drink my few glasses of wine and I stay within my calories. I like being thin and fit but I also want to enjoy my life. :drinker:
  • jujudot
    jujudot Posts: 129 Member
    Stick to clear liquor-Vodka or Rum. I always drink at least a glass of water in between in each drink. My favorite is Cruzan Blackcherry Rum with diet coke. YUM!

    But really, moderation is the key. If you want a beer,have one. Not the whole 6 pack! :wink:
  • IMYarnCraz33
    IMYarnCraz33 Posts: 1,016 Member
    personally I would avoid it, because alcohol turns to sugar as it's being digested.

    Alcohol Metabolizing Into Sugar: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29977.asp
  • jagh09
    jagh09 Posts: 555 Member
    I struggled with this a lot last time I was attempting to lose weight. If you know you're going out, you can plan for it and plan activity around it. You can look up calorie contents for light beers, wine, etc. and just stick to what you plan. When I don't want to just have water, I'll get a seltzer with a splash of cran and a lime wedge, so it looks like I have a drink, but it's not too much. People tend to leave you alone more if you look like you're drinking, and not just having water. :)

    It's all about finding balance and creating your lifestyle. You can do it!
  • HollyMcCaw
    HollyMcCaw Posts: 154 Member
    I love red wine.. but since I know that there's a good chance I'm not going to stop at one glass I only have it once a week with a special (I don't like the word cheat) meal. I plan it into my food diary and make sure to get a good workout that day. I figure if I have 6 great days per week that 1 night will not hurt :)
  • windybaer
    windybaer Posts: 47 Member
    Try Bud Premier 55, if you're not a gourmet beer drinker. But put it in a glass. You don't have to be a walking advertisement for them. The factor of your small size suggests you stay away from hard stuff like vodka.
  • DancingYogini
    DancingYogini Posts: 377
    Vodka and soda with a squeeze of lime. I just tried the Skinny Girl Margaritas and they are quite good...not sweet, so no headache the next day too.
  • Larius
    Larius Posts: 507 Member
    personally I would avoid it, because alcohol turns to sugar as it's being digested.

    Alcohol Metabolizing Into Sugar: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29977.asp

    Not true, and your reference does not say this.
  • pittsblue99
    pittsblue99 Posts: 277 Member
    I am not a big drinker but light beer is not bad. My weakness is the flavored Smirnoff Ice but low cal they are not.
  • DancingYogini
    DancingYogini Posts: 377
    Oh, and the Bud Light 55, with low sodium V8, lime, tobasco and shake of seasoned salt. You get your veggies too :laugh:
  • TinaS88
    TinaS88 Posts: 817 Member
    I drink the Bud Select 55 .. Only 55 calories a beer :P
  • miffanytiller
    miffanytiller Posts: 8 Member
    That's awesome about homebrewing! Something I've been researching to start... But you're right about sacrifices. :)
  • glowingz
    glowingz Posts: 63 Member
    Someone recently posted this website, so I thought I'd share:

    http://getdrunknotfat.com/
  • sexforjaffacakes
    sexforjaffacakes Posts: 1,001 Member
    Yeah I'd say vodka and a diet mixer - don't know if the bars I drink at even do a diet option mind you, scaffy scaffy bars.
  • elle18287
    elle18287 Posts: 267 Member
    MG64 is a blessing. I usually really hate light beer, but this one really isn't bad at all! I think it is much better than bud55.
  • Jconner30
    Jconner30 Posts: 311
    I drink one beer a day because its good for you (despite what some may say). Anything over one beer is counterproductive. I drink Michelobe Ultra or Shiner Blonde Light - both are around 95 calories. If you hit happy hour, just make sure you do cardios before you hit the bar. You put your body into high burn mode so your body will just burn the extra calories quickly. One day a week to splurge wont kill you. Just monitor your weight and if you start to gain weight (over a weeks time) then cut out the happy hour until you reach a goal (lets say, 10 pounds lost goal). That way its a reward :smile:
  • MZNIKKIBOO
    MZNIKKIBOO Posts: 190
    BUMP--
  • skinnyhappy
    skinnyhappy Posts: 152 Member
    My husband and I homebrew, so we obviously like good beer. However, I'm having Budweiser's Select 55 instead on occasion. I'd rather have a pint of malty dark beer but I've gotta make some sacrifices.
    I used to drink 1-2 beers a night, now I only have maybe one a week.

    Same here! We homebrew a lot, and I've heard that the carbs you're getting from quality beers aren't actually all that bad for you, here's an article about it:

    http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=7525

    Cheers to dark, manly beers and homebrews :)
  • Abells
    Abells Posts: 756 Member
    I went on a no drinking kick which was the best way for me to lose weight! At first it's tough especially with the peer pressure but then it becomes pretty simple and almost instinct to be out and order water. I love it! I drink sometimes now but not as often as I used to. I drink Jack on the Rocks which is lower cal and I dont drink as much of it as I did when I was pounding like 10 beers a night. It's a good way to keep track of what you are drink and you see and taste what you are drinking as well compared to the fruity drinks that taste like a treat. I Love Jack personally and it has been working for me as of late.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    personally I would avoid it, because alcohol turns to sugar as it's being digested.

    Alcohol Metabolizing Into Sugar: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29977.asp

    Not true, and your reference does not say this.

    Right! Alcohol doesn't spike your blood sugar unles you are eating sugar with it because it can cause the sugar to not be processed as quickly if your liver is busy dealing with the alcohol. So have a drink and skip the sugar. Sugar is a far more dangerous poison than alcohol (unless you are driving or operating heavy machinery)
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