Alcohol Tips?

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2

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  • Shana67
    Shana67 Posts: 680 Member
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    jadorade91 wrote: »
    I've been told by a few people that it is "basically impossible" to lose weight if you drink alcohol, because it slows down your metabolism so drastically. Do you guys agree with that?

    No. I have a mixed drink every night (4z vodka + soda) every night, and have lost 40 pounds this year. I simply make sure it fits into my calorie goals.
  • allyssabebe
    allyssabebe Posts: 22 Member
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    Switching to vodka soda and two limes has drastically changed my hangover and my calorie intake!
  • katiebean
    katiebean Posts: 110 Member
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    allyssabebe wrote: »
    Switching to vodka soda and two limes has drastically changed my hangover and my calorie intake!

    Mine too! I used to mostly drink cider, put on a lot of weight and had awful hangovers. I've switched to vodka now and the hangovers are much, much better.

    OP, I regularly drink 1,000 calories of alcohol on a night out (regularly = one a week-ish) and it hasn't stopped my weight loss. It might have slowed it but I've still been happy with it. I try to store up a few calories during the week so I have a bit more to work with at weekends, and I also try and do a bit more exercise as well.

    The only problem is if it makes you want to eat more while you're drunk or eat loads the next day. But as long as it's within your calorie goals it shouldn't be a problem.
  • beaglebrandon
    beaglebrandon Posts: 97 Member
    edited September 2016
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    1 to 2 drinks every other night, substituting those calories for your snack calories is fine. That's about 3 to 6 drinks a week. Doing it this way, you won't need many snacks, and it might actually help you go to sleep at night without a late night binge...

    However, drinking that all on ONE day a week is much harder to do. Snacking is an issue, make sure you don't eat a bag of chips or half a pizza on a binge night. That is what will derail your diet - not the drinking.

    And drinking a lot ONE day a week is much tougher the entire next day. You'll crave food so much more, and you won't want to - or be able to work out as well.

    I do a binge night every few weeks, where I have like 6 whiskey and cokes over a period of a few hours. But I plan my snacks with things like large cocktail shrimp, baked mushrooms with lobster/crab, raw carrots, baked string beans, anything that is low calorie. The next day is very tough. I drink plenty of water, my food cravings are off the charts, but I try to stay on my diet. It's extremely tough. It's hard not to grab an extra 500 calorie hamburger because you're not feeling so well. But it can be done with enough will power.

    Six drinks (as long as they're not beer or mixed drinks with high calories) is only an extra 750-1000 calories. In an entire week, you can eat 150 calories less per day to plan, and you're fine. But most people can't be this strict. They snack an additional 1000-2000 calories with drinking, or go overboard and drink an extra 1000 calories. For those people, drinking derails them.

  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
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    If you are worried about just the weight part of it.. just exercising an hour extra would most likely negate the calories of drinking once every other week. It is constant drinking every day that would be more difficult to offset.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
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    akmomof7 wrote: »
    No, you just need to work it into your day. I frequently(2-3 times a week ) finish off my day with a Capt. Morgan and diet coke. I'm still losing just fine and only about 10 pounds from goal.

    That is because what you drink still allows you a weekly deficit. Not everybody has those extra calories to play with.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
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    It's hard to not drink when all your friends are drinking. It is a social habit. But you can set limits if you are serious about wanting to cut down. Try alternating between an alcoholic drink and a glass of ice water.

    I stopped drinking completely. The hardest part was being with other people who are drinking. It took a long time to learn how to be social without having that crutch. Good luck
  • JodiVanLove
    JodiVanLove Posts: 1 Member
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    I used to drink wine every night - close to a bottle. I added it into my calorie intake and stayed under; but what i found is it causes my body to retain a lot water. I would feel bloated and it would discourage me by not seeing adequate results on the scale or in the mirror. It wasn't permanent weight obviously since I stayed within my calories and continued with exercise, and after a day of drinking a lot of water and no alcohol I would feel better. But for me, not seeing results after working so hard can really be dangerous. I am capable of saying to myself "why am I working so hard with no results, this is a waste of my time," etc. So I choose not to drink at all during the week and limit it on the weekend. I was drinking too much anyway. Not a bad thing to cut down. I agree with all the responses and theres the old cliche; moderation - that's what it's about. Cheers ;)
  • jadorade91
    jadorade91 Posts: 119 Member
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    I'm glad I posted this--for some reason I felt like I was the only one who wanted to be able to drink as I'm losing weight lol. It makes me feel better to realize that yes, as long as I fit it into my calories and continue to work out, I'm okay. Woohoo!
  • JasonRainboze
    JasonRainboze Posts: 168 Member
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    I've been struggling with a few drinks every night..... working on trying to quit for a month to see what a difference I can make.
  • JoeCWV
    JoeCWV Posts: 213 Member
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    Drink whisky. Drink is straight or on the rocks. This should substantially lower your calorie consumption. I like craft beers. I can drink ONE good craft beer or several drams of whiskey. I chose which based on mood.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    jadorade91 wrote: »
    I've been told by a few people that it is "basically impossible" to lose weight if you drink alcohol, because it slows down your metabolism so drastically. Do you guys agree with that?

    No - and would categorize this under "bro-science". It has almost no detectable impact on your metabolism.

  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    CorneliusPhoton wrote: »
    It's hard to not drink when all your friends are drinking. It is a social habit. But you can set limits if you are serious about wanting to cut down. Try alternating between an alcoholic drink and a glass of ice water.

    I stopped drinking completely. The hardest part was being with other people who are drinking. It took a long time to learn how to be social without having that crutch. Good luck

    When I'm in a situation like this I order club soda and lime.
  • jadorade91
    jadorade91 Posts: 119 Member
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    maxit wrote: »
    jadorade91 wrote: »
    Good morning everyone!

    So I have a habit of drinking an excessive amount once a week or once every other week. Usually around 1000 calories worth but sometimes more. I'm wanting to make this a much less frequent occurrence in my life. Have any of you had this habit or still do? If so, could you give me some tips on how to improve upon this? I've definitely gotten better about the frequency but I'd like to get even better.

    You say you have "gotten better about the frequency." What did you do different from your previous behavior in order to have less frequent binges? What have you noticed about how you feel? Those times where you have drunk to excess on fewer occasions, what were you doing instead? Getting curious about these things can lead you to some strategies that may work for you!

    I used to just drink straight from the bottle, and now I'm building the habit of making mixed drinks--even with wine. I just mix either vodka or wine with flavored sparkling water, and it's delicious. By doing this, I'm not getting intoxicated so quickly, meaning I'm not making such impulsive decisions to drink more or eat badly with it.

    With how I feel--I feel SO much better about it. At the time I feel better because I'm happily buzzed but know I'm not being excessive, and I feel better the next day because I don't feel bogged down from it!

    Thanks for the questions. Good to reflect on this!
  • jadorade91
    jadorade91 Posts: 119 Member
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    I used to drink a bottle of wine every night, pretty consistently for about a year (living with 7 other people does that to you), and I gained 10 pounds.
    The year after that, I didn't drink every night, but I did binge drink (beer, wine, liquor, all of it) at parties and bars about 3-4 nights a week. I gained another 10 pounds.
    This past year, I switched to only vodka. Although I'd still binge a few times a week, I maintained my weight the entire year.
    In the past month or two, I've binged a few times, but not near as much as in the past. I don't drink every night, and if I do, it's just a few drinks rather than an entire bottle of anything. Typing this all out kinda helped me see the improvement I've made from where I was a couple years ago...
  • z4oslo
    z4oslo Posts: 229 Member
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    I dont think food should be your main concern. Your drinking habits should be your main concern.

    And for the rest of you guys in here, suggesting its ok to "save up calories to be able to drink alchohol" You should really start to think twice before posting, because its a terrible, terrible advice.
  • dreamsignals
    dreamsignals Posts: 39 Member
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    This conversation is going back and forth between drinking less for fewer calories and drinking less as a lifestyle choice. Obviously both are super valid, but perhaps figuring out where your immediate priorities lie may help you figure out next steps.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    jadorade91 wrote: »
    I've been told by a few people that it is "basically impossible" to lose weight if you drink alcohol, because it slows down your metabolism so drastically. Do you guys agree with that?

    I don't agree...I lost 40 Lbs about four years ago and didn't give up alcohol.
  • jadorade91
    jadorade91 Posts: 119 Member
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    Well clearly from posting this topic, my drinking habits ARE my main concern lol. And I've stated that I'm improving on them and just wanted some advice for further improvement.

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